Purse Pics

Finally downloaded a bunch of pictures from my "purse camera", and found this!

Love these girls!!!

A Visit From "The Big Apple"

Remember my friends the Tuckers...you know, the ones Kallen and I traveled to Alaska to visit, and who have come to stay with us a time or two also?  Well, this last week, we were blessed with their presence once again!  They are now living in upstate New York, but since their family only lives 2 1/2 hours away from us...when they come home to visit...we get them for a few days as well!!!

It wasn't until their last day here that we realized we hadn't even pulled out our cameras yet...so we took the kiddos to the park and started shootin'!  I sure miss these guys and try to convince them every time they are here, that I'm sure there is a house just around the corner that has their name on it!  We'll see...maybe one of these days they'll at least live closer than a plane ride away!

and you can see the rest of the pictures in my facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=186688&id=655928868&l=7ec16600ec

"Shownee"

Ellie is a horse lover!!!  For as long as we've known her, she's aspired to be a Rodeo Queen, as well as a Barrel Racer!  She can tell you all about the different breeds, and what makes them unique.  She is confident and adventurous with horses, though cautious in a necessary way!  She's hooked! 

Anyways...When the opportunity to take in a horse, with just as much spit fire as our little Miss Ellie has...her mom and dad couldn't resist!!!  So...for Ellie's 5th birthday...she got the one thing she's wanted her whole life...her very own horse, "Shownee".  The timing couldn't have been more perfect, and the fact that Shownee and Ellie are the same age, and even more, share the same birthdate...is nothing less than fate!

Shownee has been a part of the family for almost 2 weeks now...and just today, our kiddos finally got to meet her!  Well, technically Kallen got to see Shownee with Ellie and Mindy a few days ago, but this is the first time he actually got to ride her!  The kiddos coudn't get enough!!!

It seems I've been repeating "We're not getting a horse" all night!!!

A Couple of Girls Being Girls

I've said it before, but we are so blessed to have neighbors next door with children our kids same ages.  They play together, fight together, and love each other like brothers and sisters!  They are truly the best of friends!  When all four of them get together it can sometimes be quite the roudy bunch of kids...but seperate any two of them and its wonderful to watch how well they play together!

The other day Ellie brought over her special make-up kit, and she and Kynlee sat at the dinning room table "beautifying" themselves!!!  It was too cute for words listening to their conversation!  I was able to get a picture of them before they began "the process", but after that it was all business!!!  I tried to get and "after" picture, but Kynlee said ever so politely "no pictures please"!

Worth The Drive...No Question!!!

My dearest friend Ashley...you know...the one from Alaska...well, now the one from New York...because yes, her and the family have been re-stationed as far away as possible in upstate New York...was "home" to visit family this week!!! While "home" is still 2 1/2 hours away from us...Driving over the mountain to see her was a no brainer!

It's been since college that we've lived in the same town, but the distance these last 5 years has definitely made the heart grow fonder! I miss my Ashley, and would give anything to have her living close...but she doesn't, and she won't any time soon...so...our quick, couple hour visits once a year (if we're lucky), will have to do! Love you Ash...and thanks for the fun filled, relaxing, chaotic, stressful, and yet wonderful day today!

Beava-Las-Vegas

Beaver fans we are! Vacation fans we are! Vacation without the kiddos fans...WE ARE!!! So...when we heard the Beavers were playing the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas...we were totally there! Booked our tickets in January, and counted down the days to a fun filled 5 days in Vegas! Good food, good friends, and an almost bad, but ended up good football game! Good Times!

Watching the water show at the Bellagio

Up WAY past our bedtime on our first night in Vegas

Mandi and Mark...the company we kept all weekend!

Mandi and I ready to cheer on our Beavs

Pre-Game Margaritas at Margaritaville

Elvis is a Beaver Fan...Who knew!!!


and Benny Beaver, is an Elvis fan!

Good friends, at a good game!

I have no words!

Mandi, Sarah and I

Free drinks on Freemont St...enough said

Laughing at Hashman

Mandi and I...gaining our composure!

Blessings,

The Grass is Always Greener

As I sit and look out my window and the flattened grass and miscellaneous scattered puddles left over from last nights rain, I can only hope that our sun comes back. Is this Oregon weather...indeed...is this why I'm not a huge fan of living in Oregon...indeed! I'm a sun girl...truly a sun girl, and I'm pretty sure I could live in 100 degree weather year round and be content (with AC in my house of course!). My kids however don't share my same passion for the heat and back a few weeks ago when our lovely Oregon weather had record highs...they were miserable. I'll give it to them, that it was a little bit of a bummer that they just couldn't go outside and play, play, play, because it truly was too hot...but I sure thought it was fantastic!!! Anyways...for their sake, I was begging for at least a slight drop in temperature so the kiddos didn't have to be so "housebound".

Since we weren't getting the reprieve that we were hoping for...we opted for a day at the coast instead! I'm still amazed that in a 40 mile drive, the temperature outside could drop 40 degrees...but it did, and we enjoyed the break!

Blessings,

A Splash from the Past...week!

I know, I know, yet another long blogging absence...well, just know that we're alive and kicking, I swear! Anyways...

The heat here in this otherwises rainy state was obnoxious this last week. We had record breaking high temperatures, stores sold out of A/C units all throughout the state, and people doing any and everything they could to beat the heat! Us included!

Blessings,