Our new family member

Here's Gus... we like him a lot! He is a lab mix we got at a local humane society, and I don't think he could be a better puppy. Sleeps through the night, only a couple accidents, and loves all the kids!

4th of July in Astoria, Oregon

We had a fabulous 4th of July in Oregon. The kids enjoyed every minute... they loved the little fireworks, and LOVED the big ones. Kellen fell asleep on me while Tyler and his dad were lighting off fireworks. It was fabulous.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde was a wonderful place. It was amazing to see what the native people made and how they lived. The cliff dwellings are truly amazing! The kids were fascinated with the houses in the rock. We camped one night in the campground, and then headed to Moab.

Ayla's 5th Birthday, Rainbow Style

I think she had a great birthday! I got some ideas off of Pinterest (that place is wonderful for ideas), and we kind of rolled with it. Her cake was just a white cake recipe with some added coconut, then I set a side a bit for each color in the rainbow... the finished product was cute, and kind of arched within the bundt cake pan. I think she liked it. She picked out her pink party dress, and got to pick a lei of her color choice. At first, I thought since she was 5, she could pick 5 friends, but then... we ended up having 11 kids... I think 5 would have been more fun, but we had a great time in spite of the chaos.
I can't believe my girl is 5 years old. She amazes me with her creativity and love of people. She is always ready to help in the kitchen, and just has a wonderful time at school. I just love her!

Here is her 4 year birthday party (so cute), her 3rd birthday, and a bit more of #3,  and how her name came to be...

Colton's 6th Birthday

I still find it hard to believe my boy is 6! He is getting too old! Before we left for Oregon, we planned his birthday party, at his insistence, up at the Column. (For those who don't know, the Astor Column is in Astoria. Oregon... a tall lookout. Very cool) And despite his *injury from the night before, it went off without a hitch.   
The cake looked and tasted fantastic, the burgers were yummy, and all the sides were yummy that people brought. Colton enjoyed opening up his presents, and heading up to the top of the column to release some planes.
Thanks everyone for making it a great day for my wonderful boy.

*His injury happened at bedtime out at Grammy's house. He was running after Shelby, the dog, and tripped (?) and fell on a jagged rock (of course!) and sliced his brow open. Tyler and Grammy took him to the ER for 9 stitches! He was so brave!