Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Summer Days

A day at the lake
I just wanted to post some pictures from our summer. It has been a great one so far. We have had fun days at the lake, playing at the playground, and at home. Meli loves that Colin is with us during the day. Colin is enjoying his break (even though we still spend an hour each weekday on school type stuff). He is doing such a great job at reading. He is starting chapter books now.
Dress up (size 24month - could not believe it fit her)

Getting ready to swim

her first burn. I felt horrible. She had sunscreen on too

Crazy hair after sleeping in a wet bun

My babies






Sunday, July 5, 2015

A 4th Celebration


I am behind on my posts (but I really wanted to write about our fun 4th), so the next few will be out of sequence. Will has been on vacation all week, so we had great family time. We went to the lake a few times, went out for ice cream (more then we should have), went to a block party, hung out with friends, and got house projects done. As I am writing this, my hubby is staining our fence. I love my handy man. He is going to help me with some flower bed borders too!

Yesterday, we spent the morning cooking and getting ready to celebrate our independence. The kids were excited to pick out something red or blue (or some combination) to wear. We painted Meli and my nails (red & blue). She loves having that done. I did force her to stay in our color scheme. She was trying for a lot of pink. Nope was not happening this time. Normally, I do not care how many colors she does. 

 I made some very good recipes. I really loved them. I did Cucumber Bites, Potatoe Nacho Slices, Basil Pasta Salad, and Cherry Cheesecake Nachos. All super delish! I will definitely be making these again.


We headed down to my dad and Michele's for a cookout. Instead of traditional hamburgers and hot dogs, we had crockpot roast beef sandwiches. Very tasty! Meli had some of the meat by itself and told me that it was "the best bread ever!" She is too funny. I guess because she is used to wheat bread. Not sure. 

While looking at pictures a while back, we noticed that our rare family pictures (since moving here) were all taken on the 4th of July. So, I would not let Will break tradition! I think they turned out super cute! I just love my family.


The cookout was a blast! Quite a few people came. It cleared out after a bit when the group that was heading to the races left. We opted out. It was too hot for me. I would rather hang in the shade with Will & Nate's new drink "donesky" (Angry Orchard w/a shot or two of gin). A perfect summer drink.

Once it started to get dark, we made the trek home, showered the kids, got in pajamas, and watched the remaining night fireworks on our front porch. Meli was barely hanging on by then. So there were a few meltdowns (it was 4 hours past her bedtime), but the fireworks cheered her up.Thankfully!


                                      I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July!



                                                       ~ Love, Hugs &  Kisses ~
                                                                    The B Family

Sunday, June 14, 2015

We have a 2nd Grader!

Colin's last day of school was on Thursday. I cannot believe the school year is over! I really enjoyed volunteering in his class twice a week. It was a great experience for both of us. Plus, I got to know some of the kids in his grade. 

He has grown taller and a little lankier. He lost some of his little guy look. 

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Sunriver



Last week, we took a mini vacation to Sunriver. It was filled with beautiful weather, fun adventures, and great memories. We went with some friends and their kids. The house we rented was part of the Sunriver Resort. A perfect setup. The house was fairly secluded, so we were not right on our neighbors. The resort is in this neat forest area; that has trails to bike/run on, a couple playgrounds, a village (shopping, food, and COFFEE), a rock climbing area, a tubing hill, a big pool facility (with slides), and more. We took advantage by going the last week of their off-season. Cheaper and the same type of weather. Perfect!

The first day was in the 70's, so we hit up the lava caves. The weekend was going to be in the late 80's-90's....We were planning on being at the pool for that! The lava caves were very cool. Very dark. Meli was a little apprehensive. She made it very close to the end, but she started to get really cold (which she likes but this was past the point of feeling good). If she was not so stubborn she would have worn her sweatshirt! Writing about her stubbornness would take several posts... so anyways, I headed back with her. The caves were fascinating, but my knees were bothering me from the uneven ground. Plus, I jammed my finger into the cave wall when Meli tripped. In short,  I was ready to head back. Walking back was a workout, since Meli decided she needed to be carried. Sometimes, I think her "survival" instincts are not so good. Will would be a lot better option of ensuring that she does not fall on the cave floor...but no, "Mama do it".

Meli and I in the lava cave
The house was set up with ping pong, air hockey, pool, and a hot tub. Entertainment for all. Will really wants a hot tub now.

The next day, we tried out the parks and rock climbing area. Meli loved that! Colin was a little timid, but still managed to give it a go.





The rest of the vacation was mostly spent at the swimming facility. They had this neat under 5 area, that had a little pool and then a sand play area. Meli loved that! It made it where I could read and not worry about her in the water. There was also a lazy river, a water slide, an indoor pool (that had a whirl pool - very cool), and a regular outdoor pool withan obstacle course at the deep end.  Meli keeps asking to go to the pool. I am so glad I had signed them up for swimming classes next week. She is my little water baby. Colin improved a lot. He put his face in! This is a huge accomplishment! He is very excited for swimming lessons now.  Colin's favorite was the lazy river. 

"I am a mermaid like daddy" - Meli

A little cold at the end of the day

On the last night, Colin got to go with dad, Nate and Jack to the Observatory. I am so glad this worked out. The younger ones did not go since it was past 9:00. He got to see stars, constellations, planets (Saturn, Jupiter and one other one), and a binary star system.  This was a perfect thing for Colin to do. He wants to be a scientist. First he will be an inventor, then robotics, then animal scientist, and now stars. He is going to be busy. We are hoping to find a local science camp for him to go to this summer. 





This guy was very brave. He even touched my shoe
We also went to the tubing hill. Everyone seemed to like it. I had to pass because of my knees hurting from the lava caves. This one you had to walk up a huge hill with your tube. Yeah, I was not up for it. I loved watching everyone. It would have been great if they had the pull system that they have at Diamond Lake. That one is cool (at least when I was a teenager). I think I had more fun with the pull system then going down. 
Colin going down

Meli at the shopping village


My cuties

When we left home it was rainy. We came back to weather in the 90's. My poor grass!  

Ice cream break 


Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Our Coast Weekend

This cutie stole my sweatshirt!

Colin still has this week of school, but I feel our early start to summer has been exceptionally good. We have gone on two mini vacations in the past few weeks; one quick weekend to Florence and then a  week at Sunriver.

The coast trip was exactly what we needed. It was a spur of the moment decisions that ended up being so nice. It was perfect to get away, relax, and have fun with the kids. Colin and Mae love the sandy beaches there.  My dad took us to a perfect location. One that had a nice beach and lots of sandy hills for the kids to roll around on.  The kids loved the hills!  Walking up them was definitely a leg workout. Oh boy, were they steep!


We went with Michele and my dad. They have a house there and needed some help moving furniture around. That was a interesting situation. The couch was super heavy and their driveway is ridiculous!  We were able to get it done though. 

The first day at the beach was kind of chilly because of the winds. I had to brave it with no sweatshirt, because I am such a loving mother!. This usually very prepared mom, forgot Meli's change of clothes and sweatshirt at the house. She was fine until she fell in the water. Then she noticed that it was not super warm.Surprisingly, it was not that bad. Will was being a little wussy and complaining of the coldness. East Coast snob (totally when it comes to beaches)! 

During the trip, we had a revelation...Meli gets car sick!  So not cool. I had noticed that she would complain about her stomach whenever she was in the car longer than 15 minutes. I thought she was just being a whiney three year old. Nope. Not that I would not be sympathetic to her. I totally was. Poor girl...and poor us because she is a verbal one.


Mi-ma, Meli and I



One of the many forts built on the beach



Daddy & Meli playing on a hill


My little family


Day two at the beach

The second day was so pretty

She did not fall in this time!

My love & I

Colin loved exploring and looking at the sea creatures

Us being silly


A beautiful day


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Memorial Day Weekend


Meli was feeling yucky most of the weekend, so it was fairly low-key. We still managed to hangout with some friends, hike a new trail, and BBQ with family. 


Meli pre-sickie. We had fun finger painting. 



While she was sick, it was not easy leaving her side, so I started some of my (several) sewing projects. I got 7 of her dresses done! I still need to add some straps to a few. 



Colin got crafty and designed a robot suit.


We went on a hike yesterday. Meli was not as recovered as we had thought, but it was still enjoyable. Very pretty area. I had her on my shoulders and the trail was pretty steep, so a bonus workout!


My sunshines!


An adventure!


Miss coolness.





Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Book Challenge!!!

I find lately, that it has been hard to make time for reading...Ha! What do I mean lately?!?  Since having kids!  So, for the last 7 1/2 years! I still would go through periods where I would read more than others. This last month I have been pretty diligent in forcing time to read. Today, I came across this post on a blog I follow (http://www.maybematilda.com/) for a reading challenge! OMG! How great is that?!?  So, I am going to try it. I am a bit behind (it is for the whole year. 12 books (12 months - get it?!) Since I am behind, I picked a few books that I have read (somewhat recently) for the 5 months I have missed. If I get done with the other 7 books in good time, then I will pick an unread book for those 5. This originally came from http://modernmrsdarcy.com/, who I am now going to follow!

Thee 2015 Book Challenge

1. A book you’ve been meaning to readHow The Irish Saved Civilization (Thomas Cahill) This book has been on my reading pile for a few years. I loved it, but was usually reading at night, which is not a time you can always read a non-fiction book (at least when exhausted). I finally got to it this past month and it was FANTASTIC! I really loved it. It is part of a series (that can be read together or not). Very interesting and now I have to find books about St. Patrick. I knew some of the legends, but what an interesting man! (COMPLETED)

2) A book published this year: I need to find one. I am so out of the loop since my B&N days.

3) A book in a genre you don’t typically read: Dragonlance - Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Margaret Weiss) My husband recommended this to me a few years ago. I do not typically read Fantasy/Sci-Fi, but really enjoyed it. It was nice reading something that he enjoyed so much. (COMPLETED)

4) A book from your childhood:  I am planning to read Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) I loved this series of books and movies. I have re-read it a few times since grade school and still enjoy it. I was so sad to read of Johnathan Crombie's (Gilbert Blythe) death that I thought this was a perfect time to revisit Prince Edward Island.

5) A book your mom loves: Outlander (Diana Galbaldon) My mom LOVES this series and has told me several times over the years that I need to read it. I am not sure why I avoided it. Probably partly from my days at B&N and constantly cleaning the shelf with this series on it. There are several and the mass markets are huge! Recently, I gave in (just in time for the series - no idea that was happening) and it was a great book. The author combines history (which I love), action and romance. I highly recommend. I have actually read the first 3 books in the series. (COMPLETED)

6) A book that was originally written in a different language: I need to come up with one for this...but I have a few ideas.

7) A book ‘everyone’ has read but you: Fifty Shades of Grey  (E. L. James) I kept avoiding this one. I hate when books are all over the place and everyone is going crazy about them (again probably because of working at B&N), but I finally decided to try it awhile back. Have to say the hype was not deserved. I could not make myself like the main character. I felt she was weak and kind of an idiot. Probably the straight forward Scorpio in me.  Plus, I do not like books or movies that seem to have the sole purpose of shock. That may have not been the author's plan, but it just read like it to me. Possibly due to all of the hype. I am not a prude and was not made to blush when reading (mabye I should not admit that?!), I just could not get myself to care about the characters at all. (COMPLETED)

8) A book you chose because of the cover: This Is Where I leave You

9) A book by your favorite author: I think I am leaning towards something by Jane Austen, but we will see...

10) A book recommended by someone with great taste: ???

11) A book you should have read in high school: Gone with the Wind (Mitchell) I have started this one a few times, but another book comes across my lap. I am reading it now for a book group.

12) A book that’s currently on the bestseller list: The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins) This one was listed on Maybe Matillda's site. I have heard the name, so I may go for this. I will have to make a trip to B&N to see if something else catches my fancy. I usually avoid this section.

I am so excited!!! I will update in a few months...



                                          ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                      The B Family