Magone (Magoon) Lake...

We're here... first camping trip of the summer. Yes, Kylee's rain coat and the boots were necessities on this trip.

This "one" pair of binoculars were a big hit for the explorers.

The awesome sandy swimming hole was quickly renamed Treasure Island.

We traded in our 4-wheeler for this wonderful army green, Old Town canoe. We are ready for the lakes and some short river trips... YEAH!

We did have a few bites of Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout cooked over the campfire.

We spied lots of animals including this muskrat and family of ducks. A deer visited our camp and Tony got up close and personal with a beaver.

Gracie and Kylee hung out on the fishing deck to watch the great fishermen and girls.

What you can't see here is Amy aka. The Grumpy Old Troll at the other end of the bridge. Those of you lucky enough to be familiar with Dora are aware of that character that Amy graciously played. She was an expert riddle maker and the girls managed to solve them in order to continue on their journey.

A short dip in the chilly water.

Cuddling and shivering on the beach.

A little help please.

Magone Lake will definitely be a family favorite.

The Boys, The Bikes, and The Beach...

We've logged another great Reach the Beach weekend. Reach the Beach is Tony's favorite charity ride. Proceeds go to the American Lung Association. He proudly rides for his grandmother.

This year we were joined by an amazing group of friends. The boys choose Salem as their start point. They put in 80 miles by the time they reached Pacific City. We spent our first night in Salem and saw the boys off at the starting gates. The girls (friends included) and I went to the carousel on the waterfront in Salem. There is just something magical about carousels and the smiles on these faces.


SalemPacific City (The Beach)Tony and Ty have been training like crazy. It paid off because "they did not get passed." Of course their are no winners or losers, but "they did not get passed." They have surpassed the 1000 mile mark, only 200o more to go this season.Exploring the tide pools with daddy as mommy stood aside in paranoia of those sneaker waves.
Sea annnnnnnennnnnnammmmmmeeeeeees or something like that.

Cave dwelling.
Happy Times!!!
Going up...
Come on Abby, I'll pull ya up...
I don't know about this...
Coming down, slow motion...
Coming down, full speed ahead...
The weekend was topped off with a visit with cousins. Backyard sprinklers and plastic pools put a smile on every ones' face... and the BBQ was the icing on the cake... oh no wait we had carrot cake and strawberry cake, so I guess that was the icing.

Everybody wants to help baby Chloe...

Thanks to friends and family for an unforgettable weekend!!!

Smells Like Sunscreen...

Outside...

We've been doing a lot outside lately, which for me means I completely abandon all my responsibilities inside. I just can't figure out how those superwomen do it ALL. Needless to say I just haven't been blogging.


We have been having a lot of fun with springtime outdoor projects. Our list includes...

• Planting a little mini orchard (a plum, a pear, a peach, and two apple trees)



• Planting blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries



• Putting in our little pumpkin patch



• Tilling and preparing (including dog proofing) our little attempt of a garden



• Planting shrubs and putting down grass seed... which I have been obsessing over watching grow little by little



• Aerating the backyard



• And making a really really really long wish list of things we wish we could do... someday.

To Tony's personal list I would add BIKING, BIKING, BIKING. He is gearing up for a charity ride in May called "Reach the Beach" and he has set a 3000 mile goal for the riding season this year. Do I wonder if he will make it??? Absolutely not, he is way too determined to not reach it. I am hoping Kylee's current strongwilledness grows into that same brute determination.

One of my least proud moments lately has been sending Kylee to pretty school like this...

Yep, that's right BARE FOOT. I, of course, was running late, so her wonderful teachers put her in a pair of socks for the day and sent me on my way. She had gotten into the car herself and I didn't notice her lack of foot attire when I was buckling her car seat... OOOPS!

One of our most proud moments lately was watching Kyndra participate in the annual Lincoln School Egg Drop Contest. Her egg survived, which was exciting, but even more exciting was watching her support her friends whose eggs didn't make it. She is truly a tender heart.

Well time to get back outside... today's plans include pressure washing YEAH!

Loved To Hear Her Cry...

Usually I can hardly stand to hear my dear friend Taunya cry. It truly breaks my heart, because she is deserving of nothing more than complete happiness in my book. I haven't heard her cry many times at all in our 12+ year friendship. She is just so easy going and accepting of everything and anyone, which those of you who know her are well aware of and those who have barely met her could tell right away I'm sure. Well, when I got the call yesterday at 3:15 and she was crying my heart did not break in fact I think it about swelled out of my chest when I heard her say the words, "I'm pregnant". It has been seven years to the month of March since she and her husband, Tony, started trying. I know this because our plan was to get pregnant at the same time, since we were born in the same hospital and then later met in Spanish class at Western (where I did occasionally have to borrow her homework, because the dog ate mine). We went on to marry police officer boys named Tony (our nuptials were two weeks apart), move to Eastern Oregon, and teach third grade. There were some other uncanny similarities along the way, but those were the biggies. So the plan was to have babies at the same time, but it didn't work out as we had planned. As I enjoyed my girls I prayed and prayed for Taunya and Tony to be blessed with children. I can close my eyes and completely envision the amazing mother Taunya is going to be and now that vision is only nine short months away. Let the shopping begin!!!

Taunya & baby Kyndra

Bring On The Birds...

Friday night Tony and I got to talking about all of the things we should be doing this weekend. The list was long, but we were easily taken off track when I mentioned I would really like to have some bird houses around our place. I have so many fond memories from my grandparent's home that include birds. There were hummingbird feeders, bird bathes, and houses a plenty. My grandma had a stack of bird books by her big picture window and she and I would watch and study the birds all day. Tony easily obliged my whim and we left behind all hopes of a spotless home for yet another weekend. We got online and searched for the best plans we could find for some kid friendly bird houses (just think only two years ago we were searching for house plans for US). Three houses ranked pretty high, but the coffee can version won out. We invited the neighbor girls to join our little building extravaganza (hopefully we will get an extended family of birds to move into the neighborhood). Bird word should spread pretty quickly that we are friend to all feathered creatures on our little drive.

We didn't have enough coffee cans so Tony scoured two local recycle centers for supplies (you know those coffee cans don't fit through the openings in the bins). He picked up the rest of the supplies at Tum-a-lum and started cutting pieces. I heard all the usual, "this would be so much easier with a table saw." I assured him the bird houses didn't have to be "that" precise. We gave the pieces a quick coat of paint and we were ready to go (don't worry our chores didn't go anywhere).

Sunday was the day for letting loose with paint, brushes, and stamps. Five adorable little girls painted five adorable little bird houses. After the paint was dry the daddies helped nail the little condos together and there you have it... Bring on the birds. Cleaning windows and scrubbing molding will be so much more fun as I watch a mama bird bring snacks to her babies... right.