Barney Family Reunion-June!

And now, after much ado...the long-awaited (perhaps only by me, I know!) Barney Family Reunion pictures! My dad took over 8,000 pictures during the reunion so in order for all of us to be able to keep the ones we wanted, he put them all on an external hard drive and we have been passing it from person to person. I finally got my turn, and took the time to sort through/download the ones I wanted. I "narrowed" it down to only 1,474 pictures, so now I am going through and finding my favorites of those! It is hard, believe you, me. In order to share the most, the fastest, I am putting most in collage format. Here are a few I created this evening. More to come!

A few of my favorite scenery shots.

(Top left) The first two nights we were there, the casino--just down the beach from us--had their 20th anniversary party, complete with huge firework display and everything. It was the perfect beginning to our reunion!

(Middle left) The view from our beach house.

(Middle, center) My much-beloved Cape Kiwanda, where we spent one day...for memories sake.

(Middle, right) The bald eagle the flew over us while we were atop the Cape.

(Bottom left) The resident raccoon that would show up at dinner time each evening, just hoping we would share some of our food. The first night we accidentally put an overflowing trash bag out there and there were a few raccoons within minutes. Pesky critters!

One of our first walks down the beach to a tidal pool area.

Kylene, enjoying the beach, s'mores, and "girl-time". Thank goodness for Aunt Cami and her patience painting all the girls' finger and toe nails!

A few of my favorites of Skyler. He was in heaven in the sand; you barely had to watch him because you'd plop him down in the sand and he'd sit there for hours just digging and playing.

One of my favorite "sequence" shots that my dad took. (You literally could practically watch our reunion in "video" via still shots, if that makes sense. This sequence alone had 68 pictures!) Anyway, start at the top left picture of the boys all down on the beach, then follow it as Kyle brings Skyler back the house to wash off. This was during our "girls' time" so all the women were gone and Kyle had nowhere to safely put Skyler down while he washed Spencer off; hence, the laundry basket with Skyler wrapped snuggly in a towel. Ingenious! I would have never thought of it myself. Way to go, babe! I was laughing so hard when we got back and my dad showed me the pictures!

Stay tuned!

Instincts

Tonight we were throwing around a football-shaped pillow. The kids were all wound up and excited. Suddenly Spencer walked over to Skyler and "body checked" him. I was like, "Whoa, where did that come from?" Skyler just giggled and didn't seem to mind so I just ignored it. A moment later, another body check, this one a bit harder. Then, another, this time knocking Skyler over. I couldn't help laughing as I told him to stop. Where did my son learn to "body check" people? It's not like we've been watching lots of football on TV lately! (That's coming shortly, though!) All I can attribute it to is "male instincts". Hilarious.


Fortunately, a short while later when we had calmed down (somewhat) and were sitting on the floor, Spencer walked over and put both hands on Skyler's head like he was giving him a blessing. Hopefully that is instinctual as well:).


Here is Spencer boldly wielding the aforementioned football!

Ward Campout & Oaks Park

Friday & Saturday was our ward campout at South Beach State Park. Sorry, no pictures of the event, but we had a great time. Friday we set up camp, played with friends, did our "Daddy the Camel" skit at the campfire, and went to bed very ready to sleep. Too bad we didn't sleep:). Well, I guess the kids did, but isn't staying awake all night then finally waking up sore what camping as an adult is all about?! LOL! Saturday we enjoyed breakfast, more playing as we cleaned up camp, then we headed down to the beach for kite flying, sand digging, sand castle building, talking with friends, running down the hills, and eating a yummy lunch. The kids slept the whole way home. And I loved that the only food I had to pack for this campout was one gallon of apple juice. Nice!

Monday night Cricket sponsored a "Family Fun Night" at Oaks Park. It was a "somewhat private" shin-dig; meaning it was open to the public, but only for those who a) knew about it; and, b) bought the discounted tickets ahead of time. So the park was only mildly crowded. The hot, hot day turned into the perfectly cool evening: perfect for our kids' first introduction to a fair. They had a blast.

Mommy & Skyler on the carousel.
Spencer & Skyler being silly while waiting to get on the ferris wheel.

More silliness.

One of the favorite rides: the tilt-a-whirl. I had to coax Kylene to get on it the first time, but then she went rode it about five more times. The "biggest" ride they went on: The Spider. The kids were begging for it but it had the longest line and I was worried they would get scared, so I tried to talk them out of it several times. But, no, they insisted...and LOVED it. Kylene declared it her favorite.

Kylene & mommy on the ferris wheel.
Mommy's favorite ride: The Frog Hopper. I know, call me pathetic, call me a wimp. But, I love the smoothness of the ride, and the way it "tickles" your tummy. I was giggling the entire time. Isn't that what a fair is for? (I'll be the "ride with the little kids" parent; Kyle can be the "ride with the big kids" parent. I'm totally okay with that.)

Carousel again.

Spencer liked riding backwards on the "rocket" ride.

Whoa, look at the speed on the kiddy roller coaster. Kyle & Spencer are in the yellow car. Aren't you impressed with my photography skill? How did I ever capture that with a point & shoot, you wonder?!

Oh, such thrill seekers!

I love being a parent of young children. So many firsts. Everything is an adventure and so incredible. You can laugh and cry and laugh again, all within a matter of minutes. If I could "pause" life where I wanted for a little while, I wouldn't mind pushing pause right now.

On a Mission...

Seventh Anniversary Celebration

Saturday (August 7th), Kyle & I had a wonderful day, just the two of us. We picked up our great babysitter, Ashley, at 7:15 a.m., and headed out.

We started things right by eating breakfast at Bakery D'Amour, just to make sure our day would be filled with love:). Then we headed down to Albany to tour a recently completed Adair Home (just thinking ahead here).

Then we drove to the Oregon Coast, via a couple stops along the way. Here is a panoramic shot (it looks kind of small on here) of the Red Bridge, a restored 1914 covered bridge just east of Lincoln City. (Side story: this is a tiny, out of the way, tourist site, just off Highway 18, the main road from Lincoln City to Portland. Right after we pulled up, a lady came over to us and said their car had just been stolen 10 minutes before. Her and her sister were on a three month road trip from North Carolina and had stopped at the bridge and left their keys in the car while they looked around. A young girl pulled up, parked a truck/trailer, walked around a little, then went and got in their car and drove off! They didn't realize what was happening until their car was pulling away. Turns out the truck had been stolen about an hour earlier in a town about 20 miles north. Everything they had brought on the trip, except their camera, was in the vehicle! I hope they recovered it!)

I liked this cute, dilapidated bird house that was in the foilage next to the Red Bridge.

Next we had lunch at a much-raved about cafe, in the "podunk" town of Otis. This restaurant has a total of five tables and a bar, and to use the restroom you have to walk through the (very small) kitchen to the back (yuck). But their food is raved about by everyone who has eaten there. I commented to the people sitting next to us that it was time they expanded and they said, "They did," and pointed to the picnic tables/tarp covering outside. Pretty funny. But, they had a booming business and we bought a loaf of their delicious pumpkin bread to take with us. My chowder was good and Kyle especially enjoyed his breakfast potatoes.

Then we headed to Tierra Del Mar, just north of Pacific City (my family's favorite beach). There I got to live a dream I've had since I was about 14 years old: ride horses on the beach with my boyfriend! (Yes, Kyle is my boyfriend, for those wondering! tee hee!) It was a great ride and they even let us run the horses a couple of times. The weather was perfect, and we were on a practically deserted beach. We got to ride for a little over an hour, which ended up being perfect for us not-in-shape-to-ride-horses people. Our inner thighs have been reminding us of the day:). I rode "Wild Thing" and Kyle rode "Abby". The cute part was Abby (the female) was less than interested in Wild Thing (the male), but Wild Thing was very interested in Abby. Abby was a faster walker, so she would get ahead of Wild Thing, then Wild Thing would try and catch up (trotting), and Abby would just walk away again. The owner told us they always do that.

Here I am on Wild Thing. I like it because it looks like I'm running him, but actually we're just trotting.

Kyle, Abby, Amyanne, and Wild Thing.

Riding off into the sunset (mid-day sunset, of course!). How romantic. Work with me here:).

Post ride with Wild Thing.

Then we drove back toward home, stopping in an out-0f-the-way place near McMinnville. After years of driving to the coast and passing signs for a monastery, we finally looked online and discovered it was the home of the Brigittine Monks, who sell truffles and fudge as their livelihood. Naturally, most of their sales come from shipping/online, but they do have a tiny store/visitor's center at the monastery. We decided to see what it was like. We bought a box of truffles and visited with the starved-for-conversation man who met us at the door. Notice the Eddie Bauer sweatshirt I am wearing in the picture below? He asked me who Eddie Bauer was. And when he asked Kyle where he worked and Kyle answered, "Cricket", he asked "What's Cricket?" So, it was fun, and unusual conversation to say the least. We also spent a moment in their chapel, which reminded me a bit of Israel, oddly enough.

The monaster is about 15 minutes outside of McMinnville completely surrounded by farm land. This beautiful wheat field was along the gravel road to the monastery, and the shafts were heavy with ready-to-harvest grain. It was so golden and beautiful and it reminded me of the wheat fields that were right next to my home growing up. So I had Kyle snap this picture of me standing in the field:).

Lastly, we did a quick jaunt into McMinnville to see the Evergreen Aviation water park they are building next to the Aviation Museums/IMAX theater. They are turning it all into quite the place. There is going to be a hotel/resort with the water park and the retired 747 jumbo jet on top of the roof is quite the spectacle. Kyle loves seeing this kind of thing.

Then we headed home to our sweet kids who had a full day of riding bikes at the park, getting ice cream at McDonald's, and going to the library. They said they missed us, but I'm not so sure:).

Happy Anniversary!

Today is mine & Kyle's 7th Anniversary! Here's to seven marvelous years! I got home this evening to find seven miniature calla lilllies in a vase on the table, surrounded by Dove chocolates in the shape of a heart. (Calla Lillies are one of my favorite flowers, and the flowers I had in my wedding bouquet.) Unfortunately, Kyle has class tonight, but we're looking forward to our celebration get-away this weekend!

I LOVE YOU, KYLE!!

Summer

**Warning, Long Post.**

This post will be a little lacking in the picture area: our camera "died" a couple of weeks ago, so we have been "in the market". I finally purchased two online last week and will decide which one I like the best and return one. I'm hoping they come before mine & Kyle's anniversary trip this weekend so I can get some pictures of that.

BUT...in the meantime, we can still have fun without a camera, right? Although, I can't tell you how many times I start to go get it and then remember, oh, yeah. Or how many times I have wished I had one to snap a darling shot.

The last couple of weeks...

Kylene's cousins Alohi & Bridget came for a sleepover. There were all the appropriate amounts of squealing and giggling with three girls being together. I wish I could understand the chemistry behind girls suddenly thinking everything is hysterical once it's bedtime. I know there has to be something behind this...I always got a little "loopy" and giggly right about 10:00 p.m. I didn't know young girls are the same way! They had a great time together, and it was fun to remember my days of being silly with my cousins and friends.

Kyle's sister, Christine, came to Portland to visit for a day with two of her kiddos, Alissa and Tristan. We met at a great water park in Beaverton (across the street from the Presbyterian church where I went to preschool...it was so fun to see!) to let the kids play and have a picnic. Then we went for a relaxing hike at a Tualatin Hills Nature area. Then we drove across to the other side of town (Hayden Island, on the river between Portland & Vancouver) to eat at a fun outdoor Hawaiian restaurant-boat. (Meaning, it is kind of like a house-boat, if you catch my drift! Pun intended.) It was a beautiful day & evening and we had a great time being together. All of Kyle's siblings and parents were there.

We had a really fun primary quarterly activity. It was Pioneer Day/Provident Living themed and the kids made butter & ate hard-tac, planted radish seeds, made bonnets/hats, played pioneer games, made homemade ice cream, and learned to wash clothes on a washboard. Maybe it was so fun since I was involved in the planning, but I think the kids had a great time as well.:) Poor Kyle missed out on all the fun since he was taking a final for a class and preparing his paper & presentation for the same. Tonight he is starting his last class this year and then he gets a three month break!!!!!! We won't mention how excited we both are about this little fact.

Kylene's cousin, Stephanie, came for a sleepover. Again, all the appropriate squealing & giggling.

My best friends from high school (Beth and Memory) & I had our annual get together at Wilsonville's Memorial Park with the kiddos (12 between the three of us; amazing!). We met there in the morning and played at the playground and in the water features (the kids, that is), then went to my parent's house for a picnic lunch and relaxing in the backyard. The kids had fun exploring my parent's house and finding where all the kids' toys/games were.

And this past weekend, Kyle's grandfather came to Oregon to look at moving here. He ended up deciding to live at the Senior Living Community where Kyle's parents work (in Beaverton). He will be moving here mid-October and we are so excited to have him closer. He has been living in Indiana. Kyle's two aunts, Debby & Sally, also came and we had a great gathering this last Saturday with the Mudaliars, Logan & Shayla, cousin Eric, mom & dad, Grandpa, Debby & Sally. We went up and walked around the Rose Garden, played at the Washington Park right around the corner, then went back to Logan & Shayla's apartment in downtown Portland and had a huge dinner/85th birthday celebration for Grandpa.

Yesterday Debby & Eric brought Grandpa down to our home in the afternoon and Grandpa stayed with us last night before we took him to the airport this morning. It was so enjoyable to be able to sit and visit with him, let the kids play with him, and hear some wonderful stories. We watched our wedding video (including Grandpa's duet with Christine at our reception), and the video Uncle Mark made for Tutu & Grandpa (Jacqueline & Allen) on their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Skyler had a ball, literally, with Grandpa: Grandpa would throw a ball across the room and Skyler would run and "fetch" it, run back and throw it to Grandpa. Laughing & squealing the entire way. It was hysterical to watch. Skyler would go as long as Grandpa would throw the ball. Of all the pictures I have missed out on taking, I am mostly disappointed we didn't get pictures of the four generations, but we did get some video while he was here. And hopefully I can get some pictures from the others who were there.

Today after we dropped Grandpa off at the airport, we went up to Alva & Wendy's and spent the rest of the afternoon with them. I tried to help Wendy rearrange her family & living rooms, but we didn't get too far. Her house was clean when I got there and not so clean when I left. Sorry, Wendy! It was mainly books all over the floor since we moved two solid oak bookshelves. Alva is at Scout Camp this week and Wendy always has to do some major house changes while he's gone. She teased him she was going to buy new couches while he was gone this year...but we'll see! I told her maybe that would motivate him not to go to Scout camp ever again, and to go for it!

In between outings, we have had fun picking raspberries (although I have to admit, we missed the peak of the season and it was horrible picking), marionberries (never before have I seen bushes so loaded; it was amazing and beautiful! Skyler was a sight to behold with his mouth...I mean, body, covered in marionberries (oh, dear, camera)!), blueberries & cherries. You can't help but love this time of year, and love the lush, fertile Willamette Valley.