**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.
