Blackberry Heaven

Speaking of our "monster hedge", here are some pictures of Kyle, Kylene, and Spencer picking the blackberries that are growing out of it! Kyle was going to trim them back earlier this summer but I figured why not wait a month or so, enjoy the berries off of them, and then trim them back. The kids have loved being able to walk out there in the afternoon and pick some fresh blackberries to eat. You have to love Oregon, where blackberries are weeds!

Our Neighborhood "Friends"

We have what we affectionately refer to as the "Monster Hedge" in our side yard, that runs over into our neighbor's and some city property. (Last summer we trimmed and hauled away 1,200 pounds off of it, but you'd never know it. It really is a monster!) For the last month or so, we had started hearing cats rummaging back in there and two stray cats had started fighting and crying at night. We also have had a small mole problem in our front yard for over a year, which had been driving me crazy. When I mentioned this to my friend, she told me about a guy in our ward who apparently loves to trap animals, so I called him up and he came to our rescue. What did he "catch" the first night, you ask? Not a mole or a cat! But, this:

Not that I'm an expert on possums, but this seems like a pretty big one to me! Being the animal lover that I am (sarcasm here), I wasn't too excited thinking there has been a possum roaming around our yard. He reset the trap and within a week, we also caught ourselves a mole and a ferrel cat. Thank you, thank you! I didn't have to touch any animal and problem solved! He still has the mole trap set in case there is another one, but so far nothing. Woo hoo! (And for all of you animal lovers out there who are concerned, the only critter who lost his life in this endeavor was the poor, little mole. The possum was released in the woods and the cat somewhere else in Salem--I just can't remember where he said.) Hopefully there will be no more moles, possums or fighting cats in our neck of the woods anytime soon!

Sixth Anniversary "Stay-cation"

For our sixth anniversary, we opted for a less expensive "stay-cation" and hit the streets of Portland. I admit I was planning it this year and I am a frugal zealot, but who wants to go on an expensive "get away" when you have to take a four month old with you anyway? Not exactly a get away. :) Jana & Scott (my sis & bro-in-law) graciously agreed to watch Kylene & Spencer for the day (last Saturday, August 8) for about 10 hours AND helped me brainstorm. Thank you so much!

We started by taking the kids to the Portland Temple and walking around the grounds a little, then we dropped them off at Jana & Scott's and headed to Pittock Mansion (with a local library pass for FREE admission: frugal "score" #1!). (Pittock Mansion is a beautiful, 12,000 sq. foot home built in the early 1900s by the founder of the Oregonian. It had all the latest amenities at the time, including an elevator, two different phone systems, etc. My favorite part was that every light fixture had gas & electric capabilities, since they were just switching to electricity and it wasn't reliable yet.) After touring the mansion and enjoying the beautiful views, we set up a picnic on the grass overlooking Portland (frugal "score" #2!).

Outside Pittock Mansion:

Part of our "gourmet" picnic:Kyle, getting ready for lunch:

Then we drove to the other side of downtown for another beautiful view of Portland: this time from the new OHSU Tram that connects the South Waterfront District with all the hospitals on Marquam Hill (an architectural feat in itself). That was fun to experience, and we walked across the huge sky bridge between two of the hospitals.

Snapshot on the tram:

View from the top of the tram:

Skyler & daddy getting ready to ride the tram back down:

Next, we headed over to Portland's Saturday Market to experience the "artsy fartsy" side of Portland. Just kidding. I hadn't been to the Saturday Market in years and it was fun to walk around for awhile looking at all the wares and to people watch. Man, there are some interesting people out there. Kyle's favorite part was the "hell, fire, and damnation" preacher on the corner. Oh, and the 10 minute back massages we both got. I loved that, too!

For dinner, we decided to experience one of Portland's latest cultural phenomenon's: food carts. Ever heard of them? Portland is becoming known for them, apparently. We found an empty parking lot with about 10 different ones set up and we each chose one. I chose the Meditteranean-style cart where I could get a yummy falafel (aaahhh, Jerusalem), and Kyle chose to buy a French crepe made by a Chinese woman. We got a laugh out of that. It wasn't exactly a high-class restaurant, but it was culture! And, fun. Oh, and cheap (did I mention I like that sort of thing?)!

Then we headed over to NE Portland (near Lloyd Center) to a park where the Portland Festival Symphony was putting on a free summer concert in the park. (Does anyone hear the frugal bells ringing again?!) It was so fun and so casual. The orchestra was set up in the middle of the park and everyone was seated on the grass all around them. There were so many families and kids everywhere. We could have totally brought our kids, but it was fun just to lay back and relax and listen to the beautiful music (lots of Haydn). It was a beautiful, cool evening.

And then we went and picked up our kids and headed home. A long day, but so fun just to relax and be together. (Oh, and do it all for under $50; woo hoo!) I love you, honey!

At the Portland Festival Symphony Concert in the Park:

Kyle, listening to the music:

Pearson Family Reunion

August 1st & 2nd we had a mini Pearson family reunion (Kyle's mom's family) in Sandy, Oregon. Kyle's Grandpa Allen and his wife, Sally, flew in from Indiana to visit. Kyle's cousin, Eric, lives in Portland, so his mom, Debby (Kyle's aunt), also flew in from Arizona. Of course, mom and dad McCune came from Bend, then we came from Salem. We all converged on Maile & Parvin in Sandy. Maile & Parvin just bought their first home about a mile from their townhouse, so they graciously opened both houses to all of us!

Here's the crew:

Great-grandpa Allen with his Oregon great-grandkids: Caleb, Kylene, Bridget, Skyler, Alohi, & Spencer.

Saturday morning Grandpa treated us all to breakfast, then we headed up to Wildwood Recreation Area (near Mount Hood) where we spent the rest of the afternoon & evening swimming in the Little Sandy River, having a huge barbecue, hiking, playing at the playground, and relaxing. It was so fun to have the time together to talk, laugh, and just be together. It was so wonderful to see everyone, especially to see how well Grandpa is doing!

Tutu & Skyler at breakfast:

Relaxing at Wildwood:

Tutu, Kylene & Kyle swimming in the Little Sandy River:

The cousins having fun in the river:

Everyone got a kick out of Skyler hanging out in his Bumbo (hopefully it won't embarrass him too much one day when he realizes we put him in a purple seat):

Great-grandma Sally getting some giggles out of Skyler:

Sunday we enjoyed Sacrament Meeting at Maile & Parvin's ward (local congregation), then went back to the new house and had a big lunch together and enjoyed more time just being together. I am so grateful we were able to be there.

I liked this picture of Mom & Dad after church on Sunday: And one more of the three musketeers: Alohi, Kylene, and Bridget just love being together.

Latest Family Photo

This picture was taken last Sunday, August 2nd, on mine & Kyle's sixth anniversary! It's hard to believe what has happened in six years! I love you, Kyle. You have given me more joy & happiness than I ever thought possible.