Wordless Wednesday ~ Popsicle Days

Friend Makin' Mondays ~ Vacations!

Yay for another installment of FMM!

Kasey from All That is Good usually hosts, but she is on an extended vacay, so this week

Jolanthe from No Ordinary Moments, is hosting. And the task?

Vacations!!!

1. Tell us the best or worst vacation that you've ever taken

Oooooh, I've got two.

Hawaii ~ October 2006

We had SO.MUCH.FUN! My parents came along, as well as two cousins, an aunt, and their families. Hanging around the beach was, obviously, our favorite activity :)

And . . . .

DISNEYLAND ~ April 2008

Oh what fun!

The girls were in awe the entire time.

*Sorry this is a little late . . . it was another long day :)

I love vacations so much, I just had to get in on it.

Better late than never, right?

Happy Monday, y'all!

I ♥ Faces Week 28 - Feet!

This is my first week joining in at i ♥ faces ~ a photography blog that hosts weekly photo contests for kids and adults. This week's theme . . . Feet! To join in, enter here.

Kameryn's little tootsies.

Taken May 2009, at 3 months old.

Enchanting Summer Days

In grand Summer tradition, we have been keeping busy!

One of our favorite places to visit each summer is

♥ Enchanted Forest ♥

A little, nursery rhyme - themed kids park

not too far from our house.

We visit every.single.summer.

Seriously, this started when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Sierra.

Actually, if truth be told, it started years ago,

when my parents took my sister and me.

But, I'm getting off track . . .

{I do that a lot, don't I?}

Anyway, 93 degrees was the forecasted temp for Thursday.

Being that the Enchanted Forest is in, well, the forest,

we figured it would be the perfect day to go have some fun in the shade.

So away we went . . .

Our first stop was the castle.

Anyone care to guess what the girls were doing in this picture?

Making wishes on pennies thrown in the wishing well, of course.

A quick stop by Humpty's digs.

Kam enjoyed the stroll for about 6 1/2 minutes.

After that she wanted to be carried.

Photo opp with the Mad Hatter

Wheeee! They REALLY enjoyed the "shoe slide".

Kenners did a great job driving the train.

And Sierra took Gramps for a ride at the Bumper Cars.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Stay tuned . . . we'll be visiting the Enchanted Forest again next month . . .

with ALL the cousins. Can't wait! :)

A Little More Like Myself

Whew, life has been a little crazy lately.

Thankfully I am feeling much better.

Tired, but better.

I'm finally ready to post pictures from our camping trip!

So . . . get ready for some super duper cuteness . . .

Mom, are we there yet???

Kenners enjoyed putting puzzles together

And Sierra loved our family auction

And for good reason . . . Grandpa bid on an iPod especially for her.

Take a look at this cutie!

My nephew Jaymes . . .

Gotta love all that dirt ;)

My niece, Sonoma.

Is she a punkin, or what???

We had such a great time.

Can't wait till next year!

Extreme Makeover: Me Edition, Week ???

Wow, it's been awhile! I've been slacking in blog-world, but for good reason{s}, people, I can assure you. First, the normal hustle and bustle of Summer. We don't get months on end of beautiful sunshine here in Oregon, so we gotta take advantage of it while we can.

Second, I have {stupid} mastitis again {waaaahhh, Idon'twannabeonantibioticsagain, } and I'm wiped out! Alright, fit over.

And, do I need to remind y'all of the 14 loads of laundry, trailer clean-out, and week-long camping trip I'm still recovering from? Okay, then.

So, the lovely Amber, host of this beautiful weekly gathering of ladies who are in pursuit of bettering themselves, poses this question:

What's been inspiring you???

I am inspired by other people's health and fitness. Last week, while at my family reunion camp-out, I got to spend some time with my younger sister and her precious family. Her daughter, Sonoma, is 11 months old and soooo super adorable {as is her son}. Anyway, Annie {sister} looks FAN-tastic! She is the thinnest I've ever seen her. Ever. And not just skinny, but toned as well. Of course, she IS superwoman. Chasing after two little ones, working part-time at Starbucks, AND coaching high school dance team, just to name a few.

Anyway, what an inspiration! After days of snacking on Golden Oreos and Snickerdoodles, I wanted to just toss the rest of the snacks in the garbage! Of course, I didn't. I am a snacker, and I won't give it up totally, but it was a reminder that if I want to change my body, I'm going to actually have to do something about it. Crazy, huh? Now, don't get me wrong, I am pretty happy with how far I've come. I can happily say that I am down to pre-pregnancy weight. A weight that I've been within a few pounds of all my adult life. About 112, if you need a number, people. BUT, I need exercise. I need to tone. I know this, but somehow it seems so difficult to fit it in. Something to work on, I guess.

So, that's that. How are you doing with your fitness goals? What inspires you? Head on over to Amber's to join in, and link up. You'll be so happy you did!

Not Me! Monday ~ Camping Edition

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not discover Golden Oreos while camping, and then proceed to eat almost an entire bag of the minis all by myself. Nor did I indulge in Snickerdoodles every.single.day. Please, I have way more self-control than that.

After seeing my skinny mini of a sister this weekend, I did not swear off said Oreos and Snickerdoodles {along with all other junk} in hopes of losing just a few more pounds. And I certainly didn't head right back for the sweets the following day. Not me.

In an effort to spend less time in the trailer slaving over dishwater, I did not buy paper plates, and disposable everything {yes, that includes diapers}. I am so much better at conserving than that, and would never do such a thing.

I did not remain in my jammies until 4 o'clock this afternoon simply because I was so busy unpacking the trailer, starting load after load of laundry {12 thus far}, and generally running around like a mad-woman trying to get everything clean and put away. Four thousand trips back and forth from trailer to house in jammies, greasy pony tail and without a stitch of makeup??? Unthinkable!

Alright, let's hear it, what didn't you do last week?

We're Baaa-aack

Ahhh, it's so good to be home!

I want to sit here today and play 'blog catch-up'

BUT, the laundry is calling my name . . .

All 14 loads of it. Sigh.

I'll be back soon with pictures.

Hope you all had a fantastic week!

We're Off!

Wishing y'all a fabulous week full of sunshine and memories!

Can't wait to catch up with you when we return!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Whew!

I think I need a nap.

We have had a busy few days,

and are preparing for many more.

We are headed to our Family Reunion Camp-out,

albeit a few days early, to get some fishin' in.

Our first camping trip with three little ones,

and already I'm noticing the extra "stuff"

as I make my couple hundred trips out to the trailer :)

So . . . I may be MIA for a bit,

but that's okay because we're sure to be having

LOTS-O Summer Fun!

And now I'll leave y'all with a few fun 4th photos ;)

The girls enjoyed making {and eating} a very festive cake

Patriotic donuts are the food of choice during a parade, don'tchaknow

{Um, are you totally lovin' the super-cool shades as much as I am?}

Enjoying Kam's first parade

A few fireworks

Front-row seats for the show

Hope you made lots of great memories too!

Happy 4th!

Wishing y'all a Happy and SAFE 4th of July

Full of fireworks, family, and fun!

Ice Cream Treats and Too Much Summer Fun!

I'm feeling a little outta the blog loop these days. The sun has finally made its grand appearance {yay!}, and the girls want to live outside, leaving me very little time on the computer {I even forgot EM:ME today, sheesh!} And I'm okay with that. If there is one thing I've learned in my last {almost} seven years as a mom, it's that time goes by much too quickly. I want to take advantage of every second I have with the girls. One day they will be all grown up. Okay, moving on, before the tears start.

Anyway, we've been busy! BBQs, shopping trips, runnin' around outside, and our new favorite warm summer day activity . . . ice cream making! I'm sure you've all heard of this super easy {and fast} way to make your own frozen tasty treat, but I'll share it with you anyway. It is a fun, easy, and most importantly, kid-friendly recipe, and a great reminder to get in there and create with your kids.

Ice Cream in a Bag

You'll Need: 1 Tbsp. Sugar, 1/2 Cup Milk, 1/4 tsp. Vanilla, 6 Tbsps. Rock Salt,

1 Pint Size Storage Bag, 1 Gallon Size Storage Bag, Ice Cubes

Fill the Gallon Size Bag half full of ice and add the rock salt. Seal the bag. Pour milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag and seal it. Place the small bag inside the large bag and seal carefully. Start shakin'! Shake that bag all around for about five minutes, or until your ice cream sets up! Voila! Tasty summer treat! Try different flavors by adding a little chocolate or some strawberries . . . yum!

Start by shakin' that bag!

Kenners tired of that rather quickly

Check on your creation

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM

YAY!

Mmmmm, I love this stuff!