Wedding Stories

 Okay, this has been the busiest summer ever.
Hands down.

But I think we're getting close to being able to catch our breath.
Whew!
 

So.  I think I mentioned before, my nephew recently got married!

And while that makes me feel old, it also makes me feel happy.

Because he and his new wife are the sweetest, most fun and loving couple I know.

I was asked to take pictures, and was completely happy to do it.
But before anyone asks, no, I will not be adding "wedding photographer" to my resume ;)
I'm just not cut out for it.
I think it takes a very special kind of person {and a very special kind of gear, lol!}.

Alrighty, I'm going to let the pictures do the talking, as usual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It was a beautiful day.
A beautiful wedding.
A beautiful couple.
A beautiful celebration! 

 

 

 

♥ Happy 11th Birthday, Sierra Elizabeth ♥

 Happy Birthday, to my sweet, oldest baby girl ~ Sierra Elizabeth.

So.  I have a rough time whenever any of my babies turn a whole year older,
but I think it's harder with Sierra.  She's my first baby girl. 
My baby who made me a Mama. 
We have so so many memories together.

Miss Sierra Elizabeth . . .
You are eleven years old today.
Sigh.

 

You are turning into such a mature and lovely young lady.
Of course, part of being so mature at such a young age means that you
often have to deal with things that are beyond your years. 
It amazes me what you pick up on sometimes.
You are so perceptive, and a bit of a worrier {like your Mama}.
 

I truly can count on you for anything.
You are the most organized eleven year old I have ever encountered.
I always chuckle that you will run a mighty tight ship when you get older.
You expect a lot out of others.
And you can be pretty discouraged when they don't live up to your expectations.
I know someone else who has trouble with that {cough.ME.cough}.
But I think that's because you are so giving of your time, and you care so much . . .
you are disappointed when others don't return your same passion.

 

 

You are a GIRLY girl. 
You and I have very much the same taste in . . . everything.
We both choose classy over trendy.
You are very feminine.
But you also love to have fun.
In some ways you are far more adventurous than I ever was.
But you like to stick pretty close to home.
And I love that you love to spend time outdoors with your Daddy.
He loves it too :)

 

You love to dance, and you are so graceful.
I just love watching you onstage.
 

 

 

 You are growing into such a beautiful young lady.
Inside and out.
Love you bigger than the sky, sweet girl!
Happy Birthday!!!

 

  

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Annual Trip to Oaks Amusement Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Puppies ♥

Oh these new little puppies are keeping us busy!

But they are so sweet.

And Mama Kate is perfect.

She's a hunting dog, and as such, not very laid back.
I'm going to be honest, I was a little nervous as to what kind of Mama she was going to be.
But she has been absolutely wonderful.
So attentive and protective.
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Nope.  It doesn't get much cuter!!

 

 

 

Puppy Love ♥

 

Miss Kate had her puppers today . . .

 

 

 

 And we're pretty much in LOVE ♥
 

 

 

 

 So, it finally occurred to me that I left y'all hanging regarding the "Big. Exciting. News."

I honestly didn't mean to do that.
It's just that I'm pretty much the world's worst blogger these days.
And I think I've finally figured out why . . .
{Ya know besides the fact that I am trying to raise four children, take care of them and my husband, squeeze in the basics, like laundry and general house chores, etc. etc.}
. . . other social media is SO MUCH EASIER.
I'm still not the greatest with Facebook, but oh my lands, Instagram is so easy peasy!
I love it.
And blogging . . . it just takes so much more time.
And I'm short on that most days.

Anyway . . .
On to the news.
While a new baby would be super exciting, I'm sorry to say that is not the exciting announcement.
We are, however, expecting puppies!
Words cannot describe how excited the girls are.
And I have to admit I'm pretty excited too.

Snuggly wuggly pups are in our very near future.
Stay tuned :)

And because I can't leave you without a picture . . . 

 

 

Sigh ♥ I love these girls.
 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Camping, iPhone Style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poor Blog

 

Poor, sweet, neglected blog.

 

It seems the more I have to blog about, the less time I have to blog :(

Sad.

So. Where were we . . .
Oh yes.

We got home from camping, and I set to work on 4,000 loads of laundry.

But before we headed out for camping, we had a lot going on.

Fourth of July Celebrations:



We spent the evening at home with our own fireworks display,
but earlier that day Jeremy and I snuck away to Estacada for the Timber Festival.

It was so much fun!


We watched all sorts of timber games.
My favorite was the climbers:




And headed home in time for a BBQ and fireworks of our own:





Mostly we've just enjoyed the outdoors.

We don't get an abundance of sunshine throughout the year, so we try to soak it up as much as we can when it finally makes its appearance.

One of our favorite ways to enjoy Summer?




S'mores!


This pic cracks me up!! 
Poor Sierra is so careful to toast her marshmallow just so.  
But this one caught fire, and . . . total sadness. 
All was lost ;)


A couple of days later, we attended a bridal shower for my soon-to-be niece.










For the most part it was a lovely afternoon full of good friends, food, and celebration.

Miss Tay was a HANDFUL, but otherwise, it was perfect.

And finally . . .

Camping!

Our Family Reunion Camp Out is one of our most looked forward to outings all year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Now, deep breath.
Birthday parties, daytrips, family visits, playdates, a WEDDING, and some other BIG EXCITING NEWS are all to come in the next several weeks  . . .

WHEW!

 

 

 

Camping Tees

Whew! 
We are back from our annual week-long camping trip, and I am EXHAUSTED.
As if the "normal" amount of work after a camping trip wasn't enough, we came home to a fun flea surprise courtesy of Miss Sophia the kitty whom, I swear, only made it out of the house a couple of times.  Though you'd think she found a whole family of fleas to roll around in and happily share with our home :/

Important wisdom for me to stash away: NO MORE ANIMALS IN THE HOUSE.
Mkay.
If anyone is still reading my blog and perplexed by my lack of posts . . . there you have it.
Camping prep + camping trip + flea problem = No time for Blog :(

Onward.
Before we headed out camping, we had to make some cute tees to wear.
It was a must.

The super fun part about this project is that it's virtually free.
And free is almost a necessity these days.

I have four hundred million pieces of scrap fabric, and each of the girls already had a tee to use.
YAY!

 

 

We cut out wheels and a "hitch" ;)
 

 

And the girls thought they should fancy them up with a door and window.
 

And the finished product:

 

 

Supplies for your own:
Old or New Tee
Scrap fabric
Steam-A-Seam 2
Needle & Thread {or sewing machine}

Voila!
Go make a shirt.
Go camping.

I'm off to finish the 42 loads of laundry that await me.