Diamond Lake

For our second mini vacation this summer we went with friends of ours camping at Diamond Lake. The trip though only four days was a very eventful trip. We bought a used tent trailer before making this journey, because as most all of you know I have a little trouble camping. I am not a big fan of dirt, bugs or sleeping on the ground. But contrary to what you may think, I do enjoy some parts of camping. I enjoy being with family and friends, the outdoor activities and the smores. So we loaded up Thursday morning and set out to find Diamond Lake, our friends had left the day before, and not 10 miles from home almost hit a deer on the highway. Jed swerved and the trailer fishtailed, but he was able to get it under control. Thank goodness! That would have been one short trip! We had been designated to pick up the booze for the festivities and decided to get it along the way. We have a brand new GPS, so we decided to try it out....Instead of taking us to the liquor store it took us to the guy who owns its house. After a few laughs and asking for directions, we continued our journey. We arrived at Diamond Lake and set up camp. It is a gorgeous location, but right out of the car, two things were noticed. There was a lot of dirt, but most importantly a lot of bugs. I am not talking your run of the mill bugs either. These bugs were the biggest and most determined bugs ever. The bug spray did not phase them, clothes did not phase them....nothing did. Heidi, Nicky and I decided to go on a bike ride around the lake one day while the kids were napping(don't worry their daddies were with them). The views were so beautiful, with the snow capped mountain behind the glass blue lake. It turned out to be an 11 mile ride, so we were a little tired. The crazy thing was when the path took us close to the water's edge the bugs would swarm. They went up your nose, in your ears and down your throat...so gross!! We did get to do a lot of swimming, we rented paddle boats, and visited with friends. Another highlight of the trip was horseback riding. Gabby went on her first horse ride. She was so excited! We had a very stubborn horse though and it was all I could do to keep him on the trail. I felt so bad because when he would wander off the trail, the shoehorn would hit Gabs right in the gut. It didn't deter her too much though because she still thinks it was the best part of the trip. The kids got so dirty every night, orphan Annie didn't compare. Each night we would haul all six kids to the showers and hold them down(most fought it)to rid them of the day's filth. Then the would be forbidden to get dirty again until morning. The trip was a lot of fun!!! We are hoping to go camping together again next year, but perhaps at a new location with a few less bugs!

Gabby is getting so big!

Two weeks ago we decided to go and get Gabby a new big girl bike before we went camping this summer. She had grown out of her trike awhile ago, so daddy and grandpa went to Walmart to pick one out. As a surprise to us Grandpa decided to buy Gabby the bike. She was so excited! I have been pretty excited about how quickly she has learned the brakes and everything. We did have one crash when she got a training wheel off the pavement and it sent her flying into the bushes. She cried but got up and got right back on! I can't wait for her to be big enough to accompany me on my bike rides.

Is she Italian?

The other day I was in the bathroom and the girls were eating lunch, when I heard this big crash. Quickly I come into the dining room to see what all the noise was about. Sitting at the table balling is Gabriella. Apparently she had accidently knocked her elbow into her bowl of ravioli and sent it flying all over the place. She was so upset, I guess she thought I was going to be mad. I on the other hand couldn't stop laughing. Perhaps she is living up to her firey Italian name.

The Zoo

Heidi and I decided with the help of her mom to take eight children to the zoo on July 3rd this year. We had been wanting to take them all summer, but our schedules weren't meshing. I'm sure a lot of you are thinking dumb, huh? Well aside from the horrendous traffic on the way home, it was a great day. The kids all had a blast! Everyone was really good and the only real whining came from the adults as we all pushed double joggers up the very steep hills. Why does it seem like all the zoo I've been too have these darn hills? Do they want to have you pass out? We totally lucked out with the weather, it was a beautiful warm day with a nice breeze. One of only about six we've had so far this summer. We were even smart and packed all of the kids lunches, the cost of feeding eight kids would have cost a fortune. The kids loved the animals, but it was especially great to see Gracie and Jacob's reactions since they had been babies the last time we went. They squeeled at everything and pointed their little fingers. It did help us forget the heat and the hills. The only bad part was unfortunately the traffic. Whenever it is really warm in Portland or Salem, the people flock to the beach. Combine that with the fact that it was fourth of July weekend, and you'll realize that I was doomed. Needless to say a two hour drive turned into a three hour twenty minute drive. Thank Goodness for gold fish crackers! They saved my sanity. All in all it was a wonderful adventure!

We're almost there...

My sister is getting married on August 15th!!! She is so excited and I am so happy for her. I know that she has wanted this for quite awhile. We are all wishing her a wonderful and happy marriage. There has been a lot to do for this occasion that has kept Lacey as well as the rest of us very busy. On June 28th my mom and I threw her a bridal shower. It turned out to be a lot of fun! Mom made some really tasty treats and we played a lot of great games. Turns out Lacey and Ryan do know each other well! What a relief! It was great to have an oppertunity to get all of Lacey's friends and our family together to celebrate. Congratulations Sissy! You are going to be a beautiful bride!!

Tillamook Parade

About two weeks ago we went to the Tillamook parade with my co-workers. For those who have not been to Oregon, Tillamook is the armpit. It is a dairy town where the Tillamook cheese factory is located. Needless to say it always has an odor of cow shit. I don't know how anyone lives there. The dental company I work for has an office along the parade route, so we all decided to go and make an event of it. My boss went all out with the food and had cheese sandwiches, popcorn, cow-tails (candy), and a specially designed cow cake made. The kids were so excited. Apparently the parade is the second largest in the state. They were thrown a lot of candy and were on a serious sugar high. It was pretty warm so we decided to go to a shady park for a picnic after the parade. Jed found a pretty tree and we took all of the kids pictures in it. I think we may make a tradition of this fun crazy parade and just pray that next year the wind blesses us again and blows the smell away.