Back home

      We really had fun in Oregon but it's always good to be home. And it's even better when you have more cousin time to enjoy at home.

My last three photos before leaving Oregon. Cute girls with baby Rowan.

     I'm pretty sure Smalls missed us and especially these doting girls. Halle is so cute with Smalls.

Just before this photo she was having quite a serious conversation with Smalls.

    Our neighborhood "Sidewalk of Fire" was fun and here are the only photos I took all day/night.

Halle insisted Greg sit by her. (You DON'T say NO to Halle!)

    This girl is easily entertained. I'm only sad that she's probably not going to remember even a moment of her time with us. Good thing we have photos!

     Have I mentioned that Charlie is in cousin Heaven!? She loves her cousins!

Singing "Million Dreams"!

      And to add to the cousin fun, we have Kmetzsch/Smith cousins from Idaho visiting this week and had a chance to congregate and take a family photo. On the crazy scale 1 thru 10 Kmetzsch family photos are a 12! If you haven't seen the Kmetzsch sisters together lately you're missing out! I laughed so hard I nearly passed out, CRAZY GIRLS!

Grandpa and Grandma Kmetzsch with nearly all their grandchildren. (Just missing a few step cousins.)

These siblings are one of a kind!

    And I have to say, I have some of the best fellow in-laws out there! Who does this?! Oh yeah, we do because we also have to be a little crazy to be married to Kmetzsch's.

Cheerleaders around the world, eat your heart out! NAILED IT'!

      Spent a little time at a nearby splash pad. (Palisade Park in Orem.) Charlie got to be with cousins on both sides of her family for this little adventure.

Dog mom's and cute girls everywhere.

Headed home after all our sun and water fun.

    Then to top the afternoon off we went to see "Incredibles 2". A great movie and a great way to stay cool on a very warm summer day.

       When these Aussie's have to go home I'm going to be heartsick. I start crying every time I think about it. We just love these people from 'down under' so much! Let the next 5 days go s-l-o-w!

Oregon, so fun and pretty!

     Our time in Oregon was fun and memorable. Our first adventure was swimming but I didn't take photos because I was in the pool the whole time. Then we got to take a little side trip to Eugene to pick Mark up from the airport. That drive is so pretty! We stopped at Odell lake for a minute to take a photo and enjoy the beauty! It's just such a pretty area.

     Mark enjoyed his little flight adventure. He lucked out and got window seats on all three flights.

"Too Tall"

      On our way back to Klamath we couldn't resist stopping at probably one of the last true A & W diners left in America. Oakridge, Oregon knows how to keep it real. A & W root beer from the tap in a frosted mug is the only way to go when it comes to soda.

Truly a cool little diner!

      Our stay with my sister Ann and her family was 'the bomb'. The kids had a blast with all their cousins and our accommodations were pretty stellar, especially considering they were free and came with free food and laundry facilities.

The Larson compound, David knows how to build a house!

     Lake day was the funnest day in my opinion. Lake of the Woods is about the prettiest lake I've ever been too and having a boat to ride in makes it that more enjoyable. The kids also enjoyed their time in the canoe.

Speed boat fun.

     I tried wake boarding for the first time and surprisingly did fairly well considering I've never done anything where my feet are strapped into the same board. It was fun and worth all the sore muscles I had for three days after. My son-in-law, Tanner, had to show me up but I'm still pretty impressed with myself. Thanks to David and Dyrin who were great teachers and very patient!

Brock attempting to wake board. (He did ok but needs to probably build up some arm strength.)

    The Baker family reunion was actually a reunion within a reunion and we were able to get a few photos with all 40 of my 'immediate' family. These are the photos I snapped of just the grandkids with their grandparents. Hopefully the whole group photos turned out, we'll find out later.

Chaos at its best!

     We also grabbed a few more photos of all the grandkids the same afternoon at Lottie Bowlby's baptism and Rowan Bowlby's baby blessing. That was a special event and I even had the privilege of giving the baptism talk.

What a great looking bunch!

    After the baptism Marie treated us all to sweet cupcakes and cake.

    And of course I loved snuggling my newest niece, Rowan and occasionally let a few other people hold her. Greg even took a turn.

She's so sweet and tiny!

    So that's the week in a nutshell. I sure loved being with my family! I love that my kids enjoy playing with their cousins! And I'm glad we could get an updated photo. (Now who's going to announce their pregnant?!) Now lets bring on the 4th of July festivities!

Sweet and sad!

    So we had the best time with our Aussies but then they LEFT! It's a good thing they're coming back because we definitely didn't get enough of their cute faces! Seriously, look at how cute Halle is eating her strawberry shortcake!

Carter convinced me to braid his hair, I don't think this is what he had in mind. What a goofball!

Jovi sure got a kick out of this. 

    Although we need rain I'm glad it's not coming because I love having my driveway decorated with chalk art by Jovi.

     Tonight we got to attend a reception at this cool location. I had no idea this place even existed, it's pretty fancy!

Wadley Farms in Lindon. I'm glad Kayli didn't request this for her wedding reception even though it is pretty cool.

    So that's our week. We're sad the Atkinson's left but thankfully only for a minute and then we'll be back together. Can't wait for our Oregon adventures to begin!

Finally!!

     Finally!! The Atkinson's are here, my kitchen is 90% complete and this week has been full of fun and excitement!

I'm loving my backsplash!

Found this cute dress at 'Kayli's' store and it's pretty much my new favorite.

    So the Atkinson's finally arrived but our airport pick-up did not go quite as planned but we were beyond excited to see everyone. Apparently the Atkinson's took a wrong turn and came out at a different terminal so while we're staring up the escalator waiting for them they ended up approaching us from behind, funny!

Five very tired girls, four happy and one not so happy.

They were all such good girls on their long flight so I made sure I had a little gift bag of rewards for them.

Kirra stayed awake for several hours but finally crashed just around 7 PM.

Halle warmed right up after a nap!

Charlie is in girl cousin heaven!

Someone is pretty 'excited' about driving this 'cool' minivan!

I scored a few points when I took them to see some tiny and adorable puppies.

We also enjoyed some fun at the pool.

Jackie, Kayli and I got out and did a little clothes shopping.

     We've ended the week with our annual 'Tent City' better known this year as 'Dog City'. I don't know how happy the Atkinson's were to be here for this fun/crazy party but we were sure happy they were here and it may have been a mild tent set up but we still had all the same fun chaos as we do every year.

Pizza, bubbles and 4 dogs running wild.

Greg got in some serious cardio entertaining all the kids.

Had our first movie night of the season and of course watched "The Greatest Showman". Little Halle knows all the words to all the songs!!! She's so cute and smart!

S'mores were a hit with these girls.

Only Halle can get away with putting her hands and feet all over my glass table. Seriously! Look at that FACE!

Fun stuff and that's a wrap for Tent City 2018!

     So that's our week in a nutshell. It's been so nice having Jackie and her family here. If only Australia wasn't so far! Let the next few weeks creep by!!

We’re nearing the end

    We still have a project list too long to finish before the 12th but we're still plugging along the best we can. The backsplash tile is nearly done and I love it more and more, especially now that all the red paint is finally covered up. I was questioning my tile choice initially but now I'm convinced it was the perfect choice and, like always, its good for me to go with my gut on things like this.

Greg doesn't get many breaks lately, he's a hard worker!

     As I suspected, the house can get a little too cold for me now that we have 'real' air conditioning. It is nice but it's going to take a little getting use to. It's a good thing I have a few blankets lying around to keep me from developing hypothermia.

     And I found this photo gem on my phone this week. Carter and Smalls taking a selfie.

They both need a haircut pretty badly!

    Another project that was done this week was we got new carpet installed in the two bedrooms on the main floor and it's so nice!

Yay for new carpet!

The only photo evidence from our fun at the cousins.

     So that's the fun of the week. We've had a full week of summer break and no one's died. (Although a neighbor or two might have come close.) The kids got to attend a flood irrigation party at their cousins house in Sprinville that they loved. And of course next week is going to be the highlight of the summer for all of us when the Atkinson's hit the states in only 3 days, 5 hours and 34 minutes!!!!!!!!

More finished projects

     Greg has been busy!! With a lot of help from Blaine my railing is finished and it's about the coolest thing I've ever seen! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

Blaine brought his awesome laser, which made installing the rebar a lot easier.

Rustic is definitely my style!

   He also finished up the island trimmings and I love it too!

Metal and wood is the best combo.

    If Brock doesn't go into some type of demolition work his talents will be wasted. He was hammering away at the tree out front, which wasn't good, so Greg put him to work on a stump, instead, and in a matter of minutes this is all that was left of the stump! I wish I had a before photo because this wasn't a tiny stump.

This was done without anger, I can only imagine what he could do in a fit of rage.

      Another project this week was getting an a/c unit and 'new' furnace installed, a dream come true for Greg. The empty box was a dream come true for these three.

Now I'm too cold!

    And we've been taking care of our 'God dogs' this week, Molly and Spencer. They're our favorite dogs to tend and Charlie just loves them.

     Next project is the backsplash tile. Here's all 72 concrete tiles that I've sealed so Greg can begin installing them this weekend. The pattern may make things a little tricky but I think it's going to look great when it's all done.

       Another project was Greg painting Isaac's bedroom. It went from green to grey and looks great. With all these projects I honestly forgot to take photos. I'll take a photo when we get the new carpet installed. There's still a lot to be done around here but it always feels great when we can check one or two more off the list. 

       On a side note, I got to have an impromptu pedicure this afternoon with Kayli, which was nice. She's turning the big 2-1 tomorrow and now that she's married I'm leaving it up to Tanner to really make her day special. 

       Summer break has officially begun so it's time to create a summer schedule to keep us all relatively sane. Mark still has a month left of his diesel program so we still have to be up early to drive him. It's going to be a fun summer!

       And we're coming up on the highlight of the summer, 10 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes until the Atkinson's hit the states!