Summer Grillin'

Peter is becoming quite the outdoor cook! (We won't mention that a couple weeks ago the "beer can chicken" caught on fire, and I thought our grill and part of the house were going to explode! Kenz and I were "freaking out" in front of my sister and her kids as we were imaging the worst while Peter was trying to find a spray bottle to put out the fire!) Last night he grilled up some delicious chicken shishkabobs, burgers, and asparagus. Grilled asparagus is our family's new favorite vegetable! I love working together as a team to cook dinner - as the food is cooking, I can clean up the kitchen. Then the kids do the dishes after dinner which is wonderful!

Happy Birthday, Sara!

We had lots of fun at Sara's 11th Birthday party. It was great being able just to hang out and visit with everyone. Sam made a cornhole game for all of us to play, we had delicious pizza and cake and ice cream, and we spent the whole time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Mary and Sam had to kick us out when the party started getting a little wild as Peter and Conner were throwing a ball back and forth over their house, hitting the gutters and getting close to the electrical lines!

Lots and Lots of Berries

Thanks to the great help from McKenzie, Kelsey, and Sara, we were able to pick 18 pounds of strawberries yesterday! One of the kids' favorite snacks (actually Kelsey's favorite snack) is frozen strawberries. Last summer I thought I picked enough berries, and Kelsey ate them all within a month. So this summer I'm on a mission to pick as many berries as possible for us to enjoy for several months after berry season is finished. Kelsey isn't a huge fan of picking berries (she gets dirt under her fingernails - oh no! and is scared of the few bugs that are in the fields). She knows that she has to help, though, if she wants to eat the berries. I like to tell the kids that they can't be like the Little Red Hen story, wanting to enjoy the bread without helping their mom do the work! Kelsey especially enjoyed pretending to "pitch" the rotten berries across the fields (like she pitches a softball). Her aim was a little off as she pitched one right at McKenzie's neck. Sara was a hard worker, very focused as she filled up her container! McKenzie was a great help and was good at finding the perfect berries. Now we are excited to make our favorite strawberry treats - bring on the strawberry lemonade, shakes, smoothies, and shortcake!!

Beautiful Day at the Beach

We had a great day at Arcadia Beach with our friends the Siems. Since it was low tide we were able to explore the tide pools and go into a cave where you could see through the rock into the ocean on the other side. The kids had fun playing with Chester (our friends' dog) and Conner had fun doing a little rock climbing. The weather was absolutely beautiful - no wind at all! We had lunch at Mo's and then another quick walk on the beach before we headed home. It was a great day to celebrate the last day of spring. We missed having Kenz with us, but she had fun back at home hanging out with her friends. Summer starts tomorrow, and it's supposed to be in the 80's!

Honoring Two Incredible Dads

Happy Father's Day, Peter! Our kids are so blessed to have you as their dad. Thank you for all that you do to provide for our family....for working hard, for being so wise with our money, for sacrificing for the kids to go to Westside, for being so trustworthy, for your unending patience, for taking out the garbage, for always helping around the house, for making a joke when things get a little tense, for loving each of the kids in their own special way, for knowing how to help them with their math homework, and for all the little things you do every day that make the kids feel special. We love you so much!




I am incredibly fortunate for having been raised by amazing parents. My dad is someone who I have always loved and respected and continue to gain more and more respect for him the older I get. My dad has taught me many things in life just by living his own life. He was never one to lecture or "make his point." But he taught me what is important (and still teaches me) by just being who he is. My dad taught me the importance of taking care of family, the value of sacrificing one's own wants to provide for others, and the value of hard work. My dad continues to inspire me as he works hard, loves my mom, and loves his grandchildren. One of my favorite things to do on a weekend morning is to have breakfast with my dad, and yesterday was one of our best breakfasts yet :) Happy Father's Day, Dad - you are an inspiration to me!!

PLANKING!!!!!

Middle School and Elementary School Graduation!

It's now official - we no longer have any children in grade school!! I can't believe it - where has the time gone???? The girls both had great days today finishing up middle school and elementary school. McKenzie and her friends all got dressed up and met at Starbucks for some pictures and a drink before school. She had a very nice graduation ceremony that her grandma and grandpa came to and then a big party at school. Tonight we're off to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate with McKenzie's friends. I took Kelsey and her friends out to Cold Stone for ice cream, and they are all back at our house hanging out. We have two sleepovers tonight, so summer has officially begun!

What I do when I don't work...

I have really enjoyed days off last week and this week! It is so nice to be able to have a bit more free time for the things I really enjoy doing. Conner and I went to the golfing range, to the bookstore, and he bought me a drink at Starbucks :). It was great having just time with him since the girls are still in school. He and I talked about doing some baking this summer, so we decided to do chocolate dipped shortbread today. We ran out of chocolate and decided the last few were in the shape of someone with short hair, so we turned them into people :) I also drove all the way out to Sherwood with a friend to go strawberry picking because it was the first field that I had heard of that actually has ripe strawberries! They are delicious and were worth the drive. I've also been doing tons of knitting and have been determined to learn a more complicated hat. I'm on my fourth one right now. I love summer!!

Finals Week

This week is Conner's last week as a Freshman! He is studying for finals and hoping to do well on them so that he can get 5 A's and 2 B's this semester. I told him that I am "at his service" today and the rest of the week, as he works hard. The girls weren't too excited about all of us having to do the dishes in his place and that I made his lunch for school :) Conner and Kenz were both out on the deck studying and watching the lightning and listening to the thunder - I had to take their picture because they looked so cute out there together :).