Summer Catch-Up.

Between building a house, getting ready for a baby & chasing a 2 year old we've kept pretty busy this summer. Lucky for us, however, we've managed to squeeze in quite a bit of fun. Just a sampling:

Fish Farm

Misc.

Swim Lessons

Camping

Lagoon

Humble Abode.

After a whole lot of headache, paperwork, running around & living in my parents' basement for nearly a year, we have started our house!! Oh the joy that rings in my heart... Ty's dad is acting as our general & I cannot stress how grateful I am for him & for Ty & everything they are doing to get this thing done. Mr P & I go out every few nights to see how things are progressing & to let him drive any available machinery & I just can't believe how much work they do. Every visit we come home looking like true live hobos & my son is just as happy as a clam. Last night I went out for a while & sprayed down the gravel while they backfilled the foundation & compacted it & I thought I might die. It was a toasty 98 degrees & that was at 7 pm. I can't imagine how bad it was during the heat of the day. I wish (well sorta) that I had a picture of me with sweat pouring like little rivers through the dirt down my whole body. Sick. I'm super glad Ty was able to get some guys to help him today, since he'll be spending all day out there again. I feel a little lazy, but unfortunately they frown on 9 month pregnant women hauling gravel in this heat. Rats. So, cross your fingers for us that all proceeds smoothly & I'll keep you posted.

Getting ready for the foundation.

Footings

What's more fun that playing in a dirt pile??

The kid loves machinery.

Digging with grandpa. Life could not be better for this boy.

Oregon 2010

Last month my family (the whole, entire thing- yes, all 25 of us) took our trip to the Oregon Coast. My amazingly generous & awesome parents rented a beach house that fit us all & we had a marvelous time. Now, some people would say we're totally crazy to attempt this type of feat, & in part we are. It's a lot of work & coordination & LOTS of kids, but I really, truly have the best family ever & I'm already geared up for next time. It was some of the best weather we've ever seen on the coast which made for lots of beach time. As always, the week went by much too quickly. THANKS, mom & dad! (Sorry for the picture overload. There are about 200 more where these came from & I'm still waiting to get copies of everyone else's, so you may get a future update. Fair warning.)

**If your child is ever trotting around with his hands in his pockets as mine is here, I suggest you force him/her to take their hands out for safety purposes. This picture was taken just before Mr P took a spill on some metal stairs, hands in pockets, rendering him unable to break his fall, causing him to smash his mouth on said stairs, break his front tooth, chip 2 others & set them all crooked. Perhaps karma is telling me I was too prideful of his up-til-then dang near perfect smile, but I'm quite sure it was the most traumatic thing that has happened since his birth, & he's taken some quite nasty spills. I am grateful, however, that the teeth remain intact. Knock on wood.

Mr P is still talking about this crab that pinched his dad's finger & made him scream.

Apparently it cracked him up. Nik's not quite so sure...

We joined my parents a few days before everyone else & went to see Crater Lake. Amazing. We did not plan on there still being so much snow & therefore are planning a trip back to do some further exploration.