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.

7 Years & Counting.

Seven years ago today I woke up in the wee hours of the dawn, did my darnedest to make myself look a little special, & drove to the Salt Lake L.D.S. Temple, where my family & I waited for my husband-to-be. Then we waited some more, after which we were asked by a kind little temple worker if the groom was on his way. I assured them that I sure hoped he was, since he wasn't answering his phone. However, he did make it, just in the nick of time. Turns out he couldn't find any clean socks & ended up washing some in the sink that morning. Or some crazy nonsense like that. And our adventures have just continued from there. And I literally mean adventures. From being 'guided' by policemen donning machine guns in Mexico to motorhome travels to the birth of our first son & the anticipation of our second & everything in between, the last 7 years have gone by in a flash & I'm grateful for my Mr who makes every one fun & exciting. Happy anniversary Mr B. I sure love you.

Closing in on 3 Decades.

Well, I hit 29 & so far haven't broken a hip. This is what Mr P thinks about his aged mama. I had a great birthday & am very optimistic about the year ahead. I'm thinking another little man around a new house is sounding preeety swell.

I Need to Drive That.

If there is something with an engine within a 2 mile radius of us, my son will find it & tell me he needs to drive it. This includes getting in any car whose owner is silly enough to leave the doors unlocked, 4-wheelers, tractors, lawn mowers, motorcycles and recently, airplanes & helicopters. The fact that he knows how to unlock & start many of these items has me on high alert at all times. What on earth am I going to do with 2 of these little squirts??

Upon a (Somewhat) Golden Springtime.

Easter.

Sin City.

Went to Las Vegas a few weeks back-- It was a fun little trip, even with sick kids & wind bound to knock my 25 pound son into next Thursday. Our favorite thing was Red Rock Canyon- a MUST see. Oh- & also my son's first roller coaster ride, which he loved. The child has no fear & we laughed so hard watching him the tears flowed. I'm not going to say I can't wait to get back there, but it was good times. And a nice break from the snow at home. Oh, & I won BINGO in Mesquite, so that's always good.