Fun With Lights

Not much has canged around here in two years!

This is a temporary spot for the changing table, but it has the same problems as back in Megan's diaper days!

check out our new modern light switches (now need to update the cable plates, too!) and look how much wear and tear the changing table has taken!

Chaos Comes to Salem

At least once a year, Oprah does a show along the lines of How Do People Live This Way? It usually features some extreme pack rat in unsanitary conditions with junk piled to the ceiling. Returning from vacation made me feel like I could be featured on that very show.

The interior of our house was to be painted while we were at Diamond Lake, which required almost all of our closets and a few cupboards to be emptied, in addition to moving most of our furniture.

We had hoped they'd be done by the time we got home, but they weren't. Our house was crazy junk piles coupled with paint fumes to make you instantly light-headed.

This is our closet, with our red comforter in the corner, Liam's changing table and Megan's toy chest.

Our bedroom didn't need much painting so we got to build an impressive mound in here. Megan's bed is on our bed, and all of her closet contents are scattered about, with our curtain rod on the very top.

Oh yeah, and the air was so dusty, I couldn't even get a good photo!

Liam's "room" is mostly back to being a closet (though he is still sleeping here). It is now housing all of our curtains and the rest of Megan's bed.

And the laundry room got all the rest of the furniture (the very astute might note that the laundry room was not part of this upgrade and painting project. Maybe this winter...anybody interested in stripping wallpaper again?)

To top things off the painters backed into my sister's car which was parked at our house for the week and totally smashed in the passenger side door.

We took a quick look around, wrestled all the kids back into the car (and they were ready to get out!), and headed straight to a hotel for the rest of the weekend.

The painters and carpet guy worked diligently through the weekend, so by Sunday afternoon, we could at least come back home. We still haven't put anything away because we have a lot of paint touch-ups that need to be done. On the bright side - things are looking great inside the house and I love how fresh the new white trim looks. Sunday afternoon I read and did push-ups in our empty living room just to admire the paint! I can't wait to move in and start living again!

Diamond Lake

For my last week of vacation this year (our new vacation year starts Sept. 1) our family headed to Diamond Lake, about 10 miles north of Crater Lake. We were joined by my parents, my brother, my sister and cousin Brooke.

Our cabin was right on the lake. Unfortunately the weather didn't quite co-operate. We had three straight days of blustering cold wind and lots of rain which limited our enjoyment of the lake. Of course, the cold didn't stop Megan from trying to enjoy the lake.

After about 5 minutes, Megan declared,"I'm too chilly!" But did she call it a day? No, she decided the long swim suit might keep her warmer! So after a quick change, she was back in the water.

Liam is turning out to be a bit of an ice prince - he wanted nothing to do with the water once he realized it was cold!

One of the cold days we took a side trip to Crater Lake. We took in the view quickly to keep from freezing our butts off - it was only 45 degrees without the wind! It certainly didn't feel like a summer vacation.

My brother wasn't too happy with Mac, who convinced him to wear shorts. Mac wasn't all that pleased with his decision either!

In between rain showers, we did get out a bit to "hike." Megan did all the hiking herself - she even helped Brooke along at times.

Liam also liked walking a lot more than riding in the backpack or the stroller. He was quite content if you just let him be (which was painfully slow and he often wandered off the trail).

Liam also took his time to smell the roses, er um, grass. Actually, after falling in the wet bushes and getting his face all wet, Liam kept purposely trying to get the wet grass to hit him in the face.

Megan didn't want to be outdone, but her version of the game was to eat the raindrops off the grass!

We tried to get a few family photos but this is as good as it gets with three toddlers.

Liam:"This tree bark is way more interesting than anything you could do to try to get me to look at the camera."

Liam: "Hey, do you think this bark is edible??"

By the end of the week the weather cleared up and the Sea Cloud sailed again! Check out Liam (in my lap) enjoying the ride, too.

After a few more days of splashing in the lake, it was time to head home.

Liam: "Hey, do you think my toes are edible?"

Sundress and Snowmen

(It is a hot summer day. Don't even ask why the kids are in footie pajamas - it was Megan's idea!)

Take my picture

"I'll stand here and you take my picture."

Berry Tasty!

This summer we have been enjoying lots of berries from our garden. Well, at least the kids have...they don't seem to leave many for us!

We've been picking raspberries, blueberries, logan berries, and marionberries,marionberries,marionberries (that one plant is incredibly productive!).

The kids get a little dirt with the berries, too, because they can't even wait to get them in the house to wash them.

We have a second wave of raspberries coming on the ever-bearing canes ('amity'), but everything else is pretty much done. The berry season was short, but very sweet!

Life's a beach!

It was a hot half-naked day at Turtle Beach (aka - the sandbox) today.

In-law Visit

Mac's parent's came for the week. I had to work but everybody else got to go to Silver Falls, the State Capitol, and the County Fair!

Megan's in the 'Hood

When the Cows Come Home

Saturday the cows went back to the neighbor's. The cows did a very effective job mowing our fields and so were literally moving on to greener pastures. By Sunday morning, I was already sad they were gone. I liked looking out the window and seeing their large bovine forms milling in the tall grass. And it was fun to watch Liam run to the window and excitedly yell: "cuh, cuh, ooo, oooooo" (translation: cow, cow, moo, mooooo). Hopefully, they'll be bact to visit again when our grass recovers.