They Be Jammin'!

I supported a friend's daughter who was selling buckets of (delicious) cleaned and pre-cut strawberries as a fundraiser. Well...the bucket held a lot more strawberries than I had bargained for. I could have fed a small army angel food cake with strawberries but...my mom thought it would be a great idea to let the girls make freezer jam.

The girls each made their own brand. They are pretty sure "theirs" tastes better...even though all jars came from the same batch.

This jam making is a serious business!

Don't spill!

Lauryn and her yummy final product. Nummy!

Jen and her delicious jam! Mmmm....

Hip Hip Hooray It's Family Vacation!

We LOVE Lincoln City!!

We go every summer to relax.

Lauryn had a tummy bug the day before we left but felt okay on departure day. Well...she woke up on the first morning there throwing up again. Poor kid didn't feel too hot for the first few days. This is how she spent her first day of vacation.

Here is Papa keeping Lauryn company as she hangs out near the toilet with an upset tummy.

The girls are doing the annual "picture on a log".

Lauryn bought a two-handle kite and had a blast with it.

Oohh..look how far Blake got his kite off the ground. ;)

Jen taking a stroll along the shore.

Jen and Lauryn enjoying the hot tub on our deck.

The past two years Lauryn has blown a glass float. She gets to choose her colors and work through the whole process. This year my dad told jokingly said she was the state glass blowing champ and some people thought he was serious. They sat and watched her in awe. It was pretty funny!

Jen chose to just watch the glass blowing. She wants to make a starfish paperweight next year though.

We woke up one morning to this "RV for Rent" stuck in the sand on the beach below us. It was pretty comical watching them try to get it out. I wonder if he got his damage deposit back?

It's a good thing Blake convinced me it was a great idea to take the pickup instead of the Tahoe. We tend to do a little...okay a lot...of shopping at the outlet mall. It may have been a cozy ride home.

Summer "Do"

The girls lYve haircut days with Kelli! Lauryn woke up with a tummy bug so there was no fighting about who got to go first.

Jen lYves, lYves, lYves, her new "do" (and so do I)! Yesterday she asked if I thought she should cut it short, followed by "it doesn't really matter because I'm cutting it...I just want to know what you think". I always let the girls make their own hair decisions since they take care of it.

This is a perfect summer cut for Jen. She can still do fun stuff with it but it will be nice and cool.

(Strawberry) Harvest Party!

Sunday morning Lauryn and I were walking around...checking out all our plants. This year she has four pots that she planted and is responsible for--two pots of strawberries, one of tomatoes, and one with flowers. We discovered that her first strawberry was ready to be picked. Those of you that know Lauryn know she likes to throw parties for any reason. She said, "Mom...we can't pick it without having a celebration." She went inside and brought out a box of decorations and some paper to write her speech. She kept herself quite busy while I worked on trimming up some plants. Lauryn would make a great event planner.

My parents came out and we all sat around "the plant". Lauryn prepared a cute speech, cut the strawberry into 8 (very small) pieces to share, and we ate strawberry fruit bars. It was a pretty quick little ceremony but oh-so-special.

Here she is getting the bench decorated for the celebration.

Lauryn reading her "speech".

The first strawberry. Isn't it a beauty?

Picking the berry.

Brace Yourself!

Jen has been wanting braces for years. Well this past Friday she got her wish! I drove her to Richland for her 8:00 appointment. The orthodontist is starting with her top braces because she has some goofy stuff going on with the bottom teeth. One of her baby teeth doesn't have a permanent one underneath and is attaching to the bone. She will have to have it removed and a temporary tooth put in until she turns 17 and can have an implant. Needless to say...we will be funding some great vacations for the orthodontist.

The braces haven't bothered her too much. The Herbst Appliance - the "hydraulics" used to move her jaw- have been a bugger though. She really has to think about what she is eating and the size because her back teeth don't touch now.

Jen is such a trooper. She isn't in love with the whole experience so far(like she thought) but she doesn't complain.

Taylor Swift Rocks!

Months ago, it was rumored that Taylor Swift was coming to Yakima. I quickly added her concert tour page to my favorites...waiting for the day that the ticket sale date would change from "Coming Soon". Well one day I was shocked to go on and find that Yakima was replaced with Nampa, ID. I was just as excited as the girls and I was determined to take them to see her. I ended up getting tickets for the Spokane concert!!

We bought the girls glowsticks before the concert started. They had them in the air the entire time!!

After a costume change, Taylor (I say it like we're friends) came out and played in the section directly across from us. After the song she (along with about six large men) walked down the aisle to the floor. She hugged fans and signed autographs on the way down. She is just precious!

Taylor Swift played on a small stage directly in front of our seats. The girls were grins from ear to ear!

Here is the "fake" ending with Kellie Pickler and Gloriana.

Taylor came back out for an amazing finale! It was a very energetic ending. The "rain" had to feel sooo good because she worked her tail off.

The Hand-Me-Down Bed

Jenna has been patiently waiting for our new bed to arrive. We ordered it from an Amish Company and it was "supposed" to arrive in mid-June. Well...apparently the Amish have been hit by the down economy and had plenty of time to build our bed and nightstands because they were delivered yesterday. We are all tickled with our new bedrooms. I hope to order a dresser soon but am still recovering from this round.

Jen was tickled to get rid of the twin size bed and move up to the Queen!

Blake and I are absolutely thrilled with our purchase. The quality is phenominal...and made with no electricity. We are anxious to get some more pieces.

Easter Weekend!!

Easter weekend was full of family and food. We started the preparations Thursday afternoon and didn't stop until Sunday night. We had a memorial service in town for an aunt and uncle so were fortunate to spend time with a lot of our dear family.

The girls dyed eggs on Thursday night since we knew that Friday and Saturday were going to be busy with other family activities. It is so fun to watch them focus on their work.

Ta-da...some of the finished product!

Lauryn starting the hunt.

Every year the girls get a picture taken in front of this tree on Easter Sunday!

Jen in her cool "bunny" glasses! I think Largent has his eye on an egg. ;)

Jen doing her homework on Easter Sunday.

Every year my uncle is picked on by the Easter bunny. His egg can't be colored and hidden like everyone elses. It has been hung high in trees(with leaves glued on), had dog food glued all over it and placed in the dog dish, etc. This year it was covered in dryer lint (I know...gross) and set under the dryer vent outside.