Sunriver Finale (Part III)

We had a great time! This was moments before our departure...I think Gracie can sense the 8 hour car ride looming... What a great scowl! :)


I wish I had a shot of all of us with our bikes--we went everywhere on them. One day Jeff and I and Drew and Annie rented tandems. They were very fun--Jeff did all the work on our bike...if you look closely you can see me eating bon-bons on the back.


Gracie bonded with Brodie--she calls him "Bro-bro." (He IS kind of like Jeff and Drew's brother...)


Bonding with this particular canine took intricate training on Grace's part.


Jeff and I got to escape to the Lava Caves one afternoon. You can't tell it, but we're hunched over at the very end of the tunnel that we walked through with the lantern. It was nice to escape the scorching weather and trade in tank tops for sweatshirts, if only for two hours.


Did I say intricate training? Uncle Drew and Aunt Annie worked diligently with Grace to make the monkey face.


She got pretty good at it! "Grace Face" may stick as the new favorite nickname, Drew and Annie! :)

Sunriver, Oregon...Part II

We loved biking to the pool a couple of afternoons. Here are some fun black and whites...

Sunriver, Oregon...Part I

So...three days after we moved into our new house, we left for our scheduled vacation in Sunriver, Oregon. Talk about TIMING. :) We are now at the end of our week of break with family--Lochheads and Swansons--and have had a fantastic time! We have been able to bike, hike, float the river, relax, and EAT really good food. Although we're not ready to come home tomorrow, it is fun to know that we have lots of home projects to get back to. :) Here are pictures of the hike we took to Benham Falls earlier this week. Grace was a great pack passenger--who wouldn't like the view from up there?--and Jeff was a great pack PACKER.




Before...

After...

Our New House!

Here are a few first pictures...enjoy! LE

Homeless Shenanigans

We are finally in our new home! We are very excited to post pictures of our house and the moving in process, but first I thought we'd reflect on our two weeks of homelessness...

...It was FABULOUS! We were a little apprehensive about living without a home base, but it turns out that living as vagabonds suits us well! Our time without a house allowed us to have some great quality time with friends and family. Special memories seem to be made when you just say "goodnight" instead of "goodbye" at the end of an evening... We stayed with G'ma Dorothy and G'pa Harvey, my parents at the farm, and Matt and Heidi offered their mother-in-law apartment to us for a few nights... We made such great memories mooching off our friends and family!!! :)

Top Ten Memories of Staying with G'ma and G'pa...(in no particular order)
10. Two words: Beef Stroganoff...no one does it like G'ma D!
9. A whole air-conditioned basement to ourselves--and a new bathroom
8. Reading portions of Harvey's memoirs in the evenings
7. Bonding with G'ma Dorothy by napping together (Grace's vote)

6. Dessert after every meal
5. Borrowing painting materials for painting our house on day one
4. Rootbeer for the taking in the fridge
3. Great views of Mt. Spokane off the back deck and a family of 15 "pet" quail to observe
2. Her very own chocolate-lined ice cream cones for dessert (Grace's other vote)

1. Big screen coverage of the Tour de France...Jeff was in bicycle HEAVEN.
Thank you for being so gracious toward us, G'ma and G'pa!!!

Top Ten Memories of Staying with the VanSickles...
10. A great backyard with a zipline, trampoline, and tire swing
9. SECONDS away from great playmates, Alea and Kalei
8. A little cottage just for us...
7. ...and a furnished toyroom that Mimi has set up for little girls
6. Baths with K & A

5. Not having to drive home after playing games with Matt and Heidi
4. The bakery at the bottom of the driveway
3. A free parking spot for our other car during our homeless duration
2. Apple juice at our disposal
1. The best memory that we'll never forget...two girls in their pajamas camping out with books on our front door at 7 AM..."Next time can you not lock the door? We don't know how to get in when you lock it."
We had a great time with you, VanSickles! Thank you for letting us live next door! We wish our new house was located across your back fence... :)

Top Ten Memories of Staying with G'ma Joan and Papa Greg at the farm...
10. G'ma Caroline's 80th Birthday party was a huge success!!! Here's a pic of G'ma's kids and grandkids and great-grandkids...

9. Delicious food every night
8. June is the best time in the Palouse--there are probably 500 different shades of green

7. Lots of play time with cousins for Grace

6. G'ma Joan's KIDDIE POOL

5. Jeff got to fish with Brady (brother-in-law) and we had a fish fry featuring their caught bass
4. Jeff and I (mostly Jeff) raked pine needles in Mom and Dad's windbreak to work off the delicious food eaten during the week
3. 4th of July Parade in Johnson and Jeff's parents came down to celebrate with the Mosers. The fireworks on the 4th didn't phase Grace at all--she was more interested in Papa Greg's popcorn than the fantastic colors and loud booms in the sky
2. "Auntie" Julie and Kalei and Alea came to spend the night at the farm when their parents were in Hawaii--they had a great time checking out the creek, the fort, the playroom...

1. The Webers (my mom's family) had a huge family reunion at Klemgard Park that we got to be part of...mom and I made family tree posters with pictures that helped me sort out all of the 200+ relatives

Thanks for a great week, G'ma Joan and Papa Greg! We always love our time with you.