Over night Hike

Dan took me on an over night hike. We were able to leave the kids at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We only had about 3 days and 2 nights, so we were able to go 18 miles. The weather was perfect. Dan had everything planned out from meals to gear to entertainment. The meals were delicious! I never though I would like freeze dried food so much! WE had lasanga, Bacon & eggs, chicken & rice, and a raspberry cookie dessert just to name a few. We had such a blast! On our hike, we saw a black bear about 20 yards away, 2 HUGE elk, some snakes, and I got stung my two yellow jackets at the last 1/2 mile. It was the most relaxing vacation I have ever been on. Thanks Dan!

Kids say the funniest things...

So tonight when we were picking up her room, Chelsea noticed the humidifier in her closet. She asked if she could use it "this night". I told her we only use it when we are sick. She says "Like when we have a headache?"
"No, like when we get a cold" I told her.
Then being the know-it-all that she is, she says "Or like when we get a Hot!"

Splash park in Wilsonville

Hair Hair Hair

Hair. Where do I begin? Well, I guess with the problem. I've been losing my hair like crazy lately, and no one knows why. I've been to a few doctors, but they just say "There's not much we can do for you. Have you tried Rogaine for Women?" No. I have not gotten quite that desparate, and hopefully will not have too. I am trying a product called Nioxin which is basically supposed to create an ideal environment for hair growth, but I'm not sure it's working on me. I've always wanted long, gorgeous hair like my sisters, and at the beginning of this year, I thought that might be a possibility. But the hair loss from post-partum just kept going and going. The only thing left for me to do, was chop it off. So, here are my before and after pictures. Tawna wanted me to post them. The picture with the longer hair, is all the hair that I have. There is none hiding in the back. I pulled it all over my shoulders so I could show how thin it was getting. I'm still trying out different ways to style my new hair cut, but so far I'm happy with it. Who knows, maybe this Nixoin stuff will start working and I can grow my hair out again....that, or it's time to get pregnant again. :)

Giant Green Bean!

I watered my friend's garden last week while she was on vacation. She has a beautiful garden with tomatoes, peppers, carrots, corn, giant sun flwoers, and these humongous green beans. They are called "Oregon green beans". Some of them even have a purple color to them, but they are very sweet and delicious. I don't know how they cook as they never make it to the pot because my mouth gets to them first. In the picture is a regular green bean and a nickel. Yum!

Portland Rose Garden

After 3 years of living in POrtland, we finally made it to the famous Portland rose garden. Portland is nicknamed "the city of roses" as it's climate is ideal for roses. This garden was started as a test garden in 1917 and has since grown to a much larger test garden. There are all kinds and colors of roses. Michael even learned how to say flower for the occasion....well, kinda. It sounds more like "flaghberech". But, MOM knows what he's trying to say. Despite the very beautiful flowers, Chelsea and Michael got most excited by the water fountain. :)

Blueberry Hill

One of our favorite things to do during the summer is pick blueberries. I have never been a fan of blueberries until a friend gave me a freshly picked Oregon blueberry. Yum! I was hooked! About 30 minutes from our home, in Hillsboro Oregon, there are many farms where you can pick your own berries: marionberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and many other's I have never heard of before! We especially like blueberries because they are so easy to pick. Michael loved just snacking on the berries while we picked. Dan likes blueberries because they are "the most healthy food in the world". Yumm! Blueberries!