Summer in Prineville: The Fourth of July

Geneva with cousin Claire.

Jonathan and cousin Ava not far behind.

Devin and Jonathan take first in the water balloon toss.

Aiden takes first in the sack race.

Amy and Geneva find a cool spot.

There's no wrong way...

to eat...

watermelon!!

Abigail and Geneva feeling very patriotic.

There is nothing like summer in Prineville, Oregon. It is so small town America, it's like something out of a movie. And for me, who grew up in the suburbs of L.A., it is a world I never really knew about. But since marrying a man from a small town, I have lost count of the special, simple memories and blessings of this most favorite place. Catching up with family on the back deck...cutting lettuce out of Pop-Pop's garden for the evening meal...watching the cousins play... Smith family Olympics...dads vs. kids water fights...Central Oregon sunsets, lightning storms, and the inevitable rainbow that followed...homemade ice cream and Pop-Pop popcorn...pedicures...Scrabble...riding bikes or running along the canal road...Icee runs...the sound of the sprinklers at night...and garage saling with Grandma. Traditions come a dime a dozen in Prineville.

This year I tried to capture the best of Prineville summers and will hopefully be able to put together a series of posts in the next few days. It is best when the whole family is together, but this year, we missed Devin's brother Jory and his family.

Enjoying our freedom to set off fireworks in Prineville!


L.A. kid still not quite used to them!

A picture of Aiden and Jorden just for you, Bec! =)




Classic golden evening glow in Prineville.

Classic Prineville rainbow.

The Big 3-1

So Devin's 30th birthday came and went last year without any fanfare. He should have gotten a huge party, but since I am a lame wife and could not get it together, he had a smaller-than-deserved shindig this year. We had a great time! Thanks to all of you that came for making it such a memorable time for Devin. Here's just a few pictures.

Happy Birthday Aiden

Too young to be parents of a 7 year old!

Love our Aiden. Look at him tear apart that cucumber!

Aiden's birthday gummy snake.

We took the boys to Magic Mountain for Aiden's birthday and left the girls with Nannie and Grandaddy. The two other boys in the picture have been friends with Aiden and Jonathan almost since birth. These daredevils rode on every ride they could.

We had a robot themed birthday party with family.

Aiden: you are intense, responsible, giving, careful, strong, artistic, and kind. We are so thankful God gave you to us.

Mystery Nap

I put Abby down for a nap and one hour later, this...

The Blink

Being the fourth, there's not much I can remember from Abby's babyhood. But one thing I will never forget is THE BLINK. Honestly, I don't know what to make of it. It always happens when she is in trouble. "Maybe if I close my eyes, this will all go away"???? Well, watch the video and see for yourself. Here I am pretending to be mad at her for getting in the bath with her clothes on. And then it happens...

Best Cake Wrecks Post Ever

It's nice to see that someone else shares my love (obsession?) with children's books. This post makes me want to eat through one piece of chocolate CAKE, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon...and then eat through one nice green leaf and after that feel much better.

The Lego Boys

Devin with his favorite teaching companion--the white board!

Buddies hard at play.

Lego model taking shape.

The final product.

The team at the expo.

Go Lego Boys!

"Is it Lego night, Mom?"
Every Monday night this spring, we hosted a Jr. Lego club. Our club was for homeschooled kids and all the clubs in Camarillo met up on May 15th for the Jr. Lego League Expo! We had a ball with it as most of the siblings and moms and dads hung out at our house during the meetings. The best part was getting to know other homeschooling families who we wouldn't have met otherwise. Go Lego Boys!