Raspberry Season

This morning bright and early, I woke up the kids at 7:30 fed them toast and orange julius and headed out to the raspberry fields. Teaching your kids to work is so important to me and I think this is a really good way for them to learn this and then benefit from their labor. They worked hard and it was hot but they loved it and were a huge help to me. The raspberries were thin as this was the last pick of the season so you really had to hunt for them. In 2 1/2 hours we were able to pick 11 lbs. compared to our 30 minute pick for 14 lbs of strawberries. Just thought we'd share a few pics from this morning.

6 1/2 months pregnant

Seeming that I wasn't in any of the saturday activity pictures, I thought I'd post this picture of me that my friend took of me after church. I wore a really cute top I got in Vegas over the top but she thought we needed to see the WHOLE thing. Doing great, feeling great, if I could just ditch a few of the callings that I have I'd be even better. This ward is very interesting as far as giving people multiple callings and not releasing you from others. But I'm managing and doing fine. I'm going to paint my crib tomorrow, I have my crib bumpers all sewn and have my first 250 diapers in the closet. I'm trying to get all this stuff ready before canning season hits. I've got a garden full of vegetables that have to be done. I'll probably take my kids to the free movie on Tuesday and hopefully get to spend a day this week with some good friends who are coming to visit us from Utah. Here's my 6 1/2 months pregnant picture. Wow...I know - good looking huh?

July 24th Primary Pioneer Day Celebration & They Mystery Melon???

This morning at 9:50 as I was wiping up the counter from melon that I cut for breakfast, I realized that the kids' primary activity was this morning at 10.

(Now I must side track for just one moment. When I went grocery shopping at Costco the beginning of this week, I wanted to purchase cantalaupe. They sell them in 3 packs because they're costco. Next to the cantalaupes were individual cantelaupes...I was so excited that I didn't have to buy 3. There's no way my family could eat 3 cantalaupe before they went bad. So this morning for breakfast I slice up the gorgeous so called "cantalaupe". To my surprise as I cut into the cantalaupe bright green was the color of the flesh. It looked exactly like honeydew melon inside a cantalaupe skin. I was so disappointed, I hate when I buy fruit and feel like I wasted money because it was no good. It smelt good so I decided to give it a try. The bite was dripping juice and tasted absolutely fabulous. So I turn this thing over trying to figure out what it was and this is what I read "CRENSHAW - This popular melon has a golden pink flesh that is tender and juicy. A squeeze of lime enhances it's flavor". So now our mystery melon is even more of a mystery because it says on the label that it's supposed to be golden pink? What the crap? Whatever it is, it's good and we've eaten half. Hopefully we're still here to talk about it tomorrow. Anyone got any newsflash for me about what this mystery melon is?)

Okay so we showed up a little late because we don't move a whole lot or very quickly before 10 am on Saturdays. I know...I've totally been spoiled over the last couple of years but the tables are going to be turning very quickly in the near future. They had a lot of different little pioneer games and activities planned for the kids to do. It was a lot of fun and effort by the presidency to pull something like that off, they did a great job.


The raw egg toss. Which ended up broken in Austin's shoe after several throws back and forth
The watermelon eating contest...Austin was the only one that didn't cheat by using hands
Making butter by shaking heavy whipping cream in baby food jars


Eating homemade bread with homemade butter on it! YUM!
The Joseph Smith Stick Pull


The gunny sack race The watermelon eating contest

Our 10th Anniversary

Rich and I celebrated our 10th anniversary by going back to the place where we stayed for our Honeymoon. We went back to the coast in Seaside and stayed in the same hotel room and did the same activities. We slept in, played miniature golf, shopped the outlets, layed on the beach, got elephant ears, ate together in the little shops downtown, relaxed and had a wonderful time together. I love him more today than I ever could of dreamed of the day I said "I Do". Here are some pics of us together over the course of the last 10 years. Love ya babe!

Family Camping trip 2002
The birth of Austin October 2003
Austins Baby blessing on Reddens 3rd birthday December 2003
Vacation to Houston Texas

Vacation to Seattle Washington 1999

1st Christmas 1998
Beaver Mtn Winter 1998
Vacation to Hawaii October 1999
First Family photo January 2001

Wedding 1998

Wedding 1998
Wedding 1998
Honeymoon Seaside Oregon Summer 1998
Wedding announcement picture Jan 1998


Family Pictures Spring 2005 Mac Park Smithfield Utah

Silver Falls Hike Labor Day 2006
Disneyland Vacation Summer 2007
Camping Indian Henry 2008

Allergy Season For Andrea

Okay so as a final note to all of my blogging, I just have to add this. If I was really really picky I wouldn't have put in any of the pictures of myself from these last several posts because I think I look totally retarded. However, because I'm pregnant I figured that my sibs and fam would like to see me and how I'm doing and looking. What I need to clarify for myself to make me feel better is that I have had my terrible terrible no good allergies since the middle of April. Starting in April I can't wear make up which then makes it extremely worthless to do my hair. Besides Austin claims he likes my hair in a pony tail best. Anyway, my allergies are gone now and all the posts of me from here on out I promise I will look better. Wanna see what I'm talking about...about me looking real sexy...here ya go! Our 4th of July celebration. Giddy UP!

Molalla BMX Track

Tonight we took the kids to the Molalla BMX Track. We've just in the last 2 weeks been riding with Austin without training wheels. Redden has been wanting to get a little more daring asking Rich to build jumps and things of that sort. We figured it would be something fun to do as a family. We invited Megan and her kids and ourselves out for dinner and a fun time at the track. The kids can't stop talking about it and want to go back tomorrow. I think Redden bit it once and Austin twice. They both came out with blood and no tears so that's really good. Daddy encourages no crying anyways...something he's been scarred with from being a young child. My kids want Uncle Brian to come do it with them! Come on Bri and Mal...get up here, it's time for another vacation - Right?? Enjoy the pics and the movies.

4th of July

The 4th of July was fun and laid back. My kids had a sleep-over on the 3rd of July at Aunt Pam's house with Aunt Judi and Corinne, Natalee and Harrison. They got up on the morning of the 4th and went and saw Wall-E. They came home and said they loved it. They came home with a bag full of stuff from the dollar store! What the heck. I hate that! Oh well they loved it. I think almost everything they bought is already broken and thrown away. Supposedly they did chores for Aunt Pam and earned money to buy themselves some toys. We picked them up at lunch time and took them to the Mt Scott Community pool. I didn't take my camera and I'm so mad about it. They have a big twirly slide and boy did Austin and Redden use the heck out of it. Austin wanted to go down all by himself which really was amazing. He always wanted Daddy to catch him at the bottom not mommy. Oh well...maybe the next kid will be a mommy kid. They played and played and played until Rich and I couldn't even breath to keep up with them. We took them home changed our clothes and went straight to Gramma B's house (aka Gramma Dirt - quickly becoming Gramma Cookie). For those of you who don't know, this is my friend Megans mom who has been so kind to take in our family as her own. We get invited to everything that they do as a family including family reunions. I love their family and are forever grateful in their efforts to make sure that on holidays we have something to do with people we love. Thank you Bangerters!!! Words cannot express my gratitude towards your family. We had dinner there, and Grampa Dirt washed up the tractor for the bike/tractor/candy parade. They have a big long driveway and have the kids decorate themselves and their bikes in 4th of July gear and drive around and around then the tractor does it throwing candy at everyone. We then went home and lit some of our own fireworks before we put the kids to bed.