Up the River

We had a wedding to go to over the weekend up the McKenzie River. As luck would have it, Andy's aunt and uncle own a beautiful house right on the McKenzie that is about a 30 second drive to where the wedding was, and they let us stay there. Love it! My mom went with us to help out with the kids and watch them the evening of the wedding, which was a great help and also made for one of those rare "kid-free" nights. Again, love it! We all had a great time and enjoyed getting away, even if just for a little while.

Sweet Cheeks

Friday evening we met my (Amy's) dad up at Sweet Cheeks Winery. They have "Twilight Tasting" every Friday night up there, and during the warm months, a band also plays. Zach went down to boogie it up, and even made a little girlfriend in the process. I loved it up there....wine country is so beautiful! And, the wine isn't bad either.... :) Of course the hi-lite of the evening was when a limo pulled up and the limo driver actually let Zach get in and look around. Very exciting stuff for a little boy who loves ALL things cars! Hope you enjoy the pics of our night.

Visiting in Beaverton

Friday morning we headed up to Beaverton to visit with my brother, Matt and his two adorable girls, Elena and Sarah. Zach had been requesting to see Elena because, as he says, "she is my friend." Pretty cute. It was a long drive for a short visit, but still definitely worth it. They have a great back yard for the kids to play in and everyone had fun! I didn't get the best pictures in the world, but you get the idea. And sorry to say that I don't have one of little Sarah to put on. I do, however, have a close-up of a patch of the 280 impatiens that my brother and his wife planted! Wow! They are certainly beauties. Thanks for hosting us Matt!

Fun at Oakway!

Every Wednesday night at the Oakway Mall they have local music groups play in the courtyard. It's become a summer tradition for us to go down there and enjoy the warm night, fun music, yummy food, and all of the kids who love running around together and dancing! Zach loves it! Here are a few pics from last night.... 1) Zach watching the musicians (he was pretty enthralled by the guy who played the trumpet) 2) Zach holding a puppy for the first time 3) Abby, just Abby 4) Horsing around with daddy.

We're already looking forward to next week!

Another New Dress!!

Abby's spirit is shining and smiling the first time she wore this new dress from Aunt Mendy and Uncle Kevin. Abby likes your taste Mendy!! Thanks :)

Big Wheel Anyone?

Zach has no idea how retro he really is on his new Big Wheel. Not a kid in our neighborhood has one or even knows what one is. When I was looking at it online, I asked Zach if he thought it looked like a fun toy to ride on. He said "Yeah, I like to ride on it". Today while he was wearing the tread for the first time on the sidewalk, he hollard " I love my new Big Wheel! It's my favorite!" Just the sound of the hollow plastic wheels on the Big Wheel instantly brought back memories of power slides and hours of summer fun as a kid.

Knee Surgery

I've got to throw a picture of myself in once in a while, and thought this was a worthy occasion. I broke my knee cap on June 18th rounding first base after a base hit in our softball game. I stopped a few feet past the bag when I rounded, and my new cleats caught the dirt EXTRA well and my knee twisted, dislocating my right knee cap. I of course had to finish the final 4 innings ( I'm your typical, macho, stupid guy) The result, I broke a chunk off of the back of my knee cap, and some bone off of my leg where the knee cap got hung up. The MRI showed no tears anywhere, so all of the bone fragments (big and small) were removed and the spots where the bone had broken away from was cleaned up. Dr. Jones also did a lateral release, which involved cutting the ligament on the outside edge of my Patella so that the Patella is better aligned and will hopefully prevent future problems. Surgery was Friday, June 29th & it went longer than expected, but well. I have the best at home nurse in the world in Amy, and Zach has been great help with fetching things for me. In the picture I'm enjoying pumping some more ice water into the pack around my knee the evening after surgery.

Almond Eyes

Abby on my birthday last week. She sat happily in her car seat while we ate dinner at Red Robin. I think she has the prettiest almond shaped eyes. I tell Amy that Abby's eyes remind me of those of a Disney Movie Princess. As her eye lashes get longer her eyes get even prettier....... Just like her Mommies!!