It's been awhile!

It's amazing how quickly time can go by when you're busy! As many of you know, I've started a new business with Stella & Dot and have been devoting a lot of my 'free' time to that. It's been SO much fun, and I'm really loving it. But it's definitely keeping me busy!

On top of that, we've spent a fair amount of time over at Sunland. Some work, some play. I can't wait until our little cabin is finished! It's going to be so fun to see it come together.

Yesterday we had Cameron's 4th birthday pary! We celebrated early because his birthday falls on Father's Day this year, so we decided to break up the celebration a little bit, and leave next weekend available to go to Sunland. This past week has been busy with baking/decorating cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cleaning the house, shopping, etc. Thank goodness for my mom and my mother-in-law who both helped out. I appreciate your help more than you know!

And now, a few Cameronisms.....
The other day, Cameron and I met my mom at the party store, as she was going to take him home with her so I could get some cleaning done. Cameron had to go potty, so she took him next door to Barnes & Noble (clean bathrooms, in my experience!) while I finished up at the party store. We decided to get a treat at the cafe while we were there...so we're standing looking at the dessert case, and Cameron says "You've got to be kidding me! They don't have scones!"...Oh my goodness, my mom and I were dying laughing. So we point out a few things that he could have, and he decides on a cookie. Mom and I are still standing looking at the dessert case, and Cameron just walks over to the counter (where the barista was busy doing something else) and says "Excuse me! I would like a cookie with chocolate chips please." His little face could barely see over the counter, yet he's ordering like such an adult! I couldn't believe it. Not only was it cute, but I was proud of him for asserting himself. At that age, I would have been so shy that I would wait for my mom (or my younger sister!) to order for/with me. He's growing before my eyes, and I have to admit, it's bittersweet.

This morning, we were eating breakfast, and I pointed out to Cameron that there were two birdies in our backyard. They were small blackbirds, and were looking for food (hopefully picking up all the leftovers from kids running around with cake in my backyard yesterday afternoon!). Cameron looked out the window and said "Aw, shucks.....they're so cute!" It was the cutest thing. He said it in this sweet little voice, as though he were talking to a puppy or a baby. :)

I'll be back with a recap of the party soon!!

Delicious, quick, easy dinner

Late Friday afternoon we were heading over to Sunland. While grocery shopping that morning, I was trying to think of something quick and easy to make for dinner when we got there, as I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time before Cameron would reach his boiling point. I knew I had some ground turkey in the freezer, and a little bit of pasta, so I grabbed a jar of vodka sauce and here's how it went:

I started out browning Ground Turkey made by Foster Farms. I added some salt and pepper while it was cooking, along with a bit of Italian seasoning.

When the turkey was cooked all the way through, I added a jar of Vodka Sauce made by Lucini directly to the turkey in the skillet.

While the turkey was browning, I added a box of Barilla's mini penne to a pot of boiling water for 7 minutes. I love this pasta because the size is great for little mouths, and it cooks quickly. Love anything that cooks quickly! :)




I added the cooked pasta to the meat/sauce mixture and stirred until blended. Then it was time to plate it up, and top it with some shredded Tillamook Cheddar.




Easy and delicious, and done in about 20 minutes! That's my kind of meal!

We did some work on the 'house' this weekend so I'll be sharing pictures of that soon, too!

Our New 'Home'

On 4th of July weekend, we signed the Purchase and Sale Agreement for our vacation home.

It's not much right now...we have a lot of work ahead of us. The trailers on the property belong to the previous owner. We just own the garage. It's nice and big, a little over 1100 square feet. Our plan is to gut the the few walls that are in there currently and make it into a little bungalow. We'll have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a decent sized kitchen, a living room and a laundry room.

I'll be sharing more pictures as we move along with it. Our first order of business is to finish our plans and get things permitted, and then we'll have to have our septic tank installed and all of the plumbing. Those things will be a little spendy, so we'll likely save some money for the next few months and maybe start on it early Spring 2011.

Gorgeous Views

Greg and I took a little walk up the hill at Sunland in the beginning of July and I snapped this shot. It was a beautiful morning and I'm so glad I got this great shot. The older I get, and the more time I spend here, the more I appreciate the beauty. It really is amazing to see God's creations here.

Little Swimmer

Over 4th of July weekend, Cameron became pretty brave in the water. He had been swimming only while holding on to Greg or me (usually Greg), and then the weekend before the 4th, he swam with his life jacket and really learned how to balance himself.

But then, on 4th of July weekend, we bought him some water wings, and what do you know?! He was swimming back and forth from my mom to Greg. He suddenly has no fear! It's great, because this means we don't have to be all the way in the water with him any time he wants to go swimming.

Last weekend he and I were at Sunland and I spent most of the time on the edge of the pool, while he swam right in front of me with his friends. It's just a little bit of freedom for me, but it was great to be able to chat and not feel like I had to be in the water all the time.

I'm sure he'll be ready to lose the water wings before we know it!

What a week

On Wednesday evening, we had our first experience with a vomiting child. Not a fun time at all. Especially when said child can't tell you that he's about to get sick. And he's sitting on your lap in a restaurant. And you're wearing a white skirt. And he's recently eaten blueberries. It makes for a BIG mess. He got sick a few more times after we got home, but thankfully has been better since.

Thursday, Greg left for a fishing trip in Ucluelet, Canada. It's a LONG trek up there...he left our house around noon and arrived in Ucluelet at about 11:15pm. Thankfully he made it safely. I'm hoping he comes home with lots of fish!

My mom Cameron and I decided to 'beat the heat' by heading to my parents' summer house which has air conditioning. We got here around 3:30pm on Thursday. It was nice to be in the air conditioned house last night while sleeping! We actually got some good sleep!

Mom and I walked to the park with Cameron this morning and let him play. He loves going on the swings and saying 'in, out' as he 'pumps' his legs. It's pretty cute.

We just came home to cool off a little bit, and are going to take Cameron to the pool pretty soon. It's hot here, but at least it's not humid like it is at home. And having the reprieve of the a/c makes all the difference in the world.

A Cameron funny:
Sedona (my parents' dog) was laying on the couch this morning. Cameron was petting her, and then picked up one of her paws, and tried to 'swing' it like a golf club and said "Golf!"....oh my. We told him that wasn't nice, and it could hurt her (but we were cracking up inside!). :)

Continuing the Sunland recap

Greg, my dad, and our neighbor Norm played golf on Wednesday morning. My mom, sister, Cameron and I took the boat out to the beach, and the guys met us there after they were done playing golf.

Mom was a little nervous taking the boat out without Dad, but Debbie and Parrish were at the beach already, so P helped anchor the boat, which made it much easier. And Cameron was there to 'help' her drive, so I'm sure felt better about it with him there! ;)

Greg had been bugging me all week about letting him take Cameron out on Deb and P's Seadoo. Admittedly, I was pretty nervous about the idea. I've never ridden it, and don't know how stable it is. I was afraid it would tip and they'd fall off. However, I talked to P about it more, and he told me he's never once tipped it over, which made me feel much better about the idea. I decided to let Greg take Cam out....and Cam LOVED it. He kept his hands right where Greg told him to, and he talks about the 'Doo' all the time now!

After a long day at the beach, and his big ride on the SeaDoo, Cameron was wiped out and fell asleep in my arms on the boat ride home, sunglasses and all.

After dinner, Cameron rallied and was ready to play again! He was running around the backyard with the dogs and Grandma while the rest of us sat on the patio enjoying our wine and the beautiful evening.

More to come later...Cameron and I are off to Gymboree class!

A few more pictures from our week at Sunland

We went over to Sunland on Saturday, July 11th, after first watching my dad's band perform. Cameron enjoyed seeing the band and loved all of the instruments.

We got there just in time for Cameron to go to bed. Greg and I unpacked the car and got settled in for the week.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Kristi all arrived on Sunday. We spent most of the day around the house, just hanging out in the backyard with friends and family. It was nice to have a relatively quiet day.

Greg, Parrish (my cousin's husband) and my dad played golf on Monday morning. Cam, my mom, Kristi, Debbie (my cousin), Ashley (Deb's daughter) and I went to the pool. Cameron loved playing in the water. We ate lunch there, and Cameron took a nap with my mom. Kristi had a few friends come down that day. After the guys got back from golf, my parents took Kristi, her friends, and Cameron out on the boat. Greg and I stayed at the pool and enjoyed some time relaxing.

We went out on the boat on Tuesday. Cameron loved being on the beach and playing in the sand.

Later that day, we took the boat up to Crescent Bar for dinner at Tower Pizza. The pizza there is SO good! We also did the requisite shopping at the swim suit stores. :) I found a cute navy and white suit. And Grandma bought Cameron a pair of sunglasses....how cool is he?!

The boat ride home that night was great...perfect water, pretty warm, and a pretty sunset. We're very lucky to be able to spend so much time in such a gorgeous place.

Alright, I need to head to bed...I'll try to finish this recap tomorrow!

Starting a blog...

I've decided it's time to start my own blog. I want our friends and family to be able to see what we're up to. I'm going to make the blog private, so our pictures and info aren't all over the web for any crazy people to see! ;)

We just got home from a week-long vacation at Sunland. It was really nice to have my parents' help with Cameron. We spent lots of time on the boat and at the beach, and some time at the pool, too.

Here's a picture of the three of us on my parents' boat. Cameron loves riding on the 'big boat' and often wants to help my dad drive.

I'll try to add in some more pictures once I get the hang of how this website works.

Thanks for following along!