For Grandpa

Dad,

Jewel still thinks you are in the TV when we play a song station that has your songs on it.  She still looks at me and tips her head to the side, saying, "Grandpa in there?  Grandpa singing in there?"

We have been riding bikes at the end of the street almost every evening after dinner.  Not much longer and it will be too dark and too cold, but we are squeezing every last ray of sunshine out of the season.  Jewel has been getting so much more efficient on her strider.  I wondered if it could happen, but she is actually picking up her feet and gliding the way the bike was meant to be used.  She is INCREDIBLY proud of herself and often asks me to tell you about it.  So, here is a little snap shot for you.

Grandpa's Girl

Silas is too fast to video these days.  It was also getting dark when I took this, but I am pretty sure this kid could keep up with you for a marathon.  

So, we miss you, we think about you all the time, and we wish you were here to take them for a bike ride :)

Bury Family Reunion 2012

This was an incredible summer for vacations.  For me, it counts as a vacation to have family come to stay with us.  We got a sweet dose of that mid July when Jordan's sister, Mandy, and her three kids came to stay with us for a few days before the Bury Family Reunion 2012.

Mandy is super mom.  She flew with her whole crew (Abbie, 9; Brandon, 7; Ryan, 5) on her own to Portland to share some special cousin time and sibling time.  We packed all the fun we could into their visit.  It wasn't hard to top the last time they came to stay with us...the 109 degree weekend we spent with no AC...it was an expression of true love that they even attempted to come back.  

We picked every kind of berry Oregon grows, and ate them until our fingers were blue and our tummies were full.  We went hiking in the parks, throwing rocks in the river, chased ducks at the library, and had major sleepover fun.  All the boys were in one room on the floor, three sleeping bags lined up with three happy little boys.  Jewel and Abbie had the twin beds in the kids' room, and Mandy joined the girls on the blow up mattress.  Trey camped out in our room, officially making it a FULL house!  

After our long weekend together, the rest of the Bury clan joined us and we all headed up Mt. Hood for the week.  Even Jordan took the ENTIRE TIME off of work to hang with his family.   It was such a great week!  Mandy's family took the bunk room, Chris and Christine roomed with Nixon, Grammy and Pops escaped having kids in their room, but only because they graciously gave our family the master suite.  With Jewel on one side of the bed, Silas on the other and Trey in the closet...we used every square inch.  Ellsie had a room to herself, which shows the true love (of sleep) that Chris and Christine have for her and the rest of the family :)

She did plenty of sharing throughout the week, though.  She and Jewel had their own private table during dinner.

She shared her mommy with some cousins who were in MAJOR need of Aunt Christine fun.

She had to share all of the hugs and kisses and squeezes that she normally gets all to herself from Nixon.  He gave A LOT of them to Trey!

And she had to share her Daddy with Uncle Jordan and their major workout routines.

Thank you for all your sharing Ellsie :)  Our family was very thankful!

Jewel did a lot of sharing as well.  She shared hugs, kisses, snuggles and "inky time" with whomever would hold still long enough to receive it.  No one complained.  

She also shared her dance moves.  This girl can shake the wiggles out like no one's business...much to her Daddy's concern

Perhaps the best one at sharing was Ryan.  He shared his 5th birthday with us, and we partied it up big time!  

We made a tank for his birthday cake, went up to the Alpine Slides and Mt. Hood adventure park for rides and games and treats galore, and ended the night at a pizza place with our whole crew plus Uncle Bruno and Aunt Nancy.  It may have been the best day of the trip if you ask the kids :)

On top of all of that fun, we shared Jammies from Grammy

Hikes to the waterfalls,

several nights around the fire for s'mores, and laughter and smiles and conversations and play times to last us until Christmas.  Well, we hope they do...that's when we get to see everyone again.  And we CAN'T WAIT!!!

Pops and Grammy, we appreciate your generosity more than you will ever know.  You shared more than all of us in making this trip possible.  I am honored to be a part of this giving family.  May this be a legacy that is passed on to your children, grandchildren, and generations to come.  And may the Lord richly bless you for your faithfulness in leading, serving, and loving your family.

Camping

One of the highlights of this summer was a camping trip that we took on the Oregon coast.  Nehalem Bay camping site is where we went with our friends, the Corrigans, last year.  With Lisa home with brand new baby, Marcus, we hit the sand solo this year.  The camp sites are tucked against a burm...the beach is on the other side of the hill.  LOVE.

 We spent evenings looking at this.

 Day times looking at this :)

 And nap times, like this...

It was so much fun to have the kids all together, but away from home.  Why is it that a change of scenery can end all fights and heal all sibling rivalry?

 Jordan is in his element in the wild :)  He built fires, chopped wood, went for runs, took Silas on bike rides and hikes, and snuggled Jewel by the fire.  THAT is a vacation.

 Here they are, all chasing each other on the beach.  Yes, all of them, that is Trey in the ergo...strapped to Jordan.  Best Day Ever.

 Sweetness.  (if you are wondering who that kid is, buried in the sand...I have no idea.  I was obviously only seeing my hub and my baby)

 The sand remains Silas' happy place.  A beach full of sand...we could have left him there all day and he never would have missed us.  No food, no talking, no distractions, just the boy and his sand.

 One afternoon we took a walk to the bay.  The tide was out so there was just a vast area of packed sand, bordered by warmer and calmer water.  Trey was thrilled.  He had spent the entire rest of the trip covered in dirt at the camp site.  I tried to keep him on a picnic blanket, but he would have nothing of it.  He chewed on fire wood, threw handfuls of dirt up in the air and all over himself, and crawled after the kids everywhere they went.  I started out slightly uptight about the messiness...but, at the bay, I had more fun watching him :)

 We had so much fun, Jewel slept on the way back to the tent.

We had smores every night, but keeping the fire going was much more fun than eating marshmallows.

 Jordan taught Silas how to chop the wood, and let him build and stoke the fire.  Note to self, start teaching Jewel how to fold laundry and empty the dishwasher.

We ALL slept in our tent.  ALL of us.  Surprisingly the big kids both did incredible.  Trey woke up at least once a night, and was the first one up every morning.  I was tired, but they were so great during the day and we had so much fun, it was TOTALLY worth it!