Independence Day

We had a great Independence Day. We started off with a low-key parade in a nearby neighborhood. Peyton loved it- though she was a little upset that her older cousins were faster at getting the candy than she was. I didn't mind. As far as I'm concerned, the less candy that makes it home, the better. We came home and put the girls down for a nap and then went to a family pool party. The weather was beautiful, the company was great, the food was good and the water was warm. What more could you ask for? After 6 hours outside (we take advantage of every sunny minute we get in Portland), we went home, put the girls down for another nap, then woke them up at 9 to take them to the fireworks show. We went to the same show that we have gone to the last 2 years. It's huge- exactly 30 minutes long, which is crazy considering it's just put on by a neighborhood. They loved it. Neither of the girls could take their eyes off the fireworks. They just stared. I was a little nervous about taking Piper, but she did great (even if she was a little cranky). The National Anthem brings tears to my eye. I know I was only in the military for a few short months, but I have a love for my country that I find hard to put into words. I especially love the men and women who serve so honorably. I am so proud to be an American. 

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I saw this hair-do on a blog. There was no tutorial on how to do it, but I was so happy I was able to make it work.

 (back: Justin, Layla, Erin (Ashley's sister) holding baby Beckham, Katie)

(front: Trenton, Marley, Taryn, Brek, Macie, Peyton, Nipper, Henry, Charlotte, Lucy, Gabe) 

 Peyton, Piper and sweet baby Sutton

(can you see the flag on the bottom-middle of the picture?)

Almost Summer

It's almost the 4th of July, which means it's almost summer in Portland. Until then, we're keeping out our coats and rain boots. Jade's client gave us some tickets to the Oregon high school all-star football game. It's an annual football game between the high schools in North Oregon and southern Oregon. The boys chosen to play are the best players from each area who have just graduated, and almost all of them will be playing for a good college this fall. The tickets were great- we were right on the sideline in the VIP tent with food and drinks and even a bounce house for the kids. It was a great time (even though it went from 60 and sunny to 50 and cloudy in a matter of minutes). Jade went on a 4-day business trip, so the girls and I tried to keep ourselves entertained. We went to Justin and Ashley's house one day and went swimming. It wasn't warm enough for me to get in the pool, but the girls had a great time. Jeremy and Kristin took their oldest kids on a cruise with their extended family, so we got to watch Layla for a couple of days. It was really cute watching Piper and Layla crawl around together, but man- twins are hard!!! Luckily little Layla is an angel baby and was just as sweet as could be. One day we had some of our old friends over for a BBQ. They were at a family reunion in Washington, so as they drove through, they stopped by. It was so fun seeing them all. They are 3 brothers who Jade worked with before I had even met Jade. They're all married to cute girls with 3, 2, and 1 [on the way] kids. We loved getting to catch up with them. We miss our great friends we had in Utah! Also, 9 weeks and 3 days after she got her first tooth, Piper's second bottom tooth came through! She is no longer my one-tooth-wonder. The girls had checkups with the doctor for their 4-year and 9-month birthdays. Peyton jumped on her growth chart from the 12th percentile in weight to the 37th percentile (33 lbs)! She stayed on the tall side at 65th percentile for height (3' 4.5"). Piper is following her sister's growth chart almost exactly (she's a little bit bigger, but when the doctor put their charts next to each other, the pattern was almost identical). She weighed in at 16.9 lbs, putting her in the 12th percentile for weight and 28.5 inches long, putting her in the 81st percentile for height. She has an enormous noggin- 45.5 cm around, which puts her in the 88th percentile for head circumference. WOW, that's a big head. As proof of that, I had to have grandma extend the head hole in one of Piper's shirts by 2", just so it would go over her huge head! Jade said it's because she takes after him and has such a big brain.

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 We are so excited for football season!

 Twins!

 Piper put herself in "prison"

 My last picture of Piper with just the one tooth!