Quick summer update

Summer continues to roll on by and very quickly, I might add.  We just have one more week here in Bend and then we will head to Corvallis on the 27th to stay with my family until we return to Oman on the 18th of August.  We can't believe how fast the days are going!

We are still having a wonderful time here in Bend and have spent our days with friends and family, at the park, shopping, and having small adventures.  Like today, Aberly and Colin are off hiking the Lava River Cave.  I am hanging here at home so Emalyn can get in a good nap.  We hope to get up to the lake one day soon, and maybe one more day down in Sunriver biking around. 

We did have one special visitor last week.  My brother Andrew stopped through for 5 days and it was so great to see him after a year.  He played with the girls, we wandered around town, and he and Colin got out for a long day hike in the Diamond Peak Wilderness.  It was supposed to be an overnight, but the fog of mosquitoes at the level spots where they wanted to camp drove them to complete the 25 mile loop by late evening.

Besides fun, there has been business.  We've all had our dental check ups/cleanings (Aberly was an outstanding patient, but considering how much more friendly and gentle the dentists are now, it's no surprise!) and earlier this week, Emalyn had her baby well-check here at our local pediatricians office and she is doing great.  She left in tears after three vaccinations, but the rest of the visit was fine!  She is just under 12 lbs and meets all the average percentiles for height and weight.  Actually, she is on the higher end for height, so we may have a tall one on our hands in the future.  Aberly can't wait for her check up with the doctor next week.  I think it's because she isn't aware she might be due for a shot too.

For now, that is it.  I will try to get up a few new photos from the past couple of weeks later today or tomorrow.  Colin has the camera so I have to wait till they are back to upload them :-)

Summer!

It's been awhile since I've been able to post.  Our first three weeks back we were staying with Colin's mom and she didn't have internet.  While this was actually really nice in some ways and not feeling the pressure to "connect" all the time, it was a bit tough when we wanted to get in touch with friends, check email, or do a blog.  We stopped by a the coffee shop on occasion to use wifi and have a few days to catch up on things.

Our summer so far has been so nice and we've had a lot of fun falling back into the swing of life here at home.  The first couple weeks back we were blessed with cooler weather, wind, and rain, which for us, was awesome.  We loved being able to bundle up and wear clothes that hadn't touched our bodies in months!  Once the sun came out, we have tried to get out daily and enjoy the outdoors, even if it's just a park trip or playing in the yard. 

Since it's getting towards my bedtime, I'll sum up our time here so far in the pictures below with captions.  We've been having a blast!

 Aberly and Papa played in the sprinklers once afternoon that wasn't too cool.

 Aberly wore Nana out!

 Happy in the cool weather!

 Ah, Bend...

 Having a darn good time at the Deschutes Brewery 25th Anniversary Party in the Park

 Happy 32nd birthday to me!

 Aberly went to VBS at our church in Bend and loved it.

 A bowling champ!  Look at that form.  Papa would be proud.

 Aberly picked up driving the bumper cars almost too easy...

 Our happy 3 month old!

 Playing and reconnecting with buddies here in Bend.

 Steve Miller concert with my great friend Kirstin, our family, and Skip and Angie

 A beautiful trip to Crater Lake

 A visit to the High Desert Museum

 Look, I wrote my name all by myself!  (This was at the old fashioned school at the museum)

 Happy 4th!

Roasting marshmallows.  Yum!

Living in the inferno

It's hot.  Like, really hot.  This is what I imagine hell is like, and it's as unbearable as I believe it to be.  It's 100+ F, humid, and the UV index is 10 (the highest).  That means you feel your arm hairs starting to singe after a minute of sun exposure.  If the church pastors of the world could get everyone to Oman from May - August and they were forced to live in tents for those months with no AC, I think the world would convert knowing what anguish awaited them.  Heaven would need to add more rooms because there would be millions of souls saved in those months.

But seriously, it's hot.  It's not enjoyable to be outside at all.  Summer here is like winter in the states.  You don't want to go outside, kids are stuck in the house and driving you nuts.  The weird thing about it though, is that you feel guilty staying inside and letting your kid play on the iPad for an hour or watch a movie because you're like, "But it's sunny outside, they should be out there.  I should be out there doing something in the fresh air instead of being a sack of crap on my couch."  But once you step outside and burn your lungs like taking a drag of a cigarette, you don't feel so guilty anymore.

Needless to say we can't wait to be on a plane to the beautiful and cooler weather that awaits us in Oregon.  If you see us standing outside in the middle of the night, don't worry, we are okay.  We will just be enjoying the thrill of being cold.

6 days till departure!