Portland Reunion

Back before Germany....

We went to visit Bryce's family in Oregon. The day we arrived, there was a bbq and food fight on the agenda.

Brycen loved getting ready for the food fight but little did he know what was in store.

He quickly hated the whole experience (seconds into the action starting) and had to be rescued by Mommy and then watched, rather, cringed through the rest of it from the sidelines. He was very, very concerned for Daddy's sake. "Daddy's a mess" is what he would say in between tears.

Gross. Definitely not my cup of tea. Brycen must take after me. haha. With the "food" being old food-storage oatmeal that needed to be used up.

The gang that then rinsed off using the cold, cold lawn hose....and continued to find dry oatmeal in their hair and ears for days.

The next day, we headed to the beach house owned by one of the brother-in-law's family.

Where upon arrival, Mommy sat in the car until these two woke up. I had no idea it would be over 2 hours though! Vacationing and cousining must be very exhausting.

The beach house is the same three bedroom beach house we stayed in over Christmas break. 8 families, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Crazy, crazy fun. We normally set up camp where ever space is available and since we were already exhausted from being in Utah for a week (and off schedule), Brycen actually managed not just to fall asleep among the noise of 14 other grandchildren playing but slept pretty well, as well. Good preparation for what would later be a week of living practically on train tracks and in a few months, a baby brother.

It also happened to be 4th of July weekend!

Morning with Grandma.

The thing with Oregon...it never gets warm warm even in the summer (since I freeze almost always..the temperature has to at least get above 75 for me to be slightly comfortable). So you add the beach wind...and you get us, flying kites in our jackets.

And doing this to stay warm...

I was, literally, freezing (hence, the blanket)....

Luckily, Brycen is built more like his Daddy. Doesn't take much for them to be comfortable...or rather, takes a bit more for them to be uncomfortable so they do the things Mommy won't.

He loved the water...well, loved Daddy being in the water and then running away from the waves.

Picture day was actually warmer than kite-flying day. With a jacket on, it was enjoyable...as long as I stayed away from the water.

Brycen had a lot of fun looking anywhere but the camera...

The whole crew. The parents, all seven kids, with their wives/husbands and kids.

All the grandchildren back at the beach house. The 15th grandchild (Brycen's first red-headed, male cousin) was born the very next week.

Celebrating Daddy's birthday, the day before leaving for Germany.

Eating Mommy's frosting (she hates frosting, he loves it--and somehow he's "our" son)

The blue icing turned his diaper #2 contents completely blue for days after.

We always have a ton of fun (including Mommy, when she remembers her winter coat :)