For months I have debated this very neglected blog, wondering if it was best to start a new one after so much time.  Man, where do I even start??? Three years and a WHOLE lot of change.  Selling a house, adding to our family, loss of family members, saying good-bye to friends, moving to the other side of the country, starting grad school...

So I'll just start with our first summer as a family of four in Oregon.

I was the first to finish classes and exams, followed by Steven finishing his first year at his new middle school, Hayden then said farewell for the summer to his first full-time day care, and last but not least Gray wrapped up his 1st year in public school.  For a week I had Alice Cooper's song School's Out For Summer in my head.  And maybe because I live in Oregon...or maybe because I just finished my first year of my PhD program, but the beginning of the clip is how I felt :).

So far summer has looked a bit like this...

water gun fights with the neighbors...

sleeping on the back deck...

a trip to Wildlife Safari...

picking blueberries...


an impromptu road trip through Brownsville and to the start of the cascades...

S'mores with friends to kick off the solstice

  

flowers from the yard...

a summer concert at Edgefield...

and looking at water critters at Chimtimini Wldlife Center...

So far I feel like we have given summer a good kick-off.  We have plenty of exploring to do, a new house to move in to (yep, we will once again be settling some roots with the purchase of a cute 1938 bungalow in downtown), part-time policy work for me, and plenty of time to breath, run, play and laugh.  Yay for summer!!!