Back to my Roots.

I was excited to be close to home this summer so I may have over committed to host/attend and support 

a few too many events, get togethers.   And we( the kids and I) may have driven home crying from tiredness.    I expect next summer to be a bit calmer. But at least I made some good memories and reminisced in my old stomping grounds with friends and family thats been "long time gone."

First Cydney's wedding  A childhood friend and our parents are still neighbors.

It was fun and sentimental to watch her get married on her front porch.  I can remember her standing there on that same porch her first day of kindergarten as the bus pulled up. Then a 1.5 hour  bus ride everyday.  Fun group of farm kids with a few crazies we picked up in Adams, there was never a dull morning.  Lots of fun memories at Cyd's house of bottle feeding bummer lambs, Nerf guns, running from ghosts in bunk houses, and barns, sleepovers, playing with briar horses,gold panning for Cheetos, camping,watching CMT music videos. ha. Yes fun to reminisce.

Bridesmaid's ride. Below.

I kicked myself for not bringing my camera. 

I just wanted to enjoy the evening. These are from my mom's.

I swear I knew every single face there. (of the 1200 that were there, I thought I heard?)

But I had no idea what their names they were. Just knew I knew them when I was a young gun.

Doug(dad) and Cyd's dog walked her down the isle. 

Very sweet.

Darla and Jennifer and I wanted a picture with the rainbow.

It STORMED crazy hard right before the wedding and then as soon as everyone was seated a rainbow came out.

Seriously? It was almost strangely perfect. 

I was so happy for Cydney and Kipp.

Anywho. 

Beautiful evening.

Onto... Jennifer's baby showa.

It was hosted by the 2003 Pendleton round up court aaand Amie. 

Those rodeo princesses were nice enough to let me help.

I  have loved watching Jennifer get married and have a baby.

She is so gracious and grateful and sincere and fun aaand... 

Love this gal.

Truly impressed at the grown up she grew up to be.

Onto Harvest.

Cache loved to go out. Grandma would pack him his own lunch in a tin lunchbox.

 Which was his favorite part. And then pick him up after a few hours or so.

He rode with grandpa in the combine. But his favorite is riding in "Joe's truck."

Making the daily delivery of afternoon home made milkshakes.

icecream

zac brown band

the smell of Fresh cut wheat.

A few moments of heaven.

"Joe let me dump the truck."

Cache still likes to remind me how cool that was.

And yet still more memories came back driving out to Aunt Julie's and Uncle Jay's for

Ole's 2nd Birthday!

 Ole is SUCH a cute boy and so fun to see my cousin Melanie(his mom).

It's been....years and years.

 All the guys were harvesting.  Later we found out they were actually fighting the neighbors field fire. (Cyd's family farm actually) Anyway so it was mostly all the women gathered for a summer evening birthday party.

Grandma Carla and baby Bowen.

So fun to see kids running and playing hard in the exact place we would play with our cousins as kids.  Cache got his first bee sting playin in the wood pile by the barn that night. Compared to the pony&cow chasing, loft jumping, weasel digging, and old well's filled with deer skeletons  stuff we did as kids out there... 

I'm glad he only got a bee sting.

 Cute Ole got boots for his birthday and by far his favorite present.

 Ole's dog house.

 Just playin "Harvest."

Cache and T would argue how to correctly harvest.

Well that's EXACTLY what happens on the big farm.

I thought that was so funny.

 Sunday before church in my parents yard.

My sweeties.

OH I love these guys.

 I was grateful to relive some of the best memories from growing up.  My mom even had me mow the lawn for old times sake.  2.5 hours later, I still wasn't done.  No thanks.  I feel so lucky to have grown up in the country, with family all around, and plenty of work to bind us together. My children won't quite get that same experience.That use to really weigh on my heart.

But we'll make sure they have some good memories too. In some ways they will never have as good. But in some ways they'll have it better.

And that's a wrap.

Well it took me almost 7 years of marriage

But I finally made Devin lasagna!

I may be slow but better late than never.

And now Devin loves me more.

Even though it was vegetable lasagna.

And now I love him more for loving my first ever lasagna.

Lasagna love all around.

Well Hello New Favorite Breakfast.

Yes. 

I loved my breakfast so much this morning I took a picture of it.

Goober- D double doofer.

Only 180 calories.

AND check this out: 17 grams of Protien.

And I couldn't even finish it.

Which do I ever get full? UM NO.

I think it's only because I've felt so home deprived for the last 10 years, I can't get enough trips back home.  I love my parents home in the summer.  Laying out on the grass. Talking to my dad after a long day on the tractor. The sunsets in Oregon are so consistently pink and purple and beautiful.

Well this last trip was for Joey's surprise 18th party and a wedding And something else. 

I can't remember. Here are some pictures from my mom's camera.

The Birthday Boy.

( I use to rock this boy and change his diapers!)

Joey is such a good boy and so mature. (At least in most ways.)

The big joke was now that Joey is 18 he is finally old enough to learn to do laundry.

The 2 baby boys are SPA- OILED!

But really.

All my siblings impress me. 

 I look up to all of them. Really. 

I so admire them.

They are more mature, refined, cool, well spoken, accomplished and well everything.

What  happened to me?

At least  I'm pointed in the right direction and as long as I have them to follow someday I'll catch up.

And the older I get the less bad I feel about it, and the more I just feel lucky to be around them to influence me and to have Devin to love me through it.   I don't know how my mom did it but they truly are my best friends. Truly.

( Besides Devin of course. )

 And we were growing up too.

Our favorite thing to do, is to all sit in a room and just chat and laugh at Sam or Joe or Ash but mostly Sam. I think we truly cherish one another. I think my siblings are so special. Extra ordinary. And I can see they see each other that way too.

Thank you mom?

Thank you farm and no neighbors?

Thank you gospel to teach how divine one an other's spirits really are?

Thank you no Nintendo or a TV with only 3 channels?

Thank you Spratling gene of being a sentimental cry baby that we all (except Sarah and Sam) got? 

Thank you parents for not entertaining us much, so that ALL we had was one another to laugh at?

ha.

I wish I knew. Because so far Cache and Nay are at each other's throats.

EEEK.

Man I'm so tangenty I annoy myself..

Here is more of Joey's 18th birthday on the deck.

Below:

Matt(friend) Sarah. Handsome baby Danny and Joe.

Also pictured Joey's acoustic Ukulele he got for his b-day.

He loves it. Pretty good too.

Must be the Polynesian coming out in him.

i love the lights on my parents deck.

Joey and Kiera. 

Aah cute. "just friends." ;)

Homemade ice cream cakes. Butter finger and Oreo.

Wowza.

Dirty faces only I probably love.

Happy Birthday Joe! Can't wait to see what your future holds.

We love you!

I am sad because...

i got a haircut.

eek!

 Juuuust playin.

no doubt this is what I would look like with short hair though!

No I am sad because my visitor is gone.

The one and only Sam visited and left.

He visits ten times more than anyone! 

So that means I will spoil him.

Or try.

Like make him pizza twice and his favorite: mash taters.

And random sugar cookies late one night. 

And offered to take him to Roaring springs.

But he saw the crowds and opted Sandy point.

I told him it was quiet there.

I love that my brother is such an old soul.

So we picked up his favorite: Cafe Rio and berry smoothie(costco)

And headed out of town.

Devin saw this cute pink star floatie for 2 dollars and wanted to buy it for Nay.

She mostly just pranced around the sand wearing it as a tutu.

 dun dun dun. Shark Sam.

Every time I get to go on water I dream of my rowing days back in St. Louis.

Summer evenings out on beautiful lake Creve Ceour.

Getting hit in the face with Cache's paddle in sage brush Idaho wasn't quite the same experience...

But mother nature is therapy.

I will make it a new goal to get my children OUT of town and in nature every week.

Cache kept telling me how to row correctly.

I fear he can take after me a bit.

Thinks he knows everything.

Look I have tri-ceps! Thanks giant baby Gage.

 Giant baby Gage is so sweet and loving.

Even though he had a fever all day in the heat.

He just slept on the blankie in the shade.

He just wanted to snuggle all weekend and lean his hot big head on my cheek.

I felt  guilty that I was enjoying his snuggle time so much when he was the one feeling so horrible.

 Cache just really admires older boys.

He found yet another kid to follow around.

Cache would see the boy starting a new sand castle or in this case a back rest.

And Cache would throw his food down and say. "He needs my help!"

Thankfully this kid was nice to him.

This next picture I was laughing soo soo hard when I took it.

Cache is so enthusiastically digging throwing shovel's full of  sand all over those two beach loungers.

He had no idea.

 Well it was a good weekend thanks to Sam.

He is the most gracious visitor.

Even after all the salads and healthy food I put infront of him.

Always saying thank you and "That was so good Amie! " 

Even if he didn't eat it, he still said it :)

We made this icecream. 

Unbelievably good.

Healthy and EASY PEASY.

A new staple in our house fo sho.

Sam showed us plenty of Drake and Josh. His fav show.

It was actually hilarious.

Sam is the sweetest Uncle.

He even brought his old Light saber just so he and Cache could play.

My mom picked him up on the way home from her mom's house in Preston ID. 

It was my cousin's wedding and I'm sad I couldn't make it.

But I love this picture she sent me of her time there with all her siblings and mom.

I'm glad she got to make it to be in the temple with her family and see Angela and Thomas get married.

That's always such a sweet experience to be in the temple with family.

Harvest has begun back home in Oregon and Sam was anxious to get to work.

So thanks for visiting Sam!

( Come again and next time we'll make it to Krispy Kreme!)