More great adventures

Before getting to the adventures...check out her ponytail! We still have a bit of a baby mullet going, but I'm sure the front will catch up to the back soon... she is my daughter.

and this one is just too cute not to share!

Ok, on to the adventure. Cassidy and I did another epic road trip this weekend while Chad was chasing fish and crab. We stopped the first night in Woodland to see Aunt Bette and Uncle Bob and spend the night. Cassidy was a little shy inside, but as soon as they headed outside, she was all about going to see the horses with Aunt Bette. She wasn't quite sure about Uncle Bob. He looks a lot like Grandpa but not quite the same. He won her over with the raspberries though, I think she ate at least a pint, and that was after a huge breakfast!

Friday we hit the road again. After a quick hello to Don we headed to Battleground to see our friends Karen, Allen, Abby, and the newest member Zack who was born on the 4th of July. I think that is the best possible Birthday! He is sooo tiny, but Abby the big sister did a great job holding him while Cassidy inspected and then gave loves.

Karen and Allen look great, maybe a little tired and we had a nice visit before heading off to Sisters, OR for the annual Grandparent's Ride with the Tindall family. We got there Friday night just in time for dinner and for Cassidy to turn into Grandpa's girl as soon as she got out of the car! There was a head count of at least 60, but that might be a little low as it's pretty tough tracking all the little ones. Cassidy was the youngest and would watch the group of 3/4 year olds very closely. You just knew she was trying to figure out how she could do the same things they were doing. If only she could remeber how far she's come since last year! She managed a few new skills like crawling over logs, running through the grass and pine cones, and playing in the red dirt. That was her favorite...until it came time for baths in the trailer. I actually had to "pre-wash" her at the water pump before even attempting to get her clean in the trailer!

Saturday brought out Dad's team and wagon rides. Cassidy of course was riding shot gun, after all she's a pro now, even helping Grandpa hold the reins!

Cassidy also found another great past time...leading Cadee around. Cadee was horrified as Cass would squeal and giggle with delight at being bigger and "in control". Check out her mischievous face...

We did another first...Cassidy went for her first trail ride. I'm so excited and proud of her. We were out for about 45 minutes and other then 2 brief little whines, she did great. She even held the reins with me. We're going to have to work on her helmet not going over her eyes and her boots staying on, but otherwise I think I've got a new riding partner!

Sunday morning we said good bye and headed back west to Forest Grove for the 37th Krueger Family reunion and my Great Aunt Mary's 90th birthday. Despite the overcast sky and cool temps, we had a great turn out, 70+, and lots of fun catching up with family.

On the way home we stopped to see Jay and Presley who was born in April last year. The girls had fun playing....Presley got to show off her cool toys while I got to catch up with Jay.

It was a bit of a whirlwind but a great trip. Cassidy is getting to be a pretty good traveler. Sleeping has become more of a challenge now that she faces forward in her car seat, but for the most part she enjoys watching out the window and getting Momma to laugh. Today though, she was definitely a little tired. She slept in, had a long nap and still went to bed on time without a fuss! Give her a couple days and she'll be ready for her next great adventure! I might take a few more days though....

Haying with the Cousins

With the sun comes HAY time and getting to spend the day with family. Cassidy and Chad went up a day early to help get ready for the baler. Cass found that keeping track of Dad on the tractor is hard work!

Daddy's girl...

The best hay crew keeps growing!

The cousins

Ahhh, the sweet reward for all the hard work

Happy 4th of July

Cassidy got her first 4th of July fireworks show last night as we celebrated our independence and freedom. Thanks to Sam and Cari scoping out the good spot and holding if for us, we had front row seats. Cass wasn't quite sure why she was getting woke up after she had gone to bed but I promised her it would be worth it and it was. Between the cheerios and pretties, she had a good time.

Wagons Ho!

Last week Cassidy and I had an amazing adventure. We left Saturday night to join Mom and Dad SE of Pendleton in Blue Mountains for the 28th annual Wagon Train Ride with the Pendleton Roundup. We were able to spend one night with my wonderful friend Lindsey and her family in Hepner before heading into the mountains...






We got to the mountains and the camp site Sunday night. Others rolled in through Monday with a total of 11 wagons/teams and over 100 outriders. We rode 4 days, the shortest being 12 miles, through some beautiful country. Wide open, rolling hills with huge ponderosa pine, elk, and surpisingly quite a few watering holes and creeks. Cassidy rode on the wagon with Mom and Dad while Tucker got used to all the noise and commotion. It took him a day and a half but then he was able to settle down and we were actually able to be Dad's outrider/helper. Cassidy couldn't have done better...she loved the bouncing, the rougher the road the better. She was even able to take her afternoon nap on the wagon.

We had a great trip, meeting lots of wonderful people, Cassidy got to spend lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa and I got to ride for 4 days! It couldn't have been any better.

Rain or Shine...

I've been getting some flack for not having more recent posts...at least I know people are checking! My only excuse is that the weather has been absolutely fantastic, we have a beautiful yard with lots of great projects and I don't come inside until I have to...about 10pm when it's dark. So here are some updates....

With teeth has come the new routine of brushing. Cassidy has really accepted the new "chore" with great excitement, mostly because it means more playing in water...she is able to do all the steps on her own but Mommy gets a turn to brush her teeth, just to make sure.

Grandma Margie came for a visit and had lots of quality time. Bath time was a favorite...check out all that hair!

Grandma showing nerves of steel reading a story during "naked time"

Grandma's girl

They got to spend an hour at the park while I went to a meeting. Here G'ma is showing her photography skills catching Cassidy in action. It still amazes me that she goes down the slide on her own. She even knows the route to get from the bottom of slide back to the top through the play equipment. She is getting so big!

Here is a shot of my garden, finally all planted complete with blueberries and raspberries! Even the seeds that Cass helped with have started to sprout...Fresh salads here we come....in another month or so!

We have also been working on putting on the last leg of the deck along the side of the house and building in the hot tub. Thank you to all all who helped move the beast out of the woods and into the sunshine!

We went to B'ham to help Jack celebrate his 1 year old birthday. Cassidy really liked Jack's present and Jack was gentleman enough to share. They get along so well it's great having them together, although I wouldn't be surprised if they were planning their great escape. We definitely have to keep our eye on them!


This month, Cassidy has really taken some big steps. She is now giving hugs and real kisses, even when asked. Her vocabulary has exploded, not what she is saying (still only a couple of words) but what she is able to understand and identify. She can show her head, eyes, mouth, ears, tummy, and feet, knows open and close, put away/clean up, bath time, give..., up, down, airplanes, outside, trees, and has started pointing to pictures in books of horses, dogs, cats, and cars. She amazes me every day with new words that I think to ask her to identify. She is consistently helping to get dressed, handing me her shirt, pants, socks, shoes and puts her arms up to get her shirt off. I'm sure she knows more that either I'm forgetting to mention or haven't thought to ask. She is changing every day.

Cassidy has also started dancing, but I'm still working on the videos..hopefully you'll see them soon.

So that's what we've been up to in a nutshell. Thanks for checking and I'll try to do better, Rain or Shine!