For the Fourth of July we drove down to Eagle Point with Annette's family to visit Grandpa Baughman. He and Jean had spent hours planning and shopping for the event. They had every meal planned and the items purchased before we got there. They had also arranged for our two families to stay in a nice hotel nearby with a pool for the kids to get some of the excess energy out. Some of the activities included a flag raising ceremony on the fourth, chalk drawing for the kids, various games, fireworks and a lot of visiting and playing. It was pretty chaotic having so many kids under one roof, but our hosts handled it like pros., although they may think twice before inviting a group that large again.
We had a lot of fun getting to know Irma (Jean's mother) a little better. She is from a family of 10 like I am. She is a sweetheart and shared a lot of stories and even made us her famous beans.
My aunt Kim came for a day and it was fun to see her too. She pestered me the whole time about the Christmas present I forgot to send to her last year. I am a slacker niece, I know. Let that be a lesson to all of you not to forget Kim's present at Christmas time because she will not forget.
All in all it was a packed two days with a lot of love from Grandpa and Jean mixed in. We are so lucky to have such a great Grandpa.
The Gardner reunion was a lot of fun. We drove the 13 hours out to Utah for the occasion. The kids had a blast with their cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents. One of the highlights was a 5K race that our two oldest ran with their cousins. We were so impressed with their endurance!! Our youngest was obsessed with strollers the entire time, as was her cousin. They pushed the strollers all around the campsite and even had some stroller derbies. Good times.
So our little J Man turned four. His older siblings put on a fabulous green party for him because he loves green. All the hats and decor were green. All the presents were even green. They went all out for their little brother. All I had to do was drive them to the store and provide the cash. It was a blast!!
On our way home from our Diamond Lake camping trip we stopped to hike and picnic at Watson Falls. Another breathtakingly beautiful hike to magnificent falls. I have daily reminders here of why people call Oregon God's country. 
We just got back from one of the most memorable campouts of all time. We drove up to Diamond Lake (1 1/2 hours) and pitched our tents for a two night stay. Mr. M was very proud of himself this year as he was able to pitch his tent by himself and build a successful fire. 
