Camp Fircroft

Last week the Mogford family headed to my old stomping grounds where Joe spoke to 100+ junior highers during a week of camp. He did a fantastic job and I couldn't be more proud of him. While there, Grace perfected her walking skills by traversing on uneven ground all week. Uncle Jonathan also came up to play drums and help me watch Grace.

Summer Activities: Pool Time, Softball, and Redecorating

Watching Daddy

This is what the living room used to look like

With a few minor adjustments totaling around $250 here is what it looks like now:

Included in the $250 is some artwork I finally added to our wall: some of my own photography.

I am very pleased with the result.

The 4th of July

For dinner Grace had some yummy red, white, and blue pancakes.

Then we went outside and Daddy helped with her first sparklers. It would have been cooler to do it at night, but when bedtime is 7:00 and it doesn't get dark till after 9:00, it's just not worth the wait.

Please Pray

My brother Jonathan, who is 16, was in a four wheeler accident on the 4th of July and hit his head. He was wearing a helmet, but gave himself a concussion. A few hours later, he couldn't remember anyone or anything except his girlfriend and brother Joel (who he was with right after the accident).  Cat-scans show no signs of significant damage, but he still can't remember anything. Doctors say the brain needs time to heal, but they have no idea when or if his memory will return.

Summer Days

The Mogford clan has been having enjoying the beautiful sunshine that finally decided to show its face. It is great having Joe home for the summer. We have taken advantage of both in the last few weeks and have started a huge project of re-making our backyard. This includes building about 100 ft of fence that we have been planning on building since we bought the house. We are still far from being done, but have made great progress. Here is some proof:

We have also been busy playing and going to the park whenever we need a break.

And I love having a one year old. It is so much fun. This is the age that is making me want to have another one.
For the grandmas, my own records and anyone else who cares, Grace has also:

• Learned to walk. I still swell with pride when I see her toddle and wobble her way across the living room.
• Has gotten better at communicating what she wants. 
• Loves being outside. She even says outside. Often after getting her out of bed in the morning, she will point to the front door and say outside. I can usually distract her from this idea by offering her a banana.
• LOVES bananas. She eats one every morning for breakfast and would eat one for lunch and dinner too if we would let her.
• Finally signed please two days in a row. I am hoping this is a trend that stays.
• Has transitioned to drinking cow's milk. She never would take a bottle and didn't like sippy cups. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to stop breastfeeding as she also hated formula, but once she was a year old and the doctor gave us the green light, I decided to try cow's milk through a straw and voila. No problem at all. 

Cranberries and I ♥ Faces

One of my favorite photography blogs, I ♥ Faces, has weekly photo contests, and this week's theme is "Celebrating Teens". I had a great picture of my brother during cranberry harvest that I thought would be perfect.

You can check out more enteries by clicking on this button:

Strawberries... YUM!

We took a trip to the strawberry festival just west of Woodburn with Grace's cousins Max and Lexy. This weekend has brought some of the first sunshine of the summer and we intended to enjoy it fully. Thanks to Uncle Jason we got in for free since he was going to take some pictures of our lovely daughter for his paper.  There is a chance our daughter could be famous. Joe did most of the picture taking today and I have to say he's not too shabby. ;)