:: Harley's first trip to the ER ::

** WARNING ** If pictures with blood make you queezy, don't look at the one below.

Harley had to make her first trip to the ER this week. Thankfully, it was pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. We actually don't know how she got her injury, but as we were getting ready to walk out the door (almost literally), she laid on the floor and rolled over for us to pet her belly. Pretty unusual for her, especially at this time of night; she is usually bringing her ball to us asking to play fetch or jumping on Dustin since he hasn't been home all day with her. So, we lovingly pet our pretty pup. :) I noticed what I thought was a clump of mud on her chest, which didn't seem too odd since she'd been rolling around in the front yard with the neighbor dog just an hour or two earlier. Then I noticed it was red. As I looked closer, I saw the large gash in her skin. Crazy girl! So we by-passed dinner with our friends (sorry that we missed your party, Alex!) and spent the evening at the ER vet clinic. A few hours later and a bill that wasn't as horrific as we envisioned, we made it home with just six stitches and a few prescription pills. The toughest part of this whole ordeal: I have to figure out a way to keep a one year old golden retriever puppy "calm for 10-14 days." Good luck!!!!

:: Dustin turns 31 ::

This past Saturday, Dustin turned the big fat 3-1!!! He said himself, "I'm no longer just 30. I'm now actually in my thirties." What a smart husband I have!!!! I am so thankful for the 31 amazing years the Lord has given to Dustin. He has brought him through some tough trials but also so many wonderful times. I am especially thankful for the past 5+ that I've had with him, spending just shy of three of those as his blessed wife.

Speaking of blessed: holy cow - we are so blessed by the many amazing friends that we have. And we were able to celebrate Dustin's birthday weekend with just a few of them. Seriously, we both wish we could have included the many more friends we've gotten to know over the past months and years. We headed over to Sunriver (ahhhh....otherwise known as heaven) for a long weekend. We had amazing weather and stayed in a beautiful home, which is also a tremendous blessing. Thanks McIntyres for your generosity and willingness to open your home to us again this year.

As are most days in Central Oregon, the weather was fabulous. The only thing that would have made it better was if we would have had fresh snow falling while we were there. But the warm bright sunshine mixed with the gorgeous blue skies was plenty for me. Dustin and I hit the walking paths one afternoon to soak this stuff up....and we weren't disappointed.A few of us hit the sledding hill one afternoon as well. There is something about sliding down a snow hill in a plastic container that just makes you feel like a kid again. That and the fact that the kiddos we were with were nothing but smiles and giggles. Maybe a good combination of both.
Then on Saturday, about half of us hit the trails for a 3.5 mile snowshoe trip. Seriously it was such a beautiful day - perfect for this kind of activity. We loaded up the gear, the kids, the food, and headed on out. A little over halfway through was a nice little "shelter" where we could take a break, eat some grub, and let the kiddos out of the backpacks to do some running around. The last part of the trip was a bit faster as we needed to get back to the cars before the kiddos went crazy. :) They all did so so so good.

This group of friends knows how to do a lot of things, but one of them is how to eat (and cook!) very well. We don't shy away from yummy food and lots of it when we're together. And we couldn't let a birthday pass by without some cake....and of course for his birthday we do his favorite: carrot cake! Happy Birthday Dust! And because the kiddos had some cake and it was close to bedtime, Trev the track coach led them through a quick calestinics workout to try and run the sugar through their bodies quickly. They loved it! If only us adults giggled and smiled through workouts that way....life would be grand.

Another year in the books and many wonderful memories made. We are so incredibly thankful and overwhelmed by the goodness of our Lord and the amazing people he continues to pour into our lives. All of you mean so much to us!!!!

:: Christmas 2011 ::

 Harley hopes you had a very Merry Christmas!!! And so do we.

The holidays have once again come and gone by so quickly! We were able to spend a lot of time with our family and friends, which made it such a special time of year. 

 Annual Keithley family photo (Minus the Karliks) - mustache on a stick was the theme this year. :)

They missed the family mustache picture, so we made our own!

 DeGroot family picture (Minus the Porterfield crew). 

 Reunion at the Hiller house!!!!! So fun to see all these folks and finally get to introduce Dustin to the Hiller fam. 

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Dustin's side of the family down in Junction City. Our nephews, Reid and Cole, were very into the wrapping paper this year, which was fun to watch. Out trip down there was a lot of fun but was definitely short this year. 

Dustin and I at church Christmas Eve (don't mind the glow of the lights behind us!) 

 Cole and Reid in their matching PJ's....done with the gifts and now sharing the rocking chair.

We flew out to Colorado super early the day after Christmas to go spend some time with my side of the family. After a few days in the Springs, we hopped in the car with my folks for a 9 hour drive to Nebraska to spend a few days with Josh, Kari, and the kiddos. They are super cute and lots of energy as well, which made the drive well worth it. Sara wasn't able to join us, but for a very good reason....her hubby, Paul, came home from deployment on the 30th which was sooooo fabulous. While in Nebraska, we were able to connect with some of my college friends and "second family" which is always fun to do. Plus it involved a yummy meal prepared by Mary Hiller!!!! After another short trip, we jumped back in the car to head back to Colorado. Thankfully, we were able to spend about 30 hours with Paul and Sara before we flew back to Oregon. It was great to see everyone, but there is nothing like getting back to your own home sweet home. :)

 Dustin and I with Avery and Aiden - love these kiddos!

 Skyped with Paul and Sara as we did our family Christmas gift opening.

 Sara and I at Craig and Linda's new house - some wonderful family friends in Colorado. It's seriously beautiful and crazy nice....we're calling it the Robinson Resort. It's like 5 of our houses size-wise.

 "Namaw" and Auntie checking out Avery's new princess tent.

 The kiddos in their hats...well, Aiden is wearing one of Avery's hats, but it's cute either way.

 The Dean girls, Avery, and Braelynnn....college friends' kiddos. So fun to see everyone's families getting bigger.

 Dustin and Haylea were groovin' on the Rock Band.

 Simple, yet rustic and classy gift wrap - grocery bags. :)

 She loves her uncle Dustin and had so much fun with him this year. 

 Avery was saying thank you to Paul and Sara for the cowgirl barbie she got. 

 My sweetheart in his new owl hat!!!

 Have you ever seen a cuter redhead? He is adorable with or without the helmet.