A Weekend To Remember

It's been a weekend full of fun activities in the Wagner household. Did we get to work on this? Ummm...no. There's always next weekend (or the one...or two...or three after that).

Since it was a scorcher, we had to take advantage of water activities. On Friday night, we met up with my Aunt & Uncle for a tasty dinner downtown. Afterwards, we all headed over to the city fountain where the Little Miss had a blast playing.

On Saturday, Mr. Wagner got up early for a mountain bike ride with the guys while the Little Miss and I went for a run near the river. Later that day, Mr. Wagner and Paramedic Jon took the kiddos to our neighborhood pool while....


Janelle and I had a "Girls Day Out" at the Olympic Track & Field Trials. It was hot but well worth the heat. We had a lot of fun watching the events and checking out the Festival. We even managed to sneak in dinner out afterwards before we headed home. Thank you Sara for blessing us with the last minute ticket surprise! And thanks to our hubbys for babysitting!

On Sunday we had our first outdoor church service of the summer. We also ventured back to the neighborhood pool with the Booths, Hansons and McAlisters. It seemed like the rest of the neighborhood had the same idea. Regardless, the kids liked playing in the water and we enjoyed spending time with good friends.

It's sure going to be tough to top this weekend's events but summer is just beginning and we're going to make the most of it. And yes, we will eventually get back to these.

Practice Makes Perfect

Since we missed the photo opt the first time our Little Miss got to ride Lucky, we made sure to bring the camera this past weekend when we made a family trip out to the barn. Go figure she wasn't quite as fearless this time out (smart kiddo knew her Daddy was close by and could come save her). The ride was cut short due to a few tears but Lucky didn't seem to notice.

While the ride may not have been our girl's highlight of the trip, I was thrilled to get to share my horse with the Little Miss. Once she was off she did decide she liked Lucky again and kept wanting to tell him "hi" and "cluck-cluck" (didn't you know horses "cluck"?). What can I say, she's a girl so she's bound to change her mind frequently. I'm not giving up hope on our future equestrian, we'll have plenty of opportunities to practice.

It's Officially Here!

Summer, oh how I love thee. Welcome my friend. Your sunny days and clear skies have been truly missed. When I think of you, I envision beautiful flowers (not in our yard obviously) and my mouth waters as I imagine the yummy scent of meat grilling on the BBQ. We have a lot of dates planned, you and I. I'm looking forward to picnics in the park, camping trips, hiking and mountain-biking, berry picking and eating, riding my horse, swimming in the neighborhood pool, and maybe even water skiing at the lake.

What are your favorite things about Summer?

Bring On The Berries!

Mr. Wagner and I both agree, we really like fresh blueberries. These plump berries are a favorite gem that we enjoy each summer. It's almost prime blueberry season and we can't wait!

Since Mr. Wagner is also a serious muffin connoisseur, I thought we'd share another favorite, a healthy yet very tasty recipe. Warning, there are a lot of ingredients in these but we guarantee, once you buy what you need, the leftovers won't go to waste because you'll be making these again. Enjoy!

Health Nut Blueberry Muffins

3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C oat bran
1/4 C quick cooking oats
1/4 C wheat germ or wheat bran
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C blueberries
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)
1 banana, mashed
1 C buttermilk
1 egg
1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Gently stir in the blueberries and walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed banana, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

If Only I Had Known

Dearest Mr. Wagner, If only I had known:

• That we would both eat something bad the last day of our honeymoon and would be sick with "the runs" for the following month.
• That you truly are more mischievous than me (regardless of what anyone else might say).
• That our marriage would undergo the "in sickness and in health" trial so soon.
• That you'd say "incoming torpedo!" at the most inopportune time during my hospital stay.
• That you'd hold me to the "whoever is holding her" diaper changing rule for so long.
• That you really would have made a good attorney.

If only I had known, Dear Hubby, I would have said "Yes!" all over again.

Happy Anniversary!

Love forever,

Mrs. Wagner

Our Weekend Road Trip

We had a great time visiting our friends Dani, Joey & fam this weekend. We visited their coffee shop, took the kiddos to the zoo in Seattle and had a fun time catching up (sorry our pics didn't turn out well but you can get the idea).
We also had a nice visit with my great Uncle Bob before we headed home. We were surprised that the Little Miss took to him so readily, especially since he's a serious Dawg fan and a U of O grad.


We survived the long car-ride thanks to two amazing inventions, a portable DVD player and Baby Einsteins. What did our parents do without them? The Little Miss' favorite word is now "moo-moo!" (translation: "movie!"). I can already see it. When she's 13, she'll be expecting a bucket of buttered popcorn to go with it.

A New Hobby? I'm Not Yet Convinced

Several of you have already heard that I ran in my first race this past weekend. Our friends Jon and Janelle joined me for the hilly 8k (5 mile) mostly dirt trail run.

I am happy to report that we all finished, each a few minutes faster than we were anticipating. Jon and Janelle came in about a minute ahead of me. Their talent on the downhill sections was superior. I'm most proud to say that none of us were close to being last. Of course, we were much nearer to the end of the pack than the beginning.

While I'm very glad I did the race (thank you Jon for not letting the girls back out like we were tempted), I keenly remember thinking as I ran, "I like horse shows a lot better. Why in the world am I doing this? Hobbies shouldn't cause so much pain!"

Pain aside, I am going to keep on running. As for making racing a new hobby? I'm not yet convinced that it's logical, or even sane, to actually pay an entry fee to endure self-inflicted pain. Give me my horse and a colorful hunter-jumper course any day. And for the hills? I'll take my mountain bike, thank you.

(Joani and Janelle, You're not off the hook completely. I'm not giving up until at least one of you join me for a 1/2 marathon. No pressure. All excuses for why this is a bad idea are welcomed).

Jon & Janelle headed towards the finish line. I'm a "dot" higher up on the path

Check out my form. Paula Radcliffe would be jealous. The smile? Totally fake.