Miles Adventures

Gifts

2012-02-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel has been asking for "Cranky the Crane" for about 2 weeks now. We were excited that it came with the train table we got from our sister-in-laws friends. Papa Jim made a cool table and Oma spiffed it up! It even makes noise when the trains go through the tunnel!

Pump It UP!

2012-02-11T22:00:00.001-08:00

Nathaniel's favorite place is "the bouncy house" place. He is always wanting to go there... so what better place to have a little birthday party? An hour of free for all jumpin! He loved it. Even the the parents had a little fun.

Birth Day

2012-02-08T21:38:00.001-08:00

The Super Bowl overshadowed Nathaniel's birthday this year. Not to worry we stopped at half time to go play outside with Oma. We fed the birds preztels.

Put the sprinkles on our cupcakes

Play trains

Open a few gifts

And ate icecream cake

Can't wait till the party with my friends!

Nathaniel's big day!

2012-02-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

How old are you? Nathaniel holds up his hands and tries to show me on his fingers... 3 is hard to master!

Working from home

2012-02-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

Daddy took care of the boys for a day while I did some temp work for a friend. Dad makes it look so easy... give them a few toys and they'll just play right?

(Getting back into the workforce was quite the experience. I signed up as a contract worker and committed to just 40 hours over the course of 3 weeks. It was fun, but I didn't feel like I was a great mom for those 3 weeks. I have a stronger appreciation for you working mommas! Hopefully I can do a few projects here and there to keep my resume up-to-date.)

Learning to share

2012-02-05T12:08:00.001-08:00

Sharing can be tough... especially when it involves ice cream! The boys had fun though. Drumsticks are the best!

The Beach in February

2012-02-03T21:41:00.012-08:00

We had fabulous weather this week at the beach. Hardly any wind. Gorgeous blue sky. What a great way to celebrate Oma turning 60!

We played on the rocks - mostly throwing smaller rocks into the tide pools

Built sandcastles

Fed the birds our leftover pancakes

Ran away from the ocean (Oma and Nate got caught!)

Snow Day

2012-01-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

Snow has finally arrived here (and it was gone after a few hours). I think this was the first snowman Nathaniel has ever made. The boys had the best day with Papa Jim and Oma.

Learning how to walk

2012-01-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

We are excited Logan is finally on the move!

Playing inside

2012-01-22T22:49:00.000-08:00

Rain, rain, go away..... for now we are just playing inside.

The Club

2012-01-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

Joining the club (almost 3 years ago now) was a big decision. But we decided we would be one of the few that took full advantage of the membership and if we fell by the wayside we would in fact cancel it. I guess that's what everyone's intent is. Well, we are still using it....almost every day. We are literally there every morning and many evenings too. It's fun to take the boys on a weekend with their toys and just play around. It's our home away from home.

Giddy-yup Horsey!

2012-01-08T07:47:00.001-08:00

The boys love to play horsey. Nathaniel trots around and Logan tries to hold on. Logan will be walking soon!

In and Out

2012-01-08T07:46:00.001-08:00

If you can figure out how to get in on your own you should be able to figure how to get out on your own. Right? Of course I grabbed the camera first!

Visiting Nana

2012-01-01T21:33:00.001-08:00

We took a little road trip to see Nana and Grandpa Jim (and Ollie their dog). Ollie is the perfect size for Nathaniel and he loves going for walks. I think we are going to have to get a dog someday.

Seattle ZooTrip

2012-01-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

The boys loved getting so close to the Tiger

My monkeys

Checking out the fish

Snack time for Logan

Christmas Party

2011-12-28T21:55:00.001-08:00

Daddy's work had a little holiday party. It was such a fun family event. The admin who put it together really made it special for the kids. Nathaniel loved "playing" foosball with the big kids. We also spent a lot of time at the coloring table. But I think Nate loved the "fishing" game the best.... that's where he got his prized dart gun.

At the end of the night there was a specific present for both the boys with their names on them. Nate got a cool CARS boardgame and Logan got a lego duplo truck. Very cool.

A Christmas Tradition: McD's and a Movie

2011-12-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

Another tradition. Sponsored by my Dad's two sisters. Every year we look forward to this special day that started in 1981. First stop McDonald's to order anything we want from the menu. Then off to the theater to grab popcorn, soda, and a candy bar before the movie starts. Every year we try to remember the list of movies. We never succeed. This year we saw "We bought a zoo".

My Dad's sisters who came up with this brilliant idea 26 years ago

A Christmas Tradition: Trains

2011-12-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

When I was little my dad once saw a candy train in a bakery shop on the way home from work. He decided to buy it for mom. She said, "That would be so easy to make!" and it's been a tradition ever since. The boys had so much fun with their cousin. Who wouldn't with all that candy?

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-27T21:37:00.000-08:00

Rather informal... but quite tasty!

Testing Papa's present out

2011-12-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Papa Jim got a new shaving kit. Nathaniel wanted to check it out. How cute!

Helicopter Fun

2011-12-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

My Dad walked into a mall about a month ago and found a cool little toy. He thought it might be fun for the big boys of the family. When Ken opened his present, Nathaniel was so excited. I don't think the helicopter was ever just Ken's. The squeals of delight coming from Nathaniel was all I needed to hear. I wish I could have caught it on video. My two brothers recieved helicopters too so the house was quite a zoo. While one was charging it's batteries, they let Nathaniel "fly" by giving him one of the controlers to hold while the other two helicopters were in the air.He really thought he was flying it. Even Logan was pretty excited about them. Hours of entertainment. So sad that ours was the only one who didn't make it through the day... one too many crash landings.

Christmas Day

2011-12-27T21:04:00.001-08:00

Look Logan is standing on his own!

Fun with Cousins

2011-12-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

We celebrated a day early with Ken's family. The boys have so much fun playing with their cousins who just love having two babies around! I wish I got a picture of the play dough table. Hours of fun = a little peace for the Mommas.

Opening Presents

2011-12-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T12:55:00.000-08:00

"Christmas gives us hope that God wants to be intimately involved in our lives … and that nothing is impossible for Him."

Daddy and his boys

2011-12-21T15:18:00.001-08:00

Logan's new look

2011-12-19T14:57:00.001-08:00

What a goofball

Wrestling Daddy

2011-12-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

I think this is the boys favorite time of day... all three of them

A Christmas Tradition: Books

2011-12-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

This year I was able to get to the library early enough to secure 25 Christmas Books. I wrapped them all up and each night Nathaniel gets to unwrap a story for us to read. It's a fun little tradition. I'm excited about it. Nathaniel likes it. Even Logan is excited to open a present before bed.

St. Nicholas Day (December 6)

2011-12-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

The neighbor down the street asked me if we would be interested in playing "St. Nicholas" for her son. I hadn't really heard much about St.Nicholas growing up, but the link my neighbor sent me had a nice synopsis of St. Nicholas and how he wanted to show kindness and generosity to a family in need by leaving 3 bags of gold just inside their window (apparently by their shoes). Soon the story spread all over Europe and children were putting out their shoes hoping St. Nicholas would stop by. I thought I'm not really much of a Santa person, but I could get behind St. Nicholas and his story. And so we agreed to be St. Nicholas for their house and my neighbor offered to fill Nathaniel and Logan's shoes too.
Before bed I explained to Nathaniel that we should leave our shoes outside the front door in case St.Nicholas might come by. This is the first he heard of it, but he was all for it. He opened the front door and chucked the shoes out there, closed the door and peered through the window. Then I had to explain it was time for bed and we could check the shoes in the morning. Oh great! I didn't think this through... how is he going to sleep now? Thankfully, after a few minutes he agreed to go to sleep. His first words in the morning was, "Did Nicholas fill the shoes?"

He immediately ate all the chocolate (mental note: that much chocolate at 7am doesn't make for a smooth morning) and was very excited about his Thomas stickers and matchbox car. Logan enjoyed his stickers too. I was surprised how fun it was. All day he was talking about how next year maybe we could put something in Nicholas' shoes. Yes, we are trying to foster a spirit of giving....

Dentist Visit

2011-11-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel was an exceptional patient today. He was a little hesitant in the waiting room, but when he saw a "big boy" (6yrs old) come out with a toy he was more agreeable to the idea of going in the chair. I was amazed he even let the dentist floss his teeth!

And of course Logan wants to do everything his big brother does... maybe next time Logan

Logan learning to walk

2011-11-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Logan is almost 16 months and still scooting along. Daddy and Nathaniel try and help him learn to walk... He loves it!

Thanksgiving Feast(s)

2011-11-26T16:22:00.001-08:00

Logan loved the deviled eggs

Helicopter flying

Turkey craft competition

Snuggle time

2011-11-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

My favorite part of the day. We have been in sleep deprivation land this month (hence the lack of posts), both boys have been joining us in our bed at some point in the night. Nathaniel will wake up at 11pm, Logan at midnight, Nathaniel at 2:30, Logan at 3:30.... seriously boys! We've finally got Logan back to sleeping through the night, but Nathaniel is more of a challenge since he can get out of his bed and run to our room. Sometimes he's crying other times he's just standing there saying "is it time to snuggle yet?" It's driving me crazy! But then you see these precious sleeping babies in the morning you decide it was all worth it...at least for 18 hours before it's time to repeat the cycle. Uggh! It's only a phase. This too shall pass.

Playing at a friends house

2011-11-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

Mr. Tool Man

Boys will be boys

2011-11-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

Trick O Treating with the neighbor boys

2011-10-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to carve a pumpkin. Nathaniel was a little nervous about the gooey insides but got over it quickly when Oma threw a few army men in there.

How many army men did you find in your pumpkin?

Snow Bear

2011-10-31T20:32:00.001-07:00

My mom made a "diaper cake" for Nathaniel as a shower gift before he was born. He has recently discovered the Bear that was once on top of that cake. He loves it.... wants to take it everywhere (although we mostly restrict it to naptime & bedtime). I'm thinking I need to find a replacement bear for when this one wears out. I asked Nathaniel if Bear had a name... He said "snow bear" and there you have it.

Ummm yes, this is him on top of his bed... never know what your going to find after naptime!

My Boys

2011-10-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

Relaxing on a early (and I mean 6am early) Saturday morning. Awwww, can't you just feel the love!

Peek-A-Boo

2011-10-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of this one! I'll be driving and look in the rearview mirror to see Logan playing Peek-A-Boo hoping someone will notice and say "Where's Logan".

Hoffman Farms

2011-10-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Technically this is another pumpkin patch outing... but we went more for the animals and activities and didn't even go into "the patch" of pumpkins laying on a plot of grass. The bouncy house was way more fun.

The corn bin was fun! Mommy got to play in the corn when she was little on Great Grandpa's farm in Minnesota.

Digging for potatoes was fun

The ball pit was fun too!

I'm running out of time to tell you about all the animals....Lions, Tigers, Porcupines, Rabbits, Chickens, Llamas, and and Alligator!

And of course a train ride with my little brother!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun!

Logan scoots

2011-10-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

One last video of "scootch" as I suspect he will be walking soon. He has (finally!) started pulling himself up and cruising a bit. It won't be long till we have two very mobile boys!

More fun at Costco

2011-10-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Lots of FUN!

Toys are in at Costco!

2011-10-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

We had a fun evening at Costco the other day. A great way to spend some time running off energy.

Hugs

2011-10-18T08:59:00.001-07:00

Fun at the pumpkin patch. These boys are best friends!

Helping Papa Jim

2011-10-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

Papa Jim came over to help install a light in the attic. Nathaniel couldn't wait for him to arrive and ask if he needed a helper.

Nap time

2011-10-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well it's supposed to be.... Nathaniel heard Logan crying and went in to keep him company. Sweet boys.

Boys will be boys

2011-10-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Speaking of which... isn't everything meant to be hit against the floor or the wall or some nearby object?

A Little too Late

2011-10-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, I can't be everywhere at once. Logan was "quietly eating" his jelly sandwich. Oh goodness, boys will be boys. Into the bath you go.

Roller Coasters

2011-10-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

The boys and I went to Oaks Park with a Mommy friend and her daughter. Nathaniel had so much fun. He even went on the titl a whirl. Logan and I watched. He and Natascha had a lot of fun.He wanted to go on the "big scary" rides. I told him he would have to wait for Daddy.

Hours of Entertainment

2011-09-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Okay maybe only one hour here... but I'm sure there is more to come! Seriously worth the $1 invested in that box!

Cooking with Auntie

2011-09-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

We stopped by Auntie's house and she was about to make some banana bread. The boys were eager to help!

65 Degrees!

2011-09-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

It's the range of motion I have been working towards for my right thumb knuckle. For the last 3 months I've slowly been making progress on getting my thumb to move again after my rather disruptive "minor surgery" which removed a pyogenic granuloma. I had no idea what I was getting into on June 2nd when I went to the dermatologist. I was bit nervous to have this growth removed off my thumb but figured it would only take a few days at most to get back to normal. Well my thumb was immoble for 6 weeks during which time my joint stiffened up. After a few weeks of working on it by myself I realized I need and Occupational Therapist. The therapy sessions have proved very helpful and little by little I have made progress. I still can't do a few things like I used to, but I'm so thankful for the part that has been restored.

Sorry if this is too gross. This is my thumb the first week of June.

Brothers

2011-09-19T13:08:00.001-07:00

One last picture of me and my brothers before Micah left town.

Me and My Daddy

2011-09-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

We climbed on top of the roof and just had to take a picture!

Claim Jumper

2011-09-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

One I my favorite places to go (mostly for dessert!).

Girly Party!

2011-09-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Long awaited Girly Party took place just before Micah and his family left for Peru. Bria had asked if we were going to have one back in March and we finally got it on the schedule! We had brunch at Aunt Betsy's house, then went to get a pedicure. Lots of fun!

Birthday Celebration

2011-09-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

Stephanie is my kindred spirit from college. We visited them last week and enjoyed the afternoon at the park with the kids (Eliza was born 3 weeks before Logan). Nathaniel loved playing in the water. When we got back to the house the boys said they were going to the store.They came back with a birthday cake for me. Nathaniel loved blowing the candles out for me. It was a perfect day!

Sabbatical

2011-09-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

We knew this day would come sooner than we wanted it to. We have enjoyed having Daddy home with us all summer long (12 weeks). Tomorrow he goes back to work (which is a good thing) but we have enjoyed our summer vacation! Lots of house projects completed (retaining wall out front, more attic space with a built in ladder, touch up paint, printer moved to the garage, yard stuff, fence repair, A/C unit installed, sprinkler system, etc.) A few trips here and there including Seattle, Las Vegas, Sunriver, Alaska, & Southern Oregon/Coast. Lots of fun memories with our family and friends. Too bad summer has to end. We Love Daddy! Thanks for taking some time off!

Saying Goodbye

2011-09-12T14:40:00.001-07:00

September 12th came too fast. It seems like yesterday my brother and his family arrived in the United States for a 6 month stay. Where did the time go? Granted it's been crazy busy but we've had so much fun. And now it's too hard to say goodbye. I've tried to explain to Nathaniel that his cousins are going back to South America and we won't see them for awhile. Everyone will have changed so much when we see them again. He wants to go with them (as soon as he is finished watching his Thomas the Train video of course). He's talking about Daddy going to work to make money, buy tickets and go visit the cousins. Awwww. What a sweet boy. We already miss you guys!

Bria and Logan

2011-09-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

Oh how we would love to keep Bria here with us. She is a great baby sitter. Logan will miss her terribly.

John's Incredible Pizza

2011-09-09T22:39:00.000-07:00

We tried out a new pizza place with the cousins. Daddy had fun spinning the boys around in the high chairs Logan loved the slide They both loved the train Nathaniel loved the games Icecream was yummy too!

Spinning Round and Round

2011-09-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

Nathaniel and Daddy chillin on the Merry Go Round. Too dizzy for this Momma! Nate wants to push too, just like the big kids. All the cousins spinning round and round

My heart melts

2011-09-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

Every time I get to snuggle this sweet boy

Summer is finally here!

2011-09-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

We made it to the pool finally! Logan snackin before we go swimming Nate totally ready to get wet My three favorite boys

Peaches

2011-09-02T16:34:00.001-07:00

Peach Picking was lots of fun! Canning 70 pounds of peaches not as much fun. But we will be so happy to eat them throughout the year! Homemade canned peaches are so much better!

Zoo with Aunt Betsy!

2011-09-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Beautiful day at the zoo.

Logan looks truly terrified of the dinosaur!

First Responders Night

2011-09-01T22:10:00.001-07:00

They had a First Responders Night at church so we took the boys and two of their cousins. They had a blackhawk helicopter, police, firefighters and lifelight! The BlackHawk was so powerful that we almost blew over! I love the picture with Nathaniel's hair blowing in the wind.

The kids got to sit in the back seat of a police car... where the bad guys sit.

Afterwards we stopped for ice cream! Nathaniel got a special cone like Daddy used to get when he was a boy.

And then a movie and popcorn sleepover!

Wake up for a fun day at Out of this World Pizza Parlor!

Nathaniel and Logan love time with their cousins!

Gone Golfing

2011-08-29T21:25:00.001-07:00

The kids all earned a free game of putt-putt golf and Bullwinkles down in Wilsonville. What an adventure! The first hole took about 15 minutes and I thought for sure we would be there for the rest of the day just finishing out 18 holes. However, they got much better (quicker) and the two oldest were always a hole ahead of us. Thankfully it wasn't too busy!

Mya lost interest by the 4th hole and Nate just put his ball right next to the hole and tapped it in. Clever, huh? Hole in one everytime!

Logan got a birds eye view of the game. Very interested in what was going on.

The best part was at the 18th hole. We told the kids this was their last putt, and then the ball would go down the hole... well aparently there was a backup in the hole and Nate was able to retrieve the last dozen balls. Mya decided to help too.

And of course and outing with Uncle K and Aunt Sarah would not be complete with out a trip to McDonalds.

Alaskan Cruise

2011-08-27T21:23:00.001-07:00

What a relaxing week! I love cruising! We eat, sleep, eat, watch live entertainment, eat. Every once in a while we get off the ship and walk around a nice town. They make my bed everytime I leave the room. And I come home to chocolate on my pillow before bed. Love it!

Sailing from Seattle
So sad to leave 85 degrees when the forecast for Alaska was gloomy and 55 degrees. What are we thinking? I stayed on the deck as long as I could to soak up the last sunrays we would see for the week.

Cruising at Sea
The water was a bit rough and I was feeling a little queasy. Nothing Dramamine couldn't solve. Others on the boat didn't bring anything with them and were making messes in the hallway. One lady almost lost it at the breakfast table. We requested to sit by ourselves for the rest of the trip! Running on a treadmill while the boat is rocking is also challenging so I stuck to an eliptical machine and held on for dear life. We hit the gym 6 of the 7 days which I feel pretty good about. Gotta counter all that eating somehow. Grey skies and rains came. Most memorable was when we were sitting out on the deck in the hot tub and it just started to pour. We waited out the rain before getting out!

Juneau
Glad to be in port after 2 days at sea. We had planned to go on a tram, but that was totally socked in from the fog so we found a city bus that took us to Mendahall Glacier. We had to walk the last two miles. My hands were frozen when we got there. The glacier was pretty cool though. On the way home we thought we would save some time by catching a taxi. Someone else wanted to share which seemed like a good idea at the time. We ended up paying for more than half even though we were dropped off at the Rainforest Gardens. One of those times when it was just better to eat the bill than to throw a fit. We're on vacation! The Gardens were pretty. My mom would have loved it! It was a full day...Hindsight one of the best we had as far as touring goes!

Hubbard Glacier
Still grey and foggy and now windy. Unfortunately the captain wasn't able to get near the glacier as the wind would have pushed us right into it. So we spent the afternoon in the cafe and found one of Nathaniel's toy motorcycles in Ken's coat pocket. Nate is going to be sooo happy!

Sitka
We didn't really have anything planned for this city. We had to tender (take the lifeboats) in from the ship since the dock was not big enough for the ship. We took a nice nature walk through the Totem Pole forest and had the most amazing time watching salmon jump out of the river. Every 10 seconds! It was amazing. I even got a picture of one parallel to the water (see below). We arrived back at the tender station to get back on the cruise ship and were convinced to take a shore excursion on a small wildlife adventure. Just 6 people on the boat (one actually knew someone from my college, small world!). We sped up and down the coast looking for whales, bears, sea otters, salmon, eagles, anything we could find. We were lucky enough to see a momma bear and her two cubs. Very cool! Unfortunately, we hadn't really planned on doing anything in Sitka so I left my zoom lens on the ship. Uggh!

Ketchikan
Probably my least favorite place. We didn't sign up for a airplane tour or fly fishing excursion so there wasn't much to do. We wandered around the town, but eventually just got back on the ship.

Sailing
I did get to see a couple of whales... at least their spouts and their backs, sometimes a bit of a tail. Pretty cool.

Victoria, B.C.
The Buchart Gardens were stunning! Unfortunately we didn't get there till 8pm and the sun went down before we could experience all the gardens in the daylight. They do have evening lighting which was pretty but not the same. Our taxi didn't come pick us up till 10pm so we just waited our time out in the parking lot bus terminal. Wish we had more time.

Gun Safety

2011-08-14T21:04:00.001-07:00

Looks like we might need a gun safety lesson at some point....he was sure surprised when the water came out!

Daddy loves to Tickle

2011-08-13T16:39:00.001-07:00

Big Truck Day!

2011-08-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

Nathaniel loved the digger the most since he has had the most experience with this one.

Logan loves Peek-A-Boo!

Thanks Kathy for telling us about it! Nice to have a friend connected to the library!

Party time!

2011-08-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Here "Logs" eat it like this.

Being cleaned off was not as much fun

Playing at the park

Playing in the water fountain

One Extremely tired Birthday boy

First Haircut

2011-08-09T20:54:00.001-07:00

Al's Barber Shop... right next to the Cedar Mill Library. It's a cute little shop. We sit and wait our turn with all the old men... then it's our turn. A little nervous the first time, but big brother said it's fine.... just tickles a little bit by the ears. Logan moved around quite a bit, but the Barber was very experienced. Lots of fun!

OMA Camp

2011-08-08T15:28:00.001-07:00

OMA Camp was a huge succes. Berry picking, making pies, making homemade icecream, waterfights, making your own pizza, craft time, falling asleep outside while watching movies, all around fun with your cousins! When we came to pick them up, Nathaniel stretched out his hand and said "not ready yet mom!"

Nathaniel can't wait for next year!

Sibling Weekend

2011-08-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

In March my little brother came up with a fun trip idea... my brothers and our spouses to get together for a weekend. In order to make this happen we conned my mom into the idea of OMA Camp.... 3 days of non-stop chaos with all 8 grandkids. I honestly don't know how they sold it. But we picked a day and talked it up for 4 months and we finally did it!We had a fabulous weekend.... Hiking, Rafting on the Deschutes, swimming in a cold lake.

Can't wait till we can do it again!

Car Show

2011-08-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Nathaniel has been taking an interest in Motorcycles. The other day I was driving and as we drove by a motorcycle Nathaniel yells out the window, "Hey Mr. Motorcycle Man can I sit on your motorcycle?" (This Momma was thankful we were going 40mph and there was no way he heard him.) Last week Nathaniel told Daddy, "Stop, wait, stop turn the car around, I just saw a motorcycle!" Well we went to a car show at our church and guess what was there?

Nathaniel LOVED sitting on the motorcyle.... and then running around from car to car

A trip to Nevada

2011-08-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Not sure where to start... cheap airfare and hotel took us to Vegas. Expensive food and shows brought us back home. I would give a mixed review on Vegas. While we found plenty to do there, I'm not sure I would want to go back. I guess time will tell. Initially I was overwhelmed with the hot temperatures (105!) , the crowds of people, and the smoke in the air. But it was nice to have some time to ourselves. We saw an Amazing Musical "Jersey Boys" and a Cirque De Soliel "Ka".

The tigers from Siegfried and Roy were in "The Secret Garden". We saw them wrestling and roaring at each other.

We had brunch at the Stratosphere and watched people jump from 850 feet above the city.

The Shark Aquarium was interesting. I kissed a Komodo Dragon! and saw the Dolphin pool.

The rest of our time we spent at the pool. We missed our little boys too much! I think they missed us too.

Scrub a Dub Dub

2011-07-31T14:55:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's just easier to put them in the sink! I love Logan's face when Nate starts to use the scrubby on him.

A day with 7 kids

2011-07-22T15:57:00.001-07:00

And just when I thought 2 was plenty.... My brother and his wife are out of town and both sets of grandparents were out of town, so I guess it's our turn :-) As Ken took my brother and Amy to the airport to catch their flight I hear the oldest say to the second oldest... go get a rope and we can tie Aunt Sarah up. sheesh! Thankfully the day went much smoother than that...Once Ken got back from the airport he marched 6 of the 7 down to the grocery store to get breakfast groceries. I didn't really NEED anything, but it seemed like a good idea so I made a small list of things to get.

After cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and strawberries we got everyone into there swimsuits... wait the two oldest boys dont have swimsuits. Ahhh. Off to the store. Once everyone was ready we were off to the Clackamas Aquatic Park. It was a lot of fun, but the littles only lasted about an hour and a half. The lifeguards made everyone get out of the pool so I was able to get a snapshot of Ken with the kids (minus Javen who was at the top of the waterslide line). Fun day for all!

Sea Lion Caves and Aquarium

2011-07-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of our down South adventure took us to the Sea Lion Caves. Nathaniel would love to tell you about it. "saw a baby seal swimming, then on the small rock, mommy on the big rock, baby seal wants to snuggle mommy on the big rock." It's really a precious story.

No flash photography down in the cave so this will have to do.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium was less impressive in my opinion...but that may be because we saw the one inside the Mall of America last October which was AMAZING! Nathaniel was more interested in the dirt/pebbles on the ground.

Over all a beautiful day at the coast- no wind, and at least 70 degrees. LOVE IT!

Safari Fun

2011-07-20T21:09:00.001-07:00

We took a trip down South this weekend. I don't think I've ever been to Eugene and the Safari was another hour South of Eugene. I've heard great things about the Safari and was not disappointed at all. We had a blast... spent more $$$ than I anticipated but hey, we're on vacation! (The Safari gives Zoo members a 50% discount) We got up at our normal 5am and put the kids in the car thinking they would sleep on the way down. Nope. Oh well, guess we will stop for a nice breakfast :-) We reached the Safari about 10:30am and drove through the park. We saw lots of cool animals.

Afterwards we went into the village and signed up for both an elephant excursion and a giraffe excursion. Nathaniel has been asking me if he can pet the elephant at the Portland Zoo so I was very excited to actually give him an opportunity. Even Logan loved it. Nathaniel loved that the elephant waved to us with one leg.

Logan clapping for "Alice" the Elephant

Giraffe excursion. If I had to pick only one I would do this one again. So much fun. Nathaniel has NOT stopped talking about feeding the carrots, banana, and lettuce to the giraffe.

Petting Zoo. Inside the Safari Village was a "little zoo" with a few exhibits and a petting zoo. Nathaniel loved feeding the goats.

Seattle Trip

2011-07-20T21:03:00.002-07:00

We took the night off! This was the first time we've left Logan for the night. Some close friends of ours offered to watch the boys overnight while Ken and I went on a quick trip to Seattle. I had an awesome time! No kids!!! We've been talking about a trip like this for about 8 years now. We took a ride on the monorail. Visited the Pacific Northwest Museum (OMSI reciprocation!) and enjoyed the butterfly exhbit. Although, honestly I was a little nervous with those creatures flying all around my head! Then on to the Space Needle, Pike's market and the Mariner Game.

Space Needle

Mariner's Game

We love brushing our teeth!

2011-07-20T21:03:00.001-07:00

Logan fallin asleep

2011-07-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Almost time for bed... Daddy's watching Logan while Mommy puts Nathaniel to bed. Just a few minutes Daddy I'll be right back. Look what I found when I returned!

Fourth of July

2011-07-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

We continued our 4th of July tradition of going out to the Hillsboro parade. Logan and I joined the group just as it was starting. Nathaniel, Daddy and Papa Jim parked and rode the train (MAX) out there so they were about 30 minutes late. But look at this precious little face. He was SUPER excited and loved clapping for everyone that went by. He was squealing with delight when they threw candy in his direction. It was so fun to watch!

Waving his hand for candy!

I hadn't been paying close attention to how much candy was being consumed so I asked Nate what he had in his mouth...

After the parade we came back to our house for a BBQ. It was lots of fun to have everyone over.

And the day was not complete without wiffle ball of course.

Car Racing 2

2011-07-05T21:32:00.003-07:00

We were able to have the two oldest cousins spend the night with us a few weeks ago. We stopped by Malibu Grand Prix and did a little race car driving. Nathaniel just had to get in on the action. I was thankful the attendant let him sit in the car. He was on cloud 9.

Two REALLY cool big kids.

DIGGER! Pt 2

2011-07-05T20:39:00.001-07:00

Nathaniel got to scoop a pile of dirt and dump it into the back of the dump truck! I think he would have done this ALL DAY long if he could. They said he was a natural and could have a job in 15 years. PS. I'm giving up on trying to post this video for now. I'm getting too far behind in my other posts!

DIGGER! Pt 1

2011-07-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Nathaniel loved being able to drive the dump truck!

Diggers!

2011-07-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

Summertime is construction time! EVERY day we drive down the road and see diggers on our left and on our right. Nathaniel loves it! In fact if I'm trying to get him to sleep before we get home I often have to alter my route so that he doesn't see the diggers and stay awake with excitement. There was a broken record playing in the backseat..."mommy I want to sit on that digger. Next time stop and ask, maybe they say yes?" Nonstop! Might drive one crazy! I keep saying "yes, sweetheart if mom has to stop (ie. at a light) and they are stopped too I will ask." What are the chances of the planets aligning on this right? EVERY day since summer started (probably before that) we've had this conversation. I finally started thinking... he really wants to do this... how can I help make it happen (yes, it did cross my mind that the incessant asking might stop if we can fulfill this request). Think Momma think! Oh yes! A friend of a friend's family owns a construction business, maybe they would let us go look at one of their diggers. I happened to bump into Mr. Jim the next Sunday at church and he said he had lots of grand kids and was happy to oblige. He and his son who works for the company gave Nathaniel the experience of a lifetime (at the age of 2 of course). He hasn't stopped talking about it! He got to sit in Jimmy's lap and drive the dump truck and then get in the digger and move a pile of dirt from the ground into the dump truck. Best day EVER!

The happiest boy on the planet (well at least today).

Strawberry picking (or not)

2011-06-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

This week we went to the strawberry fields hoping for some nice berries! I was also hoping that while I picked berries, he would be busy picking/eating to his hearts content! Well the berrries were very small and every time I put one in the bucket a sweet little boy was there to help it disapper.

So after 15 minutes and an empty bucket we decided to let the boys just play...AND they had fun!!! Good thing we had a change of clothes!

And before we left we had to say hello to the cows. Nathaniel wanted to climb in all by himself!

I want to be like Papa

2011-06-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

Nathaniel learning how to do push-ups with Papa Jim.

Tennis star?

2011-06-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Logan might go pro!

One of Nathaniel's favorite things to do at the club is to play with the racquetball in the lobby. He asks the front desk for permission to go behind the counter, open the drawer and get the racquetball out. Sometimes he gets the racquet too. He often asks others to play catch with him in the lobby as they walk by. Most people will oblige. At the end of the day we always make sure to put it back and tell it to go to sleep till we come again tomorrow.

Swimming with Daddy

2011-06-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

"Still playing Mommy, still playing!" That's what Nathaniel said when he saw me get up... before I could say it was time to go. We expect to be at the club for the next 12 weeks playing in the pool!

Fun with Cousins

2011-06-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Helping Papa Jim

2011-06-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

We now have AC! Thanks to Papa Jim, Daddy and their little helper!

A hard days work always ends with a good snack!

Grand Floral Parade

2011-06-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

Parade Time! We went to a parade last year but this year Nathaniel was totally into it... clapping for the floats, dancing for the bands, and hoping to pet the horses. We had an amazing spot thanks to an old friend who invited us to join. We were with the cousins and it didn't rain! What a perfect day.