Camping season is here!

We had our first camping trip of the summer at Hoodview Campground, which is near the base of Mt. Hood, and on Timothy Lake. It was especially fun because our friends the Burkhardts came with us for their first ever car-camping trip. We had absolutely beautiful weather, and a very fun weekend.
We had a Survivor challenge to get the fire going on this trip. Nate and Chris were each responsible for making their own stack of wood and paper(they had helped Dan with this process before, but had never built their own fire). The piles were lit with fire, and the first boy to burn the string that hovered above his fire was going to be the champ.

The challenge was on. Both piles took a bit to get going, but with some blowing, each boy got their flames to come to life. At first Christopher's was in the clear lead, but then it died down. Nate's flames came from behind, and it was too close to call.

Christopher added more wood, fanned his flames, and he was eventually deemed the Survivor champ of Hoodview as the string burned and fell to the ground.

The next morning Henry, Chris, and Nate tried their hand at using the flint to make fire 'old-school' style. Well, no luck this time. But we do know that the black moss found in the woods is a quick burner.

Bacon and french toast for breakfast. Breakfast never tasted so good as when camping in the woods. You can't see it in this picture, but just behind me in the tree clearing was a beautiful view of a very large Mt. Hood. It was fantastic!

Chris and Nate played and waded around in Timothy Lake. Chris was named the 'Crawdad King" since he loved retrieving the dead crawdads that he found floating around in the lake. What a great weekend, and we can't wait to return in 2 more weeks!

poor man's pitching machine

We just returned from a camping trip about an hour ago, and I was delighted to hear the sound of the blower in the backyard. I figured that Dan had really felt a wave of ambition and was blowing off all of the tent, mattresses, etc. from a dusty campsite. But no000.

When I finally found my way outside to check on what was going on, I found this scene. Our leaf blower propped up and taped to a step ladder, with an empty tonic bottle attached to the end with a hole big enough for a baseball to fit through. Turn it on, and the kid on the other ladder can feed the balls in and send them to the batter. Nice.

and butterflies are free to fly....fly away....

This morning we were in the backyard dealing with a shattered window and tears (but that's another story....) when Dan noticed this shriveled up looking butterfly whose wings were squished and not ready for flight hanging off of the garage. She was in the process of spreading her wings, so to speak. We watched her progress, and about 2 hours later, she had blossomed into a full fledged Swallowtail Butterfly.

Chris and Nate wanted to keep her as a pet, but we decided that wouldn't be very fair to her. So instead she had a moment on Chris' shoulder. They were going to put her on the hydrangea in the front yard, but as they started to put her down, she flew away.

Simply beautiful.

kids these days...

I bought myself a new phone yesterday because I figured it was time that I learn how to text. Of course, this new technology in our house was all the rage, and Chris was begging me to let him try it out. I let him have it, showed him where the space bar was, and let him do his 'texting'.
After showering, I returned to see his progress. He far surpassed me as a first-timer...

My dog rags is my pet he is a very good dog he likes to play with me and he likes to run around. the end.

Next, he'll be asking for a Facebook account. *sigh*

a great summer day!

What a great day we had today! All of the fun happened out on Sauvie's Island. We started the morning by picking strawberries at Krugers Farm. Lots of big red berries were just waiting for us!

What??? There are no child labor laws in violation!

Our friends Liam, Aidan, and Amy McMullen came to meet us at the farm, and the boys got their picture taken with the Farmer Don. His farm is wonderful, and a real memory maker for so many Portland families....from pumpkins to strawberries.

But the fun on the island wasn't over with berry picking! Afterwards we drove just down the road to the McMullen's house in the country where we played until we could play no more. Lunch on the front porch, a game of hide-and-seek in the tall grass, a rousing round or two of BINGO, discovering cherries in the tree, throwing the ball for Maya the dog, and then a walk down to the water. It was a day spent the way that summer days should be spent.

Nate, Tyree, Aidan, Chris, Liam, and Kalani.

Total buds.

Liam thought that this big log would make a lovely piece at their house, so he was determined to get it back there. Hard to believe, but between all of the help, it made it all the way back to the house, which was about 1/2 mile away down Sauvie Island Rd.

Thanks for the fun day, McMullens! Now I neeed to go and make that yummy strawberry jam.

all geared up

knee pads---check

elbow pads---check

wrist protection---check

Today I felt like a dorky mom with dorky kids.

Chris and Nate wanted to get out their roller blades that they got for their birthday last year. What a great idea! After 10 minutes of 'roller blade prep' they were both ready to go. They shuffled around like newborn foals.

The boys thought it was great. But across the street, down the other sidewalk, came a neighbor family. One on old-school roller skates, one on a metal scooter (actually riding down the middle of the street with no hands on the handlebar!) and 2 others on kid scooters. Not a helmet or pad in sight. And you know what? They looked like they were having a heck of a lot more fun than my boys in all of their armour.

Ah, the good old days.

Last Day of Pre-K...hello Kindergarten!

It's official...they're kindergartners now.
The boys developed a fun relationship with Mrs. Gardner, who was a teacher at Vernon, and whose classroom was connected to the pre-k. They all realized their mutual love for the Cubs, and the rest is history. On the last day, she brought them a life size cut-out of Sammy Sosa. It has been fun to watch the way that Chris and Nate processed the end of the year. Nate is more of the "whoo-hoo!!.. school is out!", and Chris has been very reflective, and thinking about how he'll miss his friends and teacher. He has been writing it all down in his journal, and the entry above has his thoughts on Kindergarten. I thought it was really cute. It reads:
Me in Kindergarten
We will get to stay in kindergarten until 3:00 p.m. and will get to skip nap Monday through Friday. And we will get to eat in school with our lunch boxes and I will get to sit by Nate for lunch in the cafeteria. The End

A Sunday drive to Bonneville Dam

Chris and Nate at Bonneville Dam.
We watched the fish go up the fish ladder.

BREAKING NEWS....

Who would have thought that this day could have gotten any better?

Chris and Nate have been waiting and waiting for the ice-cream man (or lady) to come down our street. They have had their money sitting next to the fish bowl in the front room for 2 weeks now, ready to to snatched up at a moment's notice.

Well, tonight it was. They were outside playing catch when in the distance, Music Box Dancer could be heard. They ran in, got their money, and flagged her down. Success.

Chris chose a Sponge Bob, and Nate chose Spiderman. The perfect ending to a great day!

The Final Hoorah

Today was the last game of the t-ball season, and the boys had guest visitors come to the game to see them in action. Uncle Dave and his brother Omar got up bright and early to see their 9:00 game. It was extra special because Dave had a shirt and hat printed with a picture of the boys. (double click on the image to see a close-up)

The game was at Riverside Field, which is a real field of dreams. The boys were so excited to play there because they get their name announced, and it's a 'real' field. Great place to end the season! Another highlight of the day was that Chris and Nate each earned their first trophy! They were so excited about this!

In the afternoon, we went to Wilshire Field for closing ceremonies and watched a few of the bigger kids play baseball. Chris and Nate were playing with Kayli, who was on their team, and is also a neighbor. Kayli was sharing licks off of her lollipop with Chris, and it was so darn cute. Dan asked Chris is Kayli was his girlfriend. Chris said no, she's just a Valentine.

I love a parade

We spent this very hot and sunny Portland afternoon at the Junior Rose Festival Parade. It's fun because it's a kid parade, and the route winds through N.E. Portland. We went with friends from school, and had a grand ol' time.
Chris, Nate, Aidan, and Tyree with front row seats.