Summer Days

Nate, Charlotte, Chris, & Stella.

Summertime fun~ including but not limited to:

bikes

scooters

chalk

ice-cream

hide-n-go seek

glasses

My bespectacled son, Nathan.

He got these glasses when he saw Toy Story 3 in 3-D. He wears them all the time, and we think that he looks rather cute in them.

Christopher does not have the same affinity for the glasses, since he puked at the movie.

Too much 3-D can be rough on a stomach.

Fort Stevens Yurt Camping

What a gorgeous weekend it was on the Oregon Coast! We camped in a yurt at Fort Stevens State Park...the 'largest campground in the West', I was told by Mr. Park Ranger.

So much to do in so little time. Of course, we spent time playing at the beach.
Exploring the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale, which became grounded in 1906! Very cool.
Poking around the historic site of the Fort Stevens barracks. Phew! We all made it out alive.
Camping at the yurt. I got a chuckle as I was downloading this picture. There is always a shot of me, sitting casually aside the fire, with the boys poking at the coals. The funny thing is, this shot is usually taken when all the dinner prep is done, there is a bit of down-time, and Dan grabs the camera which has been in my pocket all day. Ah, such a lady of leisure.
Did I say how great the weather was on this trip? We were ALL happy about that!

Dinner was particularly tasty! Roasted orange and red peppers, corn on the cob, grilled baby red potatoes in garlic, and spicy chicken sausages. Delish! I think that I am going to write a cookbook that is titled 'Camp Food: How to Cook Absolutely Everything on Aluminum Foil'

We've sure got that mastered.

The Ultimate Manventure~Cubs at Safeco

Dan and the boys went on the ultimate manventure to Seattle to see the Cubs play the Mariners.
For these Cubs fans, it really doesn't get much better than that! More pictures to follow, but as I was looking through all of the photos, this one was my favorite. This foul ball landed exactly 2 rows in front of them. The man who caught it was nice enough to share it for a photo opportunity.

crazy cat

It's a slow news day around here.

This is Harry's favorite new spot on top of the fridge because he can be up really high. Bengals like some extra elevation.

The other day I had a kitchen cabinet open and Harry jumped up and straddled himself across the top of it. Crazy cat.

Even Harry takes a bad picture every once in a while.

Darn Stormy Weather!!

We had reservations for 2 nights of camping at Timothy Lake (prime waterfront spot, I might add) but the forecast wasn't looking so great for the weekend so we we decided to make a day trip of it on Friday. We would fish, throw out the crawdad pot, make a fire and cook some dinner before heading back in the early evening. This way, we would avoid the forecasted rain.

Just like camping, except for the tent.
We did some fishing in Timothy Lake. There were a few nibbles, but no fish were caught.

Chris fishin' from the stump.

Nate from the shore. This boy can cast his line clear out to the middle of the lake!!

Gratuitous cute chipmunk eating a chip that he stole from the neighbor's campsite.

And then it got ugly. While the sausages and potatoes were crisping up over the fire, the thunder started to roll, and the skies opened up with a massive rainfall. I mean massive. Lightening struck in the distance. If you read this blog, you will remember this and this. Nate does NOT like stormy weather. He keeps a close eye on weather reports, and has more knowledge about weather systems than any other 6 year old that I know.

We have never scrambled so quickly to pack up our stuff and get the H out of dodge. It took him a while to calm down from the fear that he was going to be struck by lightening.

A rather crazy end to a fun day. But we were sure thankful to wake up in our cozy beds this morning!

Duke

Duke Slater

1996-2010

Boy-o-boy did we all love this dog. He was part of the family for 14 years.

We'll sure miss you, Duke!

God turns clouds inside out to make fluffy beds for the dogs in Dog Heaven, and when they are tired from running, and barking, and eating ham-sandwich biscuits, the dogs find a cloud bed for sleeping. God watches over each one of them. And there are no bad dreams.
~Cynthia Rylant

Army Guys

Our first-day-of-summer trip to the dollar store yielded these fellas. For a mere dollar each boy selected and came home with 48 'army guys'. Being of dollar store quality, some of them look like they already had some battle injuries in the field.

I really don't like these little green men, and we don't allow gun stuff for play. But I do think that playing with green army guys is a rite of passage. Dan taught them how to play army guy, dipping back into the memory well of his childhood.
Hopefully, the thrill will be short lived.

Grenade Guys all in a row.

Harry's Talent

I figure that finding this little story (by Christopher) attached to my clipboard, underneath a pile of books and a damp bath towel is my reward for attempting to clean their messy, messy room today.

The talented Harry doing what he does best.

Grace's Poem for Sarah

How?

How do you send a letter to heaven to tell her she is missed?
Tell it to a cloud and send it up?
How?
Do you say it in a bubble and it will pop when it gets there?
Or put it in a balloon.....she will pop it with a pin and out it will come.
Put it on an eagle's foot and send it soaring above?
Pray, give God a message for her?
Do you SHOUT so she will hear?
Do you put it in the ocean, and send it out to sea until the sea meets the sky,

and she will grab it?
Or talk to her....because you know she will hear.

~Grace Cotter

May 31-June 4 was a rough week

I sure have not been good about putting up a blog on here lately. I guess that my mind has been elsewhere being sad and worrying about a few different things.

My sister's dear friends in Seattle lost their 9 year old daughter, Sarah, last Monday. She had a very aggressive brain tumor that she fought for 2 years. This little girl was so loved by so many, and will be so very missed.

Another extremely sad and scary situation in Portland last Friday was the disappearance of a 7 year old boy, Kyron Horman, who seems to have vanished from the hallway of his elementary school, Skyline. The search continues, with hundreds of law enforcement officials (including brother Mark) working together 24/7 to bring this boy home. This kind of thing doesn't happen in Portland, Oregon.

Both of these situations are completely heartbreaking. As a mom, I can't fathom how I would handle either of them. It has definitely been a week full of counted blessings, a few tears, and lots of extra snuggles and kisses around here.

Christopher lost a tooth!

Christopher lost his first tooth last night.

It held on for dear life, but finally a crusty piece of bread took it down. The emotions around here regarding this event have definitely been bittersweet: happiness, fear, and extreme anticipaton from Christopher, and sadness, jealousy, and the reminder once again for that Nate it can be really hard being a twin. He really wants to lose a tooth, too.
Cheese!