mamamooregon

White boys can jump!

2012-01-21T07:20:00.000-08:00

Ballers, Shot-Callers.

Yesterday the boys had their first basketball game. They are playing on a youth league that is part of their after school program. It was unlike any basketball game experience that I had ever been to. If it doesn't do them in, it will definitely make them tougher. This game was some serious basketball for second and third graders.

Nobody messes with Nate!Chris taking charge in the air.

I'm thinking that maybe last year's above-the-knee black soccer shorts won't fly for the basketball look. I think that I will be heading to Sports Authority this weekend.

Oh, the memories.

2012-01-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hey don't laugh. I probably had about 25 kids needing my attention and about 3 minutes to throw this beautiful painted tile together. Lovely, huh?

Today was a fun day. I had a substitute teaching job back at the school where I taught for 7 years before having the boys and leaving my career behind. It was fun to see some old familiar faces of people who are still there, and to see that the Spanish Dual Immersion program that I helped to get going from the ground up is still going strong 8 years later.
I was taken aback as I dropped the students off at their music class and found a legacy project that every student and teacher did back in 2000 (remember, after Y2K?). Right there was my tile along with so many other students and teachers who were such a big part of my life back then.

Happy Birthday, Harry!

2012-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Harry! Today Harry had his 7th birthday. We treated him right with some new toys, and his first ever can of Fancy Feast cat food. (gag) Before he got to the good stuff we lit a candle for him and sang the birthday song.
Oops! A singed whisker.

Nom-Nom.....gravy flavor!

Another fun thing from this weekend was Nate's robot called "2 Cool". He told us on Friday that his class would be making robots in class, or they had the option of making them at home over the weekend. Dan jumped to the occasion to help with this project, and they went to SCRAP bright and early Saturday morning to get some robot materials. The grand total for all robot parts at SCRAP was $4.75 He really is too cool.

Chris and Mama playing around.

2012 has arrived!

2012-01-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman

2012
We kept our tradition of burning our yule-log(s) that is made of last year's Christmas tree.

We also (along with our friends who rang in the new year with us) each wrote a regret, disappointment, or other thought and attached it underneath the twine. Into the fire it all went, as we bid them adieu with aspirations of better things to come, and no more fretting over things of the past.
New year, fresh beginnings.

Fresh cut collard greens.

Hard and uncooked black eyed peas.
About 8 hours later we had a delicious southern meal to bring good luck our way in 2012.

Enough already!
Between Christmas, New Years, the boys on Winter break for 2 weeks, lots of friends and family in-and-out, etc., Harry is ready to get back to his old routine.
Here's to hope for good things in 2012!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T18:34:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas celebration! I knew it was going to be good when G'ma showed up with a container of Granny's infamous 'Star' cookies.

One of my favorite holiday memories is that of Granny's Stars. She had an amazing recipe for homemade sugar cookies that she would make, roll, cookie-cut, bake, and frost each Christmas. Somewhere along the way one of us grandkids told her that the 'stars' tasted the best and that she shouldn't bother with any of the other shapes. So that's what she did from that year forward. Only stars. Oh, and only green, red, and colored balls for decoration. No exceptions.

'Santa' made another visit this year, and the kids loved seeing him in the living room! Please note his special beard. We laughed until we cried with this one. Thanks, Mark.

Aunt Susie and the cousins get their turn on Santa's lap. Naughty or nice?

Cousins. After all, Christmas really boils down to the memories that they make together every year. That's what this whirlwind 24 hours is all about.

One of Grandma's gifts was a bunch of scratch-it lottery tickets. Everyone was a winner! The fun part is that grandma was just like an ATM and you could redeem them and cash them in on the spot. Catie was the big winner with $9.00 in winnings.

Pajama time!
The kids were questioning Grandma's fashion sense with her infamous Forever Lazy.

Wrong, just so wrong. I'm feeling thankful that there wasn't one for me under the tree.

Slumber party in the basement! The cousins got to sleep together in anticipation of Santa's arrival. Not the best night of sleep, but it sure was fun!

The tree and gifts after Santa stopped by.

Morning chaos....we wouldn't have it any other way!

Merry Christmas.

Randomness from the i-phone

2011-12-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

I forget that I've got pictures on my i-phone, and when I took the time to scroll back through all 332 of them, I found a pictoral representation of life over the past 6 months. I guess that I did take a photo or two at Thanksgiving!

Cousins in Seattle.

Nate getting Willy Wonka's signature after the performance on Saturday night at the NW Children's Theatre. Magical.

6:00 a.m. reading together by headlamp on the top bunk.

Wagon rides around the bases at Alberta Park.

G'ma with the boys before their piano recital.

Back-to-School shopping and blending in at Old Navy.I found these after Chris discovered my photo booth app.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

Cyber-card.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season, and good things in 2012!

Christmas Decor

2011-12-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

One of these mantel decorations does not belong.
Oh Harry. He always has to be right in the action. He sits as still as a figurine.

It's a tad smaller than in years past, but is loaded with the same memories of years gone by.
Merry Christmas!

Chandler Tree Farm Party!

2011-12-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

What a great day! It is the first weekend in December, and that means that it was time for the annual Chandler Family Christmas Tree Party! Not only did we get to see Christmas Tree harvesting more than close-up, (yes, we were FREAKING out about the helicopter that we zipping right above our heads), there was also a calf who was abandoned by it's mama that we got to feed some milk to from a big bottle. Friends, family, tradition, and sunny crisp weather made for one of my favorite tree party events ever.

Baby calf wanted his milk.

Mmm....milk!

Susie gets some lovin' from the sweetest boy, Athan.

The front half of Big John's trailer heading out into the woods.

Some of the troops unloading from the ride.

Magic mushrooms in the tree forest. Beautiful.

Mike and his boys. Wouldn't be a tree party without them!

The Moores.

Ready to chop this bad boy down!!!

My family. Even grandma joined in the fun this year!

Dan loads the tree while grandma supervises.

Oh, Pete!

Helicopter action!

Old friends. I mean, they've been friends since high school....Kelly, Cindi, and Susan.

Here is some video of the helicopter tree harvesting operation. It really doesn't do justice to how cool it was to watch. I was certain that a tree or two was going to fly off the hook and kill us all...but it didn't. We survived and have great memories from a great day! Thanks, Chandler Family.

The Spooky Night....by Nate Moore

2011-11-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

Nate's story that he 100% wrote, edited, and typed all by himself.
He's quite the author and publisher.
Watch out, Steven King....there's a new horror writer in town.
(double click on each page to make the image a little bit larger)

Second Grade Photos

2011-11-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

2nd Grade. Hopefully you can tell who is who.

colorful goodness

2011-11-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

I can't get enough of the colorful leaves right now in Portland. Absolutely stunning.
These snapshots don't do justice to the beauty that is out there.
I love Fall.

The Entertainer

2011-11-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Wow. I think that the piano lessons are working.

Trick-or-Treat

2011-11-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! This year we had a leopard and a Woopie Cushion that was complete with sound effects (pfftttt). We walked the neighborhood with friends, and enjoyed a fun evening.

3rd Annual Wiley Krautfest

2011-10-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last night the Wiley family had their annual sauerkraut making party. Good food, good people, and lots of fun.
It was an extra exciting year, as the Moore boys all came home with trophies. Dan's trophy was for being the M.V.P. of the night...he helped peel the outer layer off of 800 lbs. of cabbage, and cut the heads into 1/4 's . Chris and Nate were acknowledged for their hard work with both taking home the 'Mini Kraut Masters' award. These boys happily worked and helped throughout the entire party. While all the other kids were down tearing up the Wiley's basement, Chris and Nate were glad to be lifting, hauling, and pounding cabbage.

Finally, the bottom of the box that the 800 lbs. of cabbage came in. Time to take a break!

And the best part....we just roll the wagon home for the night with our new batch of Kraut.

We've got sauerkraut coming out our ears, but how could we not partake in this fun tradition? We're happy to share our bounty. Just ask.

2nd Grade...like father like son

2011-10-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

Oops! I meant to post this one, too. Dan found his 2nd grade photo and pulled it up on the computer, with Christopher standing next to it in comparison. Crazy how much they look alike...especially with those fantastic second grade teeth!

lame

2011-10-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yep...that's me. lame. I have not posted anything on here for a month! Here are a few photos taken off of my i-phone that somewhat capture the past few weeks in our world.

I didn't land a full time teaching job this fall, but I did get hired as a substitute in my old district. I have been doing a long-term sub job back at the school where I taught last year, so that has been great! This position has been extended an extra week, so I will finish up at the end of October.
Since I am a full time worker-bee, G'ma came up and spent the day with the boys while I had a teacher work day last week. She even spent the night and we hit Kruger's Farm bright and early on Saturday morning.
Well, would you look at that? A GATOR sticker (the same one Dan has on his car) on a FORD FLEX at Fred Meyer. This car should be ours...or at least the owner should be our friend.

It's soccer season! The boys have been playing soccer this fall. They're good!

Raking leaves out front. I love fall.

Grandma buying goodies at Kruger's. The caramel apples were divine.

I will try to be better.

Clyde the Horse

2011-09-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is Clyde. He lives at the curb next door, and I can see him from my kitchen window.
I sure wish that we still had a horse ring at our house. Somebody probably removed it years ago, not knowing how cool it would be in the future.

First Day of 2nd Grade

2011-09-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Vernon Owls through the years....

Pre-K

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2
It was nice that they were not too nervous for the first day of school.
They both agreed, that they are kind of like the mayors of the school....lots of teachers and kids know them~they don't have a thing to worry about.

Bye-Bye, Summer.

2011-09-05T16:47:00.001-07:00

Ah, Labor Day weekend. It's always bittersweet...the end of the lazy days of Summer, and the start of routine and school. I have to admit~I'm a sucker for the latter. We spent the weekend being quite lazy in the warm sunshine. We could hardly pry Christopher out of the hammock.

The view looking up.

Camp out in the backyard. Chris, Nate, and Dan slept under the stars on Sunday night.

The boys got new bike riding boundaries, and they were beyond thrilled. They were both beaming from the pride of their new independence, because two rocks and old jeeps just wasn't cutting it anymore for these soon-to-be 2nd graders. They can now go from our house, down the street, through the whole alley, and come back around on Holman. For them, it's kind of a half block loop. For me, it's just another example of how fast they are growing up.

Of course, the final stretch to the house always turns into a race. That's what brother's do.

Family Beach Trip 2012

2011-08-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's how we always wrap up the summer~the annual beach trip to the Oregon Coast with the Slater/Cotter/Moore families all in one house. This year we were at a house in Lincoln Beach.

Lunch outside in the sunshine.

Feeding the seagulls. Such pesky birds, but it sure is fun to have them come right up and take the food out of your hand! Big seagull taking off with the bread from Aunt Susie. So exciting!

The view of the beach from our house. Kids could roam and play for hours.

Cousin art project. They all decorated t-shirts. One of these kids was not real pleased with his finished product, so he's hiding it. Can you guess who?

A classic Depoe Bay hot spot....Jordy's candy shop (since 1942). Each of the cousins got to choose 10 taffy pieces for their little bag. Decisions, decisions. Thanks, Uncle Mark!

Looking over the harbor at Depoe Bay. Exactly as I remember it from 35 years ago.

My dear brothers, Uncle Greg and Uncle Mark.

Dinnertime! We always eat well at the beach. Each family takes a dinner for one of the nights. Pork Tenderloin, Fish Tacos, and the grand finale....Sookie's ribs (Claudine's first go at the recipe on her own) and they were delicious!

Hot tub time! Always a crowd pleaser, even in this ghetto shed.

Chillin' on the deck with some cocktails. There was one more Moore along on the trip this year~Susan's boyfriend, Jared. He tolerated us well. We like having him there, too.

The Slaters.
Catie looks just like Claudine, Will looks just like Mark, huh?

The annual 'cousins on a log' photo.
Chris Catie, Will, Nate, Grace, Caroline, Ella.
These kids love each other so much.
Beach play! Nate bats the cycle with the ladder ball game. He was mighty proud of himself!

It wouldn't be a beach trip without a few rounds of Down-Set-Steal. We taught Jared the ropes and he was all over that game.

Beach bonfire the first night. Nothing like sticky marshmallows in the sand. mmm

Big excitement. Uncle Mark found a fish that washed ashore with no eyeballs. All the cousins came running to check it out. Back it went into the sea with a big fling into the air.

On Saturday G'ma and Uncle Greg drove over for the day, and as a family we decided we would spread G'pa's ashes into the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and Mark, Susan, Greg, my mom and I went down the beach and set his remains free. He rode a big wave out, and we all said goodbye in our own way. It was as lovely as that type of event can be.

We had one final beach campfire that night. It helped us all feel like closure was set in motion on a sadness that defined this summer. We miss you, dad. We'll see you next year in the sand~or in the water~or in the breeze~wherever you may land around us.

summertime happy hour

2011-08-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

4:00::Monday afternoons::neighborhood friends::lots of freedom::everyone is happy!

Granddaddy and Nana visit from Florida!

2011-08-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Granddaddy and Nana came to visit. It was great to see them. The last time they were here the boys were 3 years old!

On Saturday, we went on a driving adventure. We headed East out of Portland, and our first stop was Joe's Donut Shop in Sandy, Oregon. A must-stop for anyone heading up to the mountain! Since we wouldn't all fit in my car, we borrowed a zipcar for the day. We had a Toyota Sienna named Shania. She was a great ride!

Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood was our second stop. What a beautiful day!

Down the mountain to Trillium Lake Campground where we showed Granddaddy and Nana where we love to camp.

We stopped for lunch in Hood River at the Full Sail Brewery, then loaded back into Shania for the final stretch home. We made one last stop at Multnomah Falls.

Nate and Granddaddy playing some catch in the backyard. What a great summer day! On Sunday we stayed home and G'ma came up from Salem with a big ol' salmon that we grilled for dinner. mmmm! Nate and Chris harvested some green beans from the garden for our meal.

A highlight of the day was the impromptu piano recital that we had for the grandparents. They were treated to some of the classics: Camptown Races, Honeybee, Deck The Halls, Old MacDonald, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Cuckoo!, and maybe 1-2 others. Gotta love the grandparent paparazzi on the couch.

Sentences

2011-08-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's the best consequence for rotten behavior. Because they hate it so much.
Yep, we're talking old school sentence writing. Just like Bart Simpson or students in a one room school house in 1913.
Name your offense...we've got quite a collection!

Celebration of Life for Stu

2011-08-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

We had a celebration of life gathering for my dad on Saturday at my mom's house. It was exactly how he would have wanted it, with about 100 of his favorite people in attendance. He would have loved it!

Jeff, Albie, and Ali (uncle and cousins) drove up from California. It was so great to see them!

Bouncy house for the kids. The big excitement of the day was 'Lady'...Ali's new 4 legged friend.

Lots of friends are starting to gather, look at photos, and connect!

More friends and family.

Diane and Kay hugging my mom. Very sweet picture!

More friends. Many of these people I had not seen or talked to in about 20 years. It was so much fun to reconnect.

Wolfe, Mom, Grover and Linda. They all go waaaaaaaay back!

Uh-oh! Time for some first aid. Nate got two yellow jacket stings. All of the cousins were very concerned.

Brian, Brian, Brian. Good ol' Brian Kroeker doing his childhood trick. This was just one of many that did had us laughing til we cried. Contrary to his mom's warnings, they never did stay that way!

Brian's sisters, Jill and Laurie. These Kroeker kids were our BFF's back in our early years. We all LOVED seeing them again!

Erika, Caroline, Roger, Mark and Brian.

Karen, Mom, and Uncle Marshall giving a shout-out to Stu.

On Sunday, some family got back together again and we had a birthday cake for cousin Albie. Can't believe that he's 23! Just yesterday we was a cute little baby. Where does the time go?

Slaters and Albadas.

I'm certain that Stu was watching down over the party and loved every minute of it.

Trillium Lake...our favorite campground

2011-07-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Trillium Lake. It was just our family on Friday night, then the Slaters came and joined us on Saturday. It was a camping trip filled with lots of critters.

Christopher was given the title of 'Salamaster,' as he was able to catch the little guys like no other. They really are just so cute!

Looking for crawdads and salamanders. This was Hunter's fist time to try out the water. He is a lab, after all. I think he liked it. He is a good puppy!

Nate getting all crazy with a salamander on his chest.

Chris and Catie fishing at dusk. We sure picked a weekend with beautiful weather. Site #6 wasn't too shabby, either.

The only crawdad that was dumb enough to crawl into our trap. Tuna fish is not a good bait at Trillium Lake. Chris did find another one that he cooked on the fire grill and ate the tail. mmmm

Dinnertime!

This was a trip filled with resourcefulness. Dan was so proud of his Survivor torches that he made out of burlap bags that the firewood came in, and some sap that he dug out of a tree. The boys couldn't wait to light them...and they actually stayed lit!

The lone egg that was left over. Rather than let it roll around in the ice chest, I thought that we would do some inquiry science. What will happen to an egg that sits over the coals? Well.....if you poke at it after it's been heating up it will EXPLODE! Boom! We had egg flying everywhere.

Playing in the lake. Oh, silly cousin Will!

More playing in the lake...

They caught a trout! And I do mean 'they.' Chris and Nate's fishing lines had crossed somehow, so they both reeled in this little guy together. (about 7 inches) We were all about catch and release, so he did not find his fate over our campfire.

Roasting marshmallows. What a fun camping trip!

Hawaii!

2011-07-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Moore's had their first real family vacation last week, and we chose the lovely Honua Kai in Maui as our destination. It was the perfect getaway with amazing water features and situated right on the beach. Paradise.

At an open market, the boys picked out a coconut and had a man from the island cut open with a machete. Then, 2 straws were placed in it to suck out the coconut water. Chris tolerated it, Nate thought it was gross.

Snorkeling in the lazy river pool. Although the river didn't move along, it sure was pretty. There was also a big slide, waterfalls, 5 hot tubs, a big pool, and a kiddie pool. There was a great spot for everyone!

We found a great beach down the road where the boys could try and scoop fish, as well as look at sea life on the rocks. Tons of fun, but those fish were just too fast to catch!

Under the waterfall.

Shaved ice! Pineapple for Christopher, and Root Beer for Nate.

Dan and the boys at the beach entrance.

Dinner out at Duke's. yum!

Chris running in the waves. He really loved the ocean~Nate, not as much. Chris went out and snorkeled with Dan about 100 yards off the beach. He LOVED the experience.

Honua Kai lobby. What a beautiful place!

Nate did get in and snorkel the ocean water here.
Granted, it was only 2 feet deep. But he felt like a real ocean man!

Chris messing around on Ka'anapali beach. Awesome waves!

Sunset on Ka'anapali beach at Black Rock.

We watched the lighting of the torches and the jump into the ocean at Black Rock. You can learn about this tradition here.

Heading out of the lobby, and down to the water.

Buried alive!

Shadow family at sunrise.

As we were getting off of the airplane in Portland, our vacation had come to an end. But the captain must have thought that these two traveling boys were kind of cute, because he told them that if they stood aside and waited, that he would take them back in the cockpit to check it out. He even took off his hat and placed it on their heads for the photo op.

Way cool, Hawaiian Airlines! These boys were beyond thrilled to end their vacation this way.

Aloha!

"Dude, we got a Flex!"

This video should have been posted at the top, as it was the first part of our trip. We were at the car rental spot waiting for Dan to bring the car around. The boys didn't know it, but we had upgraded to a Ford Flex (Dan and the boys are obsessed with finding these cars on the road, so they are very familiar with them) They thought that we were going to get a Ford Escort...so the excitement is very real. The coolest car, on the coolest vacation.

Stu

2011-07-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

My dad passed away last week, and it's been a week filled with emotion and so many memories for all of us. It's funny how the most random memories will come to mind when you're thinking back over all of the years. Stu was a quiet, unassuming man. He was more of the listener than the talker. He will always be remembered for his Stuisms~one liners that were snips of wisdom or opinion. Some of them were pretty damn funny. He loved his work and his family.
The memories that I have of my dad from my childhood are many. I remember him driving his blue El Camino. He would cram all 4 of us kids in there to get us to school, all the while balancing a cup of hot instant coffee on his lap. He never spilled it.
Stu was in the electronics business, and because of that, we were always the first house on the block to have 'new' gadgets.....like a microwave, VCR, 2 telephone lines to our house, and cell phones (when they were the size of a brick and had to be plugged into the lighter in the car).
He loved the country oldies, especially Johnny Cash and the song A Boy Named Sue. He never did learn all of the words to that and many other songs, but he would move his mouth along and try to have us believe that he was singing. We knew better.
On Saturday mornings, when my mom would be at work, we would wait for the sound of the vacuum cleaner banging into our bedroom doors. It was is way to let us know that it was time to get up and start cleaning the house.
There was also the time that many of us in the household were sick with the flu, and my dad decided that he would help out and make breakfast for everyone so he (for some reason) decided to make peanut butter waffles. You can't imagine how incredibly awful peanut butter waffles could make the house smell. I think we all puked an extra round because of it. The thought of that recipe to this day makes my stomach turn.
I will never forget the rafting trip down the North Santiam where my dad took the 4 of us kids, plus a neighbor friend on a rafting trip. We were not prepared for the adventure, and we got totally lost and ended up in some remote wilderness and had to hike our way out before dusk. Luckily, we stumbled upon a random house and they allowed us to use their phone to call my mom to come and get us. What an experience!
He then got a real boat for our family and that is how we spent our weekends from the ages of about 11-15 at various lakes like Detroit and Foster. Of course, the propeller would always get chopped up on the rocks, and he would spend half the trip cussing over the damaged blades.
He also taught us all to love fishing, and I will always remember the time he took us to a spot where they had just stocked hundreds of 12" rainbow trout. I think that we brought home about 80 of them. I think they were all illegally caught.
My dad always ate all of our potato skins...which was perfect because we didn't like the skins. He always made us drink all of our milk. I didn't like that so much.
One of the greatest lessons my dad taught me still holds true to this day and I put it to use occasionally. When I would refill his coffee cup to the rim with hot coffee and carry it to him, he always told me not to look at the cup...if you don't look at it, it won't spill. It really works.
Stu was a speed reader. He could read a book at the speed of light. This always amazed me. He loved mysteries and suspense thrillers.
Stu's typical outfit was his jeans, a plaid shirt, and his loafers. One shirt that he wore proudly was known as his 'L.P.' (low pocket). This was a shirt that I gave him for Christmas one year that I found for a great price. The only problem with this shirt was that it had the pocket sewn quite low, so when he reached across to get his ciggs, he didn't lift his arm up..it was parallel to his reach. He wore that shirt proudly.
My dad was the master of being able to fix, build, or install anything. He loved it when a project called for his assistance. When all of us kids bought our first homes over the years, Stu was like a kid in a candy shop in anticipation for the work that lay ahead. He would add outlets and cable wires for every room of every house. ("A chicken in every pot!") When I bought my first house (a 1912 fixer) he was pretty much at my door each Saturday morning by 7:00 ready to go. Together we installed wood floors, tiled the bathroom, changed out lights,electrical wiring, painted, new wax ring for the toilet; the list goes on and on and on. After I got married, he and Dan built a bedroom/bathroom addition on to the house. Those were great times. I will always savor those memories, as we were a really good working team and he taught me a lot. He would tell me what tool he needed out of his bucket, and I knew what he was talking about. All he ever wanted in exchange was an egg salad sandwich and a Grapefruit Soda. Well, maybe one extra for the drive home.

I will miss you, dad. You were a rock in my life and I feel so blessed to have had you. I'm certain that if there is any handy work needing to be done in heaven they will call on you. Don't forget to use the fluke. You know how I always was about saws and electrical.

My Dad

2011-07-03T18:40:00.001-07:00

Stuart R. Slater

May 13, 1943-June 29, 2011

SALEM - Stuart Raineford Slater, of Salem, passed away on June 29, 2011 at the age of 68 due to complications from a staph infection. He was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing.

He was born on May 13, 1943, in Salem, Oregon to Dale and Lyle Slater. He is survived by his sister Karen VanCleave, and brothers Kevin, Marshall, and Alan. Stu was a graduate of North Salem High School, class of 1961. Stu spent all of his years in Salem, where he owned and managed his business, Slater Communications and Electronics.

On September 28, 1963, Stu married Cheryl Albada Slater, his wife of almost 48 years. Together they raised four successful children; Greg (Susan), Portland; Kathy (Dan) Moore, Portland; Mark (Claudine), Portland; and Susan Cotter (Seattle).

Stu's greatest pride in his life was his family, and he loved the time that he spent with his seven grandchildren; Grace (12), Ella (9), Caroline (6), Christopher (7), Nathan (7), Catie (7), and Will (3).

Stu had a mild stroke in 2005 which slowed him down a bit, but he never lost his drive to wake at the crack of dawn, and get going with each new day. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke his words were listened to. Stu will be remembered for his one-liners that are known to his family as 'Stuisms.' These were words of wisdom that his children and their friends would always chuckle about and quote through the years. Stu was a real handyman who loved to fix, build, or tinker in all kinds of projects, with the Country Oldies station playing on the radio in the background.

If you would like to make a donation in honor of Stuart's life, the family asks that it be made to www.salemhospitalfoundation.org on behalf of the incredible doctors and nurses in the ICU who cared for him in his last days. A celebration of Stu's life will be held on Saturday, August 13th at the family home in West Salem.

i-phone 4

2011-06-25T06:16:00.001-07:00

A rather silly blog post, but I just wanted to document that at this very moment in time, I am the proud new owner of the i-phone 4...the top phone out there in terms of technology. This phone can do everything~internet, skype, face chat, text, phone, video, to name a few.

With that being said, I know that it will be as outdated as a rotary phone in just a matter of years. I just want to be able to look back at this photo and post when I'm an old lady and laugh at this silly, dinosaur of a phone. And yes, I do remember using a rotary phone as a child. The one that was connected to the wall with a stretchy cord that would allow me 6 feet of movement. Sometimes, it's hard to believe the advances in technology, as some of the things that we do all the time now were only space-age ideas of the future on the Jetsons when I was a kid.

Full Circle

2011-06-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

My classroom as I found it back in September....

A typical day mid-year.....lots of hustle and bustle with 20 really great 1st graders!

...and poof! its all done.
What a great year it was in room 118.
Now, on to summer vacation and whatever life holds for me come the next school year.

Lots of 1st graders!

2011-06-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Since Chris and Nate's school got out on Tuesday, I thought that it would be a great opportunity for them to visit my classroom today, since we are still in session until tomorrow. I'm really glad that they were able to meet my students, and vice-versa. Having a classroom of first grade students, as well as 2 of them at home, made for many stories about each other being shared over the school year.

While the kids were at lunch/recess, Chris, Nate, and Dan brought Subway Sandwiches for lunch. Then, they wanted to write on my easel, so I put them to work writing a Venn Diagram about themselves. (double click on image to see what they wrote.)

Can you spot the Moore boys in the crowd?
The funniest moment of the whole visit was when I asked my class to get into a circle. I looked over and saw Dan chuckling. When I got home, I asked him what was so funny. He said that he was just in awe...he couldn't believe that I was able to get 21 kids to sit in a big circle in 5 seconds flat.
That's just what you do when you teach first grade.

words of wisdom

2011-06-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

(This is the manifesto from a company called Holstee. I like their way of thinking.)

Big Holes

2011-06-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

No front teeth.

Grace's birthday at Big Al's

2011-05-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

The cousins were in town, so we met them at Big Al's to celebrate Grace's 12th birthday, with some bowling and arcade madness. There's nothing like cousin time!
(Big Al's is a very LOUD place. My head was still reeling 2 hours later.)

Nate had all the luck! He won not one, but two jackpots of 500 tickets on one game! Just like Vegas, baby!

Some very tasty birthday to cake to celebrate the sweetest 12 year old girl that I know.
Happy Birthday, Grace!

Nate's Turn

2011-05-22T18:58:00.001-07:00

About 24 hours ago Christopher pulled his tooth out, and Nate was feeling a little bit bummed that it wasn't his tooth. He was determined to have it out before bedtime on Sunday night~ and he did.
Dental floss wrapped around the foot and attached to the tooth. The perfect system.

When he started having some worries, a $10.00 incentive helped to motivate. It worked.

Eye on the prize.

A perfect match!

Christopher's Tooth

2011-05-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Urban Legend continues

2011-05-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is what you should be looking for.

It was our turn to work in the Snack Shack for the baseball league, and both boys were really excited to help. Nate took the first shift, and he happily stocked and replenished the chips, filled the gummy worm jar, counted out licorice, and practiced his money skills by making change for his customer's orders.
But Nate's strongest skill in the Snack Shack was his customer service. It was so fun to watch him interact with the customers. He made one little boy really happy when after his purchase of two Tootsie Pop's he told him that if the wrapper has a whole picture of an Indian shooting at a star, he would receive an additional free lollipop! (What?? Where does it say that in the Snack Shack instructions??)
He sold this lore to the little boy, who quickly unwrapped his pop. Sure enough, he was a winner.
I don't know where Nate learned this, but he wanted to share the tradition.
I really don't have the heart to break it to him, but after some extensive research online, I discovered that he had fallen prey to an urban legend.
But that's how urban legends stick around~I bet that little boy will say the same thing to his next customer when he man's the shack with his mom.

~first real phone call~

2011-05-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

This call wasn't like the usual talking to Grandaddy, Nana, or Aunt Leann in Florida. It wasn't like talking to G'ma in Salem, or the cousins in Seattle.
This was the first real phone call with a friend.
Talking just to talk. Shooting the breeze.
I told Nate that in order to be a phone calling kid, he had to have good manners.
"Hello, Mrs. H, this is Nate. Can I please speak with Erik?"
They didn't talk for very long, but it sure made an impression.
Cute.

Baseball & Soccer

2011-04-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Finally...some baseball weather in Portland! Chris and Nate woke up excited today because they were actually going to have a game...and not only a baseball game, but a soccer game following it. A mixed-double-header!

Chris up to bat.

Nate getting ready to bat. This boy takes his baseball serious.

As soon as the baseball game was over, we ran home, changed out of baseball gear, and put on last Fall's soccer uniforms. The boys were asked to come back and fill in for some absences on their old team, and they were happy to help.
They didn't wash off their eye black, but I think they've started a new trend in Portland Youth Soccer. The other kids thought it was cool.

Nate is an actor!

2011-04-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Nate was excited to see me before the performance!

Nate's class did a performance of the play Stone Soup today. Nate had the part of the 'scholar'. He was nervous as can be this a.m, but by show time he was good to go.

His big moment.

"The founding fathers of the United States of America valued independence."
He said his big line without a hitch.

Celebrating with a bowl of stone soup after the performance. Don't those glasses make him look scholarly?

A round of hoops on the blacktop (with Chris, in red) after school....
that's how we roll.

Nate decided to keep his glasses on. I think that he felt good about a job well done.

It's baseball season again!

2011-04-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Let's play ball!

It was opening day for the Wilshire-Riverside baseball league. My baseball lovin' boys were giddy with anticipation, especially since this year they've stepped and are no longer t-ballers~they now play on Farm League.

The morning started off with a little bit of sunshine, but as the last few teams were running the bases, it started to rain. Still, it was a fun event filled with patriotism, community, and lots of cute boys in baseball uniforms.

The first game of the season was played today. All was going well for about the first 5 innings, and then there was a crazy downpour of rain and hail, the pitching machine quit working, and everyone was frozen. The game was called and we went home and defrosted.

Sister Susan rocked the event!

2011-03-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Two weeks ago my sister Susan participated in a big fundraiser in Seattle for Plymouth Housing Group. It was an event modeled after Dances with the Stars~she was paired with a 'real' lindy-hop dancer, and she was the 'celebrity' dancer (which makes us laugh...but I digress..) Susan is as fit as they come, but she does not have any dance background. You would think otherwise after seeing her performance. She stole the show and walked away with the Judge's Choice Award. Nicely done...and all for a great cause!

captured

2011-03-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

One moment in time.

The right Kathy

2011-03-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

Today is our 8^th wedding anniversary. I was thinking back to when we met, and I realized that I had never written down our ‘story’. So, in celebration of 8 years together, it’s time to put it in writing so that Chris and Nate will be able to tell their kids someday. It finally doesn’t bother me to tell how we met, but believe me, we both hated to tell people what brought us together. What were the odds of meeting your spouse totally randomly via the computer?

I remember the day well, because it was exactly two weeks after 9/11. I was teaching first grade, and had actually come home a bit early that day because I just wasn’t feeling good. The beginning of the school year is always very stressful, plus for the 2 weeks prior everyone wondered what was going to happen with our world. I had just bought myself an I-Mac computer (the big blue bubble kind) so I could check email at home. I logged on to AOL.

On the other side of the country, Dan was at home, continuing his job search. 9 months prior he had visited Oregon to visit his college buddy, Carrington, and fell in love with the city of Portland, and all that the Pacific NW has to offer. He returned to Tampa, Florida, and had decided that he was definitely going to move west, too. The planning started for this move across country, but the first priority would be for him to find a job. With the new-fangled thing called the 'internet,' Dan could research companies and search online. But job hunting (while on the opposite side of the country) in the high end construction field was not easy, especially while our country was in crisis---nobody was hiring or even willing to talk. Dan was networking with whomever he could, because you just never know.

Someone that he had been in contact with had given him a lead~ he needed to get in touch with a woman Kathy at the Inskeep Foundation…she’s a teacher. That’s all the information that he had to go off of, but he was going to track her down and network with her .

I was online/checking email at home when an instant message popped up. In that little box was some message from a screen name of ‘burnsfood’. He had done a search for ‘kathy’ and ‘teacher’…of course, my profile popped up because I am ‘kathy’ and a ‘teacher’. He asked if I by chance worked at this foundation. I said no, wrong Kathy. He told me that he was planning to move to Portland soon, and was job-hunting/networking. His words seemed nice enough, so we had a little exchange. He asked a few things about Portland.

The next day we could see that each other were online again at the same time. More I.M.’s were exchanged, and more personality came out. We would occasionally check in online, and from that little text box in the lower right hand corner of the screen, a relationship was blooming. We sent each other pictures of ourselves (this was of course, before there was social networking like Facebook) Even today, when I hear the greeting sound on AOL I go right back to those typewritten conversations back in 2001. You have to remember, online dating was just barely happening, and at that point only the ‘weird people’ would admit to looking for or finding for love on the computer.

Well, communicating without the spoken word can only happen so long. Dan eventually asked if he could have my phone number, and give me a call so that we could talk. After the first time we talked, I knew that he was the real deal. He was planning a trip in the next month to do some interviewing….we would get to meet each other in person.

Dan came to Portland for several days in early November to follow-up with some interviews, etc. and we met. We had such a great time together. Since we had spoken almost each day for almost a month prior to when we actually met, we felt like we already knew each other quite well. When he left to fly back to Tampa, I knew in my gut that this was the person that I was going to get married to. I think he knew, too. He spent the next month doing his final prep/wrapping up things in Tampa in order to get ready to move across the country.

Dan loaded up his Jeep Cherokee and headed out west in December. He had a room waiting for him at his friend Alex’s house. He settled into the life of an Oregonian, and life was good. He found a job, we moved in together, and a wedding proposal happened on the one year anniversary of the day we met face-to-face. (November 4^th) We then got married the following March 22, 2003 at McMenamins Grand Lodge with a small group of about 40 of our closest friends and family.

We always laugh that he may not have found the other Kathy, but he did find the right Kathy.

Fun with Friends

2011-03-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Carrington/Christine/Sydney/Ole's vacation getaway house near Parkdale. It was tons of fun, and the weather cooperated on Saturday, too.

Work before play! Everyone got busy chopping firewood.

For some reason, this picture would only load sideways, but it shows Christopher on the newly installed zip-line that had us zipping through the air between two trees that were 125 feet apart.
This, of course, was a real highlight of this trip!! Totally fun!

Nate gets some love (high five and a kiss at the same time!) from Bailey, their awesome dog.

Dinner time!

Looking down over the evening action. If you look closely, you will see two blurry whizzes going by. That's Nate and Chris on the plasma cars.

As we were finishing dinner, we heard the distant rumble of the Mt. Hood Railroad cruising by on it's dinner cruise. It was time to bundle up again and go to the tracks to place lots of coins down. We knew that the train had to come back by later in the evening.

Nate inspects his coin loot. Mission accomplished! He successfully smashed some pennies, dimes, eco-carwash tokens. Below, Christopher rides the zip-line. We're thankful for the fun weekend, and for great friends with really cool vacation homes. :)

First Piano Recital

2011-03-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today was Chris and Nate's first piano recital at Ethos. (hip-hip-hooray for Ethos!)
Teacher Andrea has done a wonderful job of teaching and inspiring them.

Nate sees his name in the program~I guess it's official that he will be performing!
Chris played Old MacDonald, and Nate played Mary Had A Little Lamb.
Enjoy the concert below!

Turning 7 with a Minute To Win It party!

2011-03-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Chris and Nate are 7! They had their birthday party today with a few friends and it was a really fun time. The party's theme was Minute To Win It, based on the t.v. show. These boys love competition and challenges, so this party theme was right up their alley.
They each invited 3 friends, and there was tons of energy! If you have not seen this show on t.v., the premise of the game is that the activity has to be completed within a minute, in order to win it. The first challenge of the party was Separation Anxiety. They each had to separate 30 m&m's by color into 6 separate cups. High pressure, for sure!
Challenge number two was called What a Racket. In this challenge, each contender had to move a tennis ball into the center of the tennis racket and have it sit there without moving for 3 seconds. Only one boy successfully did this challenge. Way to go, Erik!
Challenge number 3 was Bobble Head. Each boy had to reach 60 steps with the pedometer that was attached to their head. Lots of movement with this one!! (and sore necks)
Breakfast Scramble was challenge number 4. Each boy had to assemble the front of a cereal box that was cut into 12 pieces. High pressure with all those eyes watching!
A real crowd pleaser was Suck It Up. Each boy had to move 7 m&m's into a cup by sucking and attaching it to a straw. We had to trade out m&m's after a few rounds because 7 year old boys make lots of saliva. Yuck.
After all of these action packed challenges, the boys were ready for some food and celebratory cupcakes. On the menu: cheese pizza and Cheetos. Perfect for 7 year olds.

Nate makes his wish.

Chris's turn.

Time to unwrap some birthday gifts.

All the boys. Sam, Agustin, Erik, Aidan, Aidan, Tyree, Nate and Chris.

We wrapped up the party with the show stealer~The Dizzy Mummy challenge. In this game each team of 2 boys had 1 minute to wrap a whole roll of toilet paper around a spinning boy. Christopher outdid himself on this one. Keep in mind, that he had just eaten pizza, cheetos, and a cupcake with frosting as red as blood. It was a bit too much and I'm really surprised that he didn't puke. Watch the video below to see it start to get ugly.
What a great party....Happy Birthday, Chris and Nate!!

Extreme Snow Storm

2011-02-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

He may be smaller....but he's tougher.

Boy-0-boy was this one ever touted as the biggest snow that would ever hit Portland! For the past 3 days everyone was waiting in anticipation of this mega event. I can't say that it lived up to the hype, but I can say that it sure was nice having all of the schools closed for a snow day....which meant we were all able to stay home and enjoy the snow before it melted away a few hours later.

Harry is a Snow Bengal, after all....so we let him out to see if his native instincts would kick in. Not so much~he wanted to get back into the warm house.

Mama's Birthday

2011-02-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

My birthday was on Saturday, so I decided that I wanted to spend it with my favorite people at my favorite place~the lovely Oregon Coast.
One of my favorite parts of the weekend was Nate's new look. We stopped at the Gap Outlet on the way to Newport, and found this fine looking hat for Nate. He wore it with pride and got 18 compliments on it from all sorts of people. He is also taking a liking to 'button shirts' so he really was extra fashionable all weekend long. I love this boy.
We stayed at the Elizabeth Street Inn. The biggest priority for our family when looking for lodging is whether or not there is a pool. This pool was great...and a hot tub to boot! The boys made 3 trips to the pool. Since it was my birthday, I had the option of sitting out. Which I took complete advantage of.

Dinner was at the Rogue Brewery. It's a fun spot right on the water underneath the bridge in Newport.

Lots of pretty bottles all displayed neatly in a row. How about the artistic flair to this picture? Dan got me a really nice new camera as a birthday gift.

Chris and Nate at the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.

Christopher looking for whales. No luck.

Mama and her boys.

We swung by grandma and grandpa's house on the way home from the beach to get my birthday present from them, and were treated to some lazy-daisy oatmeal cake and some chowder.
44 isn't so bad.....I'm truly thankful for another year.

Christopher has a rich Grandma

2011-01-29T08:07:00.000-08:00

"When I go to my Grandma's house she has two cats. And she is a millionaire. She has a remote controlled chair. It leans like ninety degrees forward. She lives in Salem. The lucky part is that she gives me change that she does not need. So that's how I get rich. The last time I was at her house and it was her birthday and she got a T.V. It was 3.d, but it didn't come with the glasses so it was just a plain T.V."

Harry's fun in the night

2011-01-27T05:41:00.000-08:00

This is what I awoke to this morning in the kitchen. It looks like Harry had lots of fun last night.

Spin, spin, spin. That's a lot of paper towels!

It's kind of cute when toddlers do this to toilet paper.....not quite as much when it's a cat gone stir-crazy.

Each towel was torn and poked. Crazy cat.

Piano Lessons!

2011-01-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

The boys started piano lessons at Ethos. They've had 3 lessons so far, and are really liking it!

It will be really fun and interesting to see them make progress in this skill, as neither Dan nor myself has any musical talent....what they learn will be a 100% result of effort and ability. You can listen to a fine sampling of their skills below.

Chris (top) and Nate (below) play the notes for "Mary Had A Little Lamb." (teacher Andrea on the chords.)

Yes, we're alive and well.

2011-01-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I posted that I forgot I have to upload these photos in reverse order. Lame. I promise that I will work harder at staying current.
The latest craze around here is making tetrahedron structures (?) with marshmallows and toothpicks.

The boys got new bunkbeds. Chris on top, Nate on the bottom.

The only shot that was taken as we rang in 2011 with the McMullens.
I'm tellin' ya...I've been really lame about taking photos.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling rather negligent in my Christmas post this year. I was really bad about taking pictures, plus, our computer crashed last week and I've been struggling to figure out where to find the pictures, etc. Despite the lack of photos, we did have a wonderful holiday season around here. Aunt Leann and Uncle Frank were in town for the week prior, then the Cotters came to town on Christmas Eve.

If you're looking for much better coverage of our past week, please click here and here. Aunt Leann did a wonderful job of documenting the festivities. Chris and Nate sitting on Santa's lap right in our front room!

Looks like Santa found his way down the chimney! His carrots and cookies look nibbled on, too.

Christmas Eve was spent at our house. All of the cousins got their Christmas jammies from g'ma. This year they were not all matchy-matchy.

....but wait! There were Snuggies, too!

Ah, Snuggies. What American household doesn't have at least one??

The Slaters. Merry Christmas!

He's a Poet

2010-12-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

December, December

Right after November.

December, December

It's a month to remember.

~by Chris Moore

Christmas Ships

2010-12-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to watch the Christmas Boats parade by on Sauvie Island. The McMullens live right on the water, so we joined them for an early dinner, then walked down to the boat dock and watched the boats go by.
It was wet and windy, but it's always fun to hang with the McMullens, regardless. We even got a personal history from their salty (and somewhat intoxicated) neighbor man who has lived on the Island for 50+ years...he told us the whole story of the boats at Christmas, and gave us a few chuckles, too.

Their favorite was the firetruck boat, and the big blue whale.

Co-ho-ho!

Christmas Tree Hunting

2010-12-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

You've gotta be strong to haul this big tree out of the forest.
We went and got our Christmas Tree on Saturday at a farm on Sauvies Island. It was nice and all, but it sure wasn't the same as the Chandler Family Tree Party. The hostess, Cindi, is very pregnant, and it was a good year to take a break from this big event. We missed it....and hope that the tradition will continue on next year.

Gnomes

2010-11-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

It was definitely a diamond day at the Goodwill this morning when I found these antique gnomes tucked away in the Christmas section for a mere $1.99 each. I did a little happy dance in the aisle upon my discovery because they're so cute. They were all the buzz at checkout too, as others saw my great find!

Eat your heart out, fancy gnome at New Seasons for $29.99.....I've moved on.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

Uncle Greg and Aunt Susan were host and hostess extraordinaire for Thanksgiving 2010. They did an absolutely fantastic job, and this year there were 21 of us there....the whole Slater family, plus about half of the Schubach family as well. It was fun to have such a large group!

No kids table for this crowd. Look at this amazingly gorgeous Thanksgiving dinner table. All 21 of us were seated around it. Pass to the left, please. I was impressed!
Looking down the table. I love that Bill's (Susan's brother-in-law), head actually showed up forefront in this picture...he warned me about it, but I didn't take him seriously! :)
Mmm. Every single morsel was made lovingly from scratch. It was seriously divine.
OK, so it's not a totally clean plate, but there were a few refills between the pre and post pics. We were all stuffed...and thankful for such a wonderful time.

trying to catch up

2010-11-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

Boy, have I ever been lazy about posting on here! Working 40+ hours a week is to blame.

Above is my class on Halloween. No I don't only have 17 kids...4 of them were absent that day. What a great group they are! I do love the red leaves on our oak trees this time of year.

A funny piece of homework that I discovered in Christopher's backpack.

Yes we used to be wild.

save your fork....there's pie!

2010-11-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a 'no school' day for the boys, so g'ma came to town to watch them and show them how to make an apple pie. They had tons of fun. First you make the crust....

.....then you peel the apples.
The pie is ready for the oven.
(I think they added some flour to their faces for special effects)

Nothing like a pie that is baked with love.

The finished product. Good thing g'ma showed them how it's done. These boys just don't get exposure to some of the things that were commonplace in yesteryear.

Oh, and she also made a delicious dinner for us that consisted of meatloaf, baked potatoes, and some cheesy broccoli casserole. It was delish. Thanks, g'ma...can we book you again?!!

trick-or-treat

2010-10-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

A little bit of pre-function action with the McMullens...
two pirates out on the town...

In front of the house with a bag full of loot....

Wow! What a fun evening.

This was Chris and Nate's first year of really doing the the trick-or-treating the old school way~only in our neighborhood with friends. Just how Halloween should be celebrated.

Tale of two frogs

2010-10-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

I love this poem.

I rediscovered it as I've been going through my 'teaching' stuff and setting up my new classroom.

This hung near my desk for 7 years. It's etched in my brain, and I remember sticking those frog stickers on it about 13 years ago.

good kid

2010-10-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Nate got the 'superfecta'....the perfect individual compliment with all 4 categories checked.

It was especially meaningful because it was from a substitute teacher...and you know how most kids are for the substitute. :)

???

2010-10-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Guess what Nate wants to be for Halloween?

Sandra

2010-10-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I received some terribly sad news. My childhood friend, Sandra Farran, had a heart attack and died early in the morning of October 8th. She was only 43 years young.

Our friendship spanned 31 years...that's pretty much 3/4 of my life that she was a part of. I remember thinking that she was kind of a 'mean' 7th grader when I met her, but for some reason, we became friends. Friends that would last a lifetime. She was that friend to me who I did my growing up with. Sandra and I both had jobs in high school so we always had money to go and do fun things. She worked at the Busy Body (her mom's Ballet shop) and I made cones at the DQ. She had a black and red Celica car that she called 'Wee!" and I had that golden 76' mustang. Sandra's sense of humor was so quirky and silly, but we got each other.
We were at UofO together, and even shared a house in our early 20's when we both got 'real' jobs. Sandra had a crazy fun side that I have always loved, yet at the same time, she was completely responsible and I knew that she could be counted on. A fine balance, indeed.
Our lifestyles as adults were quite opposite, yet our friendship remained strong. Sandra was the epitome of the urban gal; and me, married and a mom. She loved shopping, shoes, travel, treating herself to nice things, and fun times. She worked hard, and was the ultimate young, professional woman. I was her friend who was home raising kids and being a stay-at-home mom. She thought my Dansko clogs were dorky~and she let me know. But these differences worked for us. In our friendship, I was the rock, and she was the kite.
Even though the hanging out and doing fun stuff changed as our lives evolved, we still would regularly talk on the phone and get the latest from each other.
A long drawn out "Widaaad!" I would always say to her, then she would reply with "Aidaaa!" in the accent that her mom and aunt (from Jerusalem) have. We would say this as we would start every single conversation that way. Completely silly, but we never skipped it...not once.
I will miss you, Sandra. Our friendship was amazingly special to me, and I'm so glad that I had 31 years of banter with you. I am rich with fun memories. I know that I will feel your presence around me. I'll see you again someday on the other side.

What a Week!

2010-09-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a week it has been. This whole job thing happened so fast. I heard about the position last Wednesday, got a call from HR on Thursday, interviewed on Friday, and was offered the job on Monday. I signed my paperwork on Tuesday, and started on Wednesday. How's that for an action packed week?...and I wasn't even looking for a full time position. But sometimes you just have to listen to the whispers and realize that some things are just meant to be.

My new classroom as I found it. Desks, chairs, shelves, and tons of old stuff crammed into the cupboards. My work was cut out for me. I needed to have this room ready for 20 little first graders come this Monday morning.

This is how I left my classroom on Friday afternoon. Names on tables, calendar up to date, morning message ready for circle time, and pencils sharpened.

Of course, this means huge changes for our family, since I have been at home with the boys since they were born 6 1/2 years ago. Team Moore is ready for the challenge.

Working Mom

2010-09-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't win the lottery, although I kind of feel like I did.

(f.y.i: this picture is from several years ago when my family got me good. They put a fake winning lottery ticket in my stocking at Christmas. I TRULY thought that I had scratched off a $10,000.00 winner. So cruel yet so funny!)

Why do I feel like I won the lottery? Because I just landed a job with the Beaverton School District teaching first grade at this school.

I'm a soccer mom

2010-09-11T14:30:00.001-07:00

Soccer season is here! Chris and Nate are playing with a bunch of buddies from school.

Tons of fun. The first game was a huge success!
Nate, Erik, and Chris.

3 on 3. Chris gets the ball.

I don't know what Nate is watching, but I do know that I love his grassy knees.

First Graders!

2010-09-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

Nate and Chris on their first day of first grade.

(New shoes and lunchboxes courtesy of Aunt Leann. :)

Sunriver

2010-09-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Uncle Greg and Aunt Susan are the proud new owners of a house at Sunriver, and they invited us over to break the place in. We did just that~and had a great time.

On the first night, Uncle Greg treated us all to some amazing star-gazing in the clear, Central Oregon sky. Looking at the night sky with someone who knows all the cool stuff really makes a difference. The Moore boys (all 3 of them) loved it!

See, I'm not kidding. This is Uncle Greg's HUGE telescope. Chris and Nate are lucky to have such a great mentor to nurture their own love of all things in the night sky.
We went on a really long bike ride through Sunriver on Saturday morning.

After lunch we went over to the Sunriver Nature Center to see the release of a red tailed hawk. He had been rehabilitated from an injury and it was his day to return to the wild.

Here he is right before the release. He was ready to fly!!

Fly! Be free! Silly bird. Both Susan and I got a little bit choked up as we watched him spread those big wings. Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Two trips to the swimming pool....always a hit!

Of course, lots of hot tub time too!

Uncle Greg made the boys some tasty pancakes for breakfast and turkey bacon.

Mmm...turkey bacon.

We went to the top of Lava Butte. What an amazing view.

Family portrait. Yes, we purposely messed with the signage.

6 year old potty humor is rampant in our household!

Nate really like Uncle Greg's big binoculars to hunt for chipmunks and ground squirrels.

Did you know that chipmunks have stripes on their faces, and ground squirrels don't?

That's how you can tell the difference.

The most exciting/adventurous part of our trip was when we went down into the lava river cave. These pictures don't even begin to show what it was really like, but I'll just tell you it was freaky! Not for the faint of heart or anyone who is claustrophobic.

This cave is a mile long and PITCH BLACK and cold (42 degrees)

We went about half way and figured that was good enough. Christopher really wanted to go to the end, but we'll save that for another trip that he can do with Uncle Greg.

This was when we were heading out of the cave.

Thanks, Greg and Susan! We look forward to many more fun times at your house.

10 months old

2010-09-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

A blast from the past. So stinkin' cute.

Slater-Cotter-Moore annual beach trip

2010-08-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

We had our annual beach trip with the family, and it was a great time. We stayed at a house in Pacific City that was right on the beach, and was perfect for our group. The whole crew at a beach bonfire.

All of the cousins. These kids have so.much.fun.together!
Ready, set......
Go! Down the sand dune they ran.

Aunt Susie making her way down the huge dune at Cape Kiwanda.

The boys and I at the top! Mission accomplished.

All of us girls at the top of the dune showing off our STRENGTH Studio tanks from Susan's studio in Seattle.

Playing in the ocean.

Nate, the surfer.

Uncle Mark on his way down the big dune. Ahhh! He's being attacked by his jacket!

Grace set up a snack-shack in the arcade room.

Ella, Nate, Chris and Grace play a football game as the sun was setting.

A trip down to the tide pools in the morning. Lots to look at!

Dan and the boys.

G'ma and G'pa came over to spend the day and brought Granny's ashes so that she could be returned to the earth. It was a lovely and simple moment, and just how Granny would have wanted it.

With a sunset like this later that evening, I think that it was Granny's way of telling us thanks...and that she is finally right where she wanted to be.

Today was our annual pilgrimige..

2010-08-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

...to the Enchanted Forest. Tons of fun this year, as Ella and Grace were able to join us too!

The big thrill of the day was the log ride.

Thanks for the fun day, Grandma~can't wait to do it again next August!

Good times at Black Butte Ranch

2010-08-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

The boys and I had a mini vacation at Black Butte Ranch where we stayed with the Slater family for a few nights of their family vacation. We had a GREAT time!

Chris, Nate, Catie, Will at the first pool.
Slater family. Catie is an amazing little swimmer. I truly think that she is a mermaid.

The Yunkers were staying at their house at BB, so on Sunday evening they came over for a very tasty Korean dinner. mmm.. sookie ribs!!

It was HOT in Central Oregon. Notice where my boys are sitting in this picture? They thought that Asa was a really cool 'big' boy....and he was.

It was hard to keep kids out of this hot tub. We cooled it down with cold water and they swam every chance they got.

Scootin' to the playground and pool. Please note Catie's poppin' wheelie. New skill, and she was very proud. :) We also went on two really big bike rides. Nate had 2 big crashes, but amazingly enough, no scrapes to show for them.

Uncle Mark in front of the house which was right on the golf course.

On the second night, we stayed up extra late and went down to the golf greens with blankets/pillows/flashlights to watch the stars above. Very fun until the sprinklers started coming on around us.

Chris does a plunge into the water.

This trip did wonders for both boys' swimming skills, especially Nate.

Nate jumps!

Mama and her boys. You should see my sunburned back from being waist high in a pool for hours on end. ouch!

It was so hard to leave this fun. :(

Thank you so much, Mark, Claudine, Catie, and Will.

summer bliss

2010-08-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for lazy summer days...

where we can read books outside...
underneath the tree in our front yard..... ...together.

ice cream truck

2010-08-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Every evening they listen in the distance for the sound of the ice cream truck. Sometimes they will sit and wait, with quarters in hand, warming up as they wait for the little blue truck to turn down 23rd Avenue.
Last night it all went right and the boys finally got to buy themselves a treat, while 'You are My Sunshine' blared from the speaker.

Nate takes the lead!

2010-08-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

It's funny how life works out some times.....

Lazy Bend on the Clackamas

2010-08-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Another awesome camping trip, this time at Lazy Bend Campground on the Clackamas River. We had never done a trip in this part of the Mt. Hood National Forest because, well....it's Clackamas. But boy were we wrong! It was a beautiful part of this state. We were all impressed with this beautiful, private campground.
This spot on the rocks was down a short trail from our campsite, and whoever was there before us kindly set up a little wading area adjacent to the raging river.

Bad dads enjoying a cigar after dinner. It's a rough life out camping.

Sunday morning. I love this photo because it really captures life around the campground on this trip. Bill playing shut-the-box, Maya the dog sleeping on the dusty ground, Amy snapping amazing photos, and 4 boys relentlessly poking at and messing around with fire.

Our chain gang working to build up the wall on our secondary pool that we built.
It was so funny to me that Nate was 2 feet away from a raging river that could have carried him downstream before he would know what happened, yet last weeekend he sobbed in fright over getting in up to his ankles at the beach. I asked him about why it was different, and he told me that he had 'never been rolled in the river.' Makes sense.

Liam, Chris, Aidan, and Nate. Thanks for the fun and impromptu camping trip, McMullens! You're great camping buddies.

Tiger's Birthday

2010-07-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Christopher woke up this morning and decided that today was Tiger's birthday.

He made him a crown to wear for the day.

He picked a plate of grass for tiger to eat. (he is allergic to cake)

He is now 6.

Of course, both boys wanted to bake him a cake, so we did just that. Oh Tiger, you are such a special friend to Christopher.

Party time!

Camping at Nehalem Bay

2010-07-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

It was a great camping trip. The highlight for Chris and Nate? Being introduced to 'strike anywhere' matches. Heaven on earth for boys who love fire.

They were in complete awe over the ability to strike ANYWHERE with these matches and make fire. We went through about 400 matches.
All pyro jokes aside, both boys have really learned to respect fire. Dan no longer has to be the fire-maker....Chris and Nate were in charge of successfully and safely making all of our campfires. Rather impressive, if you ask me.
Christopher eating the perfectly roasted marshmallow.

Dan's always coming up with something new. This trip, it was an old-school-boy-scout baking box, made of foil and coals. The result? Golden cinnamon rolls at the campsite. mmmm

Frosting the breakfast goodies. Nate and mama at Oswald State Park. What a beautiful part of the Oregon coast!

Look at that sad face....Nate's ocean anxiety continues after last year's tumble through the surf that gave him an incredible scare. He kept thinking that he saw a tsunami out in the distance. Poor boy...laden with anxieties from the world around him.

We played tourist and stopped at a viewing spot on Hwy. 101.

This view is looking south towards Nehalem.

The beach was really windy in the afternoon, so we went to play at the beach on Nehalem Bay. Of course, a round of down-set-steal.

The late afternoon winds really picked up, so we had some family fun in the tent with a few rounds of Shut-the-box.

Family photo at my favorite spot on the Oregon Coast...Arch Cape.

Nate in a sand hole that Christopher dug. We were proud of Nate, as he did some 'working through' his fear of the ocean. Dan made a deal...he could earn his own box of strike anywhere matches for our next camping trip if he would go out into the water up to his ankles. After much contemplation, he did it. 250 matches will be all his!

Nate loses his first tooth!

2010-07-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Before.

After!
Yay! Nate's turn.

Seattle

2010-07-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Good times in Seattle!

The troops aboard the ferry to Bainbridge. Thanks, Cotters!

Trillium with the McMullens

2010-07-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

We packed more into this 24 hour camping trip than any other.

Aidan, Chris, Nate and Liam testing the waters.
The Moores take their maiden voyage on the canoe that the McMullens brought. Very cool.

Looking back.

The view of Mt. Hood from the middle of the lake. Gorgeous!

Bill and the boys taking the canoe across the swamplands. ewww!

Nate and his buddy Liam chillin' on the hammock.

Trolls on big tree stumps!

Giraffe tree. Remember when we discovered this tree 2 years ago?

The highlight of the trip? Catching salamanders in the lake. The boys proudly caught 17 of the little fellows. So.stinkin.cute. with their orange bellies.

Nate guards the salamander pail as the others scoop em' up. The perfect camping trip.

7-11

2010-07-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

A little treat on the way back from camping.

Did you know that on 7-11, you can get a free 7.11 oz slurpee from any 7-11.

How cool is that?

ig least

2010-07-05T14:32:00.001-07:00

Nate's self-portrait.

"Ig least it's sunny outside!"

"Ig least daddy doesn't have to go to work tomorrow!"

"Ig least we have a pool for when it gets really hot!"

I decided that I needed to do a blog post on this topic before those funny, sweet words are a thing of the past.

Nate's use of 'ig least' when he should be saying 'at least' is one of my favorite things, and that is why I don't have the heart to correct him.

Is that bad? Probably.

But I am just going to go ahead and savor his incorrect use of the English language as long as I can. Ig least I will be able to remember it when I look back on this blog someday.

Summer Days

2010-06-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Nate, Charlotte, Chris, & Stella.

Summertime fun~ including but not limited to:

bikes

scooters

chalk

ice-cream

hide-n-go seek

glasses

2010-06-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

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!!

2010-06-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

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!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead.

~Scottish Proverb

I was explaining to the boys what Memorial Day was all about, and why we were having a 3 day weekend. Christopher had a great idea, and asked if we could go to a cemetery. Both boys have been curious and wanting to go to one for a few years now, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. We visited the Rose City Cemetery.
We roamed the grounds, read the names, found markers with flags, and headstones with flowers. Believe it or not, it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and a great reminder to embrace every day on this earth, and love those in my company. We sure don't have forever.