Cowboys Like Us

It had been a while since we had a vacation, so we decided to hit Central Oregon before school started. I found a deal at Brasada Ranch (let me know if you want details and my contact), so it was our jumping off point, a really beautiful and quiet spot with amazing sunsets. See roughly 250 pictures of our trip here.

A great book, "Bend, Overall" gave us a nice selection of kid-friendly activities to do:

Richardson Ranch - Madras, OR: There were at at least three great reasons for a visit: the shop's displays of polished rocks, geodes, fossils, spheres and thundereggs (Oregon's state rock which kids can pick out and get one cut for $1.50 each), the heaps of exotic rocks from around the world in the yard, and the emus and peacocks. It is an odd place, but the people running the shop are very nice.

Smith Rock State Park, Terrebonne, OR: We had driven by many times, but never stopped. What a beautiful place. The 700-foot walls rising above the Crooked River made us feel like we could almost be on another planet. We braved a three mile hike, which was a bit long for the kids, but we felt accomplished when we were finished.

Sunriver Pony Rides: We dropped $20 for two pony rides that probably lasted less than five minutes and would have been even shorter if the little guys didn't have to stop to relieve themselves! But, the kids liked it and it was on our way to Cascade Lakes Highway.

Sparks Lake: We took a short hike, and the kids enjoyed finding frogs, dragonflies and making fortresses with lava rock.

Elk Lake: There were a lot more people at Elk Lake (since it was nearly 100 degrees in town is wasn't surprising). We rented a little motor boat and Finn got to do some driving. At one point we dropped anchor and got in the lake. Then when we tried to leave the motor wouldn't start! Luckily we had Steve and he got it going. The kids preferred the area near the marina that was full of kids cooling off to the boat. Steve started diving in the COLD water to find crawdads. Finn joined him and they found quite a few. I still don't know how they put their faces in, burrr!

Fall River Fish Hatchery: The kids enjoyed seeing the Rainbow Trout fish production and feeding the fish. It was fun to see the fish in their native habitat in Elk Creek nearby. What beautiful, clear water.

High Desert Museum: It was worth the cost. There were many indoor displays more geared to adults than kids, but allowed our kids to see what people lived like 100 years ago and beyond. Our favorite part was the "homestead" that showed what pioneering life was like. Kids got to wash clothes the old fashioned way, water plants, see a food cellar, outhouse, etc. There were a number of animals you could see at very close range like a bald eagle, porcupine, and owls. There were many squirrels too.

Lava Butte: Here we walked among the lava and took the drive up to the Butte, 500 feet up. Steve didn't see the "Don't Feed the Animals" sign as you can see in the pictures. What a view!

Lava Cast Forest: I remember this place from when I was a kid. It is a dirty drive to a one mile hike, perfect distance for our kids (non whining). Here lava flows wrapped around trees, but cooled by the time they had fully burned, leaving little caves. Finn took over my camera for most of this hike and got a shot of mom and dad and some closeups.

Appaloosa Horse Show: There was a show at Brasada Stables, so we stopped in to see some pretty amazing horses (and all the gear that goes along with horses - talk about bucks). Of course Hildi was in love with the baby horse that looked like a Dalmatian. Steve's animal attraction . . . should that scare me? :)

We loved our visit, but were happy to get home! See roughly 250 pictures of the trip here.

January 2010

We felt a fair amount of love even though it was January (photo link). Rockwell seemed to purr louder (maybe to thank us for the glucosamine we're putting in his food to ease his old joints), Hildi celebrated her half birthday, the kids painted figurines for Oma's real birthday. We saw more of the sun and had clear skies to play football and launch Trask's rocket for his birthday. Finley made a rockin' snowman. Hildi and Finn tried out the gym and roller skating. We made a lot of Valentine's cards and had a great time at Sunriver and Mt. Bachelor (though Hildi looks otherwise in most pictures).

Thankful Four

Finley's class recited a poem for an assembly, "November. No birds, no bees, no grass under feet . . ." but it turned out taht we had it all. See pictures. As sad as it is to see Fall wane it has been a great month. We continue to play wall ball outside while we "chicken sit." Finn and Sarah are pretty evenly matched (especially since he's learned some of her signature wicked hand moves). Hildi is joining in too. She bravely plays games like Uno and is working on spelling out words to avoid another heavy-set woman saying what a nasty little girl she is for pointing and calling her fat. She thinks COT spells fat, so for now we've averted danger. They are both in swim lessons. Hildi took to the water, but not to her teacher at first. Now she's blowing bubbles with her nose like it is natural. Finn is working on the crawl, but prefers to swim underwater, a giant leap from this time last year. We all are happiest when we are busy. Hildi loves to latte's (with various syrups) out of landscape rocks on her hand-me-down tool bench. Finn builds with stuff from the recycle bin and from his Lego collection. Hildi is comfortable bossing the chickens around, likes to run around half naked and always wants to be at the center of attention. Sometimes busts out yoga poses, then breaks into karate and loves it when his sister is worn out because then she likes to hug on him. Sarah used her new lens all this month, and at her first event, Finley's School Auction. So when you see people with masks, that's what's happening. There were many beautiful works of art, including people, to shoot. After a few days on the couch a round of steroids and antibiotics got Steve back on his feet for Thanksgiving as you know he loves to cook. Round One was at the Robinson's where we delivered gluten free muffins for Mamama, learned why Niffer's old baby has such a funny haircut and got an education from Hildi on which dinosaur is which. What a fun-loving group. Round Two was at our place with the Harringtons who enjoyed the place cards Finn made, and the feast Steve made. Finn loves playing chess with his Opa, so got a game in. Cousin Zach likes our house for two things: Nerf guns and whip cream shots so we indulged him in both. Naughty or nice? The letters are drafted and things are looking pretty good for the kids. Scott, Jennifer, Sarah and Kindel may not be so lucky. You'll have to ask for a special link to the full Pelican Brief to see what we mean. This month and every month we are thankful.

Punkfest 2009

We have always loved Halloween and we needed a good laugh after our kitchen computer took a dive, our car got broken into, the gas line to our BBQ leaked, we got our property tax bill and more. Oh yeah, and this turned out good, but was stressful. Steve's Dad Opa had a big surgery to remove a growth removed behind his spine near his brain stem (all better now). So excuse these out of sequence photos of Hildi and her friends Piper, Maddie and Hadley at Peterson Farms, some carving at home, the Chapman Halloween Parade, a Halloween Day soccer game and a visit to Mamama and Papapa's in costume. With all parties, trips to the hospital, etc. we made good use of our costumes. Each of the kids dressed up four days. Sarah dressed up two because Finn said, "If I have to dress like a Barbie (pirate with jewelery), then you have to wear what I tell you to." It seemed fair and Sarah easily transforms to a witch. Haven't you heard?

Jackson Mud Bowl

It has been fun watching the boys progress from barley knowing how to get the ball from one end of the field to the other, to actually making multiple passes and scoring. For days we were anticipating a really rainy game, but we actually had sunshine. Check it out.

The Cream Team

We survived the first two weeks of school. Hildi learned to cut everything in sight as a coping mechanism, but is now in a class with her best buddies for life (nearly three years). Finn got his first set of homework. Now I understand what all the other parents have been whining about – and I thought being responsible for my own homework was hard! I’ve been so beat that I didn’t even drag my camera for the Swift Family picnic. The birds and card-boarding down the hill did not disappoint. We braced for the downpour that would happen Saturday at Finn’s soccer game, but by the time it started, it was actually turning hot. Our team faced off with Forest Heights. At first they (blue) scored a goal on us. Before long, we were scoring on them, so we went from being anxious because we were getting creamed, to being anxious because we were creaming them. Finn is getting better every game, so it is rewarding to see him step up his play, become better at passing, etc. Kendra, Nana and Papa showed up which seemed to give Finn extra pep. We appreciated it because they helped manage Hildi so Steve could step in as ref and Sarah could enjoy watching and shooting. See the game (and a couple homework shots).

U7 Soccer, Kicking Some Grass

We knew it was coming, but then it was here. The end of summer. The Thursday before school started, Finn played tennis and archery, then went swimming with neighbor Sassy. After we hit a last day of Toddler School for Hildi party, he got socialized at an Ice Cream Social at his school. After that, we headed to soccer practice. Shots here. It is a long story, but we (Mak’s family and ours) were able to join Adam’s (Steve and Sarah’s coworker, father to the cute eight-week-old baby’s) team. Finn had a ball and so did Hildi who is in love with Mak’s little brother Ryder. That was just the start of exhausting days.

Finn started first grade and Hildi started pre-school, but we only have a few photos to show for it. Finn rode the bus, when we met him at school he made a mad dash to his new class, and then settled in not needing our help. Such a big boy now. Hildi didn’t do as well. Now that we’ve had some time to reflect, she moved up to a new teacher, new friends (two friends that were going to move up with her, ended up in another class), and a new room proved to put her over the edge. It is kind of hard to snap a shot when your child is trying to grab on to her mama, even if that means by the hair.

Before we knew it, it was soccer practice again. It was a wonderful night. Hildi decided to put on her soccer shirt and soccer shoes (even though they were two sizes too big). Steve brought a piece of cake for our neighbor who was celebrating her birthday, which explains the chocolate child and possibly why on a sugar high the eight, eight-year-old girls hanging from the goal post were so cosmic for him. All the parents remarked how much the kids have improved since last year. See shots here.

Oaks Park: Best Deal in Town

The kids have been spending most Friday's this summer with their Nana, Papa and cousins Kindel and Trask. This Friday they hit Oaks Park (http://oakspark.com/). For $10-13 each they got all rides their size, ice cream, a go cart pass and game tokens! And boy did they have fun. Finn and Trask went on the kids roller coaster six times in a row, more than a dozen times total. Hildi had a ball on the little kids rids and some bid ones too. Nana almost threw up on the Spider. Good times.

Happiness is a Project

For Hildi it might be passing an hour "shopping" (more like rummaging) at home with her babies, strollers, and bags. Steve says she looks like a bag lady. Finn's been getting some Garage 101 working on the Alfa. This weekend he and Steve bled the brakes. Then, Hildi and Steve spent a couple hours ripping apart a 70's Honda motorcycle that was once Papa's in the good old days when he was single. As you can see they got pretty far in two days. Our 14-year-old cat Rockwell likes to watch it all from the sidelines. The other day it was him, a grey squirrel and five chickens in our front yard. Blondie, still not very smart, is a showy bird. Red is quite shy and as you can see her pant, been quite hot lately too. Angel keeps laying an egg a day. Checkers has replaced her as most dominate. Our garden isn't much of a project, but looks like we'll yield a fair number of tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots.

Hildi Turns 3, 111 Degrees

Hildi actually turned three on our Silverwood trip, so we just kept celebrating. Finn's been going to camps, playing with Pikisa, visiting Nana and Papa and hanging out with Sarah and Hildi on Mondays. Included are some shots at Jamison Square. We've spent a lot of time in the pool and at swimming lessons. Most of the time the pool is a little bigger than the one Hildi and Steve resorted to some of those 100+ days. Sarah got older too. Kids made me a sign at the beach and there were more relatives that usual there. Of course we celebrated Hildi's birthday once again too. Papa loves reason to celebrate. Look at how much dessert is stacked on his plate! Ha, caught in the act!

Silverwood Theme Park Trip

See all pictures at www.visitourworld.com/072709/.

We had a good break from our summer routine on a trip to Silverwood Theme Park near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We took the trek with Steve’s mom and dad in their spacious (and gas guzzling) RV. The kids (and us) enjoyed bouncing around instead of being strapped into our seats – and Hildi loved kissing on her Oma.

The first night we cruised down the gorge and arrived at Lepage Park at the mouth of the John Day River. There we were lucky enough to get a spot right on the water with a beautiful view. The next morning Hildi woke at first light and we checked out the rest of the park, then she and Oma found a fisherman that loaned Finn a pole and he and Oma caught and released a Small Mouth Bass.

From there we traveled North passed Finley, WA and stopped at a great place, Country Mercantile for lunch and produce. Before long we passed Harrington, WA and were east of Coeur d'Alene where we spent the night at Wolf Lodge Campground. I wouldn’t recommend this place, even though Silverwood did. We did have fun in the canoes and rental bikes. Hildi survived her crash off the slide ladder, Wilma’s camera survived a float in the creek, and Steve was entertained by lap dancing neighbors.

Silverwood was charming: clean, nice people working there, fun rides. It was a bit crowded as it was a hot weekend, but most rides still seemed worth the wait. There was a good variety of rides. Some small enough for Hildi, lots that they could go on with adults, and some for the over 48” crowd. We loved the log ride, bumper boats, raft ride, Corkscrew, two wood roller coasters, antique cars, Panic (140’ drop) and junk food. The next morning Hildi put on a hat and dress and said, “I look like Hannah Montana.” She was going to turn three the following day. Three going on 13. The next day we repeated a few of our favorite rides. Oma and Finn got the front seat on Tremors – starts with a 109 foot drop from 106 feed in the air (you go underground). Then we hit the water park. Poliwog Park was perfect for the kids. When Hildi napped, we got on the big tubes, wave pool, etc. We had a ball.

The next day after a trip down to Pend Oreille lake near our Farragut State Park accommodations, we hit the road and we were home in eight hours with a few stops.

Fun in the Sun

Staying home for the weekend almost feels like a vacation. Finn and Steve got a chance to build a roost for Finn’s friend’s birthday party (he has chickens too) and hang out with our hens. Finn enjoyed Gabe’s party where he ran into a bunch of friends from kindergarten he hasn’t seen in weeks. Hildi joined in too. We got so hot, we decided to ditch Kindel’s game and hit the swimming pool instead. Good choice! When Steve was a shark, he was pretty menacing. The kids liked him being a dolphin much more.

Forest Grove vs. Tigard

We’ve enjoyed watching a few of Kindel’s (#13) games since they are a couple miles away and at a great park. This time Finn and Trask found a great climbing tree. Kendra, Nana and Papa watched the kids so Sarah was able to take lots of shots of all the girls. A really nice group of kids. And they won again 15 to 2. Kindel hit a triple, a double and walked. At the end Hildi was so hot she started letting droplets of water run from a water bottle down her front. She thought she was pretty funny.

Lordy, Lordy, Steve is 40

The anxiety before the event took more of a toll on Steve (and Sarah) than actually turning 40. Doesn’t that always seem to be the case with these things? On Steve’s actual birthday we made our way down to the beach and had some time to enjoy ourselves in between setting things up for the following day. Steve is used to sharing his birthday with the nation and having everyone in red, white, and blue – even the dogs and their toenails. He got a home-baked banana cake. Of course Scott was the one to find evidence that is was made by Mom. Steve got love from all the neighbors at the beach in addition to the Robinson Clan. When we got tired of warming up with some fireworks, the Bailey’s and Christopher got a taste of Rock Band . . . which continued into the next morning (nice outfit Sarah). Hildi was excited to put on her bike helmet we decorated for the first of two parades.

The parade in downtown Rockaway was nuts. We aren’t sure if it was the heat in town, the 100th year anniversary or that Vancouver didn’t do fireworks and everyone from there went to the coast instead. We aren’t crowd people and were pretty annoyed with people’s parade etiquette. The one saving grace was a pronto pup stand. Dad, Steve and Scott all felt better after eating one. Two words: never again.

Back at the house we got ready for the “local” parade, ate lunch, played Rock Band. Are you tired yet? We were. Trask, Finn and Hildi showed off their helmets. Devin wooed the crowd with tricks on the Green Machine. Zach rode the bike with the 10,000-bubbles-a-minute machine strapped to the back and was the talk of the parade. His brother Cameron tired to keep up on foot. They had a big fan club: Mamama and Papapa, Nana and Papa, Oma and Opa, Karen, Marilee, Valerie, Jon, Angie, Sarah’s Mom, Justin, Nif and Scott. Karen and Valerie had an audience for their antics too.

It was pretty nice so the boys stocked our beach spot marked off by flags Sarah, Finn and Hildi made, with Scott’s dry wood. Semi-sunny with a wind block and fire -- those that sat around it looked pretty happy. Cameron kept his parents on their toes, toying with the idea of being a firewalker. Devin with some help from the others dug a homogenous hole in the sand. Finn found cutlery in the sand. Sarah pretended to be a dog show contestant and Kubla the Pug fell in love with Niffer. Neighbors Sally and Andrew now know why Rockwell clears our house and heads for theirs when the relatives come over. The group was complete with Kevin and the O’Bryan’s, the Massini contingent. Some home grown beef burgers, potluck dishes, and alcohol made dinner go down easy. Some champagne (nice opening skills Mason), cake and the traditional odd animal present from Terry and Wilma and it was time to hit the beach again.

We didn’t really need any of our own fireworks, but the kids had to dip into the stash Nif and Scott brought. And then there is the incident I’d like to forget. It seemed like a great idea – Chinese Wish Lanterns. They are supposed to go straight up with light wind. He had light wind so we got ready to launch five for Steve, but put our first (that looked like it could still be glowing) into the trees, so Sarah made like a monkey, rand and got it out with out any damage. Guess we got our wish. We all made it home safe and sound.

First Egg, Sparkler Test, Trophy Time

Steve went out to the chicken coop the other morning and found an egg in the hen house! Angel is laying! Funny thing is that she pecks everything that she checks out, so there was a big crack in the top. If you laid an egg it would surprise you too. Finley was really proud, we took a hot of her egg next to a standard egg. As you can see it is a bit smaller. Day two, no egg, but we are on the lookout now. We took a shot of the grey squirrel having a hay day in our yard. First there was bird seed, now the grass if full of scratch, chicken food, etc. He’s a regular. Even Rockwell leaves him alone. One night Finn and Steve picked up some smoke bombs and sparkers. What fun. We hit one of Kindel’s games in Newberg. Turns out they won their division in the tournament. But, the best part as always, was the play structures nearby. Second best, seeing Kindel in her new curvaceous uniform.

Cameron Take 2, Justin Take 14

Seems like months ago Justin was two, now he’s 14. And wasn’t Cameron born yesterday? We celebrated both boys growing before our eyes at Angie’s house. Mason gave back rubs, Justin and Jenny the bulldog tried to look uninterested while gift opening (until he got a cell phone), and we all got a little sun. Mason shared all kinds of tips with Finley, but they were too far away for us to catch a clue. Devin showed a lip trick, we all enjoyed cake and cherry cobbler. Yum.

Dogs 'n Parks

Finn and Hildi gave little Tess the run around at Bridlemile Park and hit the “electric slide,” did some Tai Chi, and had some meditative moments. You’ll see that Tess was sad (or tired) when it was time to leave the park in her carrier, but well loved at home. To fill the void of excitement when our dog sitting duty was over, we bought a bubble machine, tried to teach Angel the chicken to blow, dreamed of having four eyes and talked Mom into ice cream for breakfast. Then we got some action in with Kendra’s dog Fozzie at Trask’s baseball game in North Plains. Fozzie is still a bit big for Finn.

Introducing Tess . . .

While our neighbors are away we get a three-day puppy experience. Tess is a good dog, a German Short Hair Pointer, but we are grateful that soon we'll only have our chickens, cat and kids to manage! See more shots of her hanging out at our house and the kids having fun with our oldest chicken.

Goodbye Roosters, Hello Puppy and Monkey

Thanks to our neighbor, we found a home in Lebanon, OR for our roosters. It turns out the place she was getting her new German Short Hair puppy Tess, was from a big 4-H family. She delivered them along with supplies and books Finn made about each (baby pictures, where their names came from, their characteristics, breed, etc.). Reports say that they are doing well. The puppy is darling. Finn said, "Hildi we are getting a new puppy today." It is just the kind we like, see it when you want to, don't when you don't.

Hildi brought home a monkey too - not a real one, a build a bear kind. She of course named him Blue Monkey and picked out glasses that when she puts them on makes her look like John Lennon.

The baby chicks are growing fast. Right now they are in that ugly ducking phase. Angel likes to go on the attack now that she's alone. So we are slowing introducing them and making some progress. They get us outside everyday to see our garden's progress. Hildi told Steve the other day, "Dad your bok choy is coming along nicely." He was so proud.

Last Day of Kindergarten

Finn cried tonight. The emotions had been building all week, but he was trying to be cool, not to, "Be like a baby or girl for crying." He finally confessed that it was hard to say goodbye to friends for what seems like forever (the summer), and that some friends like Max were moving and he, "Didn't even get to say goodbye." Of course Mom told him this was normal, OK and that everyone cries and it is good to feel and express emotion. I guess he is growing up.

He had a great year. Mr. Melling was top notch. Totally calm, dedicated, kids made good progress. Teacher Michelle, the librarian, music and PE teachers too were great. The class was filled with characters, all the kids had good hearts and each had special talents. Their parents all were great too. We'll miss them as we move to one of four new classes next year. Too bad these kids can't all stay together.

You'll see they had fun on their last day, playing Duck, Duck, Goose, Red Light/Green Light, and having Mr. Melling share fun stories about each one of these unique kids.

Waterfront Fun Park

What about a carnival makes people smile and walk closer together? It worked on us too. As you can see, Hildi was just tall enough to ride on most of the 36-inch “must be this tall to ride” options. The first one her and Finn went on was the Tiger Rollercoaster. Finn thought it was babyish, but Hildi said, “It freaked me out. I thought I was going to fall out.” She made a more tame choice for her second pick, the boats. As Finn would say, “Lame.” He set his sights on bigger rides, and at 48” could try several that scared his mom. He rode the flying machine twice. The first time he was a little unsure, the second time he’d shout, “I’m flying like a bird.” Hildi was very serious on all the rides. She was figuring out how they worked. The carnies would tell her, “Steer with the steering wheel,” and she’d look at them like, “The steering wheel has no effect on where I am going. Don’t you see the round track and bar connecting all the cars in the middle?” Dad’s an easy mark, so they got cotton candy and snow cones. Good thing Mom brought wipes. While Dad was getting dinner, Mom got roped by a very tall cowboy, but Dad was able to save her.

I do . . .

It is nice when cousins get married, because it gets the whole family together. This time it was Sarah’s cousin Geoff, on her dad’s side so we got to see Aunt Dianne and Aunt Charlotte and all of their kids. Seems yesterday we were all about eight years old. In August Fred and Charlotte will celebrate their 50th anniversary (they are the cute couple in black and white). We got a couple shots of the funniest guy at the party, Christopher for his ladies on Facebook. There were lots of kids Finn and Hildi’s age to play – but Hildi found one boy Clayton especially interesting. He was about six months younger but they both like to manhandle each other. Look at Papa’s face that says, “You are in big trouble with that one.” As you can see, everyone had fun.

Chicks N' Stuff

It is not supposed to be funny, but somehow Hildi sneaking a drink of her dad's beer is . . . after all with his second degree burn that then got infected, he's not a match for her these days. We got the kid sized guitar and ukulele restrung at a music store and Finn now has ideas of starting a band. He sang a song for his Aunt Angie the other day after seeing her eyes puffed shut from poison oak (she was pretty much unrecognizable), "I'm so sad, even though you look funny, you are so funny when you have your eyes are so big." He also sings one as he strums, "I love my soul, for a 1,000 years." He took his guitar to the Elephant Park playground the other day and wanted to play. Usually there are four other kids. That day there were probably 100. He said, "Well, there's lots of kids, but I'm going to have to play." And he did. He also said, "You could take me downtown with a hat and leave me for a couple of hours and I'd make lots of money." We are getting to know our baby chicks up close and personal. They are enjoying many trips outside . . . their brother's were not so lucky -- so warm weather when they were the same size in March. The big ones (especially Angel, the only girl) is getting special attention too, like being hand fed. As you'll see it tickles! Monkey is a very pretty cock, but very loud and aggressive. Even Rockwell will only be a little bit sad when him and his brother relocated to a 4-H family in Lebanon. The last picture is Finley this Friday. Think school was a bit rough? He fell asleep on the driveway.

Sum, Sum, Summertime

It is finally here. Warm weather. We've made the most of it taking our big chickens out for walks (but see how they like their old home, then went in on their own). Letting the little chicks stretch their wings too (so here they are, a Rhode Island Red named Red, Blondie a Buff Orpingtons, Checkers a black and white Barred Rock and Chameleon [Camille for short] the Araucana).

And while Sarah strips the deck, the kids find things to do. For example, Finn got out flour, sugar, water and food coloring, so we added an egg, baking soda, butter, and vanilla, and had one fine green cake. Hildi decided to spread her wings too - it was just the perfect day for it. And fly she and Finn did on Sassee and Rick's tramp were they got a couple lesson from the pro.

Mum's the Word

We don't see Steve's family as often as we'd like, so made up some of that time today. We all felt like we had been transported to Hawaii - Steve had his favorite island music playing, it was high seventies, we were drinking guava with coconut rum, and there were roosters crowing in the background. For entertainment we made custom bird feeders for Wilma, a delayed Mother's Day gift. The kids had a ball playing with baby chicks and Nerf guns (though not at the same time). Possibly the funniest part was when Mason and family gave Wilma a fake lottery ticket. When she scratched it for a moment she thought she won $10K - a great gift idea!

Fozzie's Talent Show

We know a lot of dog people, but we can't think of anyone that loves their dog more than Kendra loves Fozzie. He visited this week and showed us his tricks. Hildi and Finn both enjoyed the opportunity to boss him around and share their dress up glasses and stroller with their "cousin" Fozzie.

Wham, Bam, Clam

Spending time with our nearly-three and six-year-old makes life seem perfect. The kids give us reason to get out to places like Elephant Park. It is so fun to see them be themselves. To be curious about a pay phone, or tile fish on the wall. To delight in a tube slide, going up even more so than down. To test out kissing, then scaling, then licking (??) a stone elephant. To fill their clothes and mouths (!) with sand. That particular night we got to not one, but two parks when we realized Kindel had a game near our house. When the playground equipment grew old, Finn make a huge pile of pinecones and ran around with a small feather like dried pine needle array on his head. Why not? Too soon they will be taking themselves seriously. What a shame.

We are all enjoying the sunshine. It makes it easier to get out and play, easier to put the iPhone away, and trade in video games for clam digging (well we got Niff and Scott to do that), drawing with chalk, blowing bubbles, riding (and crashing) our bikes, and putting up beautiful corbels on our beach house that Nif built.

Come Sail Away

After several downpours the day before, flying was not looking good for Kelly visiting from Wyoming and her man Brian. So, they spent some time with us at Mom and Dad's beach. We took at short walk and got pelted with rain. One half of each of us was soaked, the other dry -- lucky hting we had a washer and drier. Crazy winds and rain.

None of us had high hopes for Sunday, but to our surprise we woke up to sunshine, so headed to Oceanside to see Brian fly. Turned out conditions were perfect for tandem flying, so Steve was the brave one that said he'd go when Brian offered. After Dad saw him, he decided to paraglide too. Look for the yellow parachute with a red dot.

Everyone had grins ear to ear after this fun and beautiful day.

Softball to Sea Creatures

We caught a bit of sun at Kindel’s softball game. Mostly we watched Hildi run at full speed and bash into her Aunt Niffer. We spend the weekend building at the beach and caught some shots of the kids, their cousins and Kindel’s friend Tiffany finding crabs, snails, eels, fish and more at Three Graces. You should have seen how all the kids finds freaked Hildi out. Check out the photos and you'll see her reaction to a tiny crab.

Spring Thrusts Forth

Springtime is simply amazing. We took advantage of the 80 degree weather to get out in the yard and work amongst the lovely scents of our Daphne bushes. Steve focused on fixing things, but took some time to build “chicken furniture” (check out the three tiered perch/support beam and the balance beam) and added an electric fence to protect his girls. Sarah and the kids weeded, moved plants, cleaned up flower beds and made room for some seeds – we are going to try to garden. Check out the close up of a pea plant thrusting its way to the sun. Amazing. Hildi loves being outside – so many things to keep her busy. Finn and his friends helped further our “neighborhood connection” trail and impressed us how easily they made it across a log, the new “bridge” across the ravine. The remains of the play structure that did not get crushed by falling limbs comes in handy. The kids watch the chickens while they climb and slide. The chickens watch the kids as they vie for roosting position and fly. The simple, good life. As you can see we think both kids are darling. Hildi and her bossy ways and talking as well as most teenagers. Finn leaving love pictures around the yard and writing poetry at night, “My sister is a pill, times two.” They are keepers.

Chicken Run, Tooth Fairy, Beach, Easter Bunny

A lot has been going on at our house:

Chicken Run: Dolly finally got some feathers and so the chickens moved out of the house and into their coop. As you can see, they are very happy about this and are roosting in the Rhododendron branches in their run.

Tooth Fairy: Finn had a wiggly tooth. We told him he better get it out before we saw Niffer and Scott at the beach or they’d try and get it out. It came out at recess and into the bark chips. Luckily the Tooth Fairy found it. Finn was laughing so hard about loosing it he was almost crying when he told us.

Beach: Hildi made an egg at school. Of course it is blue, like the fish she named at school called Blue Monkey. She was quite proud of this egg, but now likes to squeeze things as hard as she can (like eggs and tomatoes) to see what happens . . . we brought her egg with us to the beach and were treated to one sunny evening so made the most of it. The next day was not so nice, so Sarah took the kids to Cape Mears to see the lighthouse and Octopus Tree. As you can see we could only jump around and build with Legos for so long.

Easter Bunny: We had Easter breakfast with the Bailey’s then headed to Salem to see the Harringtons and new baby bulldogs. Their cousin Zach told a skeptical Steve and Finn about how Jesus died on the cross and then came back alive. The cousins also performed talents in exchange for Easter Candy. Unfortunately Sarah did not get shots of Mason’s magic show nor shots of Devin and Justin, who with their long hair looked more like girls than boys to us! Still very cute.

West Shore Sights - Kauai, Hawaii

Driving the first five miles up to Waimea Canyon was like blasting off into outer space at 20 miles per hour. We stopped before the first official lookout to check out the impressive canyon. There Scott spotted goats across the canyon (look for tiny white spots). At the main lookout we all hammed it up for the camera and took group shots. Notice how “cool” Mom is with her hang loose sign. Hildi is looking pretty cool too with her shoes on the wrong feet. Unfortunately we didn’t get the same good views at the end of the road, but could see some water to get a feeling for the size of the Na Pali mountains. The drive down the wind curves was not as fun. We all felt a bit sick when we pulled into Glass Beach, the site of an old dump. There Steve found a motor to rebuild and as you can see there’s progression from old broken glass, to beautiful polished beach glass, metal too. Now if Mother Nature could only do that with plastic! Hildi was making kissy faces for her Daddy who later took nice butt shots of her, Nana, and Sarah.

North Shore Sights - Kauai, Hawaii

When sunny, the North Shore was gorgeous. We headed up there a few days to check out the sights. In the first photo you’ll see the mountains named King Kong. See him lying down with his moth open?

We took a hike to Queen’s Bath which is supposed to be a swimming pool in the summer. The day we were there it was rough and hard to spot. Nif said Finn’s skull and crossbones shorts sum up that stretch of coast. We saw a sign saying 23 people had lost their lives on this stretch of coast. It made the trek with kids nerve racking. Look close at the photo with a bit of an inlet and you will see a local picking mussels off the rocks (left side of photo). Crazy! Seconds ago he was where the foamy white stuff is in the photo. Almost as dangerous as me taking a picture of Niffer’s potty stop! Finn and Hildi passed time in the car (less than an hour from Kapa’a where we stayed), making bear Ohana (families). Once past Hanalei there were many charming one lane bridges.

Ha’ena/Tunnels Beach was gorgeous. We snorkeled some, but probably were not in the right spot. It was a bit tougher to navigate than Po’ipu. Sarah tried to take Finley along one of the tunnels which resulted in him cutting his foot on some rocks we swam by. There was a large, dark, ominous drop off too, which kept us from going too far. There were some tunnels that when straight down in the rocks like old vents that were cool, but kind of spooky. Nif did see a turtle swimming near her here. Nana and Papa walked around the tip of the photo where you can see two specks of people in the lower left. We also visited the dry cave.

Another day we visted Ke’e Beach, but after out Queen’s Bath hike didn’t want to do the famous Kalalau Trail that goes up the Na Pali Coast. There’s a shot of a local fisherman with a net out on the reef. Kindel found Macadamia nuts here. Hildi found Doritos and a hot dog at a local tiny little store. We decided Hanalei Bay looked like a better place to play with the rough surf. There Hildi tried to body surf like the big kids and Sarah couldn’t resist taking pictures of hottie Niffer on the beach. Nif got even taking shots of Sarah posing with “skank hair” she found – flattering!

South Shore Sights - Kauai, Hawaii

It is true what they say about the South Shore, it is sunnier. We spent two days on Po’ipu Beach. It was a good mix of places to snorkel and a lovely kiddy area where Finn learned to snorkel, found an eel and played with some boys his age, where Hildi could run around or touch bottom and kick her feet and where Trask was nearly Monk Seal food Seriously one swam right up to where he and Finn were playing and the lifeguards got on the loud speaker, “Dangerous Monk Seal, remove your kids from the water.” There were a couple of areas where we could snorkel too and found lots of fish. It is true what Steve says about snorkel gear, “Nobody looks very sexy in it.” After Po’ipu Beach we’d take the short drive to Koloa town and get some delicious ice cream (try coconut and pineapple mixed if you are there). We drove to Spouting Horn down there too. The houses along the beach were almost more interesting than the Spouting Horn, but the sound the water made in the chamber of the Spouting Horn is unforgettable.

East Shore Sights - Kauai, Hawaii

We left the gloomy northwest for Kauai. This set of pictures is from the East Shore where we stayed in a house with Sarah’s parents and sister Nif’s family. It ended up being a great spot for us to stay. We were up in the hills on 3 acres where we had a sliver of an ocean view and were surrounded by natural Kauai. For the most part we had a lot of cloud coverage (which was a good thing after being out in the sun all day at the beach), but several breaks of sun and clearing. We missed sunsets, but had beautiful sunrises.

Being somewhat remote, we found lots of wildlife. The green bug met its maker (we think pesticides got him), the kids found the centipede creature drowned in the pool, dozens of white birds hung out on the lawn (Kindel enjoyed watching the neighbor mow and how the birds would follow for bugs), there were several geckos in and around the house, a lovely (and large) spider made its home outside the laundry room, and of course there were chickens everywhere (see Wall Street Journal article)! Nif kept pretending she was trying to hit them with the car for dinner and to “make the boys proud.” So when Trask, Hildi and Sarah were out and saw a dead rooster on the side of the road, they couldn’t resist bringing it back. And did it smell! Kindel also found a toad. Hildi enjoyed that a bit more.

We got into a daily routine of hitting some sights during the day and coming home in the late afternoon for some (cold) pool time and to hang out and let our boys cook for us. We loved how Hildi’s dress matched our car. Nif loved how they cut off old power lines (now trees are growing out the tops) where they put in new power lines. You’ll see the picture we took for her cruising up to our place between power lines. On one of the routes to the house we passed Opaeka’a Falls and up Wailua River. It was a very pretty place, but watching the honeymooners take pictures of each other in front of the falls was almost more entertainment than the falls themselves.

Lydgate State Park was close and one of the first beaches we hit because it has protected pools for the kids to practice snorkeling. At first the water was a bit cold, but once you got used to it, we all had fun. Even Mom in her 70’s glasses. We were good about taking pictures of treasures like the fossil rock Trask found, rather than taking the treasures. Some things like the “horns” Trask found we couldn’t resist. Mornings Mom and Dad had a routine of walking the East Shore at sunrise. Trask, Sarah and Hildi joined one day and spotted some whales. Another day we hit Kalapaki Beach for boogie boarding. There was a little fresh water stream there (like many beaches in Kauai) were the kids enjoyed playing and watching small fish swim. The bigger kids enjoyed the waves for boogie boarding. Adults enjoyed bobbing in the waves. Mom and Dad decided to rent a kayak and you’ll have to get a play by play story about how Mom got bashed by the kayak on the beach. Look close and you’ll see Sarah got knocked to her knees (after going under the boat) too.

Back at the house we had fun. Finn would draw. Hildi would bootie shake. Kindel would pop cold medicine (poor girl was sick). Trask would not leave the pool (except to get a Pepsi – notice how it camouflages with his suit). You’ll have to get through lots of shots to see Trask’s Parachute Jump. Steve also taught him the “Enema Jump.” As you can see Sarah was busy taking pictures and the boys cooked up lots of trouble in the kitchen. Nif had her share of mischief too. One night she decided to park Mom and Dad’s rental car in the garage (that we never used) after dark. When they got up to leave, we’ve never seen Dad shake so bad thinking his car had been stolen. Mean, but funny indeed. Maybe not as funny as Mom playing the ukulele or the time Steve served ice cream with big spoons.

Chick Cam

No one that knows Steve is surprised he’s hooked up a “chick cam.” At the moment it is pointed at the newly finished chicken coop complete with mood lighting for his four little women.

Although the chickens are getting stinker, we are excited for the “farm fresh” eggs that seem to be written about in every food and northwest magazine as Easter approaches. The birds continue to entertain us (see Monkey on the feeder) and Rockwell (see a picture of him watching over them). Steve got a good laugh as they watched him build their new home from their perch from inside the house.

Steve’s new trick is bananas and strawberries dipped in chocolate, so don’t feel too bad for the rest of the family – we are still getting attention from the man of the house.

Cooper Spur and Sunny

We had a great day at the Cooper Spur ski resort. We left early to avoid crowds and made it there when it opened. We were greeted in Hood River with sun and other than some big wind gusts had a great day. Finn had his first ride on a ski lift. Steve found his ski legs after years without being on skis. Sarah and Hildi watched from outside, then found a perch in the loft of the lodge and watched the boys take their runs. Finn had one big wreck where he flipped over, lost his skis, etc. but got up and did another run after that.

Gawky Birds

Angel is in one of those awkward stages. I think most of us looked the same way when we were in sixth grade. Her feathers are mostly in, but check out that scraggly chicken neck. I’m sure the other hens talk behind her back since she generally is in charge and laugh about her incomplete feathers. She keeps trying to escape and can fly up six inches or so. Boots is very curious. We should have named her Turbo. She runs and flaps and seems to go from one point to another with no movement in between. Dolly is the late bloomer and is shy around the camera. We did get one shot of her roosting with Monkey. Monkey walks on blue legs like a big dog, I think I will say silly (to steal from Kendra’s award winning Elephant poem). Check out some up close shots.

Life is a Comic Strip

Sarah took some shots of the kids before we headed to the airport to pick up Steve from a week away. They stated out pretty cute in their “dress up” outfits to get Dad, but in the end both had their fingers up their noses. And, there’s a close up of Finn’s teeth. You’ll notice a little inflammation around his right bottom center tooth. It is quite wiggly . . .

Here, Chicks, Chicks, Chicks

The chicks have become entertainment, even for Rockwell (who keeps bringing in birds for us like we are starting a collection) and some of Finn's kindergarten friends (Max and Mak). We have a series of photos of Boots because she's (we hope they are all girls) a slow mover, curious and not easily frightened. She's a cuddler and cozies up to the other chicks. Dolly remains very quite untill you pick her up, then she squaks the loudest. Think fire alarm. Finn's hen Angel is competitive and seems to be at the top of the pecking order. Everytime we put in new straw, Monkey seems to find strands that look like worms, and Angel chases her to get her share of it. That's the reason for shots with staw in thier mouths (you'll see that Monkey tailing Angel or visa versa). Angel likes the perch and is quite a bit bigger than the others. We hope she's a she. Monkey is a funny little bird, like her "owner" Hildi (who is also working on pooping). Monkey's pasted up a few times so has gotten a bit of extra attention and baths. Good thing they aren't outside as we got snow again today.