where the wild things are

Ceramics 1

2012-02-07T16:10:00.001-08:00

Without a doubt, Fuller's favorite class in high school thus far is Ceramics. He loves it, and has made some great stuff. These are a few of my favorites.

Sauvie Island

2012-02-05T16:48:00.001-08:00

This weekend we took advantage of the warm, sunny weather and headed out on a hike. We didn't feel like driving too far, so just headed to do some exploring around Sauvie Island. We were treated to a beautiful day and fantastic mountain views. We walked along the beach, explored a trail, and had some good laughs along the way.

Grayson and Rowan found some great shells.

Rowan spotted the biggest ever mushroom growing out of the side of a tree.

It was so wonderful to feel the sun.

Rowan found a good walking stick and enjoyed being our leader.

We even lucked out and got to see an eagle!

Winter Ball

2012-02-02T20:15:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Fuller attended his high school's Winter Ball. Winter Ball is traditionally a girl's choice. A girl he met on the cross country team invited him by way of a stuffed frog and a poem. He went with a group of sophomores, most of whom also run cross country. The plan was to meet at one of the boys' house for pictures, then they all went out to dinner at Applebees, and then on to the dance. He said he had a great time, other than his feet hurting from the rental shoes that came with the tux. I love that he is getting to take part in these fun activities and start making those high school memories.

Special Birthdays

2012-01-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday mom and dad! Getting better every year!

Snow Day- Take Two

2012-01-18T18:20:00.001-08:00

Well, the boys got their wish! Another snow day! It snowed pretty much all night long, and when we woke up there was a thick blanket of snow over everything. I suggested that Paul stay home. He decided it was fine, and dug his car out to go to work. Luckily he made it safely to and from work, although he did do a 180 degree spin on HWY 30. Thankfully I didn't know about that until after he had arrived in one piece.

The boys got busy on another full day of snow play.

We ended up getting almost 10 inches of snow.

Grayson and Rowan did their best to find ways to sled down the driveway.

And Fuller earned his keep by shoveling a TON of snow!

Snow Day

2012-01-17T14:49:00.001-08:00

This morning we woke up to big fat snow flakes falling from the sky, and a call from the school district saying that we were on a two hour delay. The boys lounged around in their pajamas until we got the second call saying that school was cancelled. Then they were ready for some time in the snow. They had snow ball fights, built snow forts, tried unsuccessfully to sled down the hill, and made frequent trips inside for dry clothes and snacks. A great snow day was had by all, and they are hoping for another one tomorrow.

Scout Snow Trip

2012-01-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend Paul and the two older boys headed up to Mt Hood with the scout group for some sledding and fun times hanging out around the lodge. There wasn't a ton of snow, but thankfully enough to cover the sledding run.

This was Fuller's third year going and Grayson's first. He was really excited about finally being old enough to go.

Fuller and Grayson both had a few crashes, but thankfully came home in one piece. I have to admit, I was pretty worried.

After lots of sledding and a night of staying up late at the lodge eating junk food and playing cards I had three tired boys return home.

Here's Fuller and his friend Daniel hiking back up the hill.

While they were gone Rowan and I had a great time without them. We played games, watched movies, went out to eat, and had our own sleep over. A good weekend for everyone.

Bidding 2011 Farewell

2012-01-01T18:12:00.001-08:00

We all stayed in last night and had a "wild" family New Year's party. We spent the night...

eating yummy hors d'ouevres

snuggling with the ones we love

trying to finish our Christmas puzzle

channeling our "inner Kanye West"

dancing like maniacs

and watching Dick Clark's rockin' New Years Eve.

Everyone but Rowan made it to midnight, and we are all excited to see what 2012 will bring with it.

Christmas Memories 2011

2011-12-31T06:37:00.000-08:00

Mrs Claus Pulls a Prank- A Cautionary Tale

2011-12-30T17:38:00.001-08:00

Several days before Christmas a new name became highlighted on the "Naughty List"- young Grayson. Grayson had decided that he wanted to use Christmas, the "Season of Love", as an opportunity to play a prank on his sweet little brother Rowan. He had taken the biggest box that he could find, placed 4 rocks in it, and wrapped it up with lots of paper and tape. He then placed the box under the tree and proceeded to build his brothers excitement and anticipation about the contents of the box. The hints and promises of greatness grew as the big day approached. Grayson was often seen chuckling to himself about how clever he was.

Well, Mrs Claus got wind of the plotting and scheming. Now Mrs Claus has been known to enjoy a good prank herself, (living with all those crazy "elves" will do that to a person!) and decided that she wanted in on the action. She believed firmly that the best person to prank, was a fellow pranker. Plus she just might teach young Grayson a lesson. She considered many different possibilities and determined that the best thing to do was to replace the rocks in Rowan's present with a really good gift. She got great support for this plan from the mother elves and also some interesting suggestions to make her prank even better. For awhile she planned on not just giving Rowan a substitute gift, but she was going to re-wrap the rocks for Grayson. In the end Mr C stepped in and suggested a change in plan. He thought ruining Grayson's prank might be punishment enough and maybe giving him a little treat to soften the blow was in order.

On Christmas Eve Mrs Claus used her magical stealth powers to swap out the gifts. Rocks were replaced with Bey Blades (Rowan's favorite) and a little treat with a message was put in the box for Grayson. The box looked exactly the same and no one suspected a thing.

On Christmas morning the boys gathered around the big box, all of them full of anticipation. Two of them were expecting a big reaction to the prank, and one of them was ready for his cool gift. As Rowan ripped off the paper and looked inside the box a big smile came across his face. The smile continued to grow as he pulled the awesome toys out of the box. At this same moment Fuller realized that the prankster had been out pranked and began to laugh. Grayson looked on for a moment in stunned silence, his mouth hanging open. He looked confused, and started walking around the room protesting that that wasn't what he had gotten him. He admitted that he had put rocks in the box. He struggled to make sense of this turn of events.

Then Rowan pulled from the box a small wrapped present with a card addressed to Grayson on the top. The card contained the following message, "Dear Grayson, GOTCHA!"
He cracked a smile.

The mystery of the Christmas magic continued in the days after Christmas, as Rowan proudly informed others of how Santa (he gets credit for everything!) had magically replaced Grayson's rocks with a COOL present. Even Grayson, (long suspected to be an unbeliever) started to wonder what had really happened. He also stared trying to talk Rowan into pulling a prank on him next year so he can get extra presents.

So if any of you start getting any ideas about using Christmas as a time to pull a prank on your loved ones, just remember this....Mrs Claus is watching.

HOOT-HOOT

2011-12-21T16:55:00.001-08:00

Tree Hunting

2011-12-10T21:56:00.001-08:00

We headed out this afternoon for a super chilly search for the perfect Christmas tree.

We've been heading to the same local tree farm for a couple of years and always manage to find the perfect tree. Plus the $20 for any tree price cannot be beat.

Fuller announced that this was his year to get to pick the tree. He saw one that he liked about 6 feet from where we parked, but of course we had to search all over the place just for the fun of it.

He picked a beautiful noble.

Rowan was more than happy to help carry the tree, especially since the hot cider and cookies were waiting back at the parking lot.

Christmas in the City

2011-12-04T18:33:00.001-08:00

I love Portland, and Christmas is one of my favorite times to experience the city. I love all of the lights and decorations, and the hustle and bustle of people out doing their Christmas shopping.

On Saturday we went in to see the tree. After dining on some yummy food cart fare, we headed over to Pioneer Square. We were met with a bit of disappointment (the square was being used for the Portland Ale Festival and unavailable to those under 21), but made the most of it. We enjoyed our traditional hot chocolate from Starbucks, and admired the tree from the edge of the square.

As usual Portland did not disappoint and we enjoyed some great people watching and talented street musicians.

Later we headed over to the Rose Garden to enjoy a Winterhawks game.

It was an exciting night of hockey! The Hawks won 7-1 over Seattle.

We all got free hats!

There was some good fight action.

AND we ended up being there for the annual teddy bear toss, and the wedding of two crazy hockey fans.

December is off to a good start!

Thanksgiving Wonderfulness

2011-11-25T10:57:00.001-08:00

Time with family

Wonderful cooks

People we love

Game time

Making fun memories

Thankful

2011-11-24T06:07:00.000-08:00

Some of our local third grade classes were featured in our little paper yesterday. Rowan's class wrote about what they were thankful for. Maybe it's just me, but I think he forgot about something (or someone)...

( He said it was supposed to say we get "materials" from animals. Also I mentioned to him that Paul was in the Air Force, not the Army. His response was "who cares".)

But I do like it better than when Grayson's class was in the paper as third graders. His class wrote about how to cook a turkey, and most of the boys in his class ended up writing gory, turkey killing stories.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Banks-Vernonia Trail

2011-11-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

We recently took advantage of a dry November day to head out for a family hike. We have been wanting to check out the Banks/Vernonia trail for some time, and were glad we did. This trail is part of the "Rails to Trails" program, and the trail spans a 21 mile stretch of old train track, including two trestles. It's a nice level, paved path, and we can't wait to go back with bikes and ride part of it.

For our hike we went to a trail head near the middle of the trail and hiked about 2 miles in, and then back to where we started. The trail was pretty empty, but we did see some cyclists, walkers and a few horses.

The train trestles have been re-done with a nice path and side rails, but Rowan still had a hard time with the heights issue.

Grayson and Rowan had fun looking for the biggest leaves they could find.

We also had fun looking for mushrooms. We saw several different types of mushrooms that we have never seen before, and found some really cool ones.

Grayson wants to get a book about them to bring next time so we can identify them.

Along the way we saw reminders of the trail's past.

I really love the moments that our family shares on hikes.

I love that we are all together doing the same thing, that there are no distractions.

I love the laughs and the stories that are shared.

Some of my favorite things about these hikes are the moments between brothers. Those loving, connected moments...

....right before a wrestling match starts.

Cross Country- Freshman Year

2011-11-18T13:55:00.001-08:00

Fuller just finished his first high school cross country season. He had a great season and showed great improvement. Fuller started training with the high school team back in June, and ran with them 3 days a week most of the summer. This was a huge jump from the training he had done in middle school cross country. In middle school the longest runs they did were 4-5 miles, and over the summer Fuller was doing 6-8 mile runs, and even an 11 mile run. Fuller became very well acquainted with the back roads in our area this summer!

He had some pretty bad aches, pains and strains through out the season, but was able to compete at every event.

3100 meters
10/6 Trojan Park 12:11

5,000 meters
9/9 Bill Chapman Invitational 21:44
9/14 NWOC District Preview 20:07
9/24 Nike Pre- Nationals 21:25
9/28 Sandy High School 21:02
10/5 Star City XClassic 20:50
10/12 McCormick Park 20:59
10/15 Concordia Classic 20:44
10/26 NWOC District Meet 19:14

His goal for much of the season was to break 20 minutes. It alluded him most of the season, but he finally did it at districts.

Fuller really enjoyed the camaraderie of the team, and the breakfast runs and pre-race dinners. He was fortunate to have a good group of upper class men to learn from.

Fuller tracked his miles all season with his Nike sports band, and logged almost 400 miles during the season.

Fuller finished off his season with three awards. He received his school letter, the "Best Newcomer Award", and the "GPS" award- for getting lost while running.

Fuller took a couple weeks off after Districts, but is now back training with the Winter track group, and looking forward to track season.

The Longest Soccer Season

2011-11-12T16:34:00.001-08:00

Today we were finally able to bid farewell to the 2011 soccer season! It was a very cold, wet, miserable day for soccer. I must admit that as the years go by I get ready for soccer season to be over earlier and earlier. I love watching them play, but miss our Saturdays being more for fun, and get tired of being cold.

Rowan finally seemed to "get" the game this year, and really understood the different positions.

This year he decided that he'd really like to be a goalie, and has started focusing on that. I think being the youngest of three boys has done a good job of preparing him to dive into the mix for the ball without the fear of being hurt.

This year Grayson tried out for and made a classics team. This meant practices and tournaments all summer, and a bigger commitment for all of us.

The coaching on this team was excellent, and the level of improvement was high. There were times when Grayson struggled and felt over worked. We have reached the point where soccer is going to be more serious.

Grayson's team didn't win many games this season, but they really grew and improved as a team. I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do in the future.

Paul and I usually had to split up on Saturdays to cover their games and also Fuller's cross country events. We enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa come along and help us cheer!

Happy Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

My favorite veteran- Airman Paul

Halloween

2011-11-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year, except for it being on a school night and having to get the kids to bed at a decent time. Grayson made his own costume and spent many hours perfecting his look. He did a great job! He was a Dalek, an evil robot from the TV show Dr Who. He got a lot of great compliments about his costume and even a few people who gave him extra candy because they liked it so much. Rowan had a hard time deciding what to be, and in the end wore an old skeleton costume that we had and some swords so he could be a ninja too. We went to trunk-or-treat at the church and then hit our own neighborhood for even more candy.

Halloweentown 2011

2011-10-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

Time

2011-09-21T08:17:00.001-07:00

This morning Grayson came running down the stairs demanding to know where the camera was, and then dragged me out to the porch to see the sunrise. What a wonderful treat to stop and enjoy a moment with that boy. The past two weeks since school started have felt overwhelmingly rushed and busy. It seems like there is always something to do and somewhere to be. I'm so thankful to Grayson for making me stop for a minute and take time to enjoy the beauty of a sunrise.

First Day

2011-09-07T09:39:00.001-07:00

Fuller- freshman
Grayson- 5th grade
Rowan- 3rd grade

Labor Day- The Last Hurrah!

2011-09-06T14:37:00.001-07:00

Instead of sitting around the house grumpily waiting for summer to end we decided to head to Astoria for the day on Monday. We did this last year too, and have discovered that it's just what we need to finish the summer right. Plus, most people who have spent the holiday weekend at the beach are heading home then, so it's not even very crowded. Our first stop in Astoria was the Astoria Column, to get in a workout, take in the view and fly some planes.

Rowan was excited about the plane, but in the end his fear of heights won out and he didn't climb to the top of the tower to fly it. He tried to go up twice, but panicked and had to come back down.

There was a really dense mist when we got there, so visibility from the top of the tower was not too good any way.

By the time we were getting ready to go the clouds were burning off so we got to enjoy the view for a few minutes.

After working up an appetite climbing the column we headed to our favorite fish and chips place, but were sadly greeted with a sign that said- sorry we're closed- ran out of fish! We did find a really good substitute place though, and then it was off to the beach.

We love Shipwreck beach! It seems like every year there is a little less ship, and this year there seemed to be a lot less ship. Fuller commented that when he brings his kids there they will wonder why it's called Shipwreck Beach, since by then the ship will be all gone.

It was kind of a misty and windy day, but the kids never let the cold stop them.

They have to run right out in that freezing cold water no matter what.

We also had a special treat on this trip to the beach and were able to meet up with my friend Stacey and her kids.

It was a great way to end the summer, and we will go back and do it again next Labor Day!

Run Fuller Run

2011-09-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Fuller has spent this summer training with the high school cross country team. They started running 3 days a week at the start of June and haven't stopped. For middle school graduation we got him a Nike sport band to calculate and keep track of his miles. Last week Fuller passed the 200 mile mark. Fuller had thought he was in pretty good shape at the end of track season, but is amazed at how much better he has gotten over the summer. I have been so impressed by him. There have been mornings when he was tired, sore, injured and just not in the mood, but he persevered and went to practice any way. This summer he ran the the longest run of his life (so far)- 11.5 miles and felt great afterward. Next Friday is the first cross country meet of his high school career. I can't wait to watch him run!

Cub Scout Carnival- Pie Eating Contest

2011-09-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ape Caves/ Trail of Two Forests

2011-08-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Paul and I took the boys up to the Mt St Helens area for some fun and adventure. We had been talking about going to Ape Caves for some time, and were finally able to get up there. Rowan had been super excited about going and insistent that we go up until Friday night. Then he decided he might actually be too scared to go in the caves.

When we got there he was very reluctant to enter the caves. We reassured him that we had lots of flashlights and would hold his hand the whole time, and convinced him to give it a try. Within about 5 minutes of being in the cave he was LOVING it, and we had to remind him to stick with us and not get too far ahead. Then he started saying he didn't need to be with us because he's a "man of adventure"! What a nut!

We decided to start with the lower cave, which is the easier of the two caves. Most of that cave is about as big as a subway tunnel, although the ground is rocky and you have to do a bit of climbing over large rocks in portions of it. It is really amazingly cool in there.

We saw the "meatball", and also the 3 meatballs that are lined up together.

Grayson and Rowan were great explorers, and enjoyed looking for neat formations in the cave. They also had fun trying to sneak a little ahead of us, hide, and then act like grumpy cave trolls when we "found" them.

We had planned to just do the lower cave, but even though it was a chilly 42 degrees in there they were chomping at the bit to do some more exploring. We explored part of the more challenging upper cave, but it was clear that we weren't quite prepared enough for that, and at that point we had already been down in the caves for about an hour and half and were getting tired and hungry.

The upper cave is definitely going to require headlamps instead of flashlights since there will be a lot more climbing over rocks which will require both hands.

We will definitely be going back!

We also made a trip to see the trail of Two Forests while we were there.

This is a nice easy trail that shows some of the cool effects of the lava flow.

There are a bunch of neat tree casts, where the lava encased the large tree trunks and formed impressions of the trees.

There is an optional section of the trail called "the crawl" where you can crawl through an underground tunnel that was formed when the lava encased and then burned out a large fallen tree. Paul and I opted not to go through it, since it did require actual crawling.

Rowan was initially scared about going through it since Paul and I weren't going, but after he saw Grayson and Fuller make it through in one piece he went through.

He ended up liking it so much he ended up going through it about 5 more times before we finally had to go.

It was a great family day, and we saw some places we are excited to go back and explore some more. I think our next adventures in the area may be Lake Cave or Lava Canyon.

The Freshman

2011-08-29T05:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I took Fuller to register for high school. Sigh. As much as I beg and plead he just won't stop growing up. The fact that he was measured at 6ft at his last check up is evidence of that. This summer he has been running with the high school cross country team three days a week, so I've kind of gotten used to dropping him off at the high school and seeing him there, but it's still weird. In my mind he's still about 6 years old and into playing with trucks. In reality he's a teenager and into texting girls. It has suddenly become very clear to me that my time with this child is very limited. Between school, sports, homework and friends I know I will be seeing very little of him this fall, and as much as he sometimes drives me crazy I know I will miss him terribly.

At the same time I am excited for him. I am proud of the person that he is, and looking forward to good things from him in the years to come. I hope he loves high school and has as much fun as he had in middle school. I hope he makes good, lifelong friends. I hope he laughs a lot and makes great memories. I hope he finds a direction or plan for his life that he is excited about. But most of all I hope he still makes time for us at home who love him. Because I am still the Mommy, and I'm not ready to let go! (just kidding....kind of)

(Fuller informed me that I wasn't allowed to bring a camera to registration. I guess that's just not cool. So I sneaked a picture of the registration sign earlier in the day and got him with his locker using my phone.)

The New Dirt Bike Track

2011-08-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

One of the boys' (Grayson and Rowan) favorite new things to do this summer is go to the dirt bike track at one of the local parks. This summer they totally redid the track and it is greatly improved from what it used to be. I was a little unsure about if I thought it was going to be safe for them, especially Rowan, but they have gotten the hang of it very quickly.

Grayson loves that he gets to really test out his new bmx bike. He had one really good fall the first time we went, but has done great since then.

Rowan was hesitant at first, but last time we went we could barely get him to leave.

The only part the boys don't like is the long trek up the gravel hill to the starting line. That gets tiring!

I really hope the city will keep this maintained. It's so nice to have something else for the kids to do in town.

Swimming Lessons

2011-08-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

We have just finished up swimming lessons for the summer. I am so proud of these guys and all the great improvements they have made in their swimming. Grayson has gotten to the point that we will be letting him quit swimming lessons for good if he wants to. The only item not marked off on his "report card" was the butterfly, and I'm ok with him never perfecting that particular stroke. The kids both had great teachers this summer and had a lot of fun with their classes.

Cannon Beach and Cousins

2011-08-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we had a visit from Paul's brother and his family, and got to spend some quality time together at Cannon Beach. The kids had a great time lovin' on Uncle Jason and Aunt Barb, and hanging out with Gabe and Elsie. There's a chance they may be moving here soon, so we are hopeful for more frequent trips to the beach with them.

And of course no trip to the beach would be complete without Buster!

It was fairly chilly and windy, but that didn't stop the kids from getting in the frigid water. They played and played until we made them get out and warm up.

There was also plenty of digging in the sand....

And looking at the tide pools.

And of course hanging out and looking cool.

We also took in some yummy clam chowder at Mo's(although our waitress left a little to be desired), and visited the bakery and the candy store.

What a great trip to the beach!

Eleven

2011-08-10T08:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Grayson turned 11. I can't believe how fast that boy is growing up! Grayson has a crazy, somewhat off kilter sense of humor and can get us in stitches faster than anyone else. He does great impressions and is the master of movie quotes. He loves to be active and keeps busy with soccer, swimming and bike riding.

Favorite food: BBQ chicken wings
Favorite movie: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Favorite restaurant: La Sirenita
Favorite TV show: Dr Who
Favorite game: Lego Pirates of the Caribbean for Wii
Favorite music: Rap or R&B
Favorite thing to do: play soccer
Favorite toy: ipod touch
Best friends: Olivia, Hunter S, Hunter W
Most important thing you learned this year: How to cook

Grayson got to spread his birthday celebrating out by celebrating early when his cousins from Montana were here, and then with a special dinner with Grandma and Grandpa on his actual birthday.

His big birthday wishes this year were for a bmx bike, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, and a Jamba Juice gift card (what can I say, that kid has a slight addiction to mango smoothies).

It must have been the best birthday ever because all of those wishes came true!

We love you sweet boy! Can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Arrow of Light

2011-08-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

Last week Grayson received his Arrow of Light and crossed over from cub scouts to boy scouts. This marks the end of 3 years of den meetings, pack meetings, and day camp. I had the privilege of being Grayson's scout leader for part of that time, and I'm proud of all the work that he has done. He's looking forward to finally get to do overnight scout camping.

Rowan's Big Day Out

2011-08-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

One day last week my parents came and picked Rowan up for a special date. When the other boys were about the same age as Rowan they also got this special treat, so he has been anxiously waiting for his turn to get taken out to lunch and to the Air Museum. They started off with lunch at Roses, which included a GINORMOUS cinnamon roll. Then it was off to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.

Rowan really loved getting to see all the planes and fly a flight simulator.

Although he apparently crashed his plane.

I think he really liked getting all of Grandma and Grandpa's attention to himself too!

I loved getting to hear all about the planes that he saw. He seemed to soak up a lot of cool facts about them while he was there. He also came home with model airplane kits for he and his brothers, so the fun continues!

Thanks for a great day Grandma and Grandpa!

Dear Nevada, Thanks for the Memories

2011-07-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

Last week we met up with Paul's Brother and his family and Paul's dad at the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in northern Nevada. We had such a wonderful time, and made so many memories:

- Finding out how much you have in common with your cousins, including a true love for legos, star wars and beef jerky.

- Quality time with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Sandy

- Plenty of "guy time"

- Being together, being unplugged, and feeling connected

- Yummy camp food

- Jack's amazing Star Wars origami

- Hanging out with Ripley- drool and all

- Seeing shooting stars

- Seeing a herd of antelope

- Listening to noisy bullfrogs, howling coyotes and wild burros while trying to sleep

- Feeling "REAL HEAT" for the first time this Summer

- Rowan getting "stuck" in an outhouse (very not funny to him)

- Fishing with Grandpa and Uncle Aaron

- Catching tadpoles and minnows in the pool

- Being brothers

- Visiting an Opal mine and seeing an amazing arrowhead collection

- Learning to appreciate the silence- and being able to hear the bugs, birds and jack rabbits

- Building fires

- Seeing a bull snake and not screaming

- S'mores

- Swimming in the warm springs pool

- Laughing at Grandpa's jokes and stories

- Waking up on flat air mattresses

- Hikes

- Coming home completely exhausted from all the fun you had!

Cub Scout Day Camp

2011-07-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today Rowan and Grayson finished up a week of Cub Scout day camp. They had a full five days of crafts, games, archery, bb guns and being silly with friends. I got to spend a couple of days at camp with them and even Fuller came one day as a helper. This was Grayson's 3rd and final year, and Rowan's first. Rowan has heard about the wonders of camp for years, so he was super excited to go. Even though it was kind of a cold wet week, and the mosquitoes were out in force, I think it lived up to his expectations. This was my 6th year of attending camp. Only 2 more and I can officially retire!

Grayson also figured out that he could stuff a lot of Tootsie Rolls in his mouth!

Oaks Park

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

Last weekend we took the boys to Oaks Amusement Park for Paul's union picnic. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had much fun!

The union provided us with a surprisingly delicious BBQ for lunch. Once we had eaten our fill we headed out to enjoy the park.

We decided to try our hand at roller skating first off, while our lunch settled. Fuller is the only one of the kids who has ever skated before, so this was more entertaining than I thought it would be. Paul pretty much looked like "Lurch", and Grayson and Fuller were also pretty stiff.

Rowan initially decided not to skate, because he didn't want to get hurt. But after seeing Grayson fall several times and get back up he decided he could do it. He mainly stuck to the beginner area with hand rails though.

I love this old rink with it's old fashioned pipe organ. In many ways it hasn't changed a bit.

After skating we went out to hit the rides.

My boys have had very little experience with riding rides.

Rowan was afraid of most of the rides, but did give a couple of them a try. He really hated the Ferris Wheel. Heights are just not his thing.

Fuller is also not a big fan of rides, but for him it's more a motion sickness issue than fear.

Grayson is our daredevil ride lover! He wanted to ride everything, even if he had to ride it alone. His motto seems to be "the bigger the better"!

What a great day!

A Very Fun 4th of July

2011-07-05T10:18:00.001-07:00

We had a very fun 4th of July!

There were thoughts about country.

Time with family (and lots of other cool people)!

Kickball for all ages.

Boxes full of excitement.

And pretty things to look at!

Summer Fun- Water Park Edition

2011-07-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last week I took the boys for a day of fun at the North Clackamas Water Park.

We played in the pools.

We went down the water slides (those are Fuller's big feet).

Climbed the rock wall

And enjoyed some snack bar junk food!

A great day of Summer fun!

8th Grade Track Season

2011-07-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

This was Fuller's third year of track. Over the years he has pretty much decided that the 1500 is his main event. He still tries events like turbo jav, but he's only really serious about running the 1500. He had a great season and showed constant improvement. It was clear that running cross country in the Fall really improved his performance. He was also chosen to be one of the team captains this year. He finished the season with a 3rd place finish at districts, and a personal best of 5:13. Great job Fuller!

Spring Soccer

2011-06-28T21:56:00.001-07:00

This Spring Grayson had an opportunity to play soccer with the same team he played with in the Fall. This was a great opportunity to keep busy and active and get more competitive experience. Grayson's team struggled in the regular season and lost most of their games, but Spring season was definitely their time to shine. The boys really worked hard, pulled together as a team and had an undefeated season.

Grayson has really bonded with this group of boys and coaches. Coach Dave is a great coach and Grayson learned so much about the game from him. Thankfully Grayson did well enough at tryouts to earn a spot on this team for next Fall. They have already started practicing and are looking good!

Cub Scout Bike Rodeo

2011-06-23T14:34:00.001-07:00

Japanese Garden

2011-06-21T11:04:00.001-07:00

Recently Paul and I went on what we refer to as an "EPIC DATE". The kids spent most of the weekend at my parents house and we had fun! On Friday night we went into Portland and went out to dinner, shopping at Lloyd Center and to see Brendan Perry in concert. It was an amazing show, and we stayed out way past our bedtime.

Saturday morning we went back into town for cajun style brunch at Le Bistro Montage. It was fantastic! This is an old favorite of ours from before we had kids, and it is still just as delicious.

After brunch we headed up to the Japanese Garden. I can't believe we'd never gone here before. It is so amazingly beautiful!

I love that they tell you to turn all cell phones and electronics off, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Definitely a place of quiet solitude. We were glad we decided to go without the boys. I'm not sure they would have appreciated the beauty of the place and we would have felt more rushed.

I think I might go back by myself one day and just sit and breathe for a very long time.

The End

2011-06-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

The kids have been home on Summer vacation for a few days now, and I still can't believe that the year is already over. It was a good year. The boys had good teachers, good friends and learned a lot. The last week of school was a busy one, with assemblies, field day, field trips and good byes.
Rowan's class celebrated the end of the year with a picnic at the park. It was a fun last full day with Mr.P and his classmates. Next year it's off to a new school for this kid, and he and I will both be missing McB.

Fuller has come to the end of his 8th grade career. Middle school has been a great experience for him. He has really grown up a lot the last two years and is excited about high school. This is a picture of Fuller and his best friend leaving the middle school for the last time.

And then there's Grayson. This poor kid didn't get an award that he really deserved. He wasn't tardy or absent the whole year! This is pretty much a miracle, and will not likely be repeated in our family. When Fuller went to that school they gave awards for perfect attendance, but I guess they don't do that any more. I may have to make him one myself. In fact I might make one for me too, because I KNOW I deserve it for getting him there every day.

We celebrated the end of the year with our traditional trip to DQ. I am so proud of these boys!

His Year to Shine

2011-06-18T16:54:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was Fuller's last day of middle school,and we got to celebrate his accomplishments at the end of the year assembly. We are so proud of this kid! Eighth grade was a great year for him, and he really rose to the challenges and opportunities that he had. (I know Fuller reads this, so I want him to know that we noticed all of his hard work!)

This year Fuller:
-was a WEB (where everyone belongs) leader
-Made the honor roll all 4 quarters-(having a 4.0 GPA three of the four quarters)
-Citizenship award
-Basketball team captain
-Athlete of the month- Basketball
-Track team co-captain
-Awarded the Presidential award for "Outstanding Academic Achievement"
-and according to his teachers was "a pleasure to have in class"

While I feel a little sad about Fuller and the rest of the class of 2015 starting high school next year, I'm excited too. On to bigger and better things!

We love you Fuller!

Saturday Perfection

2011-06-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

I'm really behind in blogging, in fact I still have Easter pictures on my camera. But today has me excited! We finally had a beautiful, warm sunny Saturday. It was wonderful!
The lawn was mowed.

New things were planted in the garden

The sprinkler was run through.

And Grayson and Rowan invented a new game that has no official name, but is unofficially called "torture your brother with cold water until he can't take any more."

There were also hot dogs and hamburgers off the grill, the first watermelon of the season, and ice cream cones. A great taste of things to come this Summer! Only 8 more days of school and we'll be there!

All About Rowan

2011-05-06T14:04:00.001-07:00

The other day Rowan brought home his "All About Me" book that he has been working on in class. In it he tells all about himself, his family, where he lives, etc. His book was full of some very insightful observations about his life.

I loved his section on his family! He said we were magnificent! A few other quotes:

"I have a black lab named Buster who work at home barking at the door."

and

"My mom works at home cleaning laundry and cleaning dishes."

He also shared,"I really like alligators because they eat stuff whole"

And perhaps my favorite sentences in the whole book:

"I don't like Justin Beiber. He sings like a girl."

And as for Rowan's prediction for his future:

"When I grow up I want to be a secret agent. They have really cool weapons. I'd work for MI6."

This book is definitely a keeper!

Brag-worthy Moments

2011-04-19T13:59:00.001-07:00

Grayson

Grayson and his fellow Shockwave players won their first game(4-3)! This team of hard working players had a rough fall season,loosing all of their games, but they have continued to practice hard and have shown such great improvement. Their games have become so much more exciting to watch.

Rowan

Rowan received an award for "Outstanding Grades" at his school's latest awards assembly. He was so excited to be given this award by his teacher!

Fuller

Fuller had a great first track meet of the season, coming in second in the 1500 and bettering his best time from last season. He was also selected by the track coaches to be one the team captains.

So proud of these guys!

Pinewood Derby- A First and a Last

2011-04-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

After spending five years watching one of his brothers compete in the pinewood derby this year Rowan was finally able to join in the fun. This was Grayson's third and final year, and the first time we've had kids competing against each other.

We had had some seriously competitive talk going on between Grayson and Rowan before hand, so we had to have a little chat about being good sports and focusing on the fun.

When we showed up for weigh in both cars were under weight. Every other year we have had an over weight car, so we didn't even think to bring extra weight. We ended up taping some quarters and nickels to the tops of their cars to get them closer to the weight limit.

There was some seriously exciting racing going on!

All eyes were on the finish line- especially Paul's. Much to his chagrin he got roped into being a judge at the finish line.

Grayson ended up coming in 2nd and Rowan came in 4th. Grayson was very sweet and encouraging to Rowan. He told him that 4th is great, especially your first year. (Grayson's first year he tied for last and the night ended in tears.)

After the official race the boys got to eat cookies and race for fun. It was quite the free-for-all! The boys loved this part of the evening the best!

Grayson is now officially retired from the pinewood derby, but Rowan's got 2 more years of racing fun ahead of him.

Happiness is......

2011-03-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

...a super clean, fresh smelling dog. (Although I'm sure Buster would not agree. He likes his STANK.)

I Love Having a Handy Husband!

2011-03-26T20:08:00.001-07:00

Our Spring Break started out rocky. The weather was wet and cold, Rowan was sick, and the Wii broke. The children greatly lamented the loss of video game time. We assured them that they would live.

Meanwhile Paul got online and did some research into Wii problems. He diagnosed the possible problem and ordered a special screw driver to open the Wii and a new laser. The children doubted that it could be fixed and every day begged us to buy a new one.

Today the tool and the part finally arrived and after 3 hours following "how to" videos, Paul put it back together and we all crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. It worked! A true Spring Break miracle! I have the HANDIEST husband!

Grayson also "helped" in his own special way, and now the kids are happily back to arguing about who's turn it is.

Rowan's Special Day

2011-03-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain
and ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.

I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away,
and I can be forgiven and improve myself each day.

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.

Sharing a Birthday

2011-03-19T18:16:00.001-07:00

With birthdays just 6 days apart Fuller and Rowan have shared many a birthday celebration over the years. This year they each had their own friend party, but we also had a family birthday dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma and Grandpa have never missed one of the kids' birthdays, and they always bring something for everyone!

After dinner it was time for cupcakes!

I thought that since they each had their own cake and candles at their individual parties, they could just share for this celebration.

But then a certain older brother blew out all the candles but one, and a certain younger brother made THAT face.

So we did the only thing we could do at that point, we re-lit all the candles and let Rowan blow them all out by himself.

Birthday disaster averted!

It's Great to be 8!

2011-03-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today my baby boy is eight years old! Where has the time gone? In honor of his special day we had a party with some of his buddies yesterday. They ate pizza and cake, had a limbo contest, went on a scavenger hunt, and ran through the house like maniacs. Rowan loved every minute of it!

A few facts about Rowan at 8:

Favorite food: hot dogs
Favorite movie: Open Season 2
Favorite restaurant: Miyako
Favorite TV show: Pink Panther and Pals
Favorite game: Phineas and Ferb for ds
Favorite music: "Eye of the Tiger"
Favorite thing to do: Play video games
Favorite toy: Ninjago legos
Best friends: Sam, Landon, Dasher, Chris and Kent
Most important thing you learned this year: how to do times (multiplication)

Happy Birthday Rowan! We love you!

14

2011-03-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Fuller will be 14. So this weekend he had a couple of friends over to celebrate his birthday. They ate, played video games, ate, played video games, ate, played video games, and sometime in the wee hours of the morning actually went to sleep. Then in the morning they ate, played some more video games and actually went outside and played some real basketball for a few hours. Perfection.

A few facts about Fuller at 14:

Favorite food: lumpia and burritos
Favorite movie: Inception and Lord of the Rings
Favorite restaurant: Chipotle, or Aprisa
Favorite TV show: sports, ESPN, etc.- favorite teams are Oregon Ducks,Celtics and BYU basketball
Favorite game: Golden Eye for Wii
Favorite music: rap (yuck!)
Favorite thing to do: Play basketball
Favorite toy: ipod touch with skullcandy headphones
Best friends: Talon, Tyler, Jake, Mitchell
Most important thing you learned this year: how to shave

(As you can tell by the picture, Grayson and Rowan were being their most "entertaining" selves for Fuller's friends.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FULLER!

Snow Day- Take 3

2011-03-01T11:43:00.001-08:00

In the last week we have had some weird late Winter weather. Last Thursday and Friday we woke to a dusting of white, which ridiculously made them close school out here.

Grayson and Rowan went on a quest to find enough snow to use the sleds they got for Christmas.

But sadly they couldn't find enough. By late morning the roads were pretty much clear and there wasn't enough snow to be fun to play in.

This morning we once again woke to a dusting of white. This time we had way more than the other days they had closed school, so we knew right away it was going to be a day off. Grayson and Rowan headed outside right after breakfast and made the most of it.

Rowan set about trying to get enough snow to make a snow fort,while Grayson tried to convince me to pay him shoveling snow.

By 9:30 the snow had turned to rain, it had warmed up over freezing and the snow plow had hit our street. Everything was quickly becoming a soggy mess outside. In my opinion, if there isn't going to be enough snow to keep the kids occupied all day, then we shouldn't have a snow day.

(Fuller has apparently reached the age where a little bit of snow just isn't exciting enough to leave the house for. That's why he's not in any of the pictures.)

Hoop Dreams

2011-02-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

8th grade basketball has come to an end, and what a season it was. We had lots of ups and downs this year, starting with Fuller not making the A team. This initially seemed like a bad thing, but as the season wore on we all realized (especially Fuller) that this was in fact a really good thing. On the B team Fuller got so much more playing time and experience. He also got to be with a group of kids that he likes a lot better, and got to be a co team captain.

Their season got off to a very rocky start when their first game was canceled due to a mud slide and then they lost the first game they played 32-4. Their next game wasn't much better, and I feared for the worst. Fuller was discouraged, and frustrated with his team.

But as the season wore on they improved, and learned to work together. Then they actually won a few games. It seemed that they were hitting their stride. Fuller had several games where his point totals were in the double digits and he was his team's high scorer. Enjoyment for the game returned.

Then Mother Nature intervened. Their last 2 games of the season, which they had a good chance of winning, were canceled due to snow and the season just fizzled out.

For many of the boys on this team this will be their last year playing. The "no cut" policy at the middle school definitely doesn't carry over into high school, and two teams worth of boys will be trying out for one team. It will be interesting to see how Fuller fares with that level of competition.

We were really proud of him. He worked hard and did his best, and it was a joy to watch him play!

Cake Decorating

2011-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

This week was Grayson's third,and final, cub scout "blue and gold" dinner and annual cake decorating contest. This years theme was "Space Odyssey". I gathered a few decorating supplies and baked the cake, but the decorating was all him. He had a great time doing it.

Since Fuller also participated in this tradition for his 3 years of cub scouting, this was our 6th consecutive year of attending the dinner and making a cake. Afterward, Rowan reminded me that he will be old enough to join scouts soon, and next year it will be his turn to make a cake.

Three more years.

How did we get here?

2011-02-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

Last night I couldn't sleep.

Yesterday Fuller got in the car after school and with just one sentence managed to ruin my day and break my heart. "Did you know that in like 4 years I'll be getting ready to graduate and move out?" he said with a big smile.

Let me just say:
I AM NOT READY FOR THIS!

I know I should have seen it coming. He's been on that darn slippery slope to growing up for a long time now. First he became a teenager. Then he started having to shave (well at least monthly). And just recently he grew taller than me. But denial is a powerful force.

With the school year now half way over they have started talking to the 8th graders about high school. And planning out the courses they'll need to graduate, and get into college,(and move away). Yesterday Fuller brought home his high school curriculum guide and a sample forecasting sheet to help us plan out his future. It all seems so much more complex than when I was in high school. There are so many more options and things to think about. If you know at 14 what you want to be when you grow up you can now get a good jump start in high school. But if you don't know, will you be behind because you tried out a lot of different classes trying to figure it out? Will the fact that you took "International Cuisine" and "Ceramics" instead of "Business Principles" and "Marketing" as a high school freshman one day come back to haunt you?

Aren't they still supposed to be having fun, and not worrying about their 10 year plan just yet?

I want to go back to this stage:

I liked this stage a lot.

For My Sweetie

2011-02-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love you!

(Embroidery idea found HERE.)

He's just such a great kid!

2011-02-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today Fuller received two awards, one for making the honor roll and one for citizenship. It makes this mama proud! He's going to be 14 in a few weeks, and it seems like we hardly see him sometimes. Between school, sports, scouts and friends he is one busy guy. It's nice to hear he's doing ok out there in the world.

He Was Supposed to be Sleeping....

2011-01-29T17:07:00.000-08:00

...but he covered the walls around his bed with Lego mini-figure stickers instead.

Duck Fever

2011-01-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years Fuller has become a pretty serious fan of the Oregon Duck football team. He watches all the games, follows the players and reads about the team online. He loves his Ducks. This year the Ducks had a really good season, so the Duck loving reached new heights at our house.

Fuller found friends that shared his love of the yellow and green. They spent the season cheering on their team while eating their weight in pizza rolls.

And sometimes they even allowed non duck lovers to join them. And we discovered our neighbors also love the Ducks, when they had the high school marching band show up to play the U of O fight song on the day of the civil war game.

The Ducks finished their regular season 12-0 and were headed to the BCS game against Auburn. Fuller requested all new Duck gear for Christmas. Excitement was in the air! So much excitement that Paul's brother Jason and son Gabe (Montana's biggest Duck fans) decided to fly in so they could watch the game in Oregon with other fans!

Yesterday was game day Paul and his brother and his Dad took the boys (minus Rowan who could care less) to see the game at the Bagdad theater in Portland, so the could see it on the big movie screen with hundreds of other fans. They reveled in the experience! But alas the Ducks couldn't pull out a win. It was a close finish, and a very heartbreaking loss for my young Duck fan.

After the game we (Fuller) received a bit of payback. Earlier in the season he may (or may not) have had something to do with Oregon duck signs ending up in the yards of certain local Beaver fans. So last night he shouldn't have been too surprised when a large Auburn flag ended up hanging from our front porch. It also came with a blue and orange cake. When he saw it he kind of wanted to just smash the cake, but the rest of us hate to see a perfectly good cake go to waste.

The mood around here was kind of somber and grumpy this morning. But there's always next year. And hopefully he will just be able to focus on how fun and memorable the season as a whole was.

So, GO DUCKS!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-07T19:01:00.001-08:00

We started Christmas morning off with the obligatory "make the children wait at the top of the stairs til we're ready" torture.

Then it was serious fun!

Santa's gifts were a huge hit! Sleds for everyone, so it better snow this Winter. Grayson's big gift was a pogo stick, which he loves and is getting quite skilled at.

Rowan's Christmas wish came true with the arrival of Lego Harry Potter.

And Fuller scored some 007 action. (Not quite sure what Santa was thinking on that one.

Then it was over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate with everyone else. As the youngest child present Rowan was put in charge of passing out gifts. Everyone got super spoiled as usual!

It was wonderful to have my entire side of the family there! What a great group of people!

We spent the rest of the day eating way too much, putting together legos,

playing games, and making memories.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve day we were treated to a visit from Paul's dad. The boys had a great time playing with him and laughing at his jokes. We mostly spent the day at home relaxing, except for Paul who spent the afternoon finishing up some Christmas shopping. Being out of town most of the month of December didn't give him too much time to prepare. We played board games, made sushi and ate lots of homemade goodies from the grandmas.

As it got close to the evening the boys started getting antsy to open their Christmas Eve present.

At our house the boys always get the same thing on Christmas Eve- new pajamas and a book to read. The book is to give them something quiet to do if they have trouble sleeping that night.

Rowan was so excited about getting the new "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book that he had to dash over and give me a hug.

The jammies were pretty cool too.

I had wanted to make Oregon Duck fleece sleep pants for the boys, but had trouble tracking down Duck fabric. The 3 stores I tried were all sold out. Popular idea this year I guess.

And after everyone went to bed Buster stood vigil, waiting for Santa.

Handmade Christmas

2011-01-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

I had tons of ideas and good intentions for lots of homemade Christmas gifts, but once again neglected to start them early enough to finish them. Maybe if I start now I'll actually finish things in time for NEXT Christmas. But, I did manage to get a few things completed.

Some half eaten gingerbread men ornaments. (I definitely need to make more of these guys since I gave them all away and forgot to keep one for myself.)

A little throw quilt for my parents. ( Don't look too close it's very uneven).

Some festive place mats.

A couple of scarves.

And a cute little hat that wasn't really a Christmas present, but a welcome gift for a special little one.

Christmas in the City

2011-01-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous day spending time in the city this Christmas! I think it was probably everyone's favorite day of the vacation.

We dined at some of Portland's famously wonderful food carts, Korean BBQ, Hawaiian chicken, Indian curry, etc. You can probably tell by the way the boys are attacking Paul's plate like a pack of wild jackals, it was REALLY good!

The weather was nice and dry, but very cold the day we went, so of course we had to stop in at Starbucks for some hot chocolate.

And spend some quality time enjoying the tree. I'm really glad it didn't get blown up.

And finally, a stop at Finnegan's (aka the best toy store in the world) so the boys could spend some of their Christmas money. Rowan got a money sorting bank and Grayson was very enamored with the prank section, and came out with a joy buzzer. Beware if he ever asks to shake your hand.

We were also treated to some fabulous entertainment. We saw "Silver Statue Guy", a trumpet playing Santa, a fantastic bagpiper, drummers, singers, and this crazy guy who was dancing his heart out for hours. Every time we passed by he was strutting his stuff.

I also met and heard the life story of a very interesting transient. Haven't had that happen in awhile.

Man I love the city!

2010 Reading List

2011-01-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

I've got lots of Christmas pictures to sift through and post, but I just finished my first book of 2011, so it's time to start a new list! My goal for 2010 was 50 books, which I surpassed, but ended up reading a number of books that weren't exactly written for adults. What can I say, there is some good writing going on out there for young adults.

1- I'm a Stranger Here Myself- Bill Bryson
2- A Long Way From Chicago- Richard Peck
3- Ya-Yas in Bloom- Rebecca Wells
4- A Long Fatal Love Chase- Louisa May Alcott
5- The Heretic's Daughter- Kathleen Kent
6- The Lacuna- Barbara Kingsolver
7- Real Murders- Charlaine Harris
8- The Return- Victoria Hislop
9- A Bone to Pick- Charlaine Harris
10- Three Bedrooms, One Corpse- Charlaine Harris
11- The Julius House- Charlaine Harris
12- Dead Over Heels- Charlaine Harris
13- A Fool and His Honey- Charlaine Harris
14- Last Scene Alive- Charlaine Harris
15- Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson
16- Poppy Done to Death- Charlaine Harris
17- The Fasting Girl- Michelle Stacey
18- Little Altars Everywhere- Rebecca Wells
19- Atonement- Ian McEwan
20- The Host- Stephenie Meyer
21- Comfort Me with Apples- Ruth Reichl
22- Nanny Returns- Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
23- Anne of Green Gables- LM Montgomery
24- City of Bones- Casandra Clare
25- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle- David Wroblewski
26- Dead in the Family- Charlaine Harris
27- Marked- P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
28- City of Ashes- Cassandra Clare
29- City of Glass- Cassandra Clare
30- The Gates- John Connolly
31- Chosen- P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
32- Hunted- P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
33- Anne of Avonlea- LM Montgomery
34- Anne of the Island- LM Montgomery
35- The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers- Thomas Mullen
36- The Penderwicks- Jeanne Birdsall
37- The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch- Joseph Delaney
38- The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane- Joseph Delaney
39- Snowbound- Blake Crouch
40- The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer- Joseph Delaney
41- Jane Austen Ruined My Life- Beth Pattillo
42- Mr Darcy Broke My Heart- Beth Pattillo
43- The Goose Girl- Shannon Hale
44- Mockingjay- Suzanne Collins
45- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate- Jacqueline Kelly
46- Enna Burning- Shannon Hale
47- The Girl Who Fell From the Sky- Heidi W. Durrow
48- The Crying Tree- Naseem Rakha
49- An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England- Brock Clarke
50- River Secrets- Shannon Hale
51- Forest Born- Shannon Hale
52- Fairest- Gail Carson Levine
53- Raven Stole the Moon- Garth Stein
54- A Blessing on the Moon- Joseph Skibell
55- Little Princes- Conor Grennan
56- Book of a Thousand Days- Shannon Hale

As usual there are books on this list that I didn't particularly like. There is also another group of books that didn't make it to this list because I disliked them so much I never finished reading them, (a rare thing for me).

Here are my top 5 picks from 2010 (in no particular order):

The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers- Thomas Mullen
Comfort Me with Apples- Ruth Reichl
The Heretic's Daughter- Kathleen Kent
Little Princes- Conor Grennan
The Return- Victoria Hislop

My goal for 2011 is once again 50 books, but with the added challenge that at least 5 need to be classics.

Youth Basketball

2010-12-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

We have just finished up our youth basketball season. It's a fast 6 weeks. This was Grayson's 4th year playing.

He's become much better at ball handling and being aggressive on the court.

He's got great hustle and is really fun to watch.

He's starting to get more serious about the game, and goof around with his friends less. But thankfully he's still having a good time. Next year he'll start playing full court!

This was Rowan's first year playing. Last year he said he was "too short" to play, even tough we assured him he was no shorter than the other first graders.

He LOVED it!

He remembered to dribble some of the time, and even made a basket or two.

He proved to be a tenacious defender, even if his tactics were sometimes a bit "questionable".

I think he mostly just liked hanging out with his friends though.

He says he wants to play every year from now on.

Now we get to enjoy a couple of sports free weeks before Fuller's middle school basketball season starts.

Here come the HAWKS!

2010-12-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a night of family fun at the Winterhawks game. Paul's union is a sponsor of the team so once a year we have the opportunity to go for free. This year the kids all got free Winterhawks hat as well.

We had really good seats this year, about 12 rows up. Close enough to really see the action. I love how active hockey is, and how it's such a weird combination of grace and violence.

We ended up being there on their "Teddy Bear Toss" night, where they collect stuffed animals for local childrens' charities. When the Hawks score their first goal of the night everyone starts throwing their animals down on the ice. We weren't really aware that this was going on, so we hadn't brought any, but we met a nice older couple on the way in who gave us a large bag of stuffed animals for the boys to throw.

It was a pretty amazing sight to see animals flying for a few minutes. At the end of the night they announced that they had collected over 12,000 stuffed animals.

We were also treated to a really ridiculous fight at the end of the game. After spending the whole night stopping fights the refs let a couple players throw their gloves off and punch each other a few times at the end of the game. The kids were impressed, but it seemed a little contrived to me.

The highlight for Grayson and Rowan was meeting Tomahawk, unfortunately some yahoo decided to jump into our picture. Oh well, it was a fun night. Even if it did take 3 hours to play 3, 20 minute periods.

Trimming the Tree

2010-12-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

Searching for Perfection

2010-12-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

Last Friday afternoon we took advantage of the break in the rain, and the fact that the kids got out of school early, and went to get our Christmas tree. We have a favorite little U-cut place we like to go to. We were the only ones there that afternoon, so we had the run of the place. The road up to it isn't very fun to drive, but the trees and the prices are perfect.

You just can't beat a beautiful $20 tree, plus free apple cider and homemade chocolate chip cookies to boot!

About 2 minutes after we got there we had found a beautiful tree, but I guess it didn't seem like we had hunted enough because they were determined to look around for another 20 minutes.

I love how opinionated everyone gets!

Last year Grayson was determined that we get a particular tree, which was a not so good one. So we told him that this year he could pick. I was really hoping that he would either forget or that his taste would improve. Lucky for me, it did.

He picked a lovely tree! Now Fuller has determined that he gets to pick next year, and Rowan has sadly proclaimed that he won't get to pick until he's 9!

Making the Most of It

2010-11-24T11:08:00.001-08:00

This past week we've been experiencing some very wintry weather. We've gotten a dusting of snow with a little ice underneath, and have been enduring temperatures in the teens and 20's. This is very uncharacteristic weather for November.

I can't remember a time when we've had snow falling when the trees still had lots of leaves to lose.

Fuller has reached the age where he isn't going to get excited or impressed unless we get some "serious" snow, but Grayson and Rowan were eager to get their hands on the white stuff.

Grayson made a tiny and somewhat pathetic snowman, (that may or may not have gotten thrown at Rowan later.)

Rowan did his best to look innocent while aiming ice balls at people.

They both tried their hand at sliding down the driveway,

but we're going to need a lot more snow and a sled to make that happen. Maybe Santa will bring both this year.

Life Lessons- Soccer Field Edition

2010-11-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

After 7 consecutive Falls spent watching my kids play soccer, I must admit, I just don't get as excited as I used to. As the end of Summer nears, and coaches start calling with practice schedules I begin to mourn the loss of my Saturdays.

But then I see my boys' excitement about their teams. And I watch them run and play with their friends.

I see them weather 90 degree heat at the start of the season and 40 degree cold at the end. I watch them smile and laugh as they play in the pouring rain and get covered from head to toe with mud.

I watch them learn to work as a team, and learn to accept both encouragement and criticism from their coaches.

I watch them push themselves to play harder and run faster.

And I feel proud of them,

even though their teams both lost most of their games this season.

Because they welcomed each Saturday morning, ready to play their hearts out.

And because older brothers cheered on their younger brother.

We also enjoyed time with devoted grandparents, who make an effort to watch every grandchild play, every season.

Yes, I am a soccer mom. And we are a soccer family.

A word (or two) about Rowan

2010-11-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

There's a reason people often refer to Rowan as a character. He often looks like a cartoon character, some of his expressions are priceless. And then there's the things that come out of his mouth. Here are a few recent "Rowanisms".

- He has been working on a long list for Christmas, but told me not to worry, because only half of the list is for me. The other half is for Santa.

- He said he's going to tell Santa to bring sugar cereal, strawberry toothpaste, root beer, and NO SOCKS! I guess he's going to try to get Santa to take care of all the areas he feels his life is lacking in.

- He has gotten into putting signs up on his door. They are quite a reflection of how he's feeling about the family. Some recent ones have been "No Grayson aloud", "No one but Rowan and Mommy", and "No one but Rowan and people who like my singing."

-Last week when I went to volunteer in his class his teacher pulled me aside and apologized for mispronouncing our last name all year. He hasn't been saying it wrong, but apparently Rowan told him he had been.

- Rowan thinks he can speak Spanish, and Chinese. He can't, but if you ask him to he'll ramble on incoherently at you for awhile.

- He has a really creative way of keeping score in his head. His team usually wins.

Taking the road less travelled

2010-11-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Recently we headed out to the woods to spend some special time together as a family, enjoying nature, the remnants of a beautiful Fall, and each others company.

I love getting the boys away from home and their toys and video games.

I love hearing Grayson and Rowan's excited exclamations as they discover big leaves, cool mushrooms, fallen trees and giant banana slugs.

I love that there are no arguments.

I love how we all relax, and the conversations begin to flow.

I love soaking in the quiet and the calm, surrounded by amazing beauty.

I love that my boys worry about me slipping on the wet leaves and offer to hold my hand.

I love that time seems to slow down enough that we can almost grab hold of the moment.

I love that we get to share this time, and build these memories.

8th Grade Cross Country

2010-11-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

After 7 straight years of soccer, this year Fuller decided to switch sports and try cross country. I think he may have really found his sport. He loves running.

At this level they run a 3,000 meter race. Some of the races were fairly flat and smooth, while others had hills and more difficult terrain.

They started training in August, and throughout the season generally ran about 20+ miles a week.

At Fuller's first meet he finished in 14:08.

At State at the end of the season he finished in 12:05, setting a personal best.He rounded out the season ranked 278 out of 1400 middle school boy runners in the state.

At one meet that I was at, The Dragon Slayer, he got pushed from behind near the start and ending up falling face first in some mud and having several other runners fall and land on him, From where I was standing it looked like he got stepped on in the head, but thankfully he didn't and was able to get up and finish strong. Such determination!

He had a great season, especially hanging out with his buddy Talon.

Lan Su Chinese Garden

2010-11-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Paul and I took advantage of the beautiful 70 degree weather, (and a groupon we had), and went to the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland. I was impressed by it's beauty and detail. But, although it may have looked tranquil, the loud city noises from the surrounding area make it anything but (train horns, sirens, chain saw, etc.) It was however a wonderful date day for us, and blissful to be out doors enjoying the beauty. We happened to be there during the Chrysanthemum Festival, and so got the bonus treat of enjoying all of those beautiful flowers.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

We had another fun and candy filled Halloween around here!

Rowan was a power hungry, somewhat evil king.

Grayson was a cuter than ever orangutan.

And Fuller was a very lucky 8th grader. We had originally told him he was too old for Halloween, but in the end gave him a one year reprieve. High school is the new cut off around here. He went just with friends this year and ended up with more candy than he's ever gotten before.

But really, everyone got WAY too much candy!

Jack O'Lanterns

2010-10-29T13:36:00.001-07:00

Jack -O'Lantern

The jack -o'lantern chuckled
Then winked his funny eye,

"I would rather be a pumpkin-face
Than be inside a pie!"

Jolly wolly pumpkin face
You're happy tell us why.

I'd rather be a pumpkin face
And not a pumpkin pie!

I'd rather be a pumpkin face
And not a pumpkin pie!

My Monster- by Rowan

2010-10-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

A cretcher climbed out of my video game. I'm going to name it Vampire Spike. I'm going to keep him in my dog house. It will eat bear. Vampire Spike likes to play video games. Vampire Spike scares people by growling. Vampire Spike and I like to eat junk food together. I warn people to never give Vampire Spike vegetables. Vampire Spike builds cool lego ships. Vampire Spike and I are going to always be best buddies.

42 at 42

2010-10-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

1- I am old. Really old. When I was younger and dreamed about my life I never thought this far ahead.
2- I had a REALLY great childhood.
3- I married well, in all of the ways that really matter.
4- Chuck Taylor's have been my favorite shoe since high school. I have worn them ever since, and currently have 4 pairs.
5- I hate mushrooms, eggplant and brussel sprouts.
6- I'm afraid of driving over bridges.
7- I love Perry Mason. Have since grade school.
8- I get sad every Spring when Easter dresses appear in the stores.
9- I never learned how to whistle.
10- Or blow a bubble gum bubble.
11- I'm afraid of flying, and haven't flown since before 9/11.
12- My all time favorite book is "Eight Cousins" by Lousia May Alcott. When I was younger I used to dream that I was Rose.
13- I was engaged to someone else before I met Paul.
14- I got a BA in English just so I'd have an excuse to read a lot of books.
15- I learned to drive when I was 12. My Grandpa gave me the keys to an old truck on their farm and told me not to hit any animals or fences.
16- I like mowing the lawn.
17- I have lots of trouble sleeping.
18- When I was younger I really wanted to be a lawyer. (Too much LA Law)
19- I think Annie Lenox is amazing.
20- I love swimming laps. When I was in high school I swam every morning before school.
21- I don't know how to drive a stick shift. (Which is just one of many reasons that Paul would never pick me to be his partner on the Amazing Race.)
22- I'm a SERIOUS tooth grinder. I grind my way right through the night guards I get from the dentist.
23- I love to knit and sew.
24- I'm a recovering CNN addict.
25- I get BAD migraines.
26- I'm determined to one day make a "perfect" loaf of bread.
27- I prefer weather under 80 degrees.
28- I don't like going more than a few days without talking to my parents.
29- The best concert I ever saw was Oingo Boingo. The The and The WHO tie for second.
30- When I was teaching I once had 2 of my students make the front page of The Oregonian for crimes they had committed.
31- Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. No pressure, no gifts, just food and family.
32- I quit reading the paper and watching the news over a year ago, and find I'm much happier for having done so. I guess ignorance really IS bliss.
33- When I was a teenager I wanted to be Molly Ringwald.
34- I never really enjoyed being pregnant. Probably because I was sick all 9 months, every time.
35- I love the smell of bacon.
36- I'm a terrible singer. Painfully terrible.
37- Moe is my favorite stooge.
38- If I could live anywhere in the world I'd pick Portland.
39- I love looking up words in the dictionary.
40- I went to graduate school on a full scholarship.
41- I love my kids like crazy!
42- I'm a homebody. I'd rather stay home than go out any day.

The Latest Craze

2010-10-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

There's a new craze in our town- SILLY BANDZ!
As usual I'm the last to know about it. In fact Rowan's school had placed on ban on wearing these to school before I even knew they existed. In case you haven't seen them, they're basically cheap little plastic bracelets shaped like all kinds of different things, like animals,dinosaurs, etc. The kids like to trade them with their friends and compare who has the most, or the most different shapes.What I find funny about this fad is it's range of appeal. I have seen preschoolers on up to high school students sporting these.

Grayson initially said they were stupid, but now he wears about 20 of them everyday. I will be interested to see how long these remain popular. I'm tempted to buy some for Christmas presents, but I have a feeling they will have moved on to something new by then.

I wish I could remember the cool fads and crazes of my childhood, but somehow wide leg jeans and the rubik's cube are the only ones that come to mind.

2010 Halloweentown Tour

2010-10-04T17:10:00.001-07:00

This afternoon we took a little stroll through old town to enjoy the Halloween decorations.

Some of the businesses took the easy way out and used the same scarecrow they had the year before, but there were some fun new ones.

I'm not sure which is scarier, Paul with the bloody headless woman or the creepy clown. I really hate clowns!

This may be one of the scariest pictures in the bunch.

Rowan really liked the creepy surfer dude.

We are now officially in the mood for Halloween!

Rain Gutter Regatta

2010-09-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Last week was the annual cub scout rain gutter regatta. This was Grayson's third and final regatta. He spent the week beforehand working on his boat, sanding and painting it until he thought it was perfect. He definitely had his own ideas and didn't ask for any help.

The event got off to a rough start for Grayson. He got three wasp bites before the races even started. He spent most of the time in the car crying and asking to go home, but we finally got him calmed down enough to participate. We knew he would be so disappointed later if he didn't get to race his boat.

In the end he only felt like racing it once, and then got distracted by the treats. After some cookies and brownies he perked right back up. But those darn bites did bother him for days after!

Veggie Lover

2010-09-26T19:38:00.001-07:00

Gardening

2010-09-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Rowan loves checking the garden every morning for new things to pick.

He likes to go out there barefoot and in his pajamas, to poke around in the plants and see what he can find.

Then he brings us his days pickings, and occasionally even tries to sell them to us.

And so it begins.....

2010-09-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning we started our school year. This year Fuller is in 8th grade, Grayson in 4th and Rowan in 2nd. We had some of the usual nervousness and trouble sleeping the night before, but had a relatively smooth first morning.

Fuller is a WEB leader at his school, which means he's a mentor for 7th graders. So he had to wear his WEB leader shirt to school the first day so the 7th graders would know who to go to if they needed help. I hope the motto on his shirt was true and everyone felt like they belonged. Fuller had a bit of a schedule glitch to start the year out with, but luckily we were able to get it resolved within the first week of school.

Rowan has a male teacher this year which will be something new for him. I think he was a little nervous about that, and about the lack of kids he knew in his class. He seems to be adjusting well though and has announced that he and 3 other boys in his class are going to start a band. And how could he stay sad with such AWESOME school shoes. I have serious shoe envy over these babies!

And Grayson pretty much just seems happy this year. He has tons of kids in his class that he knows, which may eventually get him in trouble for talking too much. He came home from school the first day ranting and raving about all of the "stupid" rules in his class, but then paused and said he thinks it's going to be a really good year.

This is our cute carpool bunch! We've been carpooling together for about 5 years. These girls are about as close as the boys are going to come to having sisters. Their good-natured bickering and silly conversations make driving carpool something to look forward to.

Our Last Hurrah

2010-09-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

We just couldn't let summer end without one more day of perfect summer fun. Though the forecast was for cloudy with a chance of rain, we decided to take a chance and drive to Shipwreck Beach. Lucky for us the weather man was wrong! It was the most beautiful, perfect, sunny warm day.

Though we definitely aren't ready for Summer to end, at least we feel like we captured a little bit more of it.

Good People/ Good Times

2010-08-31T13:47:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe it's almost September. Despite the lack of summer weather, it feels like Summer has just flown by. In the last few months we have been really blessed with visits from many of our favorite people. We love these folks and are so glad we got to spend time with them all.
The boys with both Grandpas.

Uncle Jim and Aunt Enid

Aunt Heather and Uncle Forrest

My cousin Suzanne and Grandma and Grandpa Axtell

Alyssa and Noah

Gabe and Elsie

Uncle Jason and Aunt Barbara

My Uncle Bob and Aunt Lady.

It was wonderful seeing you all! Hope you all come back next Summer!

My husband ROCKS!

2010-08-26T16:12:00.001-07:00

This Summer Paul spent some time over at my parent's house helping my dad tear down his old deck and build a new one. The wood from the old deck was still in good shape, so we hauled it to our house. For years I have been wanting a "bigger and better" outdoor table, with more seating. Paul got his creative juices flowing and came up with a great design plan.

He also included any kids that were interested in the building process. He is so much more patient when they help with projects than I am.

Grayson really likes power tools!

Paul originally built a very simple table, but then got an idea for some fancier benches. Once the benches were done it was obvious that they really outshone the table, so Paul took apart the table and built one to match the beauty of the benches.

One of the great things about this project was that it cost very little. The wood was free, we (and by we I mean Paul) just had to clean it up. So all we had to buy was a box of screws and I board, about $50 total.

And it turned out SO amazing! It's even better than what I was imagining!

We have been enjoying many nice Summer meals on it!

?Questions?

2010-08-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm at the point in Summer vacation where I am alternately longing for more fun,schedule free days, and giddy with excitement about the boys going back to school. One of the things I will truly miss about Summer is the endless flow of random questions, that give such an interesting glimpse into the inner workings of my childrens' brains. How they try to figure out the world seems to make no sense sometimes, and at other times they are deeply profound. Like when we talk about the past and Rowan has to constantly check on if he was alive when that event happened, and are the other people from that event still alive, and does he know them. Or how Grayson wants to know if we had certain things when Paul and I were kids. His questions have me convinced that he thinks we grew up with cavemen for neighbors, but I think he's starting to make sense of it. And then there are the just plain silly questions, like Rowan's urgent need to know if you can milk a pig.

Yes, as much as I might get tired of answering their questions, I will miss getting to hear them all day long.

The Oregon Zoo

2010-08-22T10:02:00.001-07:00

Cousins, Camping, and Cannon Beach

2010-08-20T15:28:00.001-07:00

What fun we had with our favorite Montana cousins! The Summer just seemed to drag as the boys "patiently" waited for their cousins to get here.

We spent lots of time playing in the water.

Even though it was frigidly cold!

And I got to hang out with my girl Elsie!

These kids just belong together. It's so fun to watch them be shy when we get together, and them quickly warm up and pick up right where they left last time we saw each other.

These guys really are meant to be Oregonians. We so very much wish that that could happen!

Then we could spend many more carefree days hanging out at the beach.

And digging in the sand.

Paul would cook us more yummy camp meals.

And Grandpa could tell us more funny stories.

Rowan would think it was a really great idea if you guys moved here.

So we could take more bike rides on the beach, and climb on rocks.

What do you say?