A Very Fun 4th of July

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

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

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

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

Japanese Garden

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

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!