Sold!

Brian sold this:
And now is talking about getting this:

Well not exactly this one....but a mustang.

Avery was terribly sad about the sale of the boat. Brian told her we hadn't used it in a year and assured her we would get something else for the family to have fun with. Avery responded, "I don't want a better boat, I want our old boat, the one that smelled like sunflower seeds." I tore at Brian's heart. I wanted to tell her to get a grip... good thing she has a more sympathetic father. He held her for a while and then she cried herself to sleep .... :(

Snakes

Things to do in the Summer: Catch Snakes in the Creek.

I cussed this creek for a long time, being as it was on our property, but we really couldn't utilize it.....well that was until Jake got old enough to climb the fence and explore. It's heavenly for little boys.

Friend Zach and Sammy the Snake:

Sorry for the dark pics, Grace had my camera and changed the settings. Why do I keep letting her play with it??? She broke my last one you know....

Summer Time

Father's Day weekend at the coast.

Hiking it down to the sand for the sunset. June in the Summer time at the Oregon Coast calls for anything from winter coats to swim suits. We experienced both that weekend.

Avery is not in any of the pics from the first night. She had a pretty close call with the waves last time she was at the beach and had no desire to get close to them initially....

Sunset at about 8:45 at night:

Jake found one of the biggest agates I have ever seen. Just a little smaller than a golf ball. It's sitting on my desk now.

Surfers in Oceanside.

And the BEST part: Notice I am sitting, relaxing and enjoying the view. At that moment there was no place I would rather have been!

I took this picture to note my toes and position. I watched sitting in a chair as the kids and Brian worked away.....

The view from the cabin. There were a lot of para-gliders going off Maxwell Mountain above the cabin.

And lastly on our ride home, guess who is under her blanket.

And you can tell by the look on her face, her mood..... Brian and I laughed about that one for a good while, which only made her mood worse, but we didn't care.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's day to one of the best little league pitchers and blow dryer of little girls hair I know.

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1st Day of Summer

Seriously, where is the Sun???? It's June!

So since there was no sun, no water, no good weather, I decided to take the kids to a wildlife reserve in Tualatin Sherwood and let them run.

There was a little museum for the kids to look at displays about the wildlife. It was a beautiful facility.

(On a funny note Avery didn't want to wear these shoes because she thought they made her feet look fat?!?!?)

The token picture of the mom....taken by the mom. Can you tell?

Jake trying to run and slide down the trail.

And yes, folks occasionally he can have a caring side for his sisters.... Grace was getting tired of walking. We probably walked a mile and a half. She asked me to carry her. I declined, claiming it would hurt my back. Jake stepped up and told her he would carry her. He did for a long time.

Wanted to take this picture and relish it in my mind to remind me of the joys of motherhood....

It's been a good day.

Last Game of the Season

For Jake's last baseball game of the season both sets of his grandparents came to cheer him on. Seriously, how fortunate! They were all so proud.

In the dugout:

Grace's entertainment during the game.

Running to 1st.

Brian the 3rd base coach and Jake getting ready to take it home. Next season he should be able to steal bases.....that will be interesting!

1st Grade Smiles

At the end of year Avery's teacher had a little get together at the school to watch a video of pictures of the class throughout the year set to music. Such a great, fun idea. The kids laughed and laughed. Then she gave a copy of the DVD to each of her students.

Avery and Mrs. Kluver:


Nikki, Grace, and Avery

More friends (Breanna, Nikki, Grace, Avery, and Athena)

This 1st grade group of girls has seriously had such a great year. They are just sweet, kind girls. It's all puppy dogs and rainbows...... let's see how long it lasts.