Movin' Right Along. . .

Are you singing the Muppets song? I hope so.

Announcement!!! Our house is under contract (again), and everything seems to be moving along smoothly with this buyer. We are set to close on August 23rd, or hopefully a few days before. This puts a bit of stress on our vacationing plans, but we are trying to work it out!

We will probably be moving the weekend of the August 20th. And since our dream home isn't on the market currently, we've decided to take our time and rent a home for a little while so we'll be ready to pounce when it does appear.

Hurray for the beginning of the end of this adventure!

It is of course filled with bitter sweet feelings for our home, our neighborhood, our neighbors, ward, and friends here. Both Gordon and I find ourselves waxing sentimental occasionally, and other times not so much as we dive into the "get er' done" mode that is necessary.

Just wanted to let you know! The kids finally know everything and are excited to go check out their new house in a few weeks! If anybody wants to have a packing or cleaning party, let me know!

the mask of zoro

My freshman year of college, I lived with a gal who liked to stay up later than me studying (and talking with her boyfriend :) I quickly discovered this lovely little black mask and slept peacefully all semester. And, everyone on my floor called me "Zoro!" by the end of the year.

With the late night light here in the Pacific NW I recently shared my magical mask with my son Aidan. And now, there's a new Zoro in town!

waiting for daddy. . .

. . . is a daily event.

We're so glad when daddy comes home!

a fever headache

I thought Chandler was just being a silly billy the other day when he plopped himself on the couch with a cold compress on his head. "What cha doin?" "Oh, sometimes I just have a headache when I get a fever. . ."

And true to his word, the next morning he had a fever. And strep throat! Luckily we caught it quick and he's on the mend now. He was right! The fever was on it's way!

We Be Jammin'!

Mmmmm. . . boysenberry bliss!

Warning!: Extreme happiness and Jelly-face may occur!

B-Ballin'

This week was Basketball week for Aidan. Aidan is a strong player and goes after every drill, shot, and rebound with intensity! It's so fun to watch him have the time of his life out on the court!

Good Game!

And Good Job Aidan!

our "Fortune?"

So we are a fairly large family for this day in age, right? Those of you who are also in this club will know that any time you go anywhere with all you kids you get the "you've got your hands full!" and "what a lot of helpers you've got" about every two minutes when out in public. These comments are usually from sweet grandma's, grocery checkers, or even the well meaning passers by. We hear them so often!

The other night we were forced out to dinner once again while our home was toured. The kids chose Panda Express. As we were finishing up dinner and Gordon was opening his fortune cookie, an older gentleman and his wife walked by our table, counted our kids, made the "WOW! That's a lot of kids!" face, and just as Gordon pulled the paper out of the cookie, he said, "What did it say? Try again???"

Gordon and I both laughed so hard! That was definitely the best "lots of kids" one liner we've ever heard. Thanks for the laugh Grandpa!

Silver Falls

This weekend we headed out for an overnight camp out adventure. We searched high and low for a campsite in a state or federal park, but were unable to find one available. So, we settled for the Silver Spur RV park, where they had a nice piece of grass to throw down our tent. It wasn't exactly "wilderness," but we got to roast marshmallows and sleep in a tent, which was basically our purpose.

The next morning we headed down the road to Silver Falls State Park. This is a beautiful spot with 10 waterfalls. We did a two mile hike with the kids and saw two beautiful waterfalls, that we could actually walk behind and see the water from above. It was gorgeous!


We had a wonderful time! Someday we hope to go back when the kids are bigger and do the longer hike to see all the falls. Maybe when we're not carrying them on our backs!

Let's Play!

We've been in summer sports camps this week, and practically living at the park, which is a good place to live in the summer time!

Ethan was in Tennis camp, and has been playing for two weeks. He really enjoyed it and seems to be a boy after my own heart, enjoying individual sports more than "in your face" team sports.

Chandler and his cousin Carolyn were in a soccer class for four and five year olds, and it was the cutest thing to watch them all running around the field chasing the ball!
Keren and I took turns corralling the small ones. . . this is a rather impressive piggy-back hold if you ask me. . .
And then after all of that Aidan had his soccer camp. Aidan is a boy after his daddy's heart and LOVES "in your face!" sports. This boy is a serious competitor and takes everything his coaches say very seriously.
Emilee spent her days running around the turf. . .
And this is where I live. Under the big umbrella, covered in hot, sweaty little bodies always after a drink, a snack, or maybe even a kiss if I'm lucky.

Gordon's big adventure!

Last week, Gordon had the wonderful opportunity to get together with two of his best High School buddies and go backpacking! They went to the Goat Rocks in WA, and had such a wonderful time! Here are a few pictures from his adventure with Shawn and Craig. I'll let him come fill in details later if he cares to. . . I could never do it justice!

So glad he got to do this! Old friendships are the best friendships!

Summer has arrived!

How my children love hot days and warm evening slip and sliding in the back yard shade. No sunscreen required, I love it.

Carolyn and Emilee love their matching swimmers!

Emilee discovered her shadow and made it dance!

Ice cream to top it off. . .

Hurray for the heat!

It's 95 degrees!

And, we've been kicked out of our house for a showing. Where should we go in this heat? How about the new fountain at the park!

Everybody had a great time! We'll definitely be back. . .

Ethan's 9th Birthday!

For Ethan's 9th birthday, we had a little party for him in the evening. No dinner, just dessert. He wanted a Mario theme, and planned the whole party by himself. First we did a coloring contest, then Pin the mustache on Mario. Ethan colored the Mario poster all on his own!

Emilee broke out her very first french braid just for the occasion. . .
We did a big treasure hunt where the boys searched for the pinata filled with gold coins! Mario left clues along the way about what he did that day.
It ended with a trip up to the mailbox. . .
And then it exploded in their arms on the way home and they picked up candy from the street!
And then again on the grass. . .
After presents we enjoyed some delicious chocolate mushroom cake.
It was such a fun party because Ethan was so involved with the planning. He had so many fun activities for the kids and kept the schedule moving right along. I love this kid!

Swimming Lessons!

The first two weeks of summer break were filled with swimming lessons (and potty training) for us. It was a great combo, as there is a little bathroom right there. The boys all had a great time in their classes and are becoming better swimmers!