Gammy's Birthday Video!!

Noah knows how much Gammy likes his karate class and what he's being taught. He also knows that Gammy likes to watch him practice and hone his skills. Knowing that Gammy has been gone for the past month and hasn't seen any of the new stuff he's been learning he decided to do a karate video for her birthday! Noah is learning how to use the Escrima Stick this summer. They are being taught the 12 angles and then they learn attacks and defenses from there. The 12 angles are the base from which they learn. This video is of Noah doing his angles twice.


I also tried to get a cute shot of the two boys together to post for Gammy's birthday, this is just a small idea of how the photo shoot went...



Nope, that's not the shot....










Ummm, no that won't work...













Not even close...











This is the best that I could do...luckily, it turned out a little bit cute...

3rd but Not Last

This is the 3rd post for today but not the last, please check back later for a video that Noah has planned for Gammy's birthday today! I still have to shoot the video he has in mind, upload it and post it so it's probably going to be this evening before it's done! In the meantime,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND GAMMY!!

We Love You!!

What Are You Working On?

I came out to see how Joel was doing and if he needed anything, plus Oliver was out there with him and who knows what kind of trouble that kid can get into when dad is distracted. I came out and didn't see Oliver right away so I called his name, he answered but it was sort of muffled so I called again. This time he popped his head out from under the truck and said, "What?!?" as if I was completely insane for interrupting him. So I ran back in and grabbed the camera and captured the kid in action, do you think insurance will cover any damages caused by a two year old? What about grease on a hand? Think the insurance company will cover or replace all that was touched by a greasy little hand?
And here is why he was under the truck "fixing" things for us, Daddy was under the van attaching our new hitch! We got a hitch this week and found a bike rack on Craigslist that will hold four bikes. Since Daddy was under a vehicle fixing something, Oliver had to be under a vehicle fixing something. Oh well, maybe the kid will learn more than Joel knows then I'll never have to take my cars to a mechanic!

Two Perspectives

Clover

Joel's perspective...invasive, ugly, bee-attractant, over-taking, nuisance, problematic pain-in-the-rear!

Oliver's perspective...pretty, white, smells good, fun, must-be-picked flower!

Mmmm Tasty!

Quite a few people have asked me how the chickens are doing so I had my friend, Steph, send me some pictures of our future dinners. As you can see they've grown quite a bit! Some have also asked when they will be ready to process and I can't remember the exact date but I thought it was around the time that the kids will be going back to school.

Getting bigger everyday.

Every time that Steph lets them out to roam they always play with the little lock that keeps them in.

These birds are turning out to be very curious. Steph had just thrown a ball and it rolled in under the bush, they all ran after to see what it was all about. I also love the lilies in this shot!

Another Busy Week

This week has been another busy week. Noah, Jackson and Oliver finished up their first round of swim lessons and they all passed. The two older boys will start up again Tuesday in the next level up. Because we were at swim lessons Monday and Wednesday we only made it to Vacation Bible School Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I was a volunteer in the food/snack portion of things. The theme this VBS was all about how to serve...Serving Friends, Serving Family, Serving Neighbors, Serving Community and Serving Jesus. Each day they discussed a story from the bible and then how they could serve. They would write their ideas on colorful hand cutouts then at the end of the day during the wrap-up and singing they would all hang their hands on the fence that surrounded the yard. About 40 kids each day times 5 days that's about 200 hands and ways to serve stretched out across the fence. It was an awesome visual for the kids and I, of course, did not have my camera to take a picture to share with you all. Don't worry though, the boys had a great time and learned a lot.

On Thursday Cousin Stacey and two of her beautiful children, stopped in for a visit. They are headed to Roseburg for her brother's wedding but are visiting friends and family and making a few stops along the way. It was great to see her again, the last time she was here we were both so busy and there were so many other people here that we didn't get to sit and visit much. Don't worry, we made up for it this time and it was wonderful! We took them over to McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale she had to meet up with a friend that night so it was a bit of a quick tour of the grounds but enough of a tour to make Stacey want to come back and see more - oh darn. We got a couple of shots of the kids (see below) but the red door in the garden was a big hit!

The Birthday Patrol

Would like to send out a great big birthday wish, written with great big chalk and a whole lotta love to Auntie Su!

See, I told you it was big!

Noah's idea of a really cool birthday card!

Close up of the balloons...
1 for birthdays past
1 for birthday present
1 for birthdays future

Ollie still calls you Auntie Soup!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SU!

Our Small Garden

We got a very late start to our garden this year. The winter was long and by the time it felt right to plant the garden it was late May early June. However, it seems to be doing pretty good. We put up the little fence/barrier this year for two reasons, 1) we have an active two year old that thought the garden was his personal digging spot and 2) we have a bunny living in our backyard. Needless to say, we had to find a way to keep them out. Noah decided on cucumbers (only 1 of the 4 seeds planted came up though), climbing beans, peas, spinach, carrots and romaine lettuce. I also have four tomato plants in pots in the front that have quite a few green tomatoes on them! Noah decided to see how the carrots were doing today and says it tasted great! I've also harvested spinach and lettuce for use on sandwiches or a side for dinner.

Green Vest?

Nope, most definitely not a green vest more like a yellow jacket! Yup, Noah got this summer's first bee sting. The poor kid had just been running through the sprinkler and stubbed his toe hardcore (by the way, hardcore is Noah's new favorite word) and I had told him to grab his towel and sit on one of our patio chairs until it stopped hurting. He grabbed his towel, pulled out the chair and got stung. Apparently some yellow jackets had started to build a nest under the edge of our table. The boy is fine now and the nest with yellow jackets eradicated.

Spider Tot

Unlike the past few days, I had my camera today and caught these pictures...

Just what I need, a two year old with super powers!

Or a two year old with super powers picking on his big brother.
Actually, Spider Tot just stepped on his toes.

Spider Tot can run FAST!!

See, I barely had time to get the picture. Peter Parker I am not.

Uh-oh, his identity has been compromised!!
Oh, and so has my sanity...

The Night Ride

Joel, Chris and Paul did The Night Ride last night. They rode from Chris' house to the MAX station, took MAX to downtown, rode to the train station, did The Night Ride, rode back to the MAX station and from the end of the line back to Chris'. Joel figures they did about 26 or so miles last night! He took some pictures with his phone camera so they are a little blurry but you'll get the idea. The first picture is at the end of the race where everybody has gathered back at Union Station (which is where they also started). The second picture is of the fire juggler at the "disco" rest stop. I did a cut and paste from the official website below with a good description of what the ride was all about. I hope to join them next year!!

NIGHTTIME ACTIVITIES
Start line party :: Get your costume on!
Hosted by Bike Gallery
Free glow-in-the-dark face painting and glow necklaces for all riders. We'll also provide you with route maps at the start.

On course support :: Ride, have fun
Water, sugary treats, popcorn, course markings, SAG vehicles, medical riders, mechanical support. This ride is all abut nighttime indulgences - so expect all sorts of naughty, yummy food on course.

Rest Stop #1 :: Filmed by Bike Movies
Hosted by Weir's Cyclery
Relax, enjoy fresh popped-on-site popcorn and settle into our outdoor movie theater. You're in for a real treat. We're showing highlights from the annual Filmed by Bike film festival of bike-themed movie shorts. This festival draws submissions from around the world and all movies are limited to a mere eight minutes. It usually happens only once a year... but we've got a special screening just for the Nighttime Club.

Rest Stop #2 :: Disco Party!
Hosted by Bike N' Hike
Trick or treat without supervision - shove handfuls of candy in your face and then use that sugar buzz to boogie, hustle or electric slide across the dance floor; disco ball, fog machines, strobe lights and hula hoops included. We'll be bumping great retro tunes from the 70's. Don't for get to wear your leisure suit and start practicing your best electric slide. Sure, you can imitate John Travolta if you want to - who doesn't love a little disco groove?

Finish Line Party :: All-You-Can-Eat Doughnut Feast
Mmmmmmmmmmmm.....doughnuts
Indulge yourself at the all-you-can-eat midnight doughnut feast. Can't decide between an �clair and a maple bar - have both! (we won't tell). The ride ends right back at the beginning - at the Portland Train Station.

What? No Pictures?

I heard that it was "Forget Your Camera Week" so, not wanting to be left out, I participated to the best of my abilities the last 4 days! The camera stayed put, in it's cubby, just like a good camera should. You'll have to get this update in written form only but I'm sure you can handle it...right?

On Thursday, my sister showed up and kidnapped my two hooligans, before heading down to the horse show in Eugene. Sounds like Trevor, Noah and Oliver had a pretty good time and did well sleeping in the living quarters of their new trailer. Ollie gave Aunt Nana, who hasn't had to deal with a 2 year old for 3 years now, a reminder of what it's like to have a toddler around. He even had a meltdown and in her desperation to make him happy again tried buying him off with a stuffed animal. It wasn't until she realized that Oliver was saying, "brother" and not, "water" did he settle down a bit. Because Shana had the boys, Joel and I invited some friends out to Chino Saigon for dinner and then to Berbati's Pan for a show afterwards. A birthday dinner and show for Joel. We had a great and fun kid-free night!

Friday morning, Joel slept in (remember no kids and a late night) but I got up and went to work then headed down to Eugene to pick up the three boys. Here's a tip for you, don't drink an energy drink when you have 2 1/2 hours of driving on I-5 South ahead of you. I will occasionally have an energy drink but it's usually before going out for the night not before heading down to Eugene. I'm also, usually (hey, I said usually) pretty good a dealing with traffic and other drivers, don't get me wrong, I have my moments but for the most part I'm a just-deal-with-it kind of person. Anyway, the energy drink got me a little jazzed up and I found myself irritated and yelling at people most of the way to Eugene. At one point I found myself rapidly tapping my fingers on the steering wheel wondering if I took one of the MANY "slower traffic stay to the right" signs and tossed it through the back window of the car in front me if they would finally get the point? Luckily, I contained my disdain to the van but I learned that I will be sticking with the lattes when needing a little boost before a drive! Anyway, I got to Eugene and hung out down there for a couple of hours before packing up the boys and heading back to our house. We all went and watched Noah's karate class, ordered pizza for dinner and played until bedtime.

Saturday morning the boys all slept in then had a quiet morning with cartoons and a hot breakfast. Around 10am we headed to Ben and Christie's place to visit and swim! Their pool is great and they boys had so much fun! Noah built up his confidence by swimming in the deep end and going off of the diving board. He is a VERY cautious swimmer so it was fun to see him finally loosening up a bit. Trevor, keeping his life jacket on the entire time, did a little bit of swimming, lots of floating and tons of torpedo retrieving and tossing! Oliver stayed in the shallow end and enjoyed bossing us around when he needed or wanted something. His favorite game of the day was to throw the torpedoes into the deep end then to tell Uncle Ben to go get them. When Ben would disappear under water for a while, Oliver would sit on the edge asking, "Where Uncle Ben Go?" then when Ben would pop up, hands full of torpedoes, Ollie would yell, "YEAH!! There he is!!" Ben and Christie were going to a friend's wedding so we had to leave around 2pm and head back home. When we got home, Oliver went down for a short nap so I grabbed Noah and Trevor and we rode our bikes over to the new Sonic Drive-In and got some slushies during happy hour (2-4pm drinks are all half price!). Around 4:30 or so, Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Lavelle showed up to take Noah and Trevor to Debbie's 40th birthday party. They stopped for dinner on the way, got to swim at the party and stayed up late not getting back to Grandpa and Grandma's until after 10pm. Joel left here around 7:30 to go ride in The Night Ride and that left Oliver and I to fend for ourselves for the night.

It's the last day of a busy extended weekend, the boys are headed back here, Shana and Ron are probably packing up the trailer and getting ready to head back North stopping here to pick up Trevor before making the final leg home. Joel will probably take Noah over to the Nautilus Fit Jam that's going on this weekend and I have some baking to do for our church's Vacation Bible School that starts tomorrow. I have a feeling that bedtime will come a bit earlier than normal for me tonight...

I apologize, again, for not having any photos to post.

A Posted Question

My friend, Amy, posted this question on her blog, "Got Hydrangeas?" and indeed I do so I went out and took a few pictures and played with some settings on my camera. Hydrangeas and Day Lilies are two of my three favorite flowers and they are blooming side by side so I took some Lily pictures too.

Where's Indy?

All I'm going to say is that big brother is MAD!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

The boys went to the store today and picked out things that they thought dad might like on his cake. Noah had decided to make a caterpillar out of cupcakes so they were trying to be super creative with all of the body segments. I guess it would be more of a centipede??? Anyway, they had a lot of fun during the decorating part. Jackson did a few, Oliver did one, I did one and Noah did all the rest. Noah decided that the one that Oliver made for dad should go last and with a warning!

Sprinkles are always the favorite. They each got a cake pan to do their decorating in so my clean up time was a lot faster and easier.

On to the Starburst candies, I had asked Noah what he was going to do with them and he couldn't come up with a good answer. I then asked if he was just saying that he needed them for the cake because he wanted them for himself. He said, "Can you blame me for trying?"

And now you know why Oliver's cupcake is at the end and Noah wanted to put a warning sign on it. This is how his portion of decorating went the entire time. Sprinkle, lick, sprinkle, lick...

Noah posing for the camera.

Just in case you wanted to see up close and personal and it only got worse from there!

Sweet card for dad, Hallmark's got nothing on this boy!
"Dear Daddy, you are the best dad I ever had! You are fun to play with! Love, Noah"
"P.S. Check the back" (there is a big heart on the back)

The final product and the boys are very proud!