Mt. Hood Cycling Classic

We met our friends, Chris, Amy and their kiddos at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland to watch the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Criterium. This is just one of many that they have on their schedule. These races are always fun to watch and this one did not disappoint. These guys had to climb some serious hills and do it fast. The race lasted 90 minutes, I would have keeled over on the first lap! If you live in the Portland area and are interested in seeing a race sometime, check the BikePortland.org blog.

We were sitting just around the corner from the starting line. This group stayed packed up like this for pretty much the entire race. There were a few that fell back from the pack but not as many as I expected.A shot of the cyclists zooming past us as we sat enjoying the evening and our picnic dinner.
These last two shots were taken across the way from where we were sitting so I could get a shot of the group coming up the hill (thanks for the tip Chris!). They had 2 or 3 laps left to go at this point.

Katie Tagged Noah

Katie's daughter was tagged by her friend Kara so Katie tagged Noah...here are 7 random facts about my eldest son:

1. He was born on the 12th day of the 12th month and 20 minutes short of being born at noon and I thought that would have been cool...don't really care now but my pregnant brain was upset it didn't happen.
2. He is not a team sport kid, just not his thing but he loves karate and is very good. According to Noah, he will have his black belt no ifs ands or buts.
3. He panics when he thinks his sweatshirt is stuck on his head but has no issues with shoving his brother to the bottom of a sleeping bag then holding it closed (sound familiar Ben?).
4. Math is easy for him, really easy for him.
5. He loves to engineer things, build things, experiment with everything in my cupboards (I have something growing in my fridge right now) and build with Legos.
6. He has had to have stitches in his chin twice and probably should have been three times but we just used butterfly bandages once. The second time that we knew he would need stitches, he fell, split his chin open, bounced up and without shedding a tear said something like, "Oh man!!! Do I need stitches AGAIN?!!"
   
7. Don't tell him I told you but he loves his brother, so I wouldn't mess with Oliver unless you want some feisty 7 year old in your face. Messing with Ollie is his job.

So, if you want to play along tag your kiddo and post seven random facts about him or her. Do it on your blog or post it into the comments of this section. Have fun!

Two in Two Days

Noah lost a tooth on Saturday and then another on Monday. He, after a bit of loosening, let me yank them out. He was very excited to finally be loosing those teeth of his. That makes eight total, the kid was quick to teethe as an infant but he's taking his time losing them. Oliver didn't want to be left out of the pictures so he got in on the action too.

Noah showing his teeth...

Ollie showing his teeth...

Noah wanted to make sure you could see his teeth...
Ollie wanted to make sure you could see his...

Happy Mothers Day!

This is why I had a Happy Mothers Day...at the end of the day, these guys are mine, the good, the bad, the ugly, they are mine and I love them. I hope that all you had a great mothers day too.

Burn To Learn (BTL) - lots of pictures

We got an invitation from my dad to come watch the Boring Fire Department do a burn to learn. Someone in the community donates a house or building of some sort to the department and then they use it to train the fire fighters. Needless to say, the house gets put to good use. Lots of drills and exercises are done all morning long, break for lunch then burn the house down! BTL's have always fascinated me and this one did not disappoint. Here are some, okay a lot of, pictures from the day. Ladies, be sure to check out the post below...

I think I saw this shield at least once for every day of my life until I moved out of the house. Noah, driving the engine.

Oliver listening to Grandpa Jerry tell him about the buttons and other fun things.

Engine 140

Always fun to move the cones around, luckily there wasn't a lot of traffic!

Probationary fire fighters running a few drills.

Roof caving in after they let the fire get going, this is when it starts to get good...

Another angle of the roof being consumed by the fire.

No roof in sight, just a truss trying to make a last stand.

I liked this picture because the fire is literally pushing the plywood away from the window.

No turning back now, by this time the fire fighters have stepped back and are just near to make sure it's a controlled burn. The surrounding trees, bushes, buildings, etc. get a hose down as needed to keep them cool and from burning.

It's hot, really hot...

There isn't much left now and it's completely down just minutes after this shot.

BTL for the Ladies!

As I mentioned in the above post, we went to a burn to learn in Boring, OR yesterday. I grew up with the fire department as just another part of my life. I was excited when they got new rigs, followed the progress of new stations and additions to the old ones, I could tell which station, Damascus, Boring, Eagle Creek, etc., was going to be called out by the tone coming across my dad's pager. I learned to read maps and find my way around my hometown because we had a department issued map hanging in our family room and I worried about all of the volunteers no matter what kind of call they were headed out to.

So with that being said, I also developed a healthy or some may say not so healthy infatuation with firemen. There is something about those guys that's just, well how should I put this? They're just hot! Seriously, there are cute guys and then there are cute guys in fire fighting gear that can make a girl go weak in the knees.

And come on ladies, what is not to love about an abandoned pair of boots and pants?? What did the guy look like that stepped out those? Go on dream a little...and do you know what makes these even hotter?
When you see that not only are the boots and pants sitting there without their owner but the coat is hanging right there, on the truck too! Who knows what or who you'd find inside that truck!
Even when the pants are not left abandoned and find their way onto a fire fighter...they look cute, don't argue with me ladies, you know they do! And ohhh those suspenders, I've got to stop now or I'm going to get myself in trouble...

How Fast Are You?

Go here now www.outrageousparable.blogspot.com because this is your chance to not only try our handmade soaps but to help a great cause. This is a mission challenge that our church gave us, you can learn all about it by visiting the site above. Here's the catch, we have a limited amount of soap available, it will be first come first serve while supplies last. Joel and I have had a great time working on this project together and we hope that you can find some enjoyment in it too.

Zoo

Oliver and I took advantage of our zoo membership today. It was a great day to be there, not too hot, not too cold, no rain and the crowds were minimal. For some reason, Ollie decided that we was afraid of the animals today, I think it was because they were all up and active. The animals were also very close to all of the viewing areas, literally inches away at times. I take too many pictures so now I'm subjecting you to some of them, here we go...

Oliver playing sword with a leaf he found on the path.

On the train, why do they all love the train so much?

Oliver's three favorite animals were the wolf, the polar bear and the elephant.

My little eaglet...

...and his eagle mommy and daddy.

Driving the John Deere.

I Was Just Standing There!

I was standing there, at my kitchen sink minding my own business when I saw these two hooligans wander past. I really shouldn't be seeing two dogs walk past my window so it was a bit of a shock. My first thought was to just ignore them, finish my had washing and head to the store as planned but I just couldn't do it. Our dogs had gotten out a few times and when we got the call from the finder we were always relieved and very grateful. So for the rest of the day, until their mommy came and got them Koda and Max stayed to play. As you can see by the pictures, especially the last one of Max, they made themselves right at home. They ended up being two very well behaved and sweet dogs that both my boys enjoyed playing with for a while.

Alban-Neigh

Every year my sister and her family head down to the fair grounds in Albany to show their and TK's, horses. Oliver and I went down to watch some of the classes and just hang out for the day. They did good and you will have to check Shana's blog over the next couple of days to find out exactly how they placed. I even got to ride at the end of the day and Oliver decided, after a day of not wanting to that getting up there on that big horse, to give it a try with mom. He did really well, but sadly, the three cameras that we had between us were no where close so we didn't get any pictures of that. He held on tight to the saddle horn at first but quickly realized that if he held the reins that he could steer Beni! So the rest of the ride was him saying, "I try it! I steer Beni!" Here are just a few pictures from the day...

Trevor standing next to Pistol...the mini with a draft horse size attitude.

Ron showing Pistol

Ron showing Rubi

Beautiful, Sweet Beni

Shana showing Beni

Truck & trailer, where we all hung out when not playing with the horses.

A Wii Bit Tired

Noah and a neighbor boy were playing the Wii this afternoon. There were being typical boys, jumping around, yelling at the game and overall just NOT being quiet...

Just look at that concentration, I think he was racing the slot cars...

Meanwhile, Oliver is sleeping through it all! He and Trevor played hard today, he sat down to watch the boys play the Wii and this happened...

A closer look, do you see the mud between his eyes? I guess I missed a spot or three...

I love those eyelashes!

Local Company

I'm here to give a plug to a local company, Bob's Red Mill! They moved into a new warehouse in Milwaukie and they had a Grand Opening Celebration yesterday. My friend, Steph, Steph's mom, Karen, Oliver and I all headed down. We had a free pancake breakfast and a guided tour of the plant. There were also historical displays and cooking demonstrations but my favorite part of the day was when we were leaving, we got a bag with free product and this was inside. I've used both of these products and they are wonderful!!!
But wait, I then found this coupon!! If you have not visited the Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Store and Bakery, also in Milwaukie, then you need to do so. No really, put down whatever it is you have in your hand, grab the car keys and go now! Not only is it fun and not to mention healthy to shop there but you can have a great breakfast or lunch too (also healthy)! Care to join me sometime? There isn't anything that I've tried there that has not been delicious and therefore devoured!
The pancake breakfast and tour were great. The lines were long but I didn't mind because that just means that many others know the quality that this company strives for. If you haven't tried any of Bob's Red Mill products now is the perfect time to start. You can shop for all the products online at www.bobsredmill.com or visit the store in Milwaukie. Trust me, you won't regret that you did, now go!!