I am really falling behind. My parents and nephew left today and we are really missing them. Ok, I will be honest, we are missing the motel pool too.
There is lots going on and I will start posting about them here soon, but I need to get through the next couple of days. Some of the highlights are: recap on parents visit, fair in town, soccer, swimming lessons and a hand found in a pond (not to mention all the unconfirmed rumors about what else was found in the pond).
Have a great weekend, and I will be back soon.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Quick Recap
My parents and nephew are here for a couple of weeks. It is so great to be able to spend time with them. We have been just hanging out between my house and the motel pool. We just finally celebrated my birthday last night. Megan was at a church camp for the first part of the week and Anthony was doing a football camp here in town. Last night was the first night all of us including Steve where together.
The picture above is my present from my brother Rick. He has been working in Hawaii so he sent me some pineapples. I have to tell you there is nothing like fresh pineapple. Thank you so much Rick, we are really enjoying it.
I will post more about our visit later but right now I need to get into the shower so Mom and I can head to the farmers market. Steve has all the kids up at the lake fishing. They left the house this morning at 5:30am.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Megans Style
What can I say? It's her and I like it. I only wish I was brave enough to do it myself.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Cub Scout Camp
As I promised, Cub Scout Camp pictures. Lucky for you guys that I only took 274 pictures and sharing just 12 of them. This was just an overnight camp not a weekend.
BSA has a camp at our favorite Lake. This area is just beautiful and I absolutely love it here. There was 6 different families that went on this camp out. The kids and parents got along great and we all had a lot of laughs. Anthony was worried that he wouldn't have a good time, but as luck would have it there where teenage girls there. He actually knew the other 3 other teenagers and really had a good time. Megan knows the camp leaders son and later one of her friends showed up with her family and of course Jason had friends. Above is Jason and Alica.
Here are the kids roasting hot dogs over the fire. Not my favorite way to have hot dogs but it works. The truck you see up on the hill in the distance is where one family pitched thier tent. We are on the other side, and you can see our tent below.
We had this huge area to pitch our tents, so we really weren't close to each other.
Here is base camp and where we all hung out as a group. The path in the background leads up to an amazing water fall. You can see it towards the end of this post. Below the boys are making their breakfast, Omelets in a bag. It works really well and they are good. I will have to post how to do it on my food blog some time. Food blog, a story for later. Jessie stuck her head in picture at the last minute and I really didn't feel like editing her out.
Boys enjoying their breakfast.
During the coarse of the camp the boys learned different skills. They learned about "Leave No Trace." What Stinging Needles are. Anthony learned about them the hard way. Most important, how to start a fire. Here is Jason building a fire pit.
And Steve helping him, just a little bit. Jason ended up lighting it all on his own.
Megan and her friend Mike. They play soccer together and are both goalies. He is such a sweet kid. Saturday night, Megan was having a moment where she was mad just because. I asked her if she wanted a smore. Of course, she said no. Mike was standing behind me and said "if she wants one, I will make it for her." What a sweetheart he is.
Notice the jeans she is wearing. Yes, we can afford pants for this child. Her favorite pair but they didn't survive this trip.
The water fall that we hiked too.
Jason and the rest of the boys. I am glad that cub scouts does things like this. Our families really had a great time and we are already talking about next time.
Thanks Jessie for all your had work.
BSA has a camp at our favorite Lake. This area is just beautiful and I absolutely love it here. There was 6 different families that went on this camp out. The kids and parents got along great and we all had a lot of laughs. Anthony was worried that he wouldn't have a good time, but as luck would have it there where teenage girls there. He actually knew the other 3 other teenagers and really had a good time. Megan knows the camp leaders son and later one of her friends showed up with her family and of course Jason had friends. Above is Jason and Alica.
Here are the kids roasting hot dogs over the fire. Not my favorite way to have hot dogs but it works. The truck you see up on the hill in the distance is where one family pitched thier tent. We are on the other side, and you can see our tent below.
We had this huge area to pitch our tents, so we really weren't close to each other.
Here is base camp and where we all hung out as a group. The path in the background leads up to an amazing water fall. You can see it towards the end of this post. Below the boys are making their breakfast, Omelets in a bag. It works really well and they are good. I will have to post how to do it on my food blog some time. Food blog, a story for later. Jessie stuck her head in picture at the last minute and I really didn't feel like editing her out.
Boys enjoying their breakfast.
During the coarse of the camp the boys learned different skills. They learned about "Leave No Trace." What Stinging Needles are. Anthony learned about them the hard way. Most important, how to start a fire. Here is Jason building a fire pit.
And Steve helping him, just a little bit. Jason ended up lighting it all on his own.
Megan and her friend Mike. They play soccer together and are both goalies. He is such a sweet kid. Saturday night, Megan was having a moment where she was mad just because. I asked her if she wanted a smore. Of course, she said no. Mike was standing behind me and said "if she wants one, I will make it for her." What a sweetheart he is.
Notice the jeans she is wearing. Yes, we can afford pants for this child. Her favorite pair but they didn't survive this trip.
The water fall that we hiked too.
Jason and the rest of the boys. I am glad that cub scouts does things like this. Our families really had a great time and we are already talking about next time.
Thanks Jessie for all your had work.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Scary
Tornado warnings for here, Really??
We got home yesterday late afternoon from a cub scout family camp out. Great fun and pictures to follow. I was reading a book and the kids where watching t.v. when the NWS broke in with its emergency broadcast. I have seen those monthly test but have never wittiness one for real.
It advised of heavy thunder storms, lots of rain, high winds and possible tornado's. Jason started to panic a little. Anthony got serious and started calling his friends. Megan wondered if she should get off the computer. At one point she put her gold fish in a plastic bag so she could take him if we needed to leave. Our neighbor behind us, came over to tell us to use his basement if things got really bad. I think we are the only house on the block without a basement.
The winds did come up, but the storm went around us. For the rest of the night we had heavy rains and thunder. When I was little and in South Dakota we had tornado warnings. My cousin, to show how brave he was, went outside and stood in the hail. He said "see I told you this doesn't hurt." The hail was bigger then I had ever seen. My Grandmother saw him and yell something about what an idiot he is and get in the house. She didn't have the patience for that kind of stuff. The memory still makes me giggle.
I know for some of you that tornado warnings this time of year is just one of those things, but they freak me out. I'm from California, give me a good earth quake.
We got home yesterday late afternoon from a cub scout family camp out. Great fun and pictures to follow. I was reading a book and the kids where watching t.v. when the NWS broke in with its emergency broadcast. I have seen those monthly test but have never wittiness one for real.
It advised of heavy thunder storms, lots of rain, high winds and possible tornado's. Jason started to panic a little. Anthony got serious and started calling his friends. Megan wondered if she should get off the computer. At one point she put her gold fish in a plastic bag so she could take him if we needed to leave. Our neighbor behind us, came over to tell us to use his basement if things got really bad. I think we are the only house on the block without a basement.
The winds did come up, but the storm went around us. For the rest of the night we had heavy rains and thunder. When I was little and in South Dakota we had tornado warnings. My cousin, to show how brave he was, went outside and stood in the hail. He said "see I told you this doesn't hurt." The hail was bigger then I had ever seen. My Grandmother saw him and yell something about what an idiot he is and get in the house. She didn't have the patience for that kind of stuff. The memory still makes me giggle.
I know for some of you that tornado warnings this time of year is just one of those things, but they freak me out. I'm from California, give me a good earth quake.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Girl Scout Jubilation 2009
Here are the pictures of Jubilation that I have been promising. There are 26 pictures in this blog for you to enjoy. I took over 500, so you are lucky I only posted 26.
Here are Megan and I getting ready to leave. We drove about 6 hours to get into Idaho.
Time for opening ceremonies. The girls are not wearing bags for a fashion statement, it was raining and very windy. The Jubiliation committee had to get evacuation policies together because of a major thunder storm working it's way to us. Thank God, we only got a tiny bit of it.
The next day Megan and McKenzie went to the Challenge Course. This is for the Girl Scout Cadets and it made both girls feel a little special. They where to only two from their troop to go.
Here, they had to get Megan to the other end without her touching the ground. There are about 25 girls on this log.
There are 5 tires hanging by ropes. The girls had to make their way across the tires with out touching the ground. They had to use teamwork to get the tires moving and only 3 girls could be on the tires at a time. Much easier then it looks. Megan is a Monkey.
Megan is getting ready to go up on the high wire. We where running out of time and the girls moods where starting to fall apart. Because of the storm we had some venue changes. There was a lot of down time and no place to sit without getting wet. By this time emotions where running high and there was a lot of drama. At this course we had 200 girls all between the ages of 11 and 18. I was very proud of my two girls. The three of us worked really hard at staying positive and smiling. Trust me, it wasn't easy, but this was for them not for me.
She is so brave.
When she gets to this point, all I can see is her face through my camera. She looks just like she did when she was two and I started thinking "What am I thinking, that is my baby up there."
Trust me, this is a long way up.
To get down, she needs to sit back and they will lower her down. NO THANK YOU. McKenzie and I where down below cheering her on. At one point she looks down at me and says "Hey Mom.... I was wrong.... I am afraid of heights."
Bags and tents are packed and we are waiting for clearance to go home. There where 1200 girls at Jubiliation this year.
The girls play a game of Red Rover to pass the time. How sweet right? Nope, Sadie falls in a hole and broke her foot. We are thankful it happened at the end of the trip not the beginning.
We stopped at a rest area to have lunch. Look at the clouds behind us. We see them and decide it is time to get moving.
This is what we drove into. Don't freak out, I am not taking the picture, Megan is. There was a point where we could only go 25mph.
All in all this trip was wonderful. Yes, we really tested the limits of our patience. There is no way I would have missed this trip. I had a great time with Megan and she even told a friend of hers that I was cool. Jessie and Jodi helped make this trip great. We would stay up late after the girls where asleep talking and just giggling. This is the second time I have done Jubilation and this was the most fun I have had. Jubilation 2012 baby.
Here are Megan and I getting ready to leave. We drove about 6 hours to get into Idaho.
Time for opening ceremonies. The girls are not wearing bags for a fashion statement, it was raining and very windy. The Jubiliation committee had to get evacuation policies together because of a major thunder storm working it's way to us. Thank God, we only got a tiny bit of it.
The next day Megan and McKenzie went to the Challenge Course. This is for the Girl Scout Cadets and it made both girls feel a little special. They where to only two from their troop to go.
Here, they had to get Megan to the other end without her touching the ground. There are about 25 girls on this log.
There are 5 tires hanging by ropes. The girls had to make their way across the tires with out touching the ground. They had to use teamwork to get the tires moving and only 3 girls could be on the tires at a time. Much easier then it looks. Megan is a Monkey.
Megan is getting ready to go up on the high wire. We where running out of time and the girls moods where starting to fall apart. Because of the storm we had some venue changes. There was a lot of down time and no place to sit without getting wet. By this time emotions where running high and there was a lot of drama. At this course we had 200 girls all between the ages of 11 and 18. I was very proud of my two girls. The three of us worked really hard at staying positive and smiling. Trust me, it wasn't easy, but this was for them not for me.
She is so brave.
When she gets to this point, all I can see is her face through my camera. She looks just like she did when she was two and I started thinking "What am I thinking, that is my baby up there."
Trust me, this is a long way up.
To get down, she needs to sit back and they will lower her down. NO THANK YOU. McKenzie and I where down below cheering her on. At one point she looks down at me and says "Hey Mom.... I was wrong.... I am afraid of heights."
Bags and tents are packed and we are waiting for clearance to go home. There where 1200 girls at Jubiliation this year.
The girls play a game of Red Rover to pass the time. How sweet right? Nope, Sadie falls in a hole and broke her foot. We are thankful it happened at the end of the trip not the beginning.
We stopped at a rest area to have lunch. Look at the clouds behind us. We see them and decide it is time to get moving.
This is what we drove into. Don't freak out, I am not taking the picture, Megan is. There was a point where we could only go 25mph.
All in all this trip was wonderful. Yes, we really tested the limits of our patience. There is no way I would have missed this trip. I had a great time with Megan and she even told a friend of hers that I was cool. Jessie and Jodi helped make this trip great. We would stay up late after the girls where asleep talking and just giggling. This is the second time I have done Jubilation and this was the most fun I have had. Jubilation 2012 baby.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Micheal Jackson
My thoughts on the passing of Micheal Jackson.
My earliest memory of him was when I was little. Not really sure how old I was but the Jackson 5 was my first record. I remember my blue little turn table, standing in front of the mirror and signing his songs.
"ABC", "One Bad Apple" and of course "I'll Be There" where my favorite songs. I watched the Motown 25th anniversary and saw the moon walk. I sat with my friends and watched "Thriller" on MTV. Back when MTV was nothing but music videos. These old songs brings back some really good childhood memories. I remember staying at my Aunt and Uncles house during the summer. Going with Gina for drives around the vineyards in Lodi. Popping in good old Motown music in her eight track tape player. As Jason would say "Good times, good times".
All three of my kids like his music. Several months ago they saw the video "Thriller" and where hooked. They had no idea just how old that song was or the history it made. Jason and Megan both have his songs on their Ipods. I remember liking Elvis and watching his funeral on TV with my Mom. Today Megan is watching Michael Jackson's funeral with me.
My earliest memory of him was when I was little. Not really sure how old I was but the Jackson 5 was my first record. I remember my blue little turn table, standing in front of the mirror and signing his songs."ABC", "One Bad Apple" and of course "I'll Be There" where my favorite songs. I watched the Motown 25th anniversary and saw the moon walk. I sat with my friends and watched "Thriller" on MTV. Back when MTV was nothing but music videos. These old songs brings back some really good childhood memories. I remember staying at my Aunt and Uncles house during the summer. Going with Gina for drives around the vineyards in Lodi. Popping in good old Motown music in her eight track tape player. As Jason would say "Good times, good times".
His bad childhood and all the things he did to his body when nobody new any better, I am sure contributed to who he became. In all the craziness that his life became, I forgot just how good his music is.
All three of my kids like his music. Several months ago they saw the video "Thriller" and where hooked. They had no idea just how old that song was or the history it made. Jason and Megan both have his songs on their Ipods. I remember liking Elvis and watching his funeral on TV with my Mom. Today Megan is watching Michael Jackson's funeral with me.
The First Kick of the Season
This was the first kick starting our soccer season off. Megan starts tonight.
Here are some more pictures from the game. Jason's team lost and lost bad. However, while he was goalie nothing got by him.
Here is the best picture of the moon that I took last night.
The kids where getting ready to sleep in the tent with Steve and I stayed out and played with my camera. You can see the focus is on the trees. I couldn't get it to focus right on the moon. Oh well, just need some more practice, or another camera. Hint hint.
Yes, I will admit it. I have the Micheal Jackson memorial on while I am typing this. I have a blog post all figure out about him. Stayed tuned.
Here are some more pictures from the game. Jason's team lost and lost bad. However, while he was goalie nothing got by him.
Here is the best picture of the moon that I took last night.
The kids where getting ready to sleep in the tent with Steve and I stayed out and played with my camera. You can see the focus is on the trees. I couldn't get it to focus right on the moon. Oh well, just need some more practice, or another camera. Hint hint.
Yes, I will admit it. I have the Micheal Jackson memorial on while I am typing this. I have a blog post all figure out about him. Stayed tuned.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Peaceful Sunday
I will be honest, it's peaceful because the kids are still asleep.
We had a very nice day yesterday. Some friends of ours invited us to their home for a bbq. They have a beautiful house that overlooks the valley. We sat around and had great food and talked about everything from fishing to politics. We could have stayed there to watch the fireworks but there is something so American feeling about being at the stadium. It starts with the small town band playing some great old rock, the stadium being lined with American flags and being mauled by cheerleaders to buy their cookies.
The fireworks show was a little shorter this year. Our fireworks show is a community sponsored event. Our little town is so hard hit by the economy it amazed me that we still had such a good show. For those keeping track, we had another plant close last week. If the "cap and trade" goes ahead, it will be devastating to Eastern Oregon.
Jason danced while the band played, Megan scoped out the area looking for friends. Anthony helped the cheerleader's sell their cookies. I think there is one cheerleader in particular that he might like, just a little bit. Andrew and Skeeter showed up and then joined us at our house to light our fireworks. Our 4th of July wouldn't be the same without Andrew and Skeeter.
The most shocking thing to happen this 4th: I only took pictures of the fireworks. The rest of the time, I sat and just relaxed. I hope everyone's 4th was just as good.
Here is one picture of the fireworks. Not a good one, but what do you expect when I am balancing the camera on my chest and holding my breath. I didn't want to be bothered with a tripod.
We had a very nice day yesterday. Some friends of ours invited us to their home for a bbq. They have a beautiful house that overlooks the valley. We sat around and had great food and talked about everything from fishing to politics. We could have stayed there to watch the fireworks but there is something so American feeling about being at the stadium. It starts with the small town band playing some great old rock, the stadium being lined with American flags and being mauled by cheerleaders to buy their cookies.
The fireworks show was a little shorter this year. Our fireworks show is a community sponsored event. Our little town is so hard hit by the economy it amazed me that we still had such a good show. For those keeping track, we had another plant close last week. If the "cap and trade" goes ahead, it will be devastating to Eastern Oregon.
Jason danced while the band played, Megan scoped out the area looking for friends. Anthony helped the cheerleader's sell their cookies. I think there is one cheerleader in particular that he might like, just a little bit. Andrew and Skeeter showed up and then joined us at our house to light our fireworks. Our 4th of July wouldn't be the same without Andrew and Skeeter.
The most shocking thing to happen this 4th: I only took pictures of the fireworks. The rest of the time, I sat and just relaxed. I hope everyone's 4th was just as good.
Here is one picture of the fireworks. Not a good one, but what do you expect when I am balancing the camera on my chest and holding my breath. I didn't want to be bothered with a tripod.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Uncle Rick.
I stole this picture from your facebook profile. The last picture I have of you is at Andrews graduation last year. That's bad, time for you to come for a visit.
Have a great birthday and we will be thinking about you.
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