Chloe celebrated her 7th birthday this weekend. She picked monster cupcakes so we decided to have it before Halloween. I'll post more pictures of the parthy later.

Being such a great mother I only managed to get pictures of one of my three children this Halloween. Oh well. Kaiya was dressed up as Boo from Monsters Inc. She was so cute, but was so done with pictures and the costume by the end of the night. I had to bribe her to get these shots.

My favorite place

As you all know I've a horrible blogger this past spring/summer. To make up for it I posted some of my favorite pictures from my favorite place. My friend Catfish says you are either a water person or a mountain person. I am most definitely a water person. (Fish, you should recognize this beach!) My favorite destination is Long Beach, Washington. I grew up visiting every summer, it's filled with memories of crab holes, sand, and family. I am now fortunate enough to pass on the love for the beach to my children. It fills my heart with joy every time I say, "Let's go to the beach." and my kids cheer. All of the kids adore the beach but noone more than Chloe, she is a glimpse into the past. She loves the water much like I did when I was little, she plunges into the cold waves with no abandon. Most of the time I have to limit her to wading but she can't help but stick her toes in no matter what time of year it is. I hope you all have a place that makes you happy, this is our family's "happy place".

This is my favorite shot of Chloe from this summer.

Birthday present

Jay built me a wonderful firepit for my birthday. It was 95 degrees the day he put it in, but he insisted on having a fire that night, so the kids and I had S'mores. I can't tell you how nice it's been to build a fire in the evenings and just relax!

Camping

Our second annual camping trip with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Cassie. This year we spent three days at a beautiful State Park on the south Santiam river.


The kids, Joey and I spent a lot of time in the water. The river was freezing but it had lots of huge, deep pools to paddle around in and since the campgrounds had no showers...this was the next best thing!

Right behind our campsite was a .75 mile trail to a cute little water fall called Soda Creek Falls. We were lucky enough to have the trail to ourself so we climbed around on the fallen trees and let the dogs run loose. On the last day of camping Joey, our yellow lab, decided to eat Chloe's fishing hook and bait. Luckily after 2 weeks we decided that the hook must have passsed through "naturally" so no huge vet bill for us! Can't wait for next years camping adventure!

Crater Lake

Over Labor Day weekend we took a trip down to Medford to see Jay's family. On Sunday we decided to go on a Sunday drive (with hundreds of other people) and headed for Crater Lake. We stopped at the natural bridge on the way, picniced at the Lake and stopped at the gorge on the way home. Crater Lake was amazing as you could see by the beautiful blue water, the pictures don't do it justice. Next time we go we want to take the boat ride to Wizard island and stay at the lodge.

First day of school

First of all I know I'm a total slacker and need to post 6 months worth of pictures but I promise I'll catch up at some point. John and Chloe were so excited for school to start, though John would never admit it. Can't believe how quickly the summer past but we are all ready to go for another school year. I thought Kaiya would miss her siblings but I think she's just as happy to have her own time with me.

"Car"dboard boxes

You have to love a cardboard box and duct tape. I helped the kids make cars that they pushed each other around in and used as a drive in to watch TV. The cars lasted for about a week before they got completely destroyed. We did have one lecture about how they were NOT good cars to ride down the stairs in.

My son the nerd

Couldn't resist posting these pictures. John's hair is long enough to "style" now so I combed it to the side, all he needs now is a pocket protector.

Spring is here

Spring has definitely arrived in Portland. On these beautiful days Kaiya and I walk to get the kids from school. Here are a few things that we see on the way.

Christmas fun!

Well we survived another Christmas. This year had to be one of the best (I say that every year). I managed to get packages out early, Christmas cards were actually sent, I got to bake and cook to my hearts content, my children are happy and healthy (and relatively well behaved), I have wonderful friends and family, what more could I ask for. For all of you who follow our blog I want you to know that I do appreciate every one of you. I may forget at times to write and call (I am not known for my consistant correspondence) but I love every one of you and you are in my heart. That being said my hope for the new year is to keep in touch with those who are dear to us, so if you get a quick e-mail, or even a letter in the mail don't have a heart attack it's just me letting you know we love you! And if you don't get anything in the next few months give me a call or an e-mail to let me know I need a kick in the pants!