Guests in The Loft

The Jensens came to stay with us 2 days after school got out.  They got in late Thursday.  Friday we went walking and biking along the Lacamas Heritage Trail, then loaded up 13 bikes and headed down to have a picnic on the Columbia River then drove into Portland and biked all along with Willamette, over the Hawthorn Bridge to Jamison Square Fountain and had giant Breadsticks at Hot Lips Pizza before heading back over the Steel Bridge and along the Eastbank Esplande.  Nice biking weather.

Saturday the adults went to Monticello Antiques, the temple and to Saturday Market.  Kids swam when we got home and had yummy dinner and dessert.  Watched movies, played games.

Father's Day wasn't quite so nice, but we went out to hike inspite of the drizzle to the footbridge at Round Lake.

We had a big brunch when we got home. I spoke in sacrament meeting.  Had a yummy dinner and cheesecakes for Father's day.  Played more games.

Monday we all hiked Multnomah Falls while my girls were at soccer camp and Brody with Maddie Jackson.  The hike was beautiful!  Todd took everyone out on the boat to go tubing on Lacamas Lake.  Lee stayed with me and sewed tons of curtains, hemmed and did mending!!!  Whoo-hoo.  I am really not good at  sewing, puts me in a foul mood.  We had salmon burgers on the Traeger for dinner and did our special Lake Family smores out by my new garage sale fire pit.

I must say this is a very easy family to entertain and board.  SO helpful w/ meals and the kids, ON TIME and game for  all our activities.  And when anyone comes to visit, hiking and outdoor activities are always on the agenda. I can't gather that many bikes again....which is too bad, cause that is one of the funnest ways to see Portland!   They've set the bar pretty high. I need to think of another name to call the guest suite above the garage.  Annie said the Marriott, but that may be confusing.  The "Bonus Room" is too played.  Lee said "The Loft". All I have to say is that I love just sending company up there and not having to worry about another thing!

Winding up the School Year

I'm feeling guilty for the times I haven't drug my camera along for the kids end of school year activities.  Sometimes it's just one more bulky thing to cart along!  My digital camera pales in comparison to this one, so I rarely like to even use it.  This was Kennedy's first piano recital.  She did wonderful!  Griffin taught himself an awesome song by learning it on U-tube and played it as one of his pieces.

The kids love for us to come to Pride Night at the shcool and see the projects they've been working.  Kennedy and Mrs Distant w baby Elise and Camydn w Mrs Williams.

Camdyn and Katie were in the same class together and would practice the recorders for hours at our house.  On the day of the performance they had gotten to double white belt and their friend Gabe got double black belt.....meaning they'd learned ALL the songs and then extra.

Thursdays I looked forward to going to Griffin's track meets and timing him as he continued to break his PR in the mile from meet to meet.  He made it to Districts in the mile and 800.  He and his friend Caleb who were baptized on the same day ran in the 800 together.  Why do I not have tons more photos of them as they were growing up together!  Why do I have no pictures of Camdyn at her track meet and Griffin at his awards ceremony?!!

The week before school got out we took a little road trip to a soccer tournament in Pasco Washington, up the Gorge about 3 1/2 hours away.  It was sunny and warm there!  The kids loved staying in the hotel and swimming with thier teammates, getting pizza and playing 3 games one day and then to the semi finals the next.  I was ready to come back to the rain.....which we've had in abundance!

Twenty somthing! Are you kidding me?

For Mothers Day, Todd asked what I wanted....the answer usually never changes.  "A day to myself".  That day to myself usually involves running or cycling.  This year a few girlfriends from my ward and I signed up at midnight on October 31st to be one of 900 participants in the ever popular all women's Hippie Chic Half Marathon.  It filled in 6 hours!  It's good to have a goal through the rainy and gray winter/spring months.   Most my events I do alone so this was much more fun to drive down and start the race together with friends and to see one another along the course.

I had a goal in mind, and if it wasn't for three young twenty year olds in front of me, I may have gotten it!  I'm not making excuses, but have they had 4 babies and have to get up at the crack of dawn to train? I was hoping to come in 3rd all around and got 5th.  I got 2nd in my age group which is something I never would have imagined when I first began running long distance 13 years ago.  Anything is possible!  Before Griffin was born I'd never gone more than 8 miles. All the miles logged are not always fun.....but the sanity and feeling of accomplishment are always worth it.

After the Ogden Marathon my parents gave me a wooden sign that reads

"I DO NOT RUN TO ADD DAYS TO MY LIFE,

I RUN TO ADD LIFE TO MY DAYS"

Tiffany, Nicole and I basking in the sunshine right before the start.

Befores and Afters

  While it's been raining I've had a few inside projects, such as texturing and painting walls and more walls.  My favorite is the downstairs bath which I didn't happen to post.  The kitchen BEFORE and AFTER.

Brody's room BEFORE and AFTER

Todd has been hard at work outside.  My girlfriends who drive by a few times a day say they see him outside all the time.  Anyone who knows him knows that working a riding lawn mower he's like a kid at Christmas!

Front walkway BEFORE and AFTER

These bushes were very hard to remove, only once the chain came in did they come right up out of the ground.  He also transplanted all the hydrangeas along the front and replaced those with a large hedge and boxwood hedge along the walkway.

The purple blooms on the wisteria in the backyard are gorgeous! And what front porch is complete without furniture to get comfy and watch the sunset from?  We already enjoy sitting out here and visiting at night or as we wait for the school bus.

My current project is the girls room.  I wanted to texture and paint it....and I do believe it may be the last painting project for a long while!!!  Let's just say this is one time consuming project!

In order to get everything out of the way we moved it into the hall and our bedroom.  I just wanted to show proof to those who think my house is always clean....that it's looked like this for 4 days and now I'm going to repaint again since I wasn't happy with the end result I am going for!

Brace Face

Griffin came to me and month ago and said "mom can I just get my braces on and get it over with?"  Too funny!  At his track meet, the day we put them on, I was noticing ALL the middle school kids that had them on, and there were tons!  He was an easy patient and Dr. Moses let me do most all the work on him.  He wears headgear only at night and is a great sport about that as well.  I took him easy mac and hot cocoa to school on Friday since I had nothing soft AND filling to send in his lunch.  Need to buy a thermos for the poor boy.

That's gonna leave a mark

Annie came for a visit in April bringing my neice Rachel along to help drive and see her cousins.  As always Annie comes ready to clean and  play with the kids.  My aunt Janet flew in for two days.  We went shopping one day and the next day she, Annie, Rachel and Griffin walked all over downtown Portland, the Pearl, Saturday market and a few key antique stores.  Janet even mended curtains for me and played dodge ball on the trampoline with the kids well into the evening.  It was great having them all here.

Griffin has friends over on several occasions to join in his new hobby..... Paint balling and Air Soft Wars in the forest behind the house.  Those boys will stay out there for hours!  I'll beckon them down with pizza, otherwise I can hear their distant crys an acre or two away as they are welted by a ball.  Last week he and two friends had Air Soft and a sleep over in the bonus room.  I barely saw or heard them all night.  It was lovely! 

Spring Break Traditions

Spring Break at Cannon Beach has been our tradition now for many years.  It's just too cool to venture out anywhere in hopes of good weather and we love the beach even when it's stormy.  This Spring Break was very wet and windy.  We were lucky to get two beautiful days, although a bit breezy at times.  The kids enjoyed having their own "spending money" from Todd.  I brought some delicious meals to cook up in our cottage that had two separte bedrooms, full kitchen, hide a bed and washer n dryer.  This is my new hot spot!  The kids loved the scavenger hunt I made up of 22 questions scattered up and down Cannon's main street.  The winners got a Tillamook ice cream cone.  We dined on Doogers clam chowder, Pizza a feta and of course saltwater taffy from Bruces.  Rented Twilight, New Moon and The BlindSide to watch at night after Brody was all tucked in.  Camdyn and Kennedy are now BIG Edward fans.  I'm liking Jacob now that his hair is short.

Some Sundays I make them stay dressed after church so I can grab a shot or two of them looking spiffed up.