Spring Break

I LOVE the Oregon Coast!

We took a very short trip over Spring Break to visit.  It was wonderful!  On the way home Scott and both agreed that this was the best "beach day" on the OR coast that we have had since we were both kids.  The weather was wonderful!  The kids played all afternoon, building sand castles, playing in the water, burying themselves, running, flying kites.  We literally had to drag the kids away when it was time to go.  If left to their own devises they would have stayed till the sun went down and even then they would have found something to do.  

Our second day was spent at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  Kal's favorite was the shark exhibit, Avery loved it all and Lincoln just wanted to run everywhere regardless of what it was!

What a nice way to decompress and refuel before "life" starts again.  

Crazy Teeth

These pictures just crack me up!  These two get into EVERYTHING right now. We made these teeth for Halloween years ago and they found them in our bathroom cabinet recently. These pictures cause me to pause every time I come across them because I think I'm looking at different kids!! Their smiles are so strange!  

Washi Tape

Recently Avery and I made a gift for her to take to a birthday party (I wish I would have taken a pic.) It was a simple notebook decorated in paper and washi tape and it was darling! We also started our Mother's Day Gifts for Activity Day Girls using washi tape.  I will post pics when we finish, but can I say how much I am LOVIN' washi tape?  It is so easy to use and makes simple projects look complicated by adding extra layers of texture.  Love it!  

Needless to say Kal and Lincoln love washi tape too!  They wanted "band-aids" made of "wacky tape" on all of their fingers!  They crack me up.  Both of them kept this stuff on till dinner time later in the day.  

Aren't little kids hands the cutest?  I LOVE them!  Both of these little sets of hands are still chubby and small and so child like.  I pretend to believe that Kal's hands are clean but know in my heart of hearts that they go in places I don't even want to know about.  GROSS!  I'm sure Lincoln is the same as she is turning into Kal's shadow!   

Tamanawas Falls

We got to hike this past week with the sister missionaries from our area and a few good friends to this beautiful waterfall just off of highway 35 in the Mt Hood National Forest.  Such a beautiful waterfall and hike.  Lincoln is ever the good sport about being in the pack. She wants desperately to walk the whole way and she actually hiked the first 1/2 mile.  However, this kid is a bit clumsy and the terrain just got a little hairy.  Lots of roots and rocks to navigate, plus we had a short window to get back to town to meet Avery off the bus.  What a great hiking buddy Lincoln is turning into.

Kal never ceases to amaze me!  This hike was about 4 miles round trip with some steady climbing the first 2 miles.  He hike the entire way and I would say that he actually ran 60% of that.  He is strong and agile.  He has such a good sense of himself and his capabilities.  The only complaint I got was that we didn't have enough time to throw a bazillion. . .yes a bazillion rocks into the river.  

In these small moments I remember the good. 

 The Good meaning:

How blessed I am for these beautiful children I get to be with.

How blessed I am to live in THE most beautiful place on earth, IMO!!!

How blessed I am for good health that allows me to do these things with my kids.

How blessed I am to live in a free country where these outings are possible.

How blessed I am for good employment that gives me these opportunities.

How blessed I am with a spouse that encourages such adventures for me and the kids

So Thankful right now! 

Perfect Day

We had a perfect day!  I spent the morning cleaning.  I started AND I finished the whole house.  IN ONE MORNING!!!  That is a huge accomplishment for my life and I cherish it.  I actually thanked my Heavenly Father last night for this tender mercy!  Because my A-Dubs  had watch way too TV to make this happen for me AND because we are having an unusually warm and sunny spring I asked if these little turkeys wanted to go on a bike ride.  

We stopped first at Twin Peaks.  A hole in the wall local hamburger joint that was filled with construction workers and grandpas.  Delish!  My kids loved it.  After we were full and ready to hit the road we stopped of at the local grocery store to pick up a few items we had forgotten the night before.  Then, off to the park! 

Kal and Lincoln are such a blast!  I love these little adventures with them.

After the park we headed to a family friends house to say hello for a quick minute.  I love good friends, what a blessing they are in our lives.  I only wish I had a pic of them to post.  Heidi and Gary (aka GheeGhee) are simply wonderful human beings!  

On our way home both of them fell asleep. 

 I felt so blessed!  

We had a perfect day!

Calling it a Season

Well, Scott's Basket Ball season came to an official end this past week with the post season banquet.   Stats were given for each girl highlighting her achievements along with the dispensing of awards to "Most Improved," "Most Valuable Player," and "The Eagle Award."  I could see the weight lift from Scott as the evening moved forward.  His smile became more "his."  A lot of that weight came from knowing that the season's late nights,  viewings of game tape, practices, and stats/ranking would take a back seat to us, his family, for just a time.  The girls start playing again in June, right after school gets out. 

Our girls did not have a stellar season if you are just looking at wins vs. loses.  We are in a very tough conference.  Every other team in our conference will be playing tomorrow for a chance to go to State.  However, despite this huge challenge, Scott noted the improvements since last year across the board for our team as a whole.  Our numbers went up in all areas.  We were a better team this year than we were last year.  I love that he commented on the little things that ultimately make the difference.  What a good life lesson THAT is in itself!!  It is the little things that matter.  It is the little acts done over and over again that changes us, as athletes and as individuals!  Go Eagles!!!

Flexibility

Can I just say how much I love NO SCHOOL!  Avery AND Scott were home today!  I had to continually remind myself that we have school and work tomorrow because it felt so much like Saturday.  

We live in, honestly, one of the most beautiful places in the US.  The Columbia River Gorge is incredible!!  We hiked Elowah Falls today!  So beautiful!  

(This is what I got when I asked her to "smile.")

Our plan was to head on over to Scott's parent's house after we were done hiking but while we were finishing up our picnic lunch I remembered I had agreed to help a friend in the early afternoon.  To say we were all disappointed to miss a visit to Grammy and Gran Bob's house is an understatement, especially when we found out that Grammy had made stew and apple pie for dinner!  Simply put, my kids were ticked off!!!  What stood out in my conversation with my mother-in-law was her grace. She is never one to make a person feel guilty, regardless of the reason.  She and my father-in-law are so flexible.  She totally understood that I had made a commitment and had forgotten about it.  Even though she spent a bunch of  time getting ready for us she was so gracious with a short notice change in plans.  I am so grateful for that, I knew it really was okay.  She wasn't angry and there would be no grudge.  Disappointment, sure.  But, anger?  Never.  I love that quality about Scott's parents.  The ability to adapt regardless of what is thrown at them is a quality that I greatly admire.  I love them for many reasons, this being just one of them!!!