Christmas

We had a very merry Christmas once again this year. 

We made our pilgrimage to the Oregon zoo lights.

Three turkeys!

We had Christmas in the family room this year and enjoyed some football on our new TV.

But the best part was having family here to spend it with. Grammy and Grandpa came for a long weekend and the Bogardus cousins were here for ten fun filled days!

Luke, 2 3/4, Liam, 4 3/4, Brooke, 5, Megan, 6 3/4

And lots of Christmas morning excitement!

"You've Been Banged!"

So said the hair stylist to my daughter today. Umm, hello? She's six!! Though she does look WAY older with bangs.

Halloween: A Haiku

A few years back, I posted a "three act play" for Halloween. I don't have that kind of time anymore, so this year I offer you a haiku instead. It's literary and multicultural, but best of all it can be completed in less than 3 minutes!! And so without further ado...

Goodwill transforms kids
Kind strangers dispense candy
Way too much sugar

 Megan wanted to be a cow. "Mom, are you going to sew my costume?" she asked in early September. My first thought was "F*ck, NO!" But instead , I said, "Hmmm, maybe we can look at Goodwill first."

 No cow costumes to be found but I did get this cute pink poodle outfit. "Megan, I can take this back if you want me to keep looking for a cow outfit." But she was happy with the pink fluffy suit. As the saying goes, a pink poodle outfit in hand is worth two cows in the bush...or something like that. The collar says Mufti for my grandmother who had a poodle (actually two) with the same name.

Liam wanted to be an astronaut, but he wouldn't wear the helmet. he went around telling people he was a "space dude." Not sure where he came up with that one, but it sure didn't hurt his candy haul. That little charmer talked an extra candy bar out of just about every house! Unfortunately, this space dude was still under the effect of gravity when he stumbled against the kitchen chair earlier and bloodied his nose.

Oh, and those 70 pound pumpkins the kids are sitting on? Yeah, I grew those!! (three big ones in all plus all the little gourds, too). And if you look carefully, you can see our Halloween decor even includes a ghost in the window! BOO!

Fall Fun!

October 16th was our annual trip to Bauman Farms. Lots of fun for the kids...and maybe the parents, too. Although, Liam didn't think the monster golf was so fun as we dragged him through the muddy corn course.

All the traditional fun, and some new stuff, too.

 Getting lost in the blow-up bouncer

Enjoying some cider and goats!

The kids aren't the only ones having fun.

Hey - no spare tires on this family!

They had one more spot in the pie eating contest. Liam stepped right up (so much for wash your face before you eat)

What a sweet face! Some huge boy ate his whole pie in the time it took Liam to eat about three bites, but he had a great time and we all enjoyed the rest of the pie in the garden when it was over.

We also ran all over doing the scavenger hunt this year...I think Megan was pretty disappointed to learn we didn't get a prize at the end (Megan is a little over-obsessed with prizes these days), but it was still fun finding all the answers.

We are already looking forward to next year!

Big Milestones!

Last week we celebrated the use of parentheses and it looks like we will soon be adding paragraphs to the list!

This was a "top secret" letter to Megan's teacher. I wouldn't have even noticed except Megan said,"Mom! Do Not read this. It is NOT for you!" Which, of course, meant I was sneaking around to see it and then nearly died after I had!

Victoria Marathon Weekend

This weekend, Pam and I took the kids up to Victoria, BC. It was my third trip to this very beautiful little city on the coast of Vancouver Island. Other than the really long drive and ferry ride on Thursday and then again on Sunday, it was really a splendid weekend. Along the way, we:

Imitated art

Held some really cool bugs

Climbed some humungous trees!

And ran a couple of races. 

Pam did awesome (as usual). She completed the half marathon in 1:25 and secured her spot in the "elite" field at the upcoming California International Marathon in December. I didn't have a stellar day but it was a lot of fun. I finished my fourth marathon in 3:50. Not my fastest or my slowest, but considering my injuries and a trip to Europe during this training cycle I'm not upset. Next up for both of us is the Autumn Leaves 50K on October 29th where Pam will be doing her impersonation of Medusa while running and I will be doing my best not to get lapped by her on the 10K loop style course! 

Final 2011 Beach Trip

 Way back in January, we purchased a weekend at the coast (Seaside, OR) at the Salem Multicultural Ball's silent auction. This past weekend, we finally got around to using it. We spent Thursday evening and Friday hanging out on the beach as a family:

Then on Saturday morning, Debbie and Ming brought their kids out for the day as well. The kids played awesome together. In between rain showers, the kids:

Had fun on the beach

Watched a movie (or two)

And played a video game (or ten)

Sunday afternoon, we all packed up headed home and got back to reality. It was a nice, but short, little getaway from Salem.

Mom and Dad's Awesome Day

On Thursday August 29th, Mac and I decided to cash in our Father's Day Groupon for a helicopter flight from Newberg over the Willamette Valley.

Our craft

Ready for take-off!

"We're flying!"

Hovering low

Soaring high

Getting a sneak peak at Heizer Farm's corn maze

After checking helicopter ride off of our bucket list, we decided to check out the candy making monks in Amity. We arrived at a quaint little chapel in the middle of nowhere.

The church had four beautiful stained glass panels depicting monks, but there was a lady in there who was praying and I wasn't sure if snapping photos was in line. So instead, I posed with Our Lady of Consolation.

In Amity, consolation can be found in delectable confections made by the monks. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we rang the mysterious doorbell, not knowing what to expect. A very solemn guy in plain clothes (and a bit of a mullet) led us into a plain room with shelves lined with goodie boxes. We fairly quickly picked out a pound of fudge, a pound of praline fudge, and a box of truffles.

"Are there ever tours of the chocolate making facilities?" I ask as Mac forks over the cash.

"No," our very chatty attendant responds, and with that, our chocolate purchasing is complete, leaving Mac and I to contemplate whether or not or companion was a monk or not.

Afterwards, we headed off to Blue Goat for a delicious local grown meal.

"All of the main ingredients come from a 20 mile radius" or server tells us as we are munching on a calamari appetizer.

"Really? Where does the squid come from?"

"Umm, not the calamari." Then he sees our hummus. "The garbanzo beans aren't from around here either. But all the meats and vegetables." Though we had a few things that weren't exactly "farm to table" dinner was superb and they have a huge wood fired oven to make yummy fresh bread. I recommend the place highly (even the frozen calamari from California was delicious), but save room for dessert - both offering were to die for! We didn't even have to open our fudge!

Too Cute!

Need I say more? :)

Second Tooth

Megan's first adult tooth is growing in nicely, but we don't have to say good bye to that gapped grin just yet. On August 26th out popped tooth #2.

"What do you think the Tooth Fairy will leave me? " Megan asked.

"I don't know but I am so excited to find out."

"Me, too, Mom, but you are being sarcastic and I'm not!"

But everyone was super excited the next morning to find a one dollar bill and a small box of multi-colored sequins from the Tooth Fairy. Gosh, I can hardly wait to find out what Megan will get for tooth #3!

Liamisms

August 18th was Liam's half birthday and he tried to use it for leverage.

"Mom, how many presents do I get?"

"Mom, can we go to Chuck E. Cheese?"

"Mom, can we make a cake and have ice cream?"

I finally had to put my foot down: "Liam, you don't get anything on your half birthday. Your Mom and Dad give you a hug and say 'Happy Half Birthday!' and that is it."

"Uuurg!!" Liam's frustration mounted. "But it isn't happy if we don't do anything!"

So Unhappy half birthday to Liam, who is now four and a half, but still young enough that life's not fair, especially when Megan gets to do everything and Liam never gets anything. ;)

****

Earlier this month, I was trying to mediate a "discussion" between Mac's parents.

"I don't know why you are getting involved," Mac informed me, "You are playing with fire."

Liam was suddenly interested. "Why are you playing with fire."

And so I explained to Liam that playing is just an expression that means you are doing something dangerous.

After which Liam demonstrates his comprehension: "So when you are playing with knives, you are playing with fire."

Ummm, yeah. :)

There's always lots of silliness when Liam is around.

Emergency Summer Update...By Request

So what have we been up to in the last 8 weeks since losing a tooth?

We ran through Zion and Bryce,
We earned another buckle (and another Top 10 finish at Western States),
We made a fashion statement,
We learned to play Go Fish
We celebrated the 4th of July with old friends

We got personal with the sharks at the Newport Aquarium

We got clean after a good day at the beach
We celebrated transformation with Team Optimus Prime
We played with cousinsWe went to the zoo
We were eaten by dinosaurs!

We made magic potions at Timothy Lake.
Went to a wedding
Developed a love for light sabers
and very reluctantly danced with Daddy.

Hope you've been having a good summer, too!

(btw - blogger is possessed; it turns your font blue and underlines things for no reason)