Motorcycles & Matching Skirts

Our neighbor's son, Caleb, has a friend who drove this spiffy, blue Honda into the cul-de-sac.  Encouraged by Sophie, the girls hopped on for a photo op.  They even tried on the helmet, but had to brace their head because it was so heavy.   Hopefully this will be their first and last time sitting on a motorcycle.
Yesterday we went to church, and while we were getting dressed, McKinley expressed an interest in matching Piper.  Ding, ding, ding…bells and whistles went off, and I secretly did a little happy dance in my head.  Rarely do they ever request to wear matching outfits! We ended up settling on a pink tutu so Tessa could match too.  So after church, in which Tessa stayed in the nursery for the first time, we did a little photo sesh in the back yard.  Must document these moments before they detest dressing alike.

Final Days of Summer

I can't believe the end of August is just around the corner.  And with my seventh cross country running season as assistant coach officially underway, summer is almost over and school is about to start.  I'm looking forward to everything about fall, but I will also be mourning the super, hot temperatures we've been experiencing in the last couple weeks and my golden brown skin.

Alumni Picnic

Every summer we look forward to the Naval Academy BBQ hosted by Jack Kohl '65, which celebrates the work of the Blue & Gold Officers.  Last weekend Benji made arrangement to leave work early so we could attend.  We love going because the barbecue is amazing, and there is always a huge selection of home made desserts.  But I love going because it re-connects me with my past.  I met a mother whose son just finished his plebe year, and she told me she was certain my husband had went to the Academy and not me, because I looked like your typical suburban mom.  I didn't know whether to thank her or take offense.  That day I was asked by several people if I would consider being a B&G Officer or speaking at a Parent's Club meeting.  Infact, I had began the process before McKinley was born.  They said having a woman talk to potential female candidates was invaluable.  But I told them my Navy path was unique and probably not desirable.
In the end, I'm proud to be a graduate, class of 2000, but also elated that I came across as just a mother, to so many people I met.

Now that Tessa is crawling, she attempts to follow her sisters.

And Go Ducks!

Alumni Picnic 2012

Micah saves the day

After returning from Crater Lake we stayed close to home for the remainder of Travis & Natalie's visit. There were pool parties, trips to the park, food cart lunches, and the Newberg Old Fashion Festival.  We braved the heat watching the "groovy" parade on Saturday and spent way too much money for the girls to ride the carousel at the carnival.  But we did collect enough candy to hand out on Halloween this year.  The forecast for Sunday was in the 90's, so we took a day trip to Barton Park in Estacada where tubing down the Clackamas River was the trendy thing to do.  Luckily we got there early enough before the Sheriff had to turn cars away.  The kiddos loved tubing….except for Piper.  That explains the plethora of pictures I took of her.  After our tubing and while I was squeezing water out of some cauliflower, Tessa crawled for the first time to Auntie Natalie.  I saw her face light up, and she began to squeal and just like that, my baby was fully mobile.  But the most memorable event was when Benji asked Micah to hit the ganglion cyst on his wrist with a book.   All it took was one, good whack, and the cyst dissolved instantly.  Our five-year-old nephew saved Benji a trip to the doctor and gave him back his wrist mobility.  We had such an amazing time with Travis, Natalie and the boys!  We are already looking forward to next summer when we will jump in Crater Lake together.

Our brand new pool.

Brunch at Henry's, a food cart in Carlton, which serves the best biscuits and gravy I've ever eaten.

Tessie loves to swing!

We had front row seats on the parade route, but those seats didn't have any shade.  See below.

Mary Poppins sat with us a while.

The kids suit up in their life vests, waiting for the sun to come out and the temperature to get a little warmer.

Piper preferred hanging out with Momma, eating Babybell cheese.

McKinley, on the other hand, got upset when we let Travis & Micah have a turn with the tubes.

The Clackamas River.  We would drop our tubes in here and float a little past the bridge.

Tessa gets really comfy in Aunt Natalie's arms.

This was just before she went down for a nap in the BOB.

Always that tongue!