Summer Fun!

Random Mom Shot
The day the kids rode Dana’s horse this other horse in the field (Twig I think) followed me around the whole time wanting a little love. Sort of pushy about it too. So I used my extend-o arm and took a portrait of the two of us. I think it’s a funny shot and wanted to share.

Day at the Lake
Jo and I made a trip South to do a little boating with Connie and maybe a little skiing too. Grandma Marie joined, along with Connie’s nephew Mason. Turned out it was a great day to swim off of the boat.Connie did a little boarding behind the boat but I was still hurt from softball and Jo just didn’t want to kneeboard this day so we swam.

Rachelle popped in after work, took a lap or two with the kneeboard and then again…swimming off of the boat.

Jo LOVED being able to jump into the lake with out her life jacket on and swim in such open water.








Baseball Camp
Cole was not able to hit the lake with us because he participated in his first baseball camp put on by the Ducks. To say he loved it would truly be an understatement.He indulged me with a quick photo, otherwise he didn’t want that sort of attention. And for the first time when I asked for a kiss goodbye he said quietly with a sort of sad look “No, Mom, please no”. It made me laugh inside and I didn’t get a kiss.

The nicknames that he got at camp, which also made him feel special, I think. ‘Shaq’ (we have no idea why and he could not explain it either). ‘Little Man’, he was the second smallest at camp (he said that one is ok because he has always been called that). And then ‘Switch Hitter’ because he told everyone that he was. We even heard the coaches every now and then call him that. Very cute.

Floating the Umpqua

Todd, Oma, Cole, Mom, Jo, Derian and Corri.

Todd and I were the only ones who had ever floated a river on tubes before so we did a lot of talking and educating before and during the first part of our float.

Oma even packed an umbrella for Sunburn Ally but lost it within the first five minutes on the tube.
Cole, Jo and Oma going through the small rapids.
They got MUCH larger, Oma and Cole fell off of their tubes more than once and we will wait again to float in tubes until the kids are older. Chalk this up as a learning experience that was fun with a little adrenalin here and there.

Sunburn Ally is a very slow moving deep part of the river so we jump off the tubes to swim, play and paddle to make this section a little more fun and faster. I tried to take photos of the kids underwater and these two are the only ones that turned out.

Gymnastics Camp
Oma enrolled the kids into a week long, 9 – 5 gymnastics camp.
They came home exhausted, cranky, hungry and happy all at the same time!Jo became quite the monkey climbing the rope like it was nothing.
Cole worked on the rings and by the second day could cross the whole foam pit swinging on the them.
Jumping Jo! She has always loved to jump and here she tried to do both trampoline and jump roping! Took her a few tries to get the rhythm down but once she did it was all smiles!
Maggie and Lanna made the trip with Nans and Gpa so they joined Cole and Jo at camp one day. They too came home exhausted but happy! Lots of jumping, swinging and trampoline snow angels by Lanna!

Last Day of Camp?


Really? Do we really need to make yet another trip to the Urgent Care? Are you sure? (Steaks can wait to be cooked another day dang it.)


Avulsion break.


We then went out to celebrate the first break or rather it was just another excuse to eat ice cream.


Cole is ok. He will wear a splint cast until he sees his regular doctor this week and then see what that Dr. says. He has gotten use to walking around with his splint on is now back up to speed other than riding his bike, skateboard and rip stick. Those are still out. Oh, and he was not thrilled to ride in the wagon down to 7-11 for slurpies but we enjoy walking and he was not going to be able to do that distance so he had to suck it up.

Onto our next adventures! And there are sure to be some too.