September Fun!

Heat Pump installed so our built in A/C's must come out! Three in all.
Sheila and Grizzly came over to remove and wall in the A/C holes. We are SO HAPPY they are gone.
It sure looks great on the inside and out!
Thanks Sheila!

Pianist Jo!
Jo has started piano lessons and is doing very well already.
Only two lessons so far and she is playing with both hands and we actually recognize the songs as she plays them. She even started singing the words as she plays too which I think is very impressive after only two lessons.

Defenders
Football season is upon us and so Cole has been going out in full gear wanting to play. I pulled out the defenders to make it a little more challenging for him.
This is him playing the QB.
We also spread the cans out in the yard so Cole can catch the ball while dodging them. An added fun to this activity.

BFF's
Jo and Karly are growing a wonderful friendship since we have moved here. They are always so excited to see each other and there are days were Jo will leave the house in the morning and we will only see her again at dinner time. (Karly will spend full days down here as well and we will get a phone call from her mom saying "Could you send Karly home, I'd like to see her once today")
Spending the night is always an extra bonus for the two of them! And with no brother in the house this night they each baked a party cake with the Easy Bake Oven.

School BBQ & Movie
Spent a couple hours at the kids school eating dinner, visiting with other parents and teachers and then watching an outdoor movie on the playground.

Brody, Karly, Jo and Cole

If you find one of these four at school the other three are close by. They are BFF's!

Sunny Day = Yard Work
The weather has turned so quickly we took advantage of a sunny day to get our yard in shape for winter. The kids were told they had one hour of work to put in and then the rest of the day was their own.
Jo put her hour of work in and was gone! At Karly's all day until we called her home around dinner time.
Cole's hour took over three!
Yes, whining and complaining and then just being stubborn does not get you out of work. This is Cole working, or rather not working. He spent over two hours doing this and maybe, just maybe put in an hour.

Oma and I on the other hand worked a very long time!
The yard looks GREAT and I think...only think, that the yard is good to go for winter as this is our first full winter here. We will now wait and see.

Day 2

The Smith Parents and Ruiz Family plus 1 came to meet us for our second day in Astoria. Started out with a hearty breakfast and a quick family photo.
Ok, I look like a GIANT in this photo compared to the rest of the family. I pointed this out to Carol and she started singing "One of these things is not like the others". I had that dang song stuck in my head the rest of the day. (note to self, taking family photos place the camera angle looking down next time, not up.)

First stop after breakfast?
A roof top geocach of course!
We met another couple up there doing the same thing and then continued to run into said couple off and on the rest of the day.

Trolley Ride
Jo, Gpa, Lanna and Cole waiting for the trolley to stop and pick us up.

The board walk area is really kind of neat and I hope we get back up there during a week day to do this again so we can watch the processing of crab and fish.

Lesson: A GPS can bounce well on old wood walkways. The Ruiz family GPS popped off it's clip bounced once and over the railing it went right into the river. They also don't float. Dang the luck.

Meet our Engineers

Maggie, Cole, Lanna & Jo

Oh, the two men working the trolley were great with the kids. The kids enjoyed riding up front with them and trying on the hat.

All the kids enjoyed this!

And the kids even got to ring the bell!
At every car or pedestrian crossing the kids got to ring the bell.
What a GREAT time this was. (there was a geocach on board too)

After the Trolley we said goodbye to the Parents and Ruiz family and went on finishing our day.

Maritime Museum

Jo, Cole and Anchor

Inside the museum.

Fish N Chips!
Ok, this is the life! This boat had the best fish n chips and then sitting outside on the grass was wonderful. Nice way to finish off our weekend.

Last stop before we headed out of town?

GOONIES!

Oma had us rent this movie before our weekend so the kids could get a little excited about our weekend. So a stop on the hill at the Goonie house was a must!
We here it's For Sale if your interested.

Perfect Family Weekend.
Thanks Family!

Astoria Day 1

I couldn't decide on just a few photos. So you get what you see and see even more.

Last three day weekend before school so we decided to make a trip to Astoria with just "us".
Oma had us wait until the Duck game was over before heading out, so where should we stay?
An hotel with a pool of course!

Ok, this photo is cute I think and one that the kids will not allow me to post in the future so getting them in while I still can.
I took the photo to prove to Jo that she does like to cuddle with Cole and show him love. It might happen when she sleeps but it does happen.

Our room with a view and white noise. (white, blue, black and red cars, motorcycles and semi truck noise that is)
Yes, this is the highway along with the bridge over head to enter/exit into Washington. On morning number two I woke seeing the morning light peaking below our curtain and I thought, "WOW, the road noise didn't keep me awake last night, GREAT!". Then I looked at the clock and it said 4am. The light was the AAA sign shining through. I had to laugh knowing this just added to my weekend memories.

Geocaching and critters / slugs
Jo had to put her foot next to this NW slug. They both were AMAZED at how long it was.

Cole must have said something here that Jo replied to as...
"Oh No You Didn't Cole"

Fort Stevens
Spent the first morning at the fort walking around and talking to people.
We walked into the Union camp and Cole was asked to sign up right away though he had to be able to hold the gun and fire it.
Not quite yet, so Cole as told to come back when he was 12 and they will sign him up then.

The battle.
My thoughts and feelings run deep people.
I actually cried a bit watching the battle. (I really did)

We had a good time walking around the grounds and checking out all the rooms, tunnels and cannons.
We are going to have to make another trip back however. This could have been a whole day alone and we didn't have a full day to spend.

Shanghaied in Astoria!
We had a vaudeville style play to attend in the afternoon where we got to throw popcorn and participate in other ways too.
A little campy but a ton of fun! We recommend this to anyone traveling there. And some day they will have indoor plumbing for some toilets.

Oma & Jo
Yet another Cache


The weather was wonderful
as we could see for miles and
miles from the top of the tower.

(Yes, we did toss the
planes from the top)

Cole did the stairs twice just so he could tell every one that he did them twice.
Trust me, ask him how he liked the tower and tossing the plane. He will tell you he did the stairs twice and no one else did.






Did I tell you we Geocached?
I think this was the hook that got Oma to want to do this trip. Lots of caches in this area.

Me and My Chocolate!
Yes, we spent more than we needed to because they said "Dog Balls".
Cole immediately asked for "two please" with a smirk on his face.

3rd Grade

First Day of Third Grade!
We have always done front porch photos for the first day. With our new house Oma asked that we take it by our walnut tree. Cole said we "have" to have a front porch photos. So we did both.

August Ends

Eugene Celebration 2010
At least we made it to the parade this year thank goodness.
Jo and Cole waiting for the parade.

Here are some of the consistent highlights in my opinion.
Slug Queen
Royal Majesty Queen Slugasana
www.slugqueen.com
(I always picture my mother running for this type of competition)

The Honorable Slime Scooper
Representative Peter DeFazio
I don't know how many years Peter has followed the Slug Queen but it has been quite some time.

Star Wars
Always a favorite.
(Cole has yet to pick his bedroom colors but he is now leaning towards Star Wars with the help of this parade entry.)

ANIMAL HOUSE!
Can you believe that Oma didn't know what this car was about? Guess she needs a refresher view of the movie!
And if you don't either: www.acmewebpages.com/animal/cars.htm

ROCKING THE HOUSE
The BS Family Band.
We might take it on the road some day like the Partidge Family.

BBC
(Before Breakfast Consumption)

Welcome to breakfast at our house.

Mister had to be asked twice to get dressed before he sat down to breakfast. The second time he stomped his foot and said "FINE!" I of course had to respond with a smiling "And thank you for your attitude" with another response from him of "YOU'RE WELCOME!".

(And I bet you all thought he is smiles all the time)

About half way though breakfast the twinkle in his eye shows up, a smile comes across his face and he speaks with more love in his voice.
(Snapping this photo I was actually taking my life into my own hands)

Jo, on the other hand,
she may walk out of her room...wait, that's not true. Oma gives her a piggyback ride out of the bedroom almost every day. The Princess should really not set her feet on the ground before eating her royal cereal should she?

She may have sleepy eyes and wont speak but she usually is not grumpy.

A quote from Jo while out for a family bike ride.
While I was riding next to her I hear fart - fart - fart from her as she peddled along. She looked over at me and said with a slight grin
"My bike takes gas" and then went back to looking forward like she had said nothing at all. We then broke out in laughter.

Camp Masks
Kids came home from day camp with these fun masks!
Jo asked me right away to repeat "Who are these painted faced people in my house that I don't know?"
And as a good mom I said it for her.