All of September?

Yes, one post to cover all of September.  As I went through the photos I realized I didn't take a lot this month.  Noted: care and actually take photos more often.

Xena started venturing outside and enjoys climbing the trees.

This is a small tree in our back yard that she started with.  The down side to this is that our birds also use this tree when feeding and bathing so the birds are not around quite as much. We find this a little sad but Xena is having a blast!

5th Grade!

The Big Kids at school this year and they were/are happy about that.

The one comment from Jo the other day was, "The Kinders are so small!"

Guess that means she feels like the "The Big Kid" for the first time.

Tie-Dyed

Jo made some nummy cupcakes and used her imagination to create an assortment of colors.

Playing with our food is a must at this house!

First Jersey

Do I need to say anything here?  He was/is very proud!

Jo and Oma ready for the Football jamboree.

These two think very much alike when it comes to watching sports.

(more on that later)

Offense: Wide Receiver

Defense: Safety

He is having a very good time playing football despite his teams record of zero wins and one tie at the end of September.

I asked Cole if he was enjoying playing football as much as he thought he would.  Cole stated that it was even more fun than he thought.  There is more to know than just tackle and run with the ball.  The strategy and techniques are challenging and fun.

After the jamboree picture.

50 of "They didn't think it would last" Anniversary!

That is what my Mother stated during her toast.

A wonderful group of friends and family gathered to eat, visit and toast the successful years of hard work and commitment to each other.

This is the original cake top to their wedding cake.

Proud Mom Moment: About a week before Cole's first football game we let Cole know that his first game (not the jamboree) was the same Sunday, smack in the middle of his grandparent's 50th anniversary party.

Cole said, "Family come first and not everybody stays married for 50 years. I'll go to the party." Cole is SO mature beyond his age and has his priorities straight!

He went to practice that evening and let his coaches know that due to the game time and his Grandparents party he would miss the first game.

Karma: The following day the game time changed and he would now be able to make the party and the game! I think this young man is going to have a lot of good karma in his life.

Dictionary?

Yes, in our home if you can't spell a word while writing you don't get to Google it or even ask for help. We point to our old Webster's Dictionary and you look it up.

The kids think we are teaching them life skills as that is what we tell them AND they think we're cruel. But for those of you who know me and my spelling skills know that it's more about the fact I can't help them like I used too.

Shh, we will just keep that to ourselves until they graduate and are great writers and spellers.

Football Captain

At this game Cole was one of the team Captains.

Cole has caught a couple nice passes and a punt and made some tackles.

He hustles all of practice and has gotten complimented by his coaches for being supportive of other players. One example is when the team had to run quite a lot due to some players goofing off.  Cole heard one of his team mates breathing extra hard during the run and really slowing down.  Cole waited for him and ran the rest with his team mate encouraging him along.

Oma & Jo

Ready for yet another game.

And yes, these two think alike!  Snacks make any sporting activity more fun!

Doug & Xena

They really do get along quite nicely.

Xena seeks Doug out often to sleep next to or on him.

Sunny and a Hot day for football.

Cole has had Family and Friends come watch his team play this season.  Today Gpa Norman, Gma Marie and Dawn were at this game.

It's always good to have fans.

Last.  The kids had a school field trip to local farms.

Cole was interviewed for a local news piece.

Hope the sounds ok as I took a video from the tv.

Happy End of September BS Groupies!

Mt Hood 2012

Winter river water rushed through the camp this past year and changed the layout of all our camping sites.  We couldn't get into our normal sunny/sandy camp site but my cousins saved us an area that fit us well.

This spot had many holes from the water damage and we only had to walk a few feet to cut down or gather fire wood.  The real down side is that the wind blew right off the river through our site so kept is quite cool day or night.

Geocaching Barlow Rd South

We loaded up in Gma Marie's truck and headed south for some four wheel driving and geocaching.  The kids love it because they ride in the back of the pick up the whole time.

We love it because, well it's just fun to do.  Every part of it.

Old stumps and fallen logs were easy spots for the cashes.

Derian spotted this one and ...

What are you doing Derian?

Nope, not a drop of wine to drink in this bottle.

When I said the wind blew through our camp I mean it was COLD!

(I barrowed Cousin Betsy/Johns tent trailer thinking it would be much warmer and more comfy to sleep in) THANK YOU! Loved being off the ground.

Jo, Hanna and Doug joined me in the tent and it was still quite chilly as you can see.  Sleeping bags, wool blankets, two layer of cloths and snow hats.  Yes, that is Jo in the ski mask.

Cole and Derian built a hidden fort / teepee across the river.

Can you see it?

Here it is.  They started working on the evening before we had to come home so not much playing time.  Maybe next year they will do this the first day as it was quite cool.

Jo and Hannah built a TeePee Garden next to the river.

Flowers, rocks and sticks along with some plastic bottles and twine they found.

The girls had a good time and did a very nice job.

Planking

This is how we crossed the river.

Even Doug had a good time getting to the other side.

Geocaching North on the Barlow

Cousin Annie & Aunt Nancy joined us as we headed out again for a 4x4 drive and some caching.

We came upon this bridge and sign..."due to failing bridge"

Did this mean, "Caution" - "Closed" - "Drive at your own risk"?

What does it mean????

I told everyone to sit down, hold on and I hit the gas and drove like Mario Cart over the bridge thinking that if it failed it would fall out after we were over it.  Isn't that what everyone would do?

See, stopped for a geocach and everyone is still alive.

This drive was much too long and slow.  I really enjoyed it but now I know that it's not for a quick trip as we drove for hours before returning to camp.  We didn't get to take the kids shooting as a result.  Lessons learned.

At the end of the road we came upon another sign.

OH...Road Closed due to failing bridge.

OK, we will take another road to go back to camp.  See, we can follow directions and signs.

We ended this drive at the Pioneer Woman's grave to pay respect .

We thank her and all the travelers that came to Oregon.  What an incredible journey they had, sacrificing more than we truly understand.

Camp Ground BB gun contest.

Didn't make it to the quarry to shoot the .22 so we set up a couple stumps in camp and had the kids shoot the BB gun.

They had a good time and the new targets were quite fun to see the colors pop out when they were hit.

Not bad marksmen we'd say!

Gma & Gpa Lovely

Our visit to say hello to Bud & Elizabeth Lovely at their spot on the mountain.

Sunny, over looking the river.  What a beautiful view.

And the Rock photo of the kids.

Could be the last photo of the four of them on this rock.

As we dove out of camp we stopped at a wide spot in the road to check we had everything tied down.  We looked over and spotted this construction lift moving around.

Don't be mistaken here!  These guys were not the construction workers.  They were two guys that stopped and thought they would see if the keys were in the lift.  And yes they were!  Lucky Dudes!  Bet the view up there was amazing!

Last of August

Xena is fitting into the family nicely and she also seems to enjoy us.

Xena and her quiet spot: For three nights in a row we could not find Xena any where in the house when we were all heading to bed. We would look and call her and each night she would suddenly "appear" sitting in Cole's doorway. By the third evening I knew she was in Cole's room but where? I searched and searched and still could not find her until I heard a purring sound.

Opened Cole's bottom dresser drawer and there she was all snuggled up in his cloths.  No bottom to the dresser and the drawers do not roll all the way to the back so she found her quiet spot to sleep.  Silly kitty.

First injury at football.

Fat lip from a shoulder pad to the face.

Oma and Cole went shopping for a new chin strap after this for added protection and padding.  Poor guy could hardly talk for over a week with a large cut inside his lip and bruising too. (oh, suck it up and get back out there!)

Champoeg Camping

(pronounced like shampoo-ie)

We made a short trip up the I-5 to camp with the Oma's sisters and cousin's family.

Betsy, John, Chloe, Sam, Lisa, Skylar, Carol, Maggie and Lanna.  Oh, and the BS Family too with Doug.

Nice park with bike riding and a river near by.

The kids played and had quite a good time especially this evening where they tried to cook everything over the camp fire.

Jo & Chloe dipping strawberries in chocolate.

I also remember potato chips with melted cheese that were quite tasty.

Very fun, close to home weekend with family!

Maybe we can/will make this a yearly activity with them.