Earth Days

I think spring is finally coming! After another very cold spell we had some great weather where the whole family got some pruning and gardening done around the house. We have our raspberries pruned and ready for the season, and Jo noticed that the rhubarb plants were huge already so we picked around 12 cups of that. Yummy rhubarb crumble on the counter, ok…most of it’s gone already between Jo, Oma and I.

While Cole was at a play date Oma, Jo and I walked down to the kids’ school to help work in the gardens. There was a planned workday but not many folks showed up, I’m sure they were doing the same thing at their own home instead of at the school. We worked about an hour in this flowerbed and had a good time together.

After the work at school we were given some vegetables from the garden to take home. Purple broccoli? I had not seed this before and neither had Jo. So here Jo and Oma were just eating it off the plant on the walk home.

Cascades Raptor Center


We made it out to the Cascades Raptor Center again this year, and
again had a very nice time. With the kids
being a little older this year we managed to stay and enjoy everything
just a little bit longer than last year.

Here the kids had their faces painted up like a bird of their choice. Jo went for purple and pink feathers…you ask what kind of bird that might be? Well a Purpink Fluffyhuf of course. Cole was a little awed by the Bald Eagles we saw so he became one.Lots of activities were available and we participated
in as many as we could.

Owl PelletsHere the kids picked though regurgitated food from Owls
trying to identify what animal that owl had eaten.
They saw lots of fir, small bones and the skulls from mice and there were some fish bones as well.

One of the last things the kids participated in was becoming a bird and hunting food. Jo was a hawk and hunted for mice while Cole was the Bald Eagle and had to hunt mice and fish.


Two thumbs up for the
Raptor Center.
If you have not gone you should soar on in and see all the birds.

Coast and the top of Mount Pisgah

We took a trip to meet up with Oma’s family at Winema Beach (Pacific City) for a weekend. Along the way we stopped at Sea Lion Caves and then Heceta Head Lighthouse for the kids.
(I only have two photos of the whole weekend, batteries were dead but twice I turned it off and on and snapped
a quick photo)

The cave was full of sea lions at this time so the kids
got to experience the cave at it’s best, the sounds,

temperature and smell (yummy) to name a few.

Jo has asked every time we
are on the coast to stop at a lighthouse so this was the day for the stop. The sun was out…mostly, chilly and windy but hey; it’s the Oregon Coast! Does it really get much better?

The rest of the weekend was spent in a pool, we walking
the beach and ate our meals in Nanny and Grandpa’s RV
with the rest of the family. It was also beach clean up weekend
so we signed up, grabbed a bag on Saturday and tried to fill them.
(It wasn’t hard to do, sad really)

The kids wanted to roast marsh mallows over the
fire but the weather just wasn’t the best when we were at
camp so this was our solution, or compromise.
Did it work well? Not really.
Did they taste good? No, not really.
Were the kids happy? Yes, very.
And that’s all that matters.

We have had some wonderful weather lately, high 70’s even hit 80. For those who live here that means shorts, t-shirts and getting outdoors. So we took a hike on Mount Pisgah after school last week, packed some snacks and sandwiches for dinner and had a great time. Not quite a 1-½ mile hike up on the trail, but howdy is it steep! It was the first time for Mom too, so there were lots of sights to see and stops to make on the way up. (stopping had nothing to do with being winded either, so don’t say “Yeah Right, the sights”)

The loving shots seem
to be fewer as the kids grow older but we got one on this day.

Jo and her critters.
We were almost at the top when Jo spotted this snake trying to get away from people. She was fast as lightning. Before she finished yelling at me “Look Mom a snake” she had already jumped to the ground scurrying and grabbing at the snake for control. (We have many bug books but it’s time for a snake book to teach us (Jo) what snakes are ok to grab and those not) She then took off running to the top of the mountain to show Oma and Cole, only scaring one person on the trail with her find. (she was not trying to scare anyone, the person was just on their way down and passed close by Jo until they saw what she had in her hand, a little jump and an “OHHhhhhh” and then
they laughed as they kept moving away)

The kids loved it up on top! So did we.

Panoramic shots

East

West

This one you can also see the kids in many places. I asked them to stand at the beginning photo and then after the first shot I said, “Ok, your done – thanks” Then they took off running as I was snapping the next few pictures. I thought it was fun.

Wrestling, Easter and More Life

Cole wrestled in his last tournament for this year and had a blast! The two matches he had were against two other boys that have beaten him at other tournaments. The first match Cole won in two rounds by points and he actually used some of the moves he has been taught. For Mom it was very exciting, not the win as much as him actually using the moves correctly. The second match Cole lost the first round by points and was on his way to losing the second round until he did a reverse from his belly and ended up pinning his opponent with seconds left in the round. Technically, it was not as good as his first match but it was a nail biter nonetheless.

He ended his ‘08 wrestling with; 1 - third place, 2 - second place and 2 - first place medals, a ton more experience,
and new friends in the sport.

The rest of the weekend was spent playing with Rachelle and Connie. We stopped by Connie’s classroom and the kids played instruments. Wasn’t the most beautiful sound you have ever heard but they had a good time. Oh, Connie sounded good. Don’t want her to blow her horn over being grouped with the kid’s sounds.

Easter we headed South like every year.
The kids colored their eggs while Dasher (dog) figured out quickly there was no real food being prepared so she took a nap.
I went down to the park early again to help set up the town egg hunt. I love doing this with my old friends. The family came down to the park a little earlier this year because their cousins came to this egg hunt too and were playing in the park while they waited for the hunt to start.

Hannah, Jo and Cole.

Derian was in another area hunting with her age group. She really
has to hunt for eggs in that area because they are hidden, not just dropped on the ground. I think it’s a smaller town thing and she loves it, so much so that she asked to go to this hunt!

Most of the eggs have local business names written on them; you take the egg to that business and they would give you a prize of some sort. Well this year it was huge! Jo came home with a couple dollars, a bunny-potato head and then a stuffed bunny as seen in the photo. Cole won some money as well and also a mini pizza that they shared for lunch.
Too Fun!


Mom and Connie went with a couple other friends on a long motorcycle ride. OHHHHhhhhh MYYYYyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!! Heaven…I was in Heaven…(come on, sing with me people). I think it was my first time riding with more than one other rider (there were four bikes in all) and it was a very good time. I rode Rachelle’s bike first and it sure made me want to ride fast and corner hard. On the way back I rode Connie’s and it’s a cruiser! Love Love LOVE IT!!!! Did I say Heaven yet? Oh…I did…I was you know…
After the ride Connie and I each took a kid and rode them about a mile up the road and back again. It was their very first ride on a street bike and they didn’t want to get off. Maybe next time it will be a longer ride and maybe on a bigger road, maybe next time.

Jo had a very good time feeding and petting the neighbor’s horses. She was over to the fence every time we headed out the door giving grass and loves. Country Loving.

Easter Bunny

Mmmmmm…Candy for breakfast! What is Easter for any way?

Happy Easter Groupies!

Another Week – end

Jo had a sleep-over at cousin Derian’s house Friday night. She got to play, get dirty and have a good time, away from another full-day wrestling tournament. She came home happy- very happy. Sounds like Derian and Jo spent quite a bit of time playing in the field again looking at bugs, digging, and playing pretend houses under the trees. Good times!

Cole had another wrestling tournament on Saturday. Freestyle wrestling, it’s different than Collegiate and Greco wrestling. Oh my, are we learning quite a bit. Oma asked if Cole could move up an age group because we noticed that his group, again, would be first time wrestlers, some only being 4 years old. We didn’t think it would be fair to those kids and really not fair to Cole; he practices with the older kids and holds his own most of the time. And heck, we don’t mind him having wins and losses. He needs to know how to live with both.
He won 1 of 3 in the Bantam 42.8 lb class for the day, which gave him third place. We really enjoyed watching him actually implement some moves that he has been taught. A crotch lift and a leg roll thingy. (you like that? “roll thingy”…we’re still learning the names too)


BS
Groupies!!!
We not only act like Rock Heros on the Wii but the kids create their own band outside! A ukulele and a Goofy hat transforms Cole into Slash. A t-ball base and a putter transforms Jo into a lead singer (singing mostly Pat Benetar- Hit Me With Your Best Shot)!
ROCK ON!




Mom had another birthday pass. Sunday we had Chinese food and angel food cake for desert while sharing the evening with Sheila and Lori as well as the kids. I got chocolate and cards from the kids, always a good choice! Then Oma gave me a cast iron skillet for the stovetop. Yeah! My eggs stuck this morning so I still need to learn how to use this type of cookware. I’ll work it out in time.
On my actual birthday day I ate angel food cake for breakfast, rhubarb crumble (home made) for lunch, oh, I had a decent meal for dinner but topped of the evening with the last piece of angel food cake. My day…my meals!

Jo passed Willy Walrus at swim class and moved into Park Sharks! She has worked very hard the past two sessions on her side breathing and finally started “getting it”. Ask the girl to back stroke and she can swim all over the pool but when asked to do the side breathing she kept holding her breath even when she brought her head out of the water to take the breath she would still hold it. We worked on it in the bathtub and she finally understood to blow bubbles while her face was in the water and to fill her little lungs when she turned her head. Park Shark is the final stage of swim lessons, if she still loves it, like we hope she will, she will join a non-competitive pre-swim team group and see where she goes from there.
BIG HUG JO! Proud of YOU!

Wrestling March

Our plan was to take Cole too three wrestling tournaments this month, two of them local to make it easy on our whole family. Well, Oma is so jazzed for him that she threw in a fourth tournament this weekend in Silverton. We had an early wake-up call for this drive, and also stopped by to pick up cousin Hannah for the day, great idea for both Jo and Hannah. Entertaining each other all day…and when I say “all day” I am not typing it lightly. This wrestling sport is like a family lifestyle sport. Don’t plan on doing any thing else the day of a tournament…and I mean nothing!

Here was our wrestling Day
Night before: Gas full, make sandwiches, pack snacks, pack cooler minus ice, extra cloths because you just never know and then load the car so the morning will be just a tad easier.
6:00am Alarm says “good morning, time to wake you beautiful people”
6:20am Car has been packed, parents ready – wake the kids now
6:45am Hit the road, stopping to get cash and some McD’s to make the kids smile that they have been woken this early.
7:20am Pull off the freeway to pick up cousin
7:25am Back on road
8:20am Check Cole in and stake out our home on the bleachers.
Helpful Tip: using a blanket to lay out on the benches helps keep your home yours, otherwise if you get up to watch a wrestling match or to use the bathroom other people will move in on your turf even though your crap is still there.
9:20am Coaches meeting & wrestlers meetings
9:45am Wrestling starts but Cole has a bye because there are only three in his weight class.12:05pm Cole wrestled his first match, pinned his opponent in under 30 seconds.
12:15pm Three kids run and play tag in upstairs gym for about an hour or more.
1:50pm Cole wrestled his second match, pinned his opponent in 39 seconds.
2:00pm Half priced popcorn and snacks! We must have some.
2:15pm In the car heading for home with 1st place medal and three very large apples from a farmers market we stopped at on the drive out to the interstate.
3:20pm Dropped Hannah off with her Mom
4:10pm pulled into our driveway and unpacked.
8:00pm Mom sends everyone to bed because she is falling asleep on the couch.

Anyone want to join us at the next match?

Cole had a good time and is looking forward to his next matches. I’m thinking, however, one of his other sport will replace this one in the future. He really has no desire to watch other wresters or to learn from those matches and he gets frustrated with us when we try and point things out that could help him. He does not do that with baseball for example. He is all about watching and learning and just playing that sport. What ever he decides will be fine with us, we will just make sure we have padded seat cousions for said activity. I have a vision of a flat sore butt for my future.