Family Life.....

Halloween Juice Boxes

2011-10-27T17:46:00.001-06:00

The preschool teachers at the girls school think I am a gourmet cook. I guess I fooled them while Dalton and Maddy were there. It's alot of pressure to live up to. So when I got asked to help for the Halloween Party I offered to bring drinks. Then I felt guilty that I wasn't making something so I had to find a way to do halloween toddler friendly drinks. I take no credit for this idea, its all over the internet.

Wheeler Farm

2011-10-22T16:59:00.001-06:00

Maddy

2011-10-22T16:55:00.002-06:00

Fall Leaves

2011-10-22T16:32:00.000-06:00

We always have to make it to Grandmas house when her leaves are falling, it makes for hours of fun

Maddy tries Curlformers

2011-10-16T15:06:00.000-06:00

About a month ago we borrowed our friends curlformers and tried them on the little girls here. We liked them so we ordered some and they just came. Maddy got the extra long and extra wide, she loves them

Meilin Got Earrings!

2011-10-15T14:58:00.002-06:00

Circus

2011-10-14T14:44:00.001-06:00

The Circus came to town, and luckily we won free tickets. The show was not great but riding the elephant, face painting, and being with friends was totally worth it. And, the chinese acrobats...amazing!

Happy 3yr GOTCHA Day, Meigan!!!

2011-10-13T13:26:00.003-06:00

October 13, 2011

Meigan and Grandma share a birthday. Today when we excitedly celebrated Meigan's Gotcha Day she asked, "Is it Grandma's Gotcha Day too?"

To remember Oct 13,2008 in China click Gotcha Day and Gotcha Day 2,

For Gotcha Day anniversaries click 2009, 2010

Picture Perfect Apple

2011-10-10T13:21:00.003-06:00

My friend, Charissa, made me the best caramel apple. It was even more delicious than it looks! THANKS!!!

Hair Accessory Organizer

2011-10-07T13:08:00.001-06:00

The little girls have one of these that I made a few years ago, I love it and Madison was in need of one of her own. We made hers a little different to fit her needs. The giant gray pockets at the bottom hold headbands.

Beautiful Dahlias

2011-10-06T13:00:00.002-06:00

Our neighbor, Dale, grows the most beautiful dahlias. Most people never get to see them because his flower garden is in the backyard. I always make sure I see them because they are so big and beautiful. The weather here is threatening to freeze so he cut them and brought me some to enjoy.

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

2011-10-01T12:50:00.002-06:00

Enjoying the last few days of boating

2011-09-24T12:28:00.002-06:00

Golf Night

2011-09-23T22:07:00.001-06:00

Costume Shopping

2011-09-17T18:59:00.000-06:00

Tonight Brian, Dalton, and Grandpa went to play Glow in the Dark Golf. Maddy, Meigan and Meilin, Grandma and Jodie decided to go shopping. We went to the Halloween store first, and Maddy put the first mask on Meilin. She thought it was funny and kept posing. So then they kept putting masks on mom and Grandma. They watched us put them on but were then terrified if we said anything to them with it on. I reached out to shake their hand and they turned and ran. We were laughing so hard I am surprised they didn't kick us out.

Boating with Grandma and Grandpa

2011-09-17T18:19:00.000-06:00

Meigan and Dalton wanted to show Grandma and Grandpa their water skiing skills while they were here. Unfortunately, the temperature was only about 68. They braved the cold air and water anyway, and then cuddled up with the heater. Meilin showed off her boat dancing skills and Maddy was at a cheer clinic.

Soccer

2011-09-17T17:52:00.001-06:00

Dalton is having a Great fall soccer season. He enjoys playing with his friends and puts up with Dad yelling from the sidelines. He always has a huge fan club cheering him on, today he was lucky to have all 4 grandparents.

Hair Curlers

2011-09-16T17:44:00.001-06:00

I have been wanting to buy these new curlers for all 3 girls. I found out my friend had them and she was kind enough to let us try them out. The little girls wanted them, so we did theirs. Amazingly, they slept all night in them and didn't want them out until around noon the next day. We loved them, hopefully we will have our own collection soon. And the cute shirts in the last photo are courtesy of Aunt Oksana....aren't they cute? THANKS

Earrings for Meigan

2011-09-13T17:37:00.000-06:00

Brian promised Meigan that she could get her ears pierced if she went water skiing. When he came home early from work today she reminded him and off they went. She was very brave and excited throughout the whole thing. She is way excited!!!!

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-13T17:28:00.005-06:00

Meigan and Meilin started preschool today. They were excited and couldn't wait to go. Their first day did not disappoint, they loved every minute of it and can't wait to go back.

Boating

2011-09-10T16:43:00.002-06:00

Yellowstone Canoe Trip Day 4

2011-09-05T12:13:00.001-06:00

Monday, our last day was a long one. We woke up early to an orange sunrise. We broke camp and then took off for home. We fished on the way out and caught 8 more. We took a break during the trip down the river on Jump Rock, a huge rock that you can jump off of. No one was brave enough to jump and it wasn't quite warm enough either. We finally made it to the motors and hooked them back up and then motored out of Lewis Lake. We packed up the car and then drove back to Mark's cabin where we cleaned up a little bit and then headed home. We finally made it home about 10pm and slept really well in our own beds. We had a great time. Everyone got along and there were no injuries or incedents. The weather was great with hardly any wind. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. We are already planning next year's trip.

Yellowstone Canoe Trip Day 3

2011-09-04T11:56:00.013-06:00

Sunday was a beautiful day. The kids played on the beach, hiked, climbed and had a great time. We changed camps again today to the North Narrows, this was our same camp as last year. We loved it! The weather was beautiful and no mosquitos. Jade made a bat from a branch and practiced with the rocks on the beach. It doesn't get much better than this!

Yellowstone Trip Day 2

2011-09-03T12:48:00.001-06:00

Saturday we went fishing! We spent a couple of hours in the morning and then another hour in the evening on the lake fishing. Mark made some Oregon Divers (help get the lures down deep) and we had a lot of success catching fish. We caught a total of 24 fish on Saturday. We also caught a ticket from the Ranger up there as we did not have our food secured enough while we were out fishing. We also changed camps today and went to the South Grizzly Beach campsite (didn't see any grizzlies). We had a nice day relaxing and playing. Dalton had a great time popping popcorn over the fire. It was a tasty treat.

Yellowstone Canoe trip Day 1

2011-09-02T20:48:00.001-06:00

On Labor Day Weekend, Brian and Dalton went on a back country canoe trip with Brian's Uncle and Cousins, and three of their sons. (Mark, Kevin, Jarem, Jade, Braedyn, and James). We went in early Friday morning, hooked up electric motors to our canoes and boated across Lewis Lake to the inlet, called The Lewis River Channel. Then we had to stash the motors in the woods, and then sail, paddle and pull the canoes up the river for a 3 mile stretch. The boys and Mark hiked up the trail to the beginning of Shoshone Lake. We then paddled around the edges of Shoshone Lake to our Campsite. It was right on the edge of the lake and very beautiful. We set up camp and then went fishing. Dalton caught a big fish and had a great time.

Ross Falls

2011-08-28T19:02:00.001-06:00

Paddle Boards

2011-08-27T17:31:00.001-06:00

Before heading home, we stopped at Redfish lake to try the paddleboards. The kids are hooked! We all loved them!

One last jump into the lake

Rafting Day 2

2011-08-27T17:03:00.001-06:00

View from our hotel in Lower Stanley

2011-08-26T16:58:00.000-06:00

Kayaks and Paddleboats

2011-08-26T16:41:00.000-06:00

We headed over to Redfish Lake to ride some kayaks and paddleboats.

Salmon

2011-08-26T16:23:00.000-06:00

The river we were rafting was the Salmon River. This is where the Salmon come to spawn. This was the last weekend to float the river because the salmon are arriving. We could see areas along the river where they have completley cleaned off the rocks and made their nest. Unfortunately, we didnt get any good pictures of that. So we went to the fish hatchery up the river to see the salmon up close. Just before they spawn the salmon turn red, you can see that in these photos.

JUMP Rock- Rafting Day 1

2011-08-26T16:00:00.001-06:00

Dalton and Brian were brave enough to jump off of JUMP Rock into the icy cold water. Yes, Brian did push him a little, the little ones needed an extra push to get out far enough. They were glad they did it, but once was enough!

River Rafting Day 1

2011-08-26T15:39:00.000-06:00

Dress-ups!

2011-08-24T19:28:00.001-06:00

Maddy helped the girls play dress-ups today complete with make-up and accessories

More boating ....

2011-08-22T22:14:00.000-06:00

Dalton Dancing on the Kneeboard (turn your volume on)

2011-08-22T21:41:00.007-06:00

Meigan Water Skiing- 3yrs old

2011-08-22T21:04:00.002-06:00

Meigan has now water skied twice. She did awesome both times and loved it!

This video is shakey but posting it for Grandparents anyway

Junior Cheer Squad Having Fun

2011-08-18T12:26:00.004-06:00

Most of the Junior Squad headed to the lake today to celebrate Joey and Abbey's Birthdays. They had tons of fun playing, relaxing, and of course doing some Cheer!

Boating

2011-08-17T21:36:00.002-06:00

Cousins

2011-08-09T12:19:00.000-06:00

Aldon, Adi, and Aisley came over for a short playdate. In the hour they were here the girls played in the backyard, played dress-ups and barbies, teeter-tottered, and ~~tortured~~ played with the rabbit. The boys were a little less adventurous and stuck with playing the Wii.

Friends on the water

2011-08-08T11:54:00.001-06:00

We headed out on the water with some friends tonight. They pulled the tube with their jetski and we pulled the kneeboarders and skiers on the boat. Julia and Nathan kneeboarded for the first time, and Kiera skied for the first time. Lots of fun!

Family Reunion - Island Park

2011-08-05T09:37:00.001-06:00

Boating

2011-08-03T21:41:00.001-06:00

Silver Lake

2011-08-01T21:17:00.017-06:00

Grandpa

Darren and Gavin

Grandma

Dalton

Maddy

Grndma, Meilin, Meigan, Grandpa

Meigan and Grandma

Moose

Dalton

Maddy found an "M"

Gavin and Courtney

Grandma and Grandpa's

2011-07-31T20:41:00.002-06:00

Guess What's Back????

2011-07-29T20:07:00.008-06:00

We never regretted selling our boat, because our kids were too little to go just as "our little family." At the time, we were building our house and had Meigan's adoption in the works. We never looked back. ....That is until a few weeks ago when we were bowling with some friends and I said it..."WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE SOLD OUR BOAT!" Then, the very next day the guy we sold the boat to called and said, "I am thinking about selling my boat....do you want it back?"

The kids didn't know we were buying it. Madison suspected it and kept saying, "You are not buying that dumb boat are you? I am not skiing!" We made her come home from a friends house and told her we were doing something as a family, she was mad. She asked if we could borrow Grandma's boat and go boating. We agreed and Brian made the fake call to Grandma knowing he was picking up our boat in 30 min.

Madison then asked if we were going to kneeboard. I asked "Will YOU kneeboard?" Maddy,"Yes if Dad buys that boat!" I had to clarify, "You WILL kneeboard?" Maddy, "Yes." I just held back the laughter!

Dalton has been begging for a boat for about a month, we had to dig out old pictures to show him our boat because he didn't remember it. He has seen the boat sitting at their house. When Brian pulled up he thought "those people" were just stopping by until he saw the boat was attached to MY car and then a HUGE smile came to his face and he ran. He couldn't stop climbing on the boat, and going to look at the boat, he even wanted to sleep on it that night when we got back from using it.

Soccer Camp

2011-07-29T17:11:00.002-06:00

Dalton went to a British Soccer Camp this week. He had a great time and got lots of practice. He was on the "Irish Team" and on the last day they had to take a homemade Irish flag. The coaches were fun and great with the kids.

Blueberries

2011-07-28T17:04:00.005-06:00

Our neighbor, Dale, goes to Oregon every summer and picks blueberries. He picked at least 120 pounds this year. Fortunately for us, he shared! The berries were HUGE, and oh so tasty!

Picking Cherries

2011-07-21T15:44:00.001-06:00

We went to pick cherries with some friends today. We figured we would be there about 30 minutes. The kids were having so much fun that they picked nonstop for nearly 2 1/2 hours. we picked around 12-14 gallons of cherries. Then we found some cute baskets and delivered them around the neighborhood.

Boating with Grandma and Grandpa

2011-07-20T20:29:00.001-06:00

Meigan and Meilin

2011-07-10T15:30:00.007-06:00

Just a few snapshots of the girls before church. Brian, Maddy, and Dalton had already left and we had a few minutes. Despite the way it looks in this picture, Meigan is not that much taller than Meilin.

Lake

2011-07-08T19:12:00.002-06:00

We finally made it down to the lake to play for the first time today. I didn't take my camera but here are a few photos from my phone.

Waterslide

2011-07-07T14:59:00.001-06:00

More 4th of July Photos

2011-07-04T19:49:00.000-06:00

Swimming

2011-07-02T21:02:00.000-06:00

Cookies with Grandma

2011-07-02T20:49:00.001-06:00

Nothing better than decorating cookies with Grandma!

Morning Fun with Grandpa

2011-07-02T19:57:00.001-06:00

These little girls absolutely love their Grandpa. Early this morning they woke him up and started playing peek-a-boo while hiding under pillows.

Rodeo

2011-07-01T18:26:00.000-06:00

We opted at the last minute to leave our camera in the car. So, the only rodeo pictures I have are a few from my phone. We had a great time and the little girls actually stayed in their seat for the majority of it. Meilin's favorite part, however, were the fireworks at the end.

Alpine Slide and Coaster

2011-07-01T17:20:00.002-06:00

On our way to the rodeo, we stopped and rode the Alpine Slide and Coaster. Heather, Val, Zach and Ashley joined us. We all loved it!

Multnomah Falls

2011-06-26T18:49:00.000-06:00

H2O Fountain Fun!

2011-06-25T19:50:00.001-06:00

Lan Su Chinese Garden

2011-06-25T19:00:00.001-06:00

We took the kids to a Chinese Garden. It was beautiful and the kids enjoyed it. Dalton and Madison found all the hidden dragons on their scavenger hunt.

Tillamook Factory

2011-06-24T20:09:00.000-06:00

Cape Meares Lighthouse and Octopus tree

2011-06-24T16:16:00.001-06:00

A Day At The Beach

2011-06-24T12:38:00.000-06:00

Park

2011-06-23T15:50:00.001-06:00

Stopping to Smell the Roses

2011-06-23T13:43:00.005-06:00

After the zoo we grabbed some lunch and headed to the International Rose Test Garden. The kids grabbed the camera and made sure we took photos of almost every type. Meilin is convinced that in order to smell a flower that she must completely smash it into her face. The kids enjoyed playing in the grassy amphitheatre and eating cotton candy.

Portland Zoo Part II -- Lorakeets

2011-06-23T12:57:00.000-06:00

Our highlight of the Portland Zoo was feeding the Lorakeets. Meilin was in Heaven! She simply could not get enough of it. She fed and held multiple birds. Dalton joined in once and held a bird. The other two girls wanted out. Unfortunately, Oksana and Uliana had just left to go home and missed out on the fun. Good thing they have a Zoo pass so they can go again.

Portland Zoo with Oksana and Uliana

2011-06-23T11:33:00.004-06:00

Uliana and Meilin

2011-06-23T10:41:00.002-06:00

Happy Fathers Day!

2011-06-19T10:21:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago Brian cleaned out his neckties. Madison wanted a few of the ones he was tossing out for a project. On Father's Day Madison pulled out a suprise gift. Brian opened it up, was a bit confused, and said "Thanks, its my tie!" Madison then explained, "It's your favorite and Mom was making you get rid of it!"

Cub Scout Daycamp

2011-06-15T22:54:00.023-06:00

Everytime Dalton gets to make something of his own design/theme for cub scouts he chooses a campfire. Like here on his blue and gold banquet cake. So his five gallon bucket seat for daycamp was no exception. We had fun making it.

Dalton's favorite activities at Daycamp were BB guns and paddleboats. They also had archery, ice cream, knot tying, fishing, and crafts.

Zoo???

2011-06-14T22:04:00.002-06:00

I hesitate calling this a zoo post because I am only posting one live animal. The zoo had alot of constuction going on, and we mostly saw animals indoors. The highlights this time were the giraffes, the bird show, train, carousel, and the fake dinasaurs all around the zoo.

Swimming!

2011-06-14T10:59:00.001-06:00

It has been so cold this year we have not been swimming. Not even to the lake once! But today we braved the 70 degree weather and threatening storms and went anyway. Luckily the sun came out, the water was warm and everybody had a great time. Both little girls were swimming on their own with just arm bands by the end.

Backyard Fun at Grandma's

2011-06-12T20:22:00.009-06:00

Ashley and Meigan

Grandpa

Zach and Dalton

Heather and Grandma

Beauty and the Beast Flower

2011-06-06T20:02:00.001-06:00

Our last home had a beautifully landscaped backyard when we moved in. We had so many gorgeous plants and we didn't know what half of them were. Once, when my mom was visiting, we found this scraggly plant hidden in the corner with this gorgeous flower. The plant was so pitiful we didn't know how it was holding up the flower. It was nicknamed the Beauty and the Beast flower. When we moved, we brought it with us. It loves its new home and the plant is thriving. This year we have seen two HUGE flowers.

I had to add this picture so you could see how big they are

Introducing Our Newest Cheerleaders in the Western Days Parade

2011-06-04T18:21:00.013-06:00

Yep, Meigan and Meilin are excited to start following in their Big Sister's footsteps. They have just finished their first month of classes, and will hopefully be allowed to continue. 3 year olds are on a trial basis the first little while. They are loving every minute of it! Unfortunately, Meigan ended the parade with a 102 fever so she didn't enjoy it as much as she could have. Where's Maddy? Home sick....also unable to be in these photos. Also our Gym changed colors to Royal blue, lime green, and black from our pink, black, white.....we didn't switch teams!

Glitter Nails!

2011-06-04T17:32:00.004-06:00

Fortunately my SIL will be doing gel nails soon (here in town). Until then here was our first attempt at glitter toes for the little girls, and fingernails for Maddy. Despite the color in these photos Maddy's nails are lime green not yellow.

5th Grade Awards

2011-06-01T21:59:00.000-06:00

Madison's class met tonight for an Awards Night at their favorite pizza place. The night was focused on their achievements in Greek and Latin, and individual awards. Their teacher did an outstanding job awarding each child with their own unique Award and Quote. She spotlighted each child describing their unique talent and then announced the child's name. She went on and on about one particular student stating that this child comes to class every single day with a Positive Attitude, and carries this Positive Attitude all day every day. She praised the parents of this child. And she even stated that she apologized if the parents had ever seen otherwise because she definitely had only seen Positive Attitude from this student. Yep, Maddy Won!!!! Way to go Maddy! We hope you carry this with you your entire life!!!

Memorial Day at the Cabin

2011-05-30T17:06:00.000-06:00

Brian, Madison, and Dalton went up on sunday/monday of Memorial weekend to his parents cabin. They didn't take many pictures but they sure had a Great time

Oksana and Uliana

Jaylynn and Aisley

Dalton, Grandma, Madison

Dalton's 2nd Grade Field Trip

2011-05-27T17:17:00.002-06:00

I went with Dalton's class to the county museum. I hoped I would finally find out something interesting about this town we call home....nope! So our only photo is of the class out front. The kids did have a great time doing a scavenger hunt and seeing potato diggers and onion smashers!

Look, I painted my nails!!!

2011-05-25T17:02:00.000-06:00

If your toddler is going to paint her own nails, I hope you are as lucky as me. Meigan used a purple marker! Much less clean up!

Best Big Brother Ever!!!

2011-05-24T16:54:00.001-06:00

Dalton is an awesome Big Brother! He can entertain these girls for hours and the whole time is filled with giggles! They love him!

Meilin and Shadow the Bunny

2011-05-21T16:48:00.001-06:00

Meigan and Meilin Snapshots

2011-05-20T14:37:00.006-06:00

A Bug's Life Musical

2011-05-19T14:16:00.000-06:00

The second "A Bug's Life Musical " tonight. They did an outstanding job. Everyone remembered their parts, and they knew all the songs really well. Congrats kids, you're growing up fast!

The Falls

2011-05-15T12:04:00.002-06:00

Its that time of year again. With the huge amounts of snow/rain this year the Falls are at super high capacity. The water is moving so fast and they are simply spectacular. Definitely worth a trip down to see them. Did I mention they also sell Haagen daz bars at the snack shop?

Dalton's Spring Soccer

2011-05-04T10:38:00.000-06:00

Despite the cold weather and lots of rain, Dalton had a Great Sring Soccer Season. He played really well and had tons of fun. Way to go D, you're quite the soccer player!

Base Jumpers

2011-04-30T13:46:00.002-06:00

It is also the time of year around here when you can find base jumpers almost every morning and evening jumping off the bridge. Brian is lucky to view the midday jumpers from his office windows. Lots of fun to watch, but haven't yet found the courage to do it myself.

Easter Fun

2011-04-24T11:02:00.002-06:00

Loves Her Bunny!

2011-04-20T10:25:00.000-06:00

Alladin

2011-04-13T22:56:00.003-06:00

Madison was in the 5th grade play of Alladin. They did a great job. Madison played the part of the Magic Carpet. She had alot of fun and enjoyed being part of the production.

Our Newest Member

2011-04-13T22:45:00.003-06:00

Meet Shadow, the newest member of our family. She is a mini-lop rabbit that is hopefully going to live indoors as a litter trained house rabbit. The kids are soooo excited!

Disneyland

2011-04-12T20:58:00.001-06:00

While we were in Anaheim for the Cheer Nationals we spent plenty of time at Disneyland. Unfortunately noone wanted to haul around a camera so I just have a few lousy pics from my phone. We spent most of our time there hanging out with the Adams family, they were so fun. All the kids entertained each other and we had a blast. (Thanks!) And they were nice enough to keep Dalton at the park so he didn't have to watch even more cheer this year.

Ridmakerz

2011-04-11T21:31:00.001-06:00

They have a new store this year at Downtown Disney called Ridemakerz. You get to build your own remote controlled car. Dalton was in heaven!

Cheer Nationals

2011-04-10T21:50:00.003-06:00

We had a great time at the Cheerleading Nationals in Anaheim this year. The girls did an amazing job! Unfortunately, they took 3rd place after the judges ruled a tumbling pass illegal and penalized them the first day. Below, on the next post, I have posted a video of their performance on day 2.

2011 Planet Cheer Galaxy - Yth Lg Lvl 3

2011-04-10T21:46:00.001-06:00

Playing with Jodie's Parents

2011-03-26T20:43:00.004-06:00

The kids had fun playing with Jodie's parents all weekend. They played games, had picnics, and visited the farm store to see the baby chicks and bunnies.

Jodie's Birthday

2011-03-25T20:19:00.004-06:00

Growing up fast!

2011-03-18T20:13:00.004-06:00