The kids have been spending a lot of time lakeside so far this summer. They are becoming little fishies! Here are some pictures from our last trip on Sunday (The LaFaves joined us which was fun!)
We went for a little drive last night down towards the river in Ridgefield. We were looking for this “beach” people had been telling us about. We found it, got out of the van to check it out and were instantly attacked by mosquitos. Attacked is an understatement. Not many things would send David running away, but we both RAN back to the van as fast as we could. Clearly, the skeeters thought we were dinner. I did snap this quick pic as I was running back. I thought it was pretty, with the sun setting in the background. Reminded me a bit of the opening of One Tree Hill. I could picture Chad Michael Murray bouncing his basketball acrossed it and Gavin DeGraw playing I Don’t Want To Be in the background LOL.
Love our pretty little town — and the hidden beauty we don’t see all the time.
Wanna give a shout out to Joel for starting his own handyman business in Clark County. Before and After Home Care Services is the name he came up with. Here is a link to his website www.baahcs.com Good Luck Joel!
Geez.. I guess getting geared up to go swimming wipes McKenzie right out. Uncle Joel and Aunt Carrie took the two little girl swimming today. This is Kenzie in the car on the way there.
This is Kenzie several months ago, camping at Cascade Peaks… waiting to go swimming there.
What a goof!
Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen my boy in a tux.
Year 2009
Ok this picture is not good. Again, it’s with my dingbat cell phone. I would have went to grab my beloved Rebel, but… we were running out the door, so the cell phone crapcam had to suffice. It almost looks like he was an angel sent straight from Heaven? Ehh, most days I’d agree 
But the lighting is kind of odd, isn’t it?
Anyway, Mr. Man is in the school band and their “uniform” for concerts is a tuxedo. Poor guy… his pants are 30’s. I think he’s MAYBE a 26… and in a pair of Tony Lama’s… He said there was only one pair smaller than what he ended up with, and they were snatched up by the other “little person” in the school band. LOL. We will have to get him a different pair.
He plays the clarinet, in case you are wondering. And he’s very good at it! He’s been playing for 4 years and just keeps getting better.
Miss Bailey had to decorate a turkey for school this week. She had crafts supplies from one end of the kitchen to the other. I watched her decorate it, but I didn’t do it for her…. she created this masterpiece ALL by herself. The only thing anyone helped her with was the hat, and that was Ashlyn’s idea. Just because little 6 year olds holding homemade turkeys are so darn cute, there are 3 pictures below all for your enjoyment 
Save $5 off on a Family Size pizza at Papa Murhpy’s.
These coupons don’t come out very often, good deal. It is 1 per visit, and good through 11/30/09.
Walgreens Deal Match Ups
**The November Savings Coupon Book can be picked up at the front of your Walgreens store, as can the weekly ad if you don’t have one.
* KLEENEX ~ $1.09 with ad coupon (buy 3)
Use .50/3 coupon
Use $1/1 coupon from the November Savings Booklet
= FREE
* OCEAN SPRAY JUICE ~ $1.99 (with ad coupon)
Use $1 off coupon from the November Savings Booklet
Look for $1 off stickers on the bottom of bottle
= .99 or Free
* GOLD MEDAL FLOUR ~ 2 for $3.00 (with ad coupon)
Use .50 off coupon
= $1.00 each or you can use two coupons and get 2 for
$2.00
* CHEEZ IT CRACKERS ~ Buy 1 Get 1 Free
= $1.50 each
Specially Marked Boxes would be eligible for the
Kellogg’s Toy Cash Rebate
* GLADE AIR FRESHENER ~ .99 each (with ad coupon)
Use $1 off 2 coupon from the November Savings Booklet
= .49 each when you buy 2
* BETTY CROCKER FROSTING ~ $1.29 (with ad coupon)
Use .50 off coupon or this .50 off coupon
= .79 each
There is a $5 off $25 coupon you can print and make these deals even sweeter.
ADDED 11/12:
* NEXXUS MOUSSE ~ 2/$5
Use $4.00 off 1 coupon from the November Savings Book
= FREE (it should take the entire cost of these off, if you are buying 2)
* GLADE SPRAY
These Glade Air Freshener Sprays are on sale this week for .99 each with Ad Coupon. The Right @ Home coupons I posted about here included .75 off 2 holiday collection Glade Sprays. The November Savings Book (found at the front of all Walgreens stores) has a coupon for $1/2. Buy 4 sprays, use 2 of the printable coupons, the Ad Coupon, and the November Savings coupon and you should get 4 cans of the Glade Sprays (holiday collection only) for .46 cents each. We have 3 bathrooms, so I’ll do this deal and put one of these in each of our bathrooms. Good deal!
Not sure what it is about the rain that I love so much… but the sound of the rain on my windows is my absolute favorite sound.
Today, we had a big rain shower, that lasted maybe 15 minutes at the most…. it happened to coincide with my break (I work from home). The house was perfectly quiet, dog asleep, and everyone gone except for me. I sat at the top of our stairs and just listened/watched the rain. Grabbed my camera and took a picture of what I was looking at/listening to. I find it very calming, and forget about light boxes…. I wish I had a little rain box to watch and listen to the rain any time I wanted….
Can someone tell me why this one tree is still green? LOL. Kind of funny….
I wonder how many times I’ve watched “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” show. A lot.
You’d think I’d have to force my kids to sit and watch this show with me. The animation that Charlie Brown was created with is not exactly what they are used to these days. But, there must be something about it for them too, that they are always just as excited to watch it as I am. They know that it means Halloween is just a few days away, and what kid doesn’t love the holiday that offers up a buffet of two of their favorite things? Dress up and buckets of candy. 
I made chocolate chip cookies tonight, in a pumpkin shape to have for dessert. They weren’t very appealing (I’m no Martha LOL) but they were fun to make and the kids liked them, so my goal was achieved.
McKenzie started writing these cute little notes to us and leaving them in random places for us to find. Yesterday, I was sitting in my chair, and she slipped one next to me while she was giving me a hug. It was folded up and put in a sweet homemade envelope she’d folded. It just said “I love you Mommy”. So sweet. This morning, I heard her sneak in and out of my bedroom. And I found this one tucked under my pillow:
Then I spotted this one (see it there in the front?) later this evening. This one is still there as it says “To Dad” and Daddy hasn’t yet spotted it so I left it for him to find (HINT HINT David!). These are cute and fun little surprises. McKenzie is so creative and I love it when she does stuff like this!
Last week, my grandma turned 90! I haven’t met a whole lot of 90 year olds in my life, but from what I see, she is amazingly healthy! She still lives on her own, in the same house my dad was born and raised in. It has a basement with rickety old wood stairs. She still keeps her canned foods down there and her washer and dryer. Amazing!
My grandma loves all of us so much, though she’s not always the easiest person to get along with. When I was little, I had a hard time staying there for visits, because I was an only child and stayed there alone. She was very prim and proper. Sit up straight, elbows off the table, brush your teeth with baking soda, etc. Not that I didn’t enjoy visiting with her, but it was a completely different environment from my own home! A little dose of that never hurt me, now that I look back on it. My grandma loves her great grandkids… she is much easier with them than she ever was with me. My oldest has Grandma eating out of the palm of her hand! My dad still checks in with my Grandma every day and visits her every weekend, sometimes more often. I hope that my kids take care me as well as he does for her, and I suppose a lesson to me on how I need to take care of my parents as they get older! Great Grandma still sends jars of pennies home with the kids, still pays the kids $5 per A on their report card. You would never see Grandma in anything but a dress, complete with “stockings” as she calls them. I think she even wears those to bed She has her hair done every Saturday at the same salon that I remember when I was little, same style too. Once in awhile she may change the style (and when I say once in a blue moon, that would be an understatement!), and we would be in shock. She prays before every meal, and that includes us all holding hands, even if we are dining in a nice restaurant. What other people think isn’t important to her, when it comes to praying before a meal. I admire that in her, because you certainly don’t see that very often. She is very honest, brutally so sometimes. I don’t think she intends to hurt people’s feelings but it happens, pretty often. Most of us are used to that. She has taught me alot about life in general. I wish she lived closer, so I could have learned more from her. I have a feeling she’ll be with us for years to come still. Happy Birthday Grandma!
Dad rented the Portland Sternwheeler Rose for her birthday gathering. We had a great 2 hour boat ride up the Willamette River. The rain stopped just for 2 hours that day. It literally started to rain as I was carrying the leftover food back up to my van. We were blessed!
Here are some pictures. I didn’t get any of me on my camera with Grandma, I hope that someone else did. I was busy taking tons of pictures of my own. Each picture can be clicked to enlarge.
Daddy and Bailey carrying supplies onto the boat.
Bailey and Austin (my nephew) with the captain!
Great Grandma and her great grandkids!
Grandma and Dad
Just one of Grandma by herself!
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dork… they were writing codes I think? Goofy boys.
Ah and then there is goofy mom with Katy and Bailey
My mom with all of my kids
My mother-in-law with the kids
My sister and her “dating partner”…. not sure they are boyfriend/girlfriend yet, but they were last year. Confused yet? Me too.
Katy and Kenzie
Me and Katy
Bailey and Katy
The 3 oldest, aren’t they cute? Ashlyn, Tanner, and Katy
Grandma blowing out her candles! I wonder what 90 would have looked like
