Thanksgiving Sledding

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we went sledding up on Mt. Hood.  Shep loved the taste of the snow.

Personalized water bottles for the new school year

It is always nice (and surprising) when one of my craft projects turns out on the first try.  I cut these images using my Silhouette machine onto a sheet of vinyl and then transferred it to Soren and Shep's new water bottles.

Fishing for Dinner

Soren, Shep and Mike went trout fishing up on Mt. Hood and caught 4!  Later that day we grilled them for dinner and called the day a success.  

St. John's Bridge view from Cathedral Park

It only took 6 years for me to take the kids to Cathedral Park to see my favorite bridge up close.  You can see that the St. John's bridge has a cathedral motif.

Mike Officiates at Sam and Carlota's wedding

July 4th on the Sandy River

Weekend on the beach at Cape Meares

This is the first hike that Mike has taken us on that included ropes for climbing down to the next part of the path.  Not so easy to do while carrying a 38 pound kid!

Last Day of First Grade

Milk Bubbles

Certified Backyard Habitat

 After almost a year of planting all kinds of native plants, shrubs and trees we became a gold-level Certified Backyard Habitat.  Soren's specialty was digging holes and Shep's was spreading compost.  As a reward, Chickadees are nesting in one of our birdhouses!

Soren's 7th Birthday Party

 Soren and 8 friends celebrated the birthday at a local trampoline park.  It was Shep's first time there and even he loved it.

The birthday cake was decorated with chocolate "rocks" -- Soren's favorite.

First bike ride around Portland

Five times a year, Portland closes the streets around a group of city parks and everyone rides bikes around the route.  Our family did it for the first time in May.  It was a 7 mile route in East Portland.  Everyone had a great time!

February Snowstorm