Robots and Outer-space!!!

Mom painted, decorated and even hung the light fixture! She painted an old dresser, replaced the knobs, hung the curtains and set it all up while Dad was in Thailand. Then she posted the photos... Two months later. :)

Apple Harvest Day October 2nd 2010

The beginning of our trip.

Gabriel stringing apple slices on twine for drying.

We all had a hand in making fresh squeezed apple cider.

Mom and Baby.

I love the size difference between the two.

Gabriel did great on the apple bob.

Malachi sharing with Gabriel in the car ride over to the bluegrass music and brats.

Gabriel loved the corn and was interested in how it grew.

June 24-27

SOAK* is a multi-day arts festival and camping event on 110 acres of meadows, a swimming hole, and wooded trails located just an hour south of Portland. This is a place to meet your fellow Portland Burners and get a taste of Burningman Northwest style. We'll have Fire Performances, Art, a central covered space, DJ's, live music, Theme Camps, Workshops and the burning of The SpaceMan on Saturday. We are completely kid, and family friendly.

Yes they were! Gabriel came over to the motor-home sitting on some guys shoulders. He and his girl friend wanted to know if it would be okay to take Gabriel on a nature walk and go catch frogs together. They had been camped near us. Gabriel had wandered into their area and made himself right at home. He was sharing bubbles with the adults. Unfortunately it was dinner time, then off to bed. The next day Sam came over again. We all went on a walk together and watched while people practiced poi. Gabriel LOVED SOAK!!! He was at Future Burners Of America a lot of the time doing craft projects and swam in the swimming hole with Guillermo and Cory. It was way too cold for me, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

Hamming it up.

A borrowed tube.
The night of the burn a Lady painted our faces.
A hat/mask someone gave him.
He wanted to be an old man with diamonds!
A girl in camp painting water on his face.
At the "fishing pond"
Gabriel/Mom/Dad
Working on a mosaic
A home for his frog/aka sippy cup w/ grass
His first catch of the day
A perfect specimen

It's not called gym"nice"tics

A new term at gymnastics class for Gabriel. He has learned so much! Forward kicks, high blocks, low blocks, how to do flips on the equipment and best of all how to work in a group. I really enjoyed his time at the little gym. The last day, all the families were invited into the gym so the kids could show off their newly acquired skills. What moves!

V-Day

Valentine's Day meet us making 24 valentines for Gabriel's class. What a chore! I thought it would be easy. Ha! No piece of cake! We did it over the course of a week the entire family pitching in. Glitter everywhere! All over the floor, on the counter-tops and in the sink. All in all it was fun, but I don't think next year will see us doing quite the same project.

3 Months Behind!

Wow! It's been forever! So much has happened. Let's try to play catch up. Again. This is going to take a while...

Christmas

This was our first Christmas in our new home in Oregon. It was Gabriel's 6th, Cory's & Myself 4th, & Malachi's 1st Christmas. We missed family, but it was nice to just relax. We opened presents all day, so as not to get over whelmed by all the abundance. We stayed in our pajamas and watched movies. We played with the kids and ate a yummy turkey meal that evening. Next year I want a one per person gift exchange, but I doubt that will happen. The kids were spoiled, but loved every moment of it. Well, Gabriel did, I think Malachi was unaware of all the hubbub. It will be nice to have family with us next year. We are all looking forward to it! A few snapshots from the day...

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Gabriel @ 7 years old exactly

Gabriel's 7th Birthday at the Inflatable Kingdom. I stayed up till 5 in the morning making his Mario Bros. themed cupcakes. I am a very indulgent mother! Everyone got fake tattoos, including the adults. We had pizza and bounced ourselves silly. He got so many presents it was beyond us. Next year we'll ask people not bring presents but instead a $5 so Gabriel can buy a present he wants to get himself so we are not swamped by toys!