Pumpkins!

Recent events and photos

I took a really fun baking class with my friend, Mary. The photo is of the instructor, Julie, who was wonderful. I am ready to make some awesome cakes! Snow pictures are from Timberline Lodge which we visited last weekend. Sean was throwing snowballs at me, which he thought was hilarious. Also Jackson's self portrait and climbing the rocks at Foothills Park.

Weekend art project

Live from Schukart Lane.....

There is even more noise, I mean "music" , in the house now. We have a very old but very beautiful Steinway piano on long term loan from a friend of a friend. I still can't believe the woman let us take away her piano but she really wanted it to be in a house where it was being played. Her kids are grown and the piano has not been used for a long time. So, the goal is for the boys to take lessons and play lovely music while I make dinner and sip my glass of wine-HA!

A glimpse of the weekend and Sean's socks

It was a perfect early Fall weekend. Much better than last Saturday's rain soaked soccer. We ended the weekend with dinner and a fire outside...and we tried to persuade Sean that grilled vegetables were very delicious and something he should try to eat. He ate a few bites of grilled orange pepper...no luck with the other offerings. On a different topic, Sean continues to insist on wearing his socks pulled up to his knees. It has become his signature look. I keep looking for 70's style tube socks (with a stripe at the top) but so far have not found any. So he will continue to stretch his poor socks to the limit so they will give him the right look.

Saturday soccer part deux

Here are some pics of Jackson's game. The boys had a blast and were running and laughing as they kicked the ball around. I think his entire team has blond hair! We love the coaches, too. And we are happy that the rule for snakcs this year is healthy stuff only...no more Twinkies and Oreos as post game refreshments!!

Soccer Saturdays have begun

One game done, one to go...

Jackson , Sean and some of the bus stop gang!

Back to School!

Today was Sean's first day of kindergarten. He was very excited and kept asking, "How many more minutes till we leave for school" this morning. He was very excited to ride the bus with Jackson this year. Jackson handled the first day in stride. As a seasoned second grader, this is old hat for him. But he was excited to see all his friends and get out to recess.

Hood to Coast weekend

After the race, I rejoined all the boys for some fun at the beach. It was a bit chilly but we still had lots of fun. The boys especially loved the recumbent sand bikes!

Hood to Coast relay

Goodbye Training Wheels

Sean has not been terribly interested in taking the training wheels off his bike. Even with 2 friends riding without their training wheels, he still did not seem too be concerned. Jim has had him out for practice at least twice. No luck. Finally today it happened. There were a few wobbles, a few protests but then finally Sean was yelling, "Dad, let me GO!!!!!".

Cold Day at Lost Lake

We drove and drove and drove on winding roads , twisting and turning our way up the mountain..in search of Lost Lake. We made it, and while it was chillier than some of us would've preferred, the boys loved it all. Lots of fun trails, fallen logs to climb on, a row boat to paddle around in (mostly in circles) and a hot chocolate at the end.

Definitely not in accordance with kayak safety rules

A few nights ago we swam in the lake with some friends in an attempt to stay cool despite temps over 100 degrees. The kids had a blast and at one point they all piled in the kayak with Jim...which lasted about 5 seconds before they decided the water was much more fun.

A Day at the Races

Jackson and Sean did the kids triathlon and I did the All Women's Sprint triathlon. Jim was our gear coordinator and we all had a great time. Somehow, I ended up as the top woman over 40 so I got a nice little trophy and some other stuff. The boys thought it was very cool to hear their Mom's name called over the loudspeaker and came up with me to get the prize. Jackson decided the medal looked better on him so he wore it the rest of the afternoon!

Day in Hood River

This is a beautiful town!! The boys played at the new waterfront park and we watched a wind surfing competition. Lots of cute restaurants and shops, too. We will definitely plan to spend more time here. It's only about 35 minutes from the cabin.

Warm summer night at the lake