A random sampling of photos for Friday

Jackson with friends at the amazing indoor bike park

A view of anniversary cocktails

Jackson made this longboard with Jim over the summer!

A quiet run in Forest Park. Ahhhhhh...

The reader!

Trombone practice.

One of my favorite shops in Portland....Ink and Peat.

15 years ago today...

Park City, Utah

And Happy Anniversary to Coach and Ruby, too!

Rolling along

Jackson's team photo.

The school year is going well! The second week is always the big test....the first week is all fun and socializing and no real work is done. Week two is when things get real. There was a minor homework meltdown for one son ("I'm drowning in homework!") and a minor crisis with another son ("I thought it was due Wednesday, not today!"), but the good news is that we got through both situations and learned helpful lessons. Drowning in homework was actually not the case at all since it was a packet meant to complete over the course of the week. And, not realizing when something was due was an excellent reminder to check your planner for due dates every night. 

I had my own snafu when I was late getting Sean to his soccer game and he was wearing the wrong color jersey. Oooops. Parenting FAIL. But, this was a wonderful opportunity to put into practice what I always tell the boys....learn from your mistakes and then move on.  Normally that kind of goof up makes me crazy and I get angry at myself but really, in the grand scheme of things, it's not the end of the world. From here on out, though, I'm keeping an extra soccer jersey in the car just in case.  

Back to school...changes!

This was a big Back To School Year....2 new schools! Our hope would've been one new school, but life doesn't always work out the way you think it will. And I keep telling myself, change is good! Change makes us stronger! But the truth is that change is also kind of scary and usually not fun while you're in the midst of it. We are solidly in the midst of it...feeling good, a little nervous but holding on to optimistic thoughts.
And during times like this, I think we all become thankful for the little things that remain constant regardless of all the other chaos. For me, one of these things is the sight of Talus sprawled out at various locations throughout the house, snoozing away with not a care in the world. This is a dog who knows the meaning of the word Relax! So, that is what I intend to do when my head gets filled up with worry...channel my inner Talus, take a deep breath and relax.

Hiking and a bit of "culture"

When did these boys get so tall?



Quick stop for lunch.



Amazing scenery

In addition to a yummy lunch, there were free Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches

The installation on the wall is made entirely of bike helmets

The performing bicycle troupe called the Sprockettes....burlesque on bikes!

One of our favorite places to hike is the Columbia River Gorge. About 45 minutes from Portland, it has amazing hikes for all ability levels and spectacular views. Plus, if you travel a bit further down, you end up in Hood River which is a very unique, vibrant little town filled with windsurfers and cute cafes and shops. Oh-and great ice cream at Mike's Ice Cream. We also recently went to a block party at the Portland Art Museum in honor of their recent Cyclopedia exhibit. The exhibit features the private bike collection of Michael Embacher, who loaned out 40 of his amazing bicycles from his collection in Vienna.  The exhibit itself is stunning and in addition there have been all kinds of bike-related workshops and events. The block party featured some BMX performers doing daredevil tricks on bikes, a fun band, great food and also the Sprockettes...a group of ladies doing a different kind of bike performance. Kind of like Cirque de Soleil meets roller derby. Entertaining for sure but maybe not a good fit for the family crowd!! I tried to explain to the boys that culture comes in many different forms but they were definitely more interested in watching the BMX bikers and eating ice cream sandwiches.

We went camping

We made great campfires, enjoyed smores, saw bats, went fishing, hiked around Smith Rock, rode horses and in general had an amazing time exploring Central Oregon. It's a great place to be in summer! It's safe to say more camping is in our future.

Summer berry picking

Places we love....

Camp!

I went to a mother/child camp with the boys and some friends about 2 weeks ago and it was truly the highlight of summer so far. A spectacular setting, tons of options for activities but also always the option of just sitting and reading. The camp had organized kid-only activities in the morning and during that time the moms could kayak, do an organized hike or just sit on a bench reading a book. In the afternoon, there were activities for everyone and amazing babysitters available if everyone wanted to do something different. Some days we all went to the beach, other days Sean went to archery, Jackson went to the beach and I sat outside reading a book. Another day we all sat in the "art palace" working on projects while listening to music. Meals were held communal style and we all had tables assigned by cabin name. There were also evening campfires or talent shows. Our cabin held 10 people and the furnishings were bare. But in a setting like this, all you need is a sleeping bag, pillow and a bunk bed. We spent all our time outside, or in the lodge or the art studio. The kids were all so tired at night , it was surprisingly quiet. It was so fun to share in the camp experience and it's good I got a chance to go with them. Next year they've both told me they are ready to try a week on their own!

Scenes from our summer...

House Cleaning 101



"Oh, that's a mop!"

Not knowing about the ins and outs of operating the TV remote is one thing, but lack of knowledge about basic household cleaning items is cause for alarm. I was doing a quick upstairs clean up the other day and recruited the boys to help since it was their bathroom that needed the most work.  I asked for someone (Jackson) to go get the mop and the reply was "What is a mop?". Needless to say, we will spend lots of time this summer getting acquainted with the basics of cleaning a house!