Category Archives: Uncategorized

Farm School Grads!

At the beginning of June, we attended Kieron’s pre-k graduation ceremony and the farm school end-of-the-year carnival. There was cotton candy, popcorn, pony rides, hay rides, a bounce house, and of course the barnyard full of animals. It’s hard to believe Kieron will be a big kindergartner next year and Silas will be in his second year of preschool.

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The teachers read a few lines about each of the pre-k grads. Here is they shared about Kieron: Wishes for a sleigh. Dreams about going to Hawaii. Wonders about building. Fears spiders. Likes pepperoni. Believes in the tooth fairy. Loves his Grammy. Plans to make an igloo. Wants to be a builder.

They also gave each graduate a hand trowel engraved with their name (you can see his in the teacher’s hand). Such a sweet graduation gift!

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Watching his fellow classmates graduate
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The wingman. Kieron was really nervous about walking up and standing in front of all the families, so Avery was there by his side for support.
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And who is this?
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Cotton candy monster
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Sporting a goatee
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With their buddy, Bode
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Happy trails!
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Avery’s Birthday Party

For Avery’s birthday, we invited half a dozen buddies over for a Star Wars themed party. The boys started out shooting hoops, then played “hot potato” with a clone trooper helmet, engaged in light saber battles, and had to guess which Star Wars character they had taped onto their backs. Fortunately the weather cooperated and we were able to keep the boys outside in the yard for the party. As you’ll see from the pics, a good time was had by all.

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Goofballs! They sure loved hamming it up for the camera!
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Some of the decor: Clone Trooper balloons, not to be confused with Storm Troopers
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R2D2 Cups
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We started out playing basketball out front while guests arrived
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Our handsome birthday boy
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Then we headed to the backyard for some more fun. But it’s not a party without a little drama! Avery raced for the swing set, promptly did a flip on the trapeze bar, landed on his head, then fell on his back and knocked the wind out of himself. Avery was sure he was severely wounded, and Jonathan and I were concerned about a concussion. Avery went inside and laid on the couch for about ten minutes before he decided he felt well enough to come back out (thank goodness). His back was sore for a few days, but other than that, he was alright.

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When he came back out, Avery was ready for battle
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For a while, these two were content digging while the mayhem went on below
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Zane, Hayden, Holden, Avery, Roman & Hamza
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Jonathan fends off some attackers
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Mommy the multi-tasker, eats pizza while battling
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Look at those fierce faces!
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Holden preferred to be Han Solo, and told me that I was Princess Leia and he would protect me. This photo was taken right before he shot Jonathan in the forehead!
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Don’t mess with these guys!
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Cupcake time
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And now for the presents
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It was fun to see Avery reading the cards
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Hot Potato
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The night ended with Avery’s first sleepover with a friend, Hayden. They were soooo good!
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Sausage Festival & Omelette Party 2014

We always try to make it down to Vancouver for the weekend of the annual Sausage Festival. Jonathan and his family have been going since they moved to the town circa 1990. This year was to be the last one, so we just had to make it. Auntie Ashleigh even flew up from Oakland – it’s that important. We had a terrific time, saw lots of old friends, and lamented about the fact that this would be the Last Sausage Festival. Well, there was a happy ending, because the week following, the festival was somehow saved. Hooray!

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The Vortex. I was surprised Kieron wanted to try it, and I know he really regretted it once the ride took off.
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Silas and Nana saying “oh dear.”
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Wow, that was so much fun.
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A better, milder ride.
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Pushed Silas’ comfort zone a little though.
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But in the end he decided he loved it.IMG_4456

Intro to gambling
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This boy loves slides. The bigger the better.
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Time to eat.
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Saturday night is the notorious Omelette Party at Joe’s. This year did not disappoint.
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Joe & Jono
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Auntie Ash & Lindsey
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The next morning we took the boys back to Joe’s. They loved the waterfall in the back yard.
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At Grandpa’s bench.
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Picking pears in Nana’s front yard.
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Don’t worry, Kieron wasn’t exactly under the ladder, it just looks that way.
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July

Here’s what else we were up to during the month of July:

Jonathan hiked Mt. Si and watched the sunrise.
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We pet sat our neighbor’s guinea pigs, Salt and Pepper. They were cute, but messy.
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There was back yard sprinkler funIMG_3431 IMG_3437

And swimming lessonsIMG_3440

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ReadingIMG_3445

And lots of park-hoppingIMG_3529 IMG_3530

Also lots of bike ridesIMG_3547

Playing in the sandboxIMG_3553

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More readingIMG_3568

Know how everyone hates going to the DOL? Next time you’re there, just be glad you’re not there with three young children in tow. I will admit, they were very well behaved (until the last minute or two), and I was fortunate to arrive when I did. Shortly after we got there, at least a dozen more people showed up. Whew! IMG_3570

We had lots of cute bird visitors this summerIMG_3576

There were playdates and water balloon fights IMG_3599 IMG_3600  IMG_3606 IMG_3610 IMG_3611 IMG_3612 IMG_3616 IMG_3622 IMG_3631

Some monkey business in the tree houseIMG_3633

Makes for tired boysIMG_3632

You can barely see him, but right in the middle is our baby bunny who was born this summer. We saw him almost every day, and enjoyed watching him grow. IMG_3661

Our good friends, Jen, Oliver, Bjorn & Elina visited us one more time before they left for two years in Singapore. Sniff.IMG_3667 IMG_3669

This is a science project the boys did with M&M’s. When placed in water, the “M” floats off the candy.IMG_3673

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Visit with Auntie Ashleigh =  good excuse to go to Red Mill for burgersIMG_4836

And also to the Pacific Science Center. Our boys are scared of the butterflies!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The highlight: the silly mirrorsOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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Kieron Turns Four!

Kieron is such an adorable, sensitive, emotional, mercurial little guy, and he always keeps us guessing. Will he eat dinner tonight? Will he talk at school today? Will we get Dr. Jekyl or Mr. Hyde? Any wrinkles or grey hairs, we attribute to Kieron so far. He can be incredibly sweet, but also quite sour. Usually cool, he gets fiery fast!

Kieron is a passionate fella. He pours himself into his interests. Passions include cooking/the kitchen, building/dirt/mud, and garbage trucks. Sometimes I imagine I am slowly being tortured with mundane questions about garbage/recycle/compost/trucks. Kind of reminds me of Bubba Gump and the shrimp.

One adorable thing about Kieron is his vocabulary. He memorizes books, and is really good with language. Some cute things he’s said recently include: “I have something important to say”, “I have a brilliant idea,” and “maybe this hike would have been better for you to do on your own.”

Kieron is big for his age, and strong too. At his well child visit, he was in the 91st percentile for height, and 86% for weight.

Potential future careers: English teacher, judge (can totally see him with a gavel), dictator, activist (can also see him chaining himself to a building or tree).

Happy birthday to our little sweetheart. We love you!

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