Silence means trouble

On most days, our girls play very well together. Their favorites include Barbies, Legos, and especially "Mom and Baby." This one is the most elaborate, as they take turns being the mommy and the baby, and Brian and I are kindly referred to as "Grammy" and "Gramps." Nice.

Anyway, on a recent day, they were in full-force pretend mode, and Brian and I were actually enjoying an adult conversation, when we realized it was unusually quiet. We waited. Still nothing but silence. I'm not sure about other people's homes, but at our house silence means one of two things: the kids are either sleeping, or doing something they shouldn't. And we knew they weren't sleeping.

When we went searching, we found them tucked into the corner of Camryn's room, pretending it was "bedtime," and it was obviously Aubrey's turn to play the baby, because here's where we found her:

YES. That is a baby. doll. bed. The kind you put stuffed animals and dolls in. And here was our 28 pound, 2 1/2 year old, wedged into the thing, complete with blanket and binky of her very own. We couldn't stop laughing, and once they realized they weren't in trouble, neither could the girls. :)

Parade fun

Every year, Sherwood Dance Academy participates in the local Sherwood Robin Hood Festival parade, and every year the young dancers are invited to represent the academy on the float. Last year, Camryn had a blast, so this year we returned, and Aubrey got to join in as well!

Our tiny dancers before we left. Ballet slippers on the street are a no-no, so the girls chose their own shoes to accompany their tutus. :)

There are no words.

The parade was short (about 35 minutes), but Aubrey managed to spend the entire time eating from her bucket of candy instead of throwing from it. I lost count at about 5 suckers...

The girls' friends were there too. :)

And of course, Miss Lea Ann had the bubble machines in full force! It was very fun. :)

Ten years!

July 16 marked Brian and my TEN year anniversary! We just can't believe it. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a record setting 98 degrees, and we were at the Jenkins Estate, a lovely old historic home with no air conditioning. It was so hot, but so much fun with so many of our friends and family there to help us celebrate.

Though we had grand plans of a big vacation (just the two of us) to celebrate this summer, life just kind of got in the way. We bought our new house, traveled for a friend's wedding, and did some other things with our cash that prohibited our getaway. So instead, we spent a quiet day together (no kids!) revisiting that day ten years ago.

We started by heading back to the Jenkins Estate and wandering the grounds on such a gorgeous day. It was still much the same as we remembered it.

The main house, where our reception was held

The tea house, where we held our ceremony. Thank goodness for all that shade!

The bridge photos: Then...

...and Now. It has recently been rebuilt, updated, and improved.

The path from ceremony to reception: Then...

...and Now.
The grounds in general seem to be more "in bloom" than ever. There were so many beautiful plants and flowers, and they are all so well cared for.

This sign hangs above the front entrance to the house.

On a normal day, the estate grounds are very quiet and very peaceful, though there wasn't much peace or much quiet the day of our wedding, and not much to be enjoyed in our lives these days. It was so nice to go back and enjoy it for just a little while together.

After our visit, we went out to a nice lunch, and finished up by returning to Helen Bernhard's, the bakery that made our wedding cake. We each enjoyed a slice before we rolled ourselves home, still in disbelief that it has been ten years since our last slice of pink champagne cake! How time flies!

Fab Four BBQ

I am so lucky to work with an amazing teaching team that I can call not just coworkers, but also friends. We're so good together in fact, that we call ourselves the "Fab Four." :) Periodically, we get together with all of our spouses and kids, and it just so happens that they enjoy each other's company as much as we do!

This week we finally hosted a Fab Four BBQ at our new place. The kids had a blast running around, and enjoying a yummy pulled pork dinner, before settling down for a movie together (As a side note, this seems to be the general pattern each time we get together: run, scream, play, eat, watch movie. It works well for us.)

Before we knew it, we had sat around gabbing so long, it was pitch black and 10 p.m. I guess that's how we really know that we enjoy each other's company. :) Thanks, team, for joining us!

Water fun

What to do on a 95 degree day? GET WET!

Birthday at the beach

This past Thursday, I celebrated my 33rd(!) birthday. Since the forecast called for 100 degree temps, and neither Brian nor I had to work, we thought, "What the heck!?" and headed for the coast for the day.

We started off in Newport at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We saw lots of sea life, as well as freshwater animals in the "Swampland" exhibit. The girls loved touching the starfish and sea anemones, but Camryn wasn't too impressed with the octopus exhibit. She appeared disgusted the entire time the polite teenage volunteer explained to her about suction cups, beaks, and ink.







At the end of the exhibits, there is a climbing area for kids. This may have been one of the top contenders for the girls' favorite attraction...

After a picnic lunch, tailgate style, we went out for ice cream, and then hit the beach for several sunny, but windy, hours in the sand. I swear the girls could have played there for days, if we had more food and a closer restroom. They were content to dig, search for treasures, and fling sand into the wind for hours and hours. It was the most cooperative they've been in weeks. No joke.

Camryn even made me a "birthday cake," complete with beach-find decorations. :) Contrary to the visual imagery below, Aubrey was not actually eating sand, she just had it stuck to her entire body. My little neat freak was so content being dirtier and grimier than she's ever been before. By the time we left, she had quite the little sand-goatee and mustache going on. :)















We ended our day with chowder at Mo's, and a long ride home. We were all exhausted, but glad we had such a fun-filled day.

First Annual Mulberry Drive 4th of July Block Party!

Since our new neighborhood is just that...new...(there are a grand total of six families living on our street so far), we decided to get together and institute a neighborhood tradition: a 4th of July block party. We each invited some family and friends, drug our BBQs and lawn chairs out onto the sidewalk, and let the kids have at it, running around and playing in the street.

For such a new idea on the block, it was very successful! It was a great way to get to know the neighbors better, and meet new ones too. We ended up drawing folks out who we hadn't yet met on streets over, and discovering what a small world it is. We had a TON of food, bike/scooter decorating, music, a bounce house, a scavenger hunt, and of course we ended the night with our own fireworks spectacular. The best surprise however, was that from our perch on this side of the hill, we had a perfect view of the Tigard fireworks, the Sherwood fireworks, and lots of (illegal) neighborhood shows in between.

We hope to continue this tradition in years to come, and invite new neighbors to join us as our little neighborhood grows.

Ready to party!

Manning the grill...

Bubble stomping while Mom and Dad set up...

Decorated vehicles...

Hunting for clues and prizes...

One of the most popular scavenger hunt finds...Silly String!

Food and friends...

Sparklers!

Watching the fireworks...
(The kids of course nicknamed the black, growing, snake-like fireworks "road poop," and everyone had to gather 'round to watch!)

She LOVED the fireworks!!!