Wow! The kids actually working. This is a momentous occasion. Grandma got them to rake the leaves in her yard. Of course, looking at the size of the trees you know the kids did not actually have to break out in a sweat to get it done. But any work done is good work.

Or perhaps I had an ulterior motive for taking a road trip to Riggins. I am the devious sort. Just to let you know Callista and Nathan had no idea. Nathan because it was his present and Callista because she doesn't know what "secret" means.


Introducing Underdog JR. - otherwise known as Junior. Finally, Nathan has a dawg he can walk not ride.

Nathan had a very nice time in Riggins. He got to do some "adventuring".

Nathan loved the wagon wheels.


Note the bare feet and the mountain man pose.

ROAD TRIP! It had been two years - count them - two since our last just for the hec of it day road trip. So I loaded up the car with a bunch of kids , some snacks, one dvd rented from Redbox (Journey to the Center of the Earth - got good reviews from the kids) and off we went to Riggins, ID.

Riggins is basically central Idaho but kisses the border of Oregon with a few mountains. It is a very very small town built up around touristy fishing and white water rafting since the town hangs on the edge of the mountain right above (and sometimes in) the river.

The weather was perfect. Sunny and in the upper 50s all the way up. In Riggins it is even warmer and even tho a stiff breeze was blowing everyone loved the time spent there!

You can see from the pictures how the river has carved out its place in the mountains.

We live in a Land where our Dreams can come true.
A country with choices for me and for you.
A place where our freedom will always shine through.
We're happy to live with the red,white and blue.

Callista participated in her first Veteran's Day Assembly today as part of the fifth grade honor choir. She sings beautifully (and I am not biased at all) - plus she got to lead her class on the recorder. The things your kids do not mention...

The lyrics above were sung by the kids. They are from "The Heart of America" by Teresa Jennings. Callista practiced a lot yet I must wonder if she truly understands the words she was singing. Some day she will.

Recipe for near disaster:

Mix one 13yo boy
one 5 yo boy
one racing bike
one umbrella stroller
a few bungee cords

tie together as boys do, take off at top speed and remember to get all the crying out before you get back to grandma's house.


According to Nathan he only cried a little (shows me a small space between thumb and finger) because he is a big boy. I told him big boys know to protect their power brains with their helmets!

I really need to teach that kid to break his falls with his hands and not his head!

Halloween 2008!!!

All the pixies, fairies, power rangers and one pood were out in force. You just knew I had to throw a poodle into the mix! Jake has done his time for the last 9 years. Spike got to go this year. Talk about one confused dog.

Poodles take over the Park! Story at 10!

Just kidding.

Jake is quite the were-wolfy gentleman

Spike is going up the slide one way or another

Awwhooooo! King of the playground equipment!

See you really can take your Spoos anywhere and have a good time!

Sarita has dance class on monday and wednesdays so the rest of us need something to do while waiting for her. Park it is!

Nathan loves the park!

Jake and Spike love the park too!

Um, Callista, that would be the wrong way up the slide

Nathan takes over the slide as well

Spike is willing to try just about anything

Portland,OR - a nice place to visit but pretty wet otherwise. It had been two years - two whole years! - since our last road trip to Washington or parts NW. I needed a break, the gas prices were going down, and there was a dinner party to be at one particular fall weekend. So like any other normal person I took two kids to grandma's, threw Sarita in the car, and drove over 400 miles to Portland for one night.

I love the trip over the Blues and up the Columbia River gorge. It is so pretty and rather peaceful. Well, there is Deadman's Pass right before Pendleton but,hec, what's a road trip without a little drama?! Actually it was quite uneventful. The worst part was the absolute dearth of music available for the 2.5 hour ride along the Columbia. One country station only! It was almost enough to drive this seasoned road tripper nuts! But we made it.

I was able to drop Sarita off at her brother's house for the night. It was nice for them to be able to visit. They had not seen one another for a whole year! You got the idea that there was some excitement involved when we got to their street and there were arrows drawn on the road to "Timo's House". I had directions all the way into their driveway! Maddie was just as excited to see Sarita. In fact at times I think Sarita had to referee the two of them so she could spend quality time with both!

But - the smiles! So worth everything. Ok and the silly faces!




Oh, and just to let y'all know - I did have to make a pit stop in The Dalles (about one hour out of Portland) to buy some music CDs!

This is Poodle Pass - otherwise known as the hallway. This is basically a Nathan's eye view of the household. To some it might seem scary but to Nathan - well, let's just say that he has a power brain and thumbs so he is the king (and a power ranger as well). Fortunately, the poods seem to think he is boss too.



I thought I would leave the picture as is so that I can point out to the girls in the future that sweeping the hallway should include under the dresser as well! Ah - c'est la vie.

Time to say goodbye to another great summer! 2008 was a lot of fun!

The last bash of summer. It has been awhile but I never got the chance to put up the pictures from that day in August when we celebrate all the summer birthdays at one time. We invited friends and family to the community pool for a couple of hours. It is always a blast!