RoyalMom

We had an awesome time at the Great Wolf Lodge the past two nights with two other families. Such good friends, we were asked if it was a family reunion at the restaurant.

Here are all the littles lined up. The best of friends.

Table for 17?

Simon's birthday is in two days and Emily's is next week so they got the birthday song and cupcake.

Lots of computer games during the downtime...

$5.00 in the arcade gets burned up in about three minutes. Ask me how I know...

And my ONLY pic from the water park....I am counting on Kristin for some water park shots. Hint hint...

Simon in the kiddie area. The two slides in there were perfect for both Simon and Xander.

Simon and Hannah Haven't seen each other in a awhile. Look how big they have gotten!

...but new to the kids! Xander is excited to see if anything happens.

...with some new art, passed on from my friend Nicole. I love it!

The desk tables came out of their boxes this weekend. Just a little more painting on the book shelves and the computers, lamps and desk chairs can move in.

Isn't it a fun painting? Local artist Irina Beffa..check out her other stuff.

We made the ugliest chocolate covered strawberries ever. The chocolate didn't quite melt in the microwave like I thought and stiffened up. I had to spatula some onto each berry.

The kids gobbled them all up in a about 5 minutes, so I guess they tasted fine.

A little peak at the family room progress...

Simon had just about every program open, an email about to send and some things downloading on my computer.

Here he is working on Xander's computer now.

I'm thinking it's time to set up his own station in the new family room remodel.

...is so sweet with two readers now.

"I'll be right back," Jason says as he heads to the lego bin.

15 seconds later I have a new iPod dock...

I know! Classy, eh? I might have to check out the additional color choices.

The Shut the Box game is keeping the boys busy. Math is fun!

and found this pic from the last time the kids came over. We are wild and crazy like that! :D

We have neglected this downstairs family room for the entire four years we've lived here. Holes in the wall, concrete floor and dungeon lighting and color...ick!

The storage crap piled up and the room has been ignored until recently.

We finally decided the extra living space MUST be made usable. The room will be our new "computer room" and also a corner for TV/Netflix and video game consoles.

and the beginnings of the after...

My friend Sheri inspired me with some design ideas (thank you!) and I have carpet coming on Monday. Jason is working hard repairing the walls, planning the network cable routing and bookshelf builds.

I took the kids swimming tonight and then ice cream cones on the way home. They were so cold but are now tucked in on the giant couch watching Scooby-Doo.

It has been a long time since we've gone to the pool and Xander didn't seem into it at all. Xander has always hated showers, getting his hair washed and now apparently the pool too. His spirit animal must be the cat. ;)

We had our first guild party in honor of one of our WoW guildie friends, Nate and his family, coming into town from Washington for the weekend, on his birthday no less.

Every one of the guildies was present and accounted for and let me tell you, we are just as much fun in real life as we are in virtual life. ha!

The founding four of the Switchblade Symphony guild...

and the fun spread to a few more members...

Party animals, eh?

My nephews and their friend who is our newest guild member...(I love the big boys in the front holding their Magic cards and the little guys in the back playing their DS game).

Kristin and Dan have given up the game but once a guildie, always a guildie.

We settled the wild kids in for a movie...

Little Simon took a cat nap on Andy...

And we ALL squeezed into the computer room for a guild-wide raid. We did a low level one we have never run before so we could see something new, have fun and not require too many skills from a healer who had a few mojitos (aka..me;).

I love little Isaac in there, my two nephews, my hubby...it's a family affair and we have made some great friends.

The party was oh so fun! I hope it's an annual occasion.

The kids dive into any activity that suits their fancy at that moment. I love listening to them negotiate activities together...

"Do you want to _____?"
"Okay! Let's go!"

So painting it was this morning right after the breakfast was finished.

and friends to share it with!

In my 34 years I have never eaten liver. The idea intrigued me so what the heck, why not try it?

The package looks like it holds a giant blood clot. Interesting.

I pulled up a liver recipe with rave reviews and managed to turn this...

...into this:

Doused in butter, bacon and sprinkled with lemon juice and zest.

Plated with green beans.

We all ate it, dipped in BBQ sauce. If it was the liver or starve, I'd eat it and say it was damn delicious. But it's not the liver or starve and it's obvious the cover up ingredients were not enough.

We can all say we tried liver now and I think I may live out the rest of my life on that single taste.

Friend Rachele made this adorable hat for Xander's birthday. Looks like a little yard gnome, eh? I love it.

Feeling the Valentine spirit early. hearts and apples.

Xander is sick today but couldn't pass on cookie decorations.

Friends Lisa and kids came over today. Yay! Check out Lisa's awesome new braids. Very hip!

I love how our kids always bring company into our bed to flip through the Netflix watch now stuff. They look so cozy. hehe

...and yes, more Legos.

The roof is complete on the Lego house! Jason definitely has a brain wired for this stuff. The kids were asking me all day, while jason was working, if I could help them build a roof and I had no clue where to begin. The book I laid on top didn't seem to satisfy them. ;)

Jason finished work and came up with this great roof design, complete with skylight.

Jason built a Lego house and the kids are ecstatic!

Complete with windows, door, bathroom, furniture...

Check out that hinged design for more playing options...

The kids are inspired! Xander is figuring out a roof design and Isaac a family car. All the the minifigs have been moved in and the kids are busy in play. I just can't believe how many useful pieces came in our random 12 pounds of legos we bought off Ebay. no kit, no instructions...just raw imagination.

Xander just ran in to tell me the Spongebob minifig is watching his favorite show and eating a pizza in the new house. Ha!

Xander and Simon wanted me to retake the photos with their newest alterations...

Simon added a hat to his guy...

Xander completely overhauled his ship...

I'm certain they are already completely different now...but hey, I did what was asked of me:D

The kids are really into building ships with the Legos lately. Isaac was also wondering if Lego Transformers would be possible and got to work creating his own Lego Transformer that transformed with minimal piece...shall I say "transplants" or "swapping"?

I missed snapping photos of the Transformer but here are a few ships...

Xander build (for Isaac)...

Simon build...

Xander build (for himself)...I like the guy sweeping off the deck.

A much needed outing today. The kid's and I drove down to Salem to check out the A.C. Gilbert's House. It was unbelievably cool! Closing time seemed to creep up on us way too fast so we'll be making another trip soon.

Microscopic look at bug wings.

We needed Jason for this dinosaur build. It was a bit complicated for us!

Checking out Chinese money.

We had a little food, a little cake and a little friend time to celebrate Xander's sixth birthday.

Xander is walking on cloud 9 with all of his Bionicles and Lego Ben 10 stuff. The kids wasted no time assembling them.

If you've followed past birthdays you know how awesome my cake making skills are. This bad boy was three layers high and leaning enough to make me check the fridge several times before its debut. I was sure it was going to fall over and be plastered to the milk jug...but it did manage to stay upright.

The kids played the heck out of the Moonsand...

Did some bead design...

It was a very nice, relaxing evening. I don't mean to brag but we do have the best family and friends:P

Gotta love that dirty face. My friend Lisa just sent me this pic. I love it! thank you!

The kids have been declining haircuts so this is the awesome shagginess we have now. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out over the year:D

I love this action shot of Xander's mane flying back.

It was recently discovered that Xander (turning six in three days) knows how to read! We have a computer for each of us in our family "computer room" and I could hear Xander reading aloud all of the instructions to create an account for a game.

I sent him a few instant messages to see if he could read it and he did! It just boggles my mind.

Maybe more so because I was just listening to a program on NPR about a school trying to work with their problem with illiteracy amongst the grade school kids. All I could find is this one but it also talks about the problem. It seems the biggest discussion is methodology for teaching.

Actually if I read into that article my kids are learning to read because Jason and I are educated and not poor...hmm.

All I know is we leave them alone to direct their own activities throughout the day, answer questions as they come up and voila(!) they learn to read and write with no teaching at all. No discussion on phonics vs. whole words, no money spent on curriculum and no homework.

The most important thing, I believe, is answering the questions. It sounds simple enough but kids ask a lot of questions.

They seem to know exactly what they need for their own learning. It's amazing!

Simon is beyond thrilled to see snow. He's old enough to know what the heck is going on this year.

A little more of this...

And this today for Xander and Simon,

while Isaac did this ALL DAY LONG. He woke up feeling terrible and hasn't budged from the couch:( Poor guy.

Our friends Sheri and her son RJ came over for a Christmas dinner and it was *wonderful*!

The kids painted and it got a little wild for a few minutes...

But then they settled down to another craft.

Monkey in progress:

Monkey (and "guy with a gun") complete:

Sheri and I left the kids watching G-Force under Jason's care while we went out to see Avatar at the theater. The movie is AWESOME!

Overall I'd say it feels like a "best Christmas ever!" :D

Sporting the new robes...

ready....set...go!

Putting those Snuggies to shame...

Kristin did such an awesome job on these.

Play-doh and Bionicles so early in the day...

Now they are firing up the Wii for the new Super Mario Bros game, a log is crackling in the fireplace and the roast is in the crock pot. Can I go back to bed now? :D

My simple Christmas prep has gone as planned!

The stockings are stuffed with fresh cookies,

Kristin made these absolutely gorgeous blankets and pillow cases for each of them,

and I bought several nice selections of kid friendly music albums off iTunes and burned them to CDs...

We set up my old stereo for them to play with. The CDs are actually wrapped now and sitting on top of the stereo.

Bed time finally!

We had the kids watching a movie downstairs while I ran two kinds of cookies through the oven for stocking stuffers.

It was working wonderfully since the smell of their popcorn was overpowering the cookie smell.

Unfortunately Simon happened...

The cookies were just cooled enough to divide into baggies when Simon pulled a chair up to the counter. Did he take a cookie to eat? nope.

He bit the tips of the Hershey kisses off of half of the batch. Way to go for the best part! Luckily I had plenty left.

I love that kid! hehe

Dazaaaam! Just realized I processed an entire session and blew the highlights! I know I'm out of practice and my iMac is not as calibrated as the Dell monitor was.

To all my photog friends: Feel free to call me out anytime! ;) Raise your hand if you saw that and didn't say anything! hahahaha!

I feel like I just realized I've had toilet paper stuck on my shoe all day.

It was tough! I think Jason did most of the work but the kids enjoyed being close and helping a little. Xander's 'K' in "Motor Bike" got ripped so he left it at motor.

I heard the kids get up before us a shuffle out to the dining room to carry out some secret plans. They were drawing pictures for Jason that illustrate them working on the plane and motorcycle together and completing them. Isn't that the sweetest??

Isaac couldn't wait and gave his picture to Jason right away. Xander's is wrapped up under the tree. shhhhhhhh! hehe

We had a nice dinner and gift exchange at my parents house tonight.

Xander and Isaac showing some love for their little cousins Oakley and Noa.

THIS is what we find them up to at midnight. MIDNIGHT! hehehe. Jason is on vacation and when that happens we all naturally gravitate toward later and later nights. They got a new project type toy at the holiday party and have spread it out for construction.

It proved to be a little tough so they brought in some assistance...

The pieces are coming together with little plastic screws to make a plane, I think.

Do you think there are enough thumb tacks here? Xander must have been making sure it will not blow away in the event of a hurricane. At least if the wall blows away, the print will go with, securely attached. ha!

It tickles me that Xander must have found this picture online, liked it, printed it and gingerly cut it out just so, so that he could hang it up by his desk. Actually, it looks like something he created with one of the many "create your own character" sites he has been enjoying.

"This one is Mommy and this one is Daddy."

I wonder if "Forearms" makes dinner and "Power Ranger Megazord" cleans up after? :P

It was our first try at a cookie making party and it was fun! The kids had a lot of fun balling up the chocolate cookies and dipping them in powdered sugar. Then they piled the shape cookies with icing and sprinkles.

We have more cookies than we know what to do with now but I'm taking our share to my parents Christmas party to hopefully spread the love around. I also saved two balls of dough for the freezer to pull out Christmas eve for stocking stuffing.

Xander started off the day with a small fort...

Beginnings of Isaac's fort...

Complete with nesting...

Evidence of Isaac writing...he created a roster to be signed before entering.

Xander wants a sign too but has to make it his own by calling his fort a tent:)

We swung by the Hillsboro tree lighting, late for everything, and spent 5 minutes looking at this fabulous tree. Isn't it fabulous?? hehehehehe

The plan this year for Christmas involves a lot of hope the kids are still young enough for some reprogramming of expectations.

Most of the gifts are going to be simple and homemade. Aside from a couple video games there will be:

• Fresh (homemade) play-doh
• Commissioned blankets with matching pillow cases (thanks K!)
• Music mixes burned on CDs
• Stockings filled with different kinds of cookies.

Years past they have been so excited over the first gift they needed reminding to open another, so I anticipate an initial freak over the new Mario Wii game, warm fuzzies over the rest and then an afternoon of gaming and cookie eating. How can it go wrong?

I'll let you know how it goes...

Family photo time with the tripod.

We had a nice meal with Jason's family to celebrate his Grandma "Weze's" (pronounced weezy) 99th birthday. She is one of those refreshing oddities that is always positive. Always a big smile and a warm greeting when you see her. An inspiration to me.

....on the flip side she can also be extremely apologetic about us taking time out of our busy lives to visit her, which makes me want to put her in a headlock or maybe threaten a half nelson if she doesn't stop saying things like that. Is 99 too old for a half nelson?

Totally off topic but I just googled half nelson to see if I knew what I was talking about and check out this wikipedia on it. Did you know there is also a full nelson and a three-quarter nelson?

Okay, back on topic...Louise and her family are amazing and I am so blessed to have married into this group of intelligent, artistic people.

jason comes from good stock, I tell ya.

*All images can be clicked for full version so family can have copies. I should have popped the flash on the outside ones as focus is messed up. Sorry! I'm out of practice. hehehe

Our friends hooked us up with this GIANT roll of paper from Costco and the kids are letting the creativity flow.

The funny thing about their drawing is each of them, from early on, have never been about creating a scene or filling in the lines of a coloring book. The drawings have always been about telling a story, except more like a mini movie that starts with the first marks and ends with a complete explosion of color, decimating the page and all the layers of plot underneath.

So what begins as a family of people, spaceship or robots will end up buried under more and more color of natural and unnatural disasters. :P

Pardon Isaac, looking a little emo here. He was fighting with Simon for a chair. We are down to just a couple chairs now after the set of six have been dying off one by one.

But I ordered six new ones...along with three new bar stools! We are going to have seats to spare. Hurray!

Isaac has kept playing WoW off and on and slowly leveled his characters. He now has a level 68 death knight and is running stuff in the game with Jason.

Fun for all of us...and pretty cool for an eight year old I think.

I still play but not so much. Knitting and other projects are calling to me now.

Multiple blogs have been inspiring me with great ideas around the house!

We used chalkboard paint to make labels on my food storage jars.

Just need to repaint the lids on all my big jars.

And also used it on one cupboard to post daily menus or messages. It still needs another coat...

This dressing is so yummy!

My friend Lisa suggested the recipe and it is so awesome I had to share. We've been slathering it on sandwiches and slopping it on salads. I think I can finally let go of the mayo and ranch dressing;)

*found another use. I mixed a little sour cream into some of the dressing for a yummy dip for quesadillas. I'm sure it will be delicious on any mexican dish.

Ultimate Dressing

Ingredients

* 1 bunch fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon or basil or dill (I use dry dill)
* 1/2 onion
* 2 ounces almond butter (I used tahini)
* 1/2 avocado (I used a whole avocado)
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon tamari
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon vinegar
* 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
* 1 teaspoon kelp (I used sea salt)
* 4 ounces water

Directions

1. Put everything in the blender and process for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken.

I knit up this hat today! It was supposed to be for Xander but I don't think I used heavy enough yarn and it turned out more Simon size.

That's right, I never do a gauge check and it's often a problem. Maybe I should learn from my laziness? hehe

Finally finished this absolute gem of a book after five weeks of library loan (it's tough to read with a two year old these days!).

We had already weaned ourselves off eating out several times a week and have been cooking meals at home regularly. But this book has been just what I needed to move to the next level of healthy eating.

Maybe you've heard the opening line of this book, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

So that has been our motto around here now and we ask ourselves is this "real food" or "pretend food." hehe!

And it is a LOT harder than one would think. I fill up my grocery cart with 100% real food but not without a couple of close calls along the way. Certain things have become so natural in our shopping we forget they are not natural. Bottled lemon juice is one example. I nearly put it in my cart and checked the label quickly to find the preservatives....I felt so silly. Duh! Lemon juice comes from lemons not a bottle. How could I forget this??

And the silliest part is why do I need a bottle in my fridge so I can have it year round when its so easy to grab a couple lemons when I need it.

We have switched to homemade bread. I still need to buy some proper bread pans but in the meantime a single loaf in the bread maker, started first thing in the morning works well.

The only thing that has been really difficult to phase out, since forever ago when we realized hydrogenated oils were no good, has been tortillas.

Xander loves quesadillas and we all love warm, soft burritos on occasion. I tried to make my own and they turned out like pancakes....THICK.

So a proper recipe is in order I think. I'll keep trying!

My sister Omi and her husbands four babies. It's practically as crazy at her house as it is at mine.

yay! snagged these from my sister in law's facebook.

These are my brother Casey and his wife's two babies:) Purdy cute, aren't they?

Jason's sister gave birth to a second son today so we look forward to seeing pics of him soon.

Xander's Pig

We finally gave a homemade playdough recipe a try and it is so easy!

The dough feels nice in your hands and a few drops of extract makes it smell nice too.

We made a blue with vanilla scent and an orange with, yep...orange scent. I threw some cookie cutters, rolling pin, pizza cutter and real knives (gasp!) onto the table and the kids are having a ball with it.

Supposedly this dough can last a couple months in a sealed container.

A friend asked me if I had any recipes to share for a raw food diet she was going to try for a month. I have never done this myself but a quick Google search brought up this guy's blog who not only did the same 30 day raw food challenge but blogged his meals daily, in detail, with photos. I linked his archives and you have to scroll down to January 2008 entries to see the posts.

I was amazed by the simplicity. They aren't really recipes but a big ol' pile of fruits and veggies.

I love my warm soups and sauteed veggies too much to go raw but I was intrigued by the few recipes he did have listed for smoothies and a salad dressing.

Today I tried the green smoothie:

3 bananas
100g baby spinach (by weight)
1 cup water

It tastes pretty good, in fact simon gobbled it up. But I think it will be better with frozen bananas so I broke up thee bananas and tossed them into the freezer in a ziplock for next time.

The nice thing is the simplicity of changing out ingredients. After the foundation of bananas and 1 cup of water, anything can be tossed in from kale to celery to berries to mango.

I guess I'm just blown away that a smoothie does not have to include some kind of dairy or sugars. yep...slow learner;)

I'm looking forward to trying the salad dressing:

1/2 red bell (or grape tomatoes)
raw tahini 46g (I have roasted)
Fresh lemon juice 24g
1/4 cup water

Simon is still very much in the "I do it" phase. As you can see from the photo, Simon's zucchini peeling method is to start on one side and keep peeling until he reaches the other side. :D

The first cup of Ovaltine went so well. I left him drinking it and apparently he decided to go for a second cup.

That is a LOT of Ovaltine.

They really know how to work the web...

Maybe I should start calling our choices for our children's schooling "The Summer Life" since that's really what it is; a summer vacation that never ends. Yes! I like it.

The unschooling label has been on my mind a lot lately. It was so foreign to us when we first discovered its philosophies. It gave us some guidelines to use as a jumping off point. It helped us figure out what was in the way of the gentle parenting style we have always been striving for.

but, BUT...once I subscribed to the label unschooler I started to notice all the things I don't like about religions...err I mean labels. Unschooling magazines filled with articles about how much better unschooled kids are than schooled kids. Conversations amongst parents about who is purely unschooling and who is not. Forums filled with parents looking for support and getting lambasted for not unschooling "the right way."

I don't like rules and we certainly don't follow any set parenting guidelines. We have found our groove and absolutely love our "summer life." After a while I guess I get bored with talking about unschooling, who's doing it "the right way" or why these kids are better than those kids. But, the truth is, its probably more about me questioning some of the "rules" and deciding just maybe I don't like some of them:P

So how is our "Summer Life" going?

GREAT!!!!

Isaac experienced some traditional school work and reading and writing assignments through the online charter kindergarten but Xander is nearly six and our first child to never experience learning that was not on his own terms.

I have not sat him down and gone though the ABCs or numbers at all. It has been completely up to him to figure things out and let us know if he needs anything.

Recently he has been asking us to spell stuff for him a lot. I mean A LOT. He sees words all over and asks what "____" spells. Whatever he asks I answer and leave it at that.

and he is learning to read!!!! He is also writing. Isaac is reading really well now and the kids all teach each other little things all day too. It is so amazing to hear them discussing things together.

They create games and act out imaginary scenarios together, build upon their understanding of math through casual conversation and continue to ask many questions all the time. We love Google! hehe

Whew! much more wordy than I usually get for this blog. Don't worry, that's more than enough and no post is complete without a photo so here is me and my guys.

I love these guys so much!

The kids have been very busy with the printing and cutting out of these Ben Ten alien guys. There was an impressive amount that spanned half the couch last night. Some of them were shared with friends.

They create some fun projects for themselves...nevermind the grumbling coming from Jason about paper and toner use. hehe

...per Xander's request.

Monkey see, monkey do.

I would love to have someone else take some pics of my Xander...all my kids actually. I can never seem to capture the real Xan when he's by himself....or maybe it is the real Xan? hmmm. I guess the real Xander never stops moving or making sounds so when I ask him to stop for a second it looks unnatural for him. hehe!

The candy gathering holiday is serious business!

Whew! the gang is all here and ready to roll.

The kids didn't like my homemade pizza, piled high with bell peppers and zucchini, so I attempted to throw together some corn dogs for their lunch today.

We had a good laugh when they came out of the oven. They did eat them and Isaac actually had two so they couldn't have been that bad.

Xander accidently spelled Isaac's name IAAC....he read it "Ike" which reminded him of "hike" and made him want to go on a hike.

But not too long of a hike where he gets hungry and thirsty before the end.

So off we went to spend a short time at the Jackson Bottom Wetlands.

Isaac didn't want to go so it was just me and the two littlest.

The way they can turn a country experience into such a commercial ruckus amazes me! We survived the Plumper Pumpkin Patch and only spent $12...not bad at all in that respect. But the crowd and the lines...!!!

Let's all agree to go back to Baggenstos Farm next year? They have a beautiful corn maze and we can let the children FREE to run about and not lose them in a crowd.

On the (major) plus side, we shared the day with good friends and decompressed over dinner and conversation at home. Yay!

A little bright out?...

In a black and white mood...

Xander is going crazy with the drawing and presenting me little gifts, folded into envelopes, with "To Zoe" or "To Soe" hehe.

The first time he drew the hearts for me he shoved the finished picture into my hands and said "Just take it!" and walked off quickly, embarrassed....like he sacrificed his boyness to draw hearts for his mom.

He's also learning to read! Very cool.

At the grocery store:

Xander: That word says food.
Me: You're becoming a reader Xan. That's great!
Xander: I think its because of all the words I asked how to spell while playing Scribblenauts.
Me: cool.

The kids gravitate to whatever Jason does in play. It's like magic...get down on the floor, dump out some blocks (or whatever you have) and start playing. Next thing you know you'll have all the kids very excited to come see what you're up to and join in.

Try it! The kids will beam.

In Lincoln City, Oregon.

We stormed the campground with 200 of our friends...okay maybe just three other families, but with all the kids it feels like a lot.

It rained most of Saturday but the park was nice enough to have a tree conveniently located by our campfire to keep us dry. Such hospitality! We were able to enjoy conversation and VERY close raccoon watching around the campfire after all.

Simon gave us a heart attack barreling his bike down this dock at full speed.

It's a bonus during any adventure to find a dead animal. right? Conversations about the washed up jellyfish from a past beach trip may now be replaced with the dead bird finding of this weekend. Woot!

This is what 1/4 cow looks like. Grass fed...should be yummy.

Ground beef on the top shelf, roasts on the bottom. Steaks and stew meat and "miscellaneous" on the middle racks.

I have no idea what a "T-round" is and never heard of a "neck roast."

If my parents hadn't raised me vegetarian maybe it wouldn't have had to come to this! hahahahaha!!!!

The plan was to go an extra week without buying groceries or getting take out.

Its been a complete fail...

Considering this is how our day STARTED, I think we'll be grocery shopping as soon as possible today.

We cleared out a shit load very large amount of toys this past summer and simplified things. It was becoming a bunch of clutter that never got used. With the kids input, we kept the giant bin of legos, some blocks and the costumes...select books and that's about it.

Suddenly the legos were noticed *and* they had the room to really play with them.

You can find second hand legos on Ebay sold by the pound and they are fabulous! 12 pounds of legos with all kinds of pieces and minifigs, random windshields and wheels. Its great for open-ended play. The kids use their imaginations and come up with the coolest things.

Isaac thinks this could probably be sold as a kit at the stores for $4.99. hehe the guy without the head is not a mistake. He is an undead. hmm.

Xander is perfecting a sword...

He said it was falling apart too easily until he added the bracing, noted closer to the tip.

He still plays with the costumes a lot too.

He wanted me to take a picture of him with a book over his face. Without that pesky human face getting in the way you can appreciate a complete pterodactyl transformation!

And because Simon has no idea what the rationale behind this is but must still do everything his big brothers do, he had to get his photo op too...

...of those American Girl dolls.

You know how hard it is to get these costumes on him? He brings me one after another, from the seemingly endless stash in the kids closet. I have to sorta shake him down in like putting a pillow case on a pillow...then roll up the sleeves and pant legs.

He gets everything just so,

only to come back to me 5 minutes later with a new costume.

I had a hankering for a big, soft pretzel and we've made these before. Lots of fun to make and so yummy.

Again....I made sure Simon's creations were clearly identified on the baking sheet. I think I had to pull off a few stray pieces of fuzz during the journey from his hands to the tray. The oven sanitizes, no?

The recipe is from my Eat Healthy for $50 a Week book by Rhonda Barfield, but she credits the recipe as an adaption from a recipe in Cheap Eating by Pat Edwards.

Combine in a small bowl:

1 package (or 2.5 tsp) yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water

Stir until dissolved. Add:

3 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Knead, adding flour as necessary, to form easy-to-handle dough. Leave the dough to rise until doubled.

Break into 12 pieces and tie each piece into your pretzel shape. Brush with:

1 egg, beaten

Sprinkle on:

Course salt and/ or onion flakes.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden brown.

You can use all white flour (like I did here) but the whole wheat is really good too.

Isaac and his "shadow" zoom around the park path together.

We found an abandoned frisbee in the park...

The finder's keepers rule didn't feel exactly legit...but when Simon carried it with us to the car, we didn't object. If you happen to stumble across this blog and you lost a frisbee at the Rood Bridge park, send me a message and we'll return it asap. :D

Isaac and Xander are really into making and watching videos of themselves with Photo Booth. I didn't realize you could record videos with it?? Saweeet!

I came to realize my About page was dreadfully outdated. It is all up to date now with all of our children accounted for and current philosophies described.

The cloth diaper and book review pages are no more. I had forgotten all about them and was actually embarrassed to see me rave about that Thomas Jefferson Ed book so long ago...ack!

It's funny the range of parenting and education books I/we had to weed through to get to where we are today. They were all necessary and helpful to the cause, but thumbing through some of them today would make me cringe and certainly not something I want to recommend to others.

And Jason finally resolved my ongoing complaint of photos having to be posted so small. He widened the page! Such a simple solution. It only took us six years to figure that out. Six years. My little blog is growing up.

...is a few box cake mixes. Its so easy and something fun for the kids to do when I don't want to have to break out every ingredient to make it from scratch.

Ideally the kids will be able to do everything from the mixing to the pouring, from the baking to the decorating but we're still a little ways from that.

I did have to make the frosting from scratch, which only took a few minutes but that might be another thing to keep in the cupboard. ha!

Anyway, you can rest assured I did NOT sample from Simon's finished cupcakes. The slobbery fingers were poking those chocolate chips in DEEP.

PS...Annemarie needs to tell me where she got these plates the kids decorated because Simon needs his own. please!

...to test out the new bike and Simon cruised all the way there. He likes it so much we have to wheel it right into the house for continued fun.

The bike is also apparently useful for reaching things. Simon tossed it under the drinking fountain to use as a step stool.

With his new bike....

Here's the brand: Strider. These balance bikes are good from 18 months to 5yrs. The awesome mom who sells these has sales playdates in the park.

Hopefully we'll avoid the fear of two-wheelers this time around. My poor Xander fell down one time and that was that.

This was right after we bought it. If you wanna see it in action with his sweet helmet on check the next post after we cruised it to the neighborhood park.

Photo session with my new neph Oakley.

Raise your hand if you are the cutest baby ever!

Eliciting stillness in a toddler...futile.

Look at this baby perfection!!! I can't wait to see him in person.

It's funny how similar our family's babies look.

COMPARED TO....BUT NOT THE SAME BABY...Simon:

I remember this pic and how ghostly the red baby made his older brothers look. haha!

We finally replaced our broken waffle iron and the new one is so much nicer than the old one. It actually lets us know when the waffle is done and eliminates all the minute watching and mixed results we had before.

The "Basic Waffle" recipe that comes in the user's manual is simple and tastes good.

It's a Cuisinart...and an old model on sale, but still works well enough for us...ANYWAY,

We fired it up for the second time this morning and I asked Isaac to read the recipe to me while I assembled, to save time. Wanting to double the recipe, I started making the adjustments out loud after he announced the ingredients. After the first few ingredients he figured out what I was doing and started doubling the amounts for me.

Reading a recipe, doubling the amounts, and then cooking up half the batter for us. Reading, math, home ec and then PE at the fountain;) Ha!

All that to say it does strike me at times how naturally and easily life skills come.

Drove out to the city to play in the fountains and found out my little Xander is sick:(

Can you spot them all?

Snapped a pic of Lisa and her Akasha, and meant to get one of Jessica but I thought we had lots of time! Xander went from happy to miserable in an instant and we had to pack up and head home.

My new nephew is about to arrive and I'm thinking I won't be able to see him if I have the sickies at my house. waaaaah!

Gorgeous flowers in my farm share this week! I love it!

Four board games and a puzzle all taken from the game closet and place in a circle around himself, Simon removes the lids and contemplates his next move....

....meanwhile Mom cringes and wonders if she should protest, slam the lids back on and find a new (higher!) place to store them.

Then she remembers that the games are covered in dust and unused.

He actually wants to play with them.

Why do I care if he is not following the game rules or playing with so many at once?

He had an idea!

He is happy. He is playing.

First two puzzle pieces are talking to each other and now the chess pieces are stuck on the tips of his fingers.

The games are being used and bringing joy! yay!

...apparently too late.

The .20 box of crayons are surprisingly decent for off-brand so we grabbed a couple boxes of those but not a single box of markers to be had. A bottle of glue and a few notebooks of paper and that was that.

I'm trying to figure out all the settings on this new camera...

Jason's birthday is today and our friend's son has his birthday today too...neither of us had plans so we got together at Out of This World for pizza and cake.

The kids were very excited to pick out this "hilarious" shirt for daddy. hahahaha!

Our friend Sheri is quite the trend setter. He liked her point and shoot camera, the Olympus Stylus Tough (water proof too!) so he got one for his birthday.

This big seven year old! The dinosaur cake was very cool.

Took a long breather from the photography biz and honestly I am still not putting myself out there. But I got a call for a High School senior session and it was fun...hmm, maybe I'll get the bug again.

We went back to our favorite hike from our adventures in "all trails Oregon" last year (when the kids and I were crossing off the trails listed in a book).

Wahclella Falls.

I highly recommend it for kids, or anyone. There is major eye candy in the form of waterfalls, bridges, caves and river all along the way. and of course slugs, spiders...and even a small frog this time.

Isaac took this next photo and told me even before he snapped the pic that it shall be called "X marks the spot."

This spider was cruising through his web design!

A bonus treat is the fish hatchery off the same exit. The entire campus is beautiful and very relaxing to stroll through. Now is the time of year they start processing the adult salmon...this might be only M-F 9-5 kinda thing though. Since it was a holiday we missed the salmon processing this round.

Isaac is really sweet to Simon and reads to him now. yay! I love it when I see Isaac reading and Simon and Xander are snuggled in on either side.

This time of year I start seeing first day of school pics posted everywhere...it makes me want to post some too!

I couldn't exactly get the kids lined up by the front door with their new outfits and lunch sacks, so I'll just document a little bit of our morning.

About 10:45ish Simon wakes up and pulls me by the hand directly to the fridge and demands a popsicle.

We peek on the big brothers...

It's okay, Isaac...just taking a picture. Go back to sleep:)

Shall we make pancakes, Simon?

yes!

He insists he can pour the second cup of milk in.

spill number 1/many for the day.

Xander strolls out at 11:20 eager for pancakes.

And then directly to the couch to make some more progress on Pokemon. They finally discovered the game yesterday. Simon imitates.

Isaac finally wakes up and announces he is not hungry yet but will have some OJ.

Xander is so glad Isaac is up because he needs Isaac to help with a tough part in his game.

Big sticks in the back yard...

And just because its so pretty, our farm share bounty...

The melon barely makes it out of the bag...

They really crack me up! Xander is so gentle with Simon, even though he plays tough with the "Get off me ya little freak!" haha!

The faces of Simon!

He is getting so big...and such a funny guy. wants to do *everything* his older brothers do.

He's my snuggle baby.

He has to have a foot or something touching me while we sleep. If I get up before him in the morning that lack of contact lets him know it's time to wake up.

He will often think food is inedible when presented on his own plate...but in my bowl it suddenly looks delicious and *must* be split 50/50. ha!

He loves chocolate milk and cheese.

He loves watching Caillou.

His older brothers each had a passion...or obsession by this age. Isaac loved Hot Wheels and Transformers and Xander loved bats and balls...

...I don't know if it's a third child thing but he doesn't really have a specific focus like that.

He's happy and open to everything fun that comes his way.

I love that:)

Got this in the weekly farm share and looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me with little return. do you know what it is? I'm such a produce ignoramous...thank goodness we get an emailed list of what everything is.

This is their super excited faces!

Produce answer: garbonzo beans! think I'll get a full cup?

We escaped the heat by camping at Gales Creek Campground for four nights. It is a short drive from home and fabulous! Our friend Sheri told us about it and I'm so glad she did because it is perfect! It was nice and cool in the woods and the creek is endless entertainment for the kids.

I was impressed we were able to appreciate all the conveniences of the motorhome without electrical hook-up. The bathroom, the lights, the water...everything but the air conditioner.

The boys with Sher's son RJ. Good buds.

Throwing rocks...and more rocks.

Xander's pet "Slimy."

We watched this raccoon sleeping in the tree by our campsite all day Saturday.

There is a very cool hiking trail. We passed a lot of bicycles on this path. They must have some serious leg strength because it was steep and narrow in some places.

Xander was thrilled to have spotted a brown snake in the middle of the trail. We all got a good look before watching it slither away.

Isaac has finally learned how to ride a bike and we can cruise around the 'hood together.

I've been anxious for this day because three kids do not fit in the bike trailer. A five year old and a two year old give me quite a work out as it is. Xander is not interested in learning yet...but the bike is ready when he is;)

no idea...must have caught him at an odd moment because he wasn't upset. lol

it's kinda freaky to see the two year old climb up here but he seems to know what he can handle on his own. After attempting the top rung he asked to be helped down instead.

We really do have the best luck! This motorhome came on the market just when we started looking and I was excited about the perfect size and perfect price. Not *too*old and everything works! Woot!

Jason drove it the bulk of the way home from Gresham and then I took the wheel from Cornelius Pass. Driving it is a blast. You sit up high and feel like the captain. haha!

Its going to be great for adventures. Perfect size for our little family.

It takes up our entire driveway right now. We need to make some adjustments with the basketball hoop to get it moved over a bit.

He does not like me to take his picture.

He is second born, just like me.

He looks like me, he acts like me. he is shy like me.

He is funny

He is smart

He is funny and smart together when he says stuff like, "That sounds complicated and I don't even know what complicated means!"

He laughs loudly at his own jokes.

He has awesome freckles (not like me).

He loves pancakes and quesadillas and popsicles.

He hates my pea soup.

He loves online flash games and playing his DS games with Isaac.

He adores Isaac.

He takes a long time to decide.

He will change his mind after he decides...

...often at inconvenient times like after food is ordered or we are already at the check stand with items.

He draws me a picture and we are all wearing capes.

He is awesome.

He wants me to add: when he wants food he wants it NOW.

This is true, he asks for food frequently throughout the day. He takes the frequent, small meal approach so it seems like he is hungry ALL THE TIME.

the outtake with his happy smile... he moves constantly.

It was such a subtle transition I almost neglected to notice! Simon is sleeping through the night!!!!

Two years and three months into our journey of parenting three and I am starting to remember what life can be like with a decent night's sleep. It rocks!

He wakes up with a smile and finds all kinds of adventures around the house.

Here he is in our above-ground pool this evening.

Now that I feel like he's sleeping more at night, I'm itching to get out for some more adventures! A motor-home may be in our near future (fingers crossed!).

I'd like to pour over a road atlas with the kids and see what kind of places we'd like to see. After our trip to Gold Beach, I'm reminded there are so many adventures right in our own state. So many places I've never been.

Jason had the week off from work, in addition to his long holiday weekend. We lazed about for most of it but decided to get out for a short adventure for a couple nights.

I booked a condo in Gold Beach, a small beach town in Oregon, (way) south on the 101, and reserved some seats on the 65 mile hydro-jet boat tour on the Rogue river.

We also made several stops along the way!

Not even an hour from home, we made our first stop at the Enchanted Forest. It's filled with nursery rhymes and related activities. Isaac was very pleased to be able to read us the rhymes along the way.

Just before they disappeared down the rabbit hole...

We finally made it to the hotel. It was a very nice two level condo with a huge bedroom upstairs...

The view was definitely beach...unfortunately a little far away.

...and this carnival was directly to the right of our view, churning out a constant motor/generator sound that drowned out any possible ocean sounds:( Luckily we didn't hear anything with the slider doors shut.

On to the boat ride!

We managed to get front row seats of this FIVE HOUR TOUR. I knew it was going to be a bit too long for the kids but it was worth it. We saw a lot of critters, especially birds. Lots of different kinds of birds. deer, an otter...

They dropped us off at a resort for dinner and we ate outside on a deck overlooking the Rogue.

Back down by the docks, waiting for the boat to pick us up again...

The ride back was quicker, thank goodness!

Isaac finding reasons to read all over the place...

Xander, "I am so seasick!"

Simon slept on the ride in but on the way back he gave Jason a work out keeping him in the boat. He loved sticking his head in the wind...

We stopped at the beach on our way back to the hotel...

Jason gives his boys a rock skipping demonstration...

After a LONG day we finally get back to the hotel and saw the sunset outside our window.

Simon is OUT!

Day three! We checked out of the hotel and started our journey home up the 101, along the coast.

There are so many damn things to stop and see I think we could spend a month on the Oregon coast alone!

There is a life-sized dinosaur park, Xander decided was his favorite stop of the entire trip.

Next we stopped at a "Big Game wildlife park"

and finally, our last stop before we cruised home was the sea lion caves. I thought this was awesome!!!! So many sea lions! I used my big camera so you can click these to see detail.

The barking noise out here was incredible! I asked Xander if he could hear it and he said "No, all I hear is a bunch of planes." haha! the noise did sound a bit like plane engines.

My mom is hosting dinner for the fam a couple Sundays a month and its been reeeeeaaaly nice! Get to hang out with our bigger family and don't have to worry about dinner that night.

We, of course, paraded in with our tie-dye awesomeness and Aundi was there to take a pic for me.

I shot a few of Aundi, Casey and baby Noa. (you guys can just click for full version download).

And we had an extra guest...Julius. His mom is crazy and never uses computers so I'll have to print these out for her. Hopefully my parents WILL NOT print off crappy copies from their home computer and give them to her. Do you hear that? I forbid you!!!

And I am thrilled with the results!

I learned you cannot go overboard with the dye. The shirts I worried would come out muddy because of the kids sloshing on the dye like crazy actually came out the best.

These are the three basic ties: mirror image, stripes and spiral.

And this little outfit makes me sad I waited so long to do the project. It doesn't really fit now.

The kids had fun! Jason and I had to restrain ourselves from jumping in and directing. The less-is-more philosophy was not in play here at all and we may end up with a bunch of brown shirts. (ha!)

Honestly, I have had the tie dye supplies in a drawer waiting to be used for a long time, maybe a year. I was nervous about the whole process and kept putting it off, because these dyes have to be carefully mixed with a chemical and the shirts get presoaked in another chemical. I also had no idea how to tie the shirts.

The craft store has a tie dye kit for sale I bought for the plastic bottles inside. I threw out the cheap dye but there is a very good CD demonstrating how to create several different patterns. We all watched it together and it helped a lot!

No more tie dye fears! We can do this!

They are sealed up in ziplock bags now. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

But first, two small snips to get the hair out of his face and the hairstyle turned into this...we are thinking the big haircut is coming soon.

A bit of chemistry...

A little creative swirling, pleating and rubber banding...

Isaac's perfect spiral...

Jason demonstrates the "stripes" tie...

Everything is soaking in a bucket for the next step. Yup, you guessed it: Tie Dye! Woohoo!

EDIT...OH MY HOLY MOTHER OF RHUBARB!!!! This is so delicious!
Here are the recipes I used and they are the bomb!

Strawberry-rhubarb pie

No roll pie crust

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I've been getting my farm share box for a few weeks now and rhubarb has been included each time. I've never bought rhubarb...or even eaten rhubarb that I know of, and its been intimidating me.

The first week I bit off a sour bite off the end of one stalk and then they all went bad, left out on the table. The second week I snuck them all into my friends Dan and Kristin's fridge.

And now the third week...here they are again. More rhubarb.

I decided to go ahead and give in to everyone's fantastic support for strawberry-rhubarb pie.

I've made plenty of cakes and muffins during married/family life but I have not made a pie since I was a teenager. This is the best I could make out of the recipe's call for a lattice pie crust top. They are in the oven. Let's hope for success!

Another first for me is the coleslaw I made with the cabbage (and purple carrots). coleslaw!!!??? This farm share is definitely making me try new things as I scramble to use everything up.

Worked out pretty well!

I have made the very short pilgrimage from tiring work weekend to "let's turn these diapers into hats" craziness.

Jason had a fun day reconnecting with his best buds from college today. Unfortunately I had to work this weekend so I missed it but was so glad to see a pic of everyone. It was another park with a water feature and the kids had a blast getting soaked again. The park is in Wilsonville and the fountains look amazing!

And just the week before, I got to hang out with one of my absolute best buds from college, Shawnette! She was my most adored roommate in all of my college experience. If any of my other roommates happen upon this blog...sorry! but it's true and I have to play favorites in this case.

Thanks for reminding me about the times you blotted the puke off my face and tucked me in on those late drunken nights...turd! hahaha!

Just a few shots of the kids at the park...had a good time with friends. We brought our cameras and it was like a paparazzi shoot out:)

Check this out...

Sister and brother...

Sister <not sister in the middle> and brother...

Sister and brothers...

Then our guys...

Brothers....and more brothers! hahahaha! Gotta use this one again because it's all I have (and I love it!).

the super hero.

Dragon and rubber gloves. Aren't those baby legs delicious?

I think I actually let out a scream when I walked by and saw two chickens in the kitchen. They were checking out the dog food and probably loving their chance to break into the big coop for once.

These are the kind of video only mom and dad can appreciate. I love how a two year old can take two plastic toys and create fun, Isaac and Xander at 5 and 8 can now create entire imaginary worlds around a single plastic toy.

and Xander at 2 doing the same thing with two dinosaurs. Again...just for me and Jason. These are ridiculously boring to anyone else;)

Jason's softball games...#33 rounding home!

During the two hours of games Isaac sat on this merry-go-round thing getting to know all these guys. It was hilarious to sit a few yards away and listen in;)

Today we went and visited the "Peachy Pig Farm". My goal was simply to u-pick some strawberries with the kids but Peachy Pig Farm gave us SO much more. Wow! This is a farm with plenty of character. A 10 or 11..maybe 12 year old boy came bounding over to welcome us and gave us a tour.

These folks have figured out how to make farming easier! just let the shit pile up. Other farms who include clean up in their daily animal care routine are suckers!

The smell up in here. I've always heard that about pig farms but dang!

The boy says, "they have food. It's right there!" and "oh we don't clean out the poop. we just let it build up." Gotta love that honesty but need to work on the eyesight because that food bowl is as empty as it gets. You can sorta see the front duckling has his entire back wet and caked in doodoo.

anyway...the boy was great and gives a fantastic tour! There was plenty to see and the kids and I count this as one memorable day.

Somebody got loose and was eating the roses! haha!

Berry picking at last. Simon got three into his bucket before he ate them all and then started eating the berries in my bucket.

Then we got distracted by the cherry trees! gorgeous rows and rows of cherry trees.

eating along the way, Xander? hehe

Our bounty cost us $3.75 but the experience was worth it!

I have put the photography biz on hold for some time now and shooting for myself is such a pleasure! I think it helped me grow and RELAX. I have been totally out of the photographer's loop and come to realize I don't care about the latest style or photo treatment.

I don't care about coordinating outfits, posed perfection or the perfect rule of thirds. I don't need popped colors or fancy angles. I threw my expensive grey card in the garbage (did you know those things actually go bad??) and have not purchased another.

We had a fun day! I got a kick out of Xander. He stiffens up and looks uncomfortable when I try to take pics of just him but when he has Isaac by his side his natural, cuddly self shines. They have such an amazing bond.

Simon is just a blur...so not too much of him today.

(xander's "five" portrait I'll be printing big for the living room. yay!)

I freaked out on Saturday thinking it was Father's day that Sunday (a week early). So when I got home from work and Jason mentioned wanting some more snack foods in the house during my work weekend I jumped up and loaded the kids into the car, thinking it was a good excuse to sneak out and help the kids pick out cards for dad.

A couple calls on the cell phone and it was confirmed that it was not Father's day yet but we had fun raiding the store for junk food and cards that...

"are a surprise that is in the car right now, but we will be hiding it somewhere different when mommy gets home from work."

That quote is not from the 5 year old as you'd expect but from the 8 year old. Isaac blabbed already. jeesh! His excitement over the cards may have created some misconceptions on Jason's part so I made sure to let him know there is not a flat screen TV or a new iMac in the car...just cards.

and a bonus pic: "We made new beds. Can we sleep here tonight?"

Absolutely!

Block tower builder extraordinaire. Is there nothing this kid can't do?? We'll have to ask him to tone it down a bit for playdates so the other kids don't feel bad.

I was planning on trying my first garden this year and then decided to buy a share of the crop at Sungold farm instead. I'll get a box of fruits and veg every week through the summer! yippee!

The farm had an open house today and we dragged our friends with us to go take a look.

mmmm strawberries!!!!! and the kids investigating a mole hole.

Discussing the possibilities of bad luck from black cats.

Bonus pic...simple block castle is not enough for Xander. A door drawn on paper, cut out and taped on completes it.

So Xander says his tummy hurts then pukes all over the dining room floor. I'm too busy grabbing him a bowl and cleaning the floor to notice his face.

It wasn't until I looked over at him cozy on the couch cradling his puke bowl that I noticed the bright red mask in the glow of the TV light. It was peeling and very slightly pink from his sunburn but nothing like this. Yowza!

Isaac is very secretive about his learning and loves to downplay it when I ask seemingly innocent (as in I think they're innocent but Isaac isn't falling for it) questions. Like when he was watching some old time cartoons and I said isn't it nice to be able to read all the stuff in the cartoons now? and he answers, "well, I can't read *everything*."

Admittedly his passion has been more about numbers and science than reading. We have let it develop in his own time and recently he has been letting it slip that words are coming alive to him wherever we go. ie "why does it say Do Not Pass?" or "what does it mean by 24 hour savings?"

Xander is less secretive about his new reading skills and showing signs of reading already. I don't want to scream with pride and do the happy mama dance in front of the kids because, eh-hem...reading is just another part of life, a tool we use not something we do to make mom proud. Sound like a grinch? oh well, that's how we roll...

But anyway let me scream with pride on my blog!!!!! Xander is starting to read!!!!!! No instruction, no assignments, nothing.

We first noticed it when he was navigating netflix and asked if it was okay to hit the "add all" button for the Ben 10 series. Then he read something over my shoulder and asked me why I typed in "work" on facebook.

Today He made this Transformer sign and printed it out. It led to a quick note about sentence structure, that "Xander's" comes first in "Xander's room" and also about the apostrophe. I couldn't believe that he thought to put something there between the 'r' and the 's'.

They really do connect all the dots of information around them.

Xander's self portrait

Oh and this was on the camera too. Simon cleared out my jammy drawer and was having a good time I see.

It was beautifully sunny but the coastal winds were nippy. We slacked on the sun tan lotion and my nose is blistered and weeping. ick! I was worried about a face covered with sun spots but my mom had to bring out the skin cancer scare. nooooooo!

We had a blast with friends on the beach. Campfire cooking, relaxing in the fold out chairs and watching the kids hang from the trees.

I'm not sure if its the sunburn or if I'm finally catching what everyone else had post-conference but general headache/malaise is going on. I made it easy and uploaded all the pics to Jason's old flickr account for your viewing pleasure. We camped with our friends Dan and Kristin and their three kids and our friend Sheri and her son.

After an exhausting Life Is Good long weekend we are loading the car again for camping at the beach. I did take off every weekend this month so we are making the most of it I guess.

It feels like we should be camping for a week, and not just the two nights, to justify all this packing.

Still need to load the clothes and the dog...and the kids.

Literally. My mom wanted me to come take some pics of her two houses she recently had painted while flowers are in bloom.

Her gorgeous 1890's farm house, known as the "Boscow House" of Hillsboro. It also has a small apartment attached added on in the....50s? or was it 70s? Jason and I lived in it with baby Isaac while we saved for our first house. Some lucky renters because my mom is a very cheap landlady:)

And my parents home they live in (right next-door to the farm house).

Can you see why they call this cat "Bat Cat?" He has the bat symbol on both sides. He is the sweetest cat too.

Our first home we bought as a family of three. We still own and rent out. A cozy one level with AIR CONDITIONING we left behind:( I miss you sweet central air that made summers so chill.

And our rockin' 70s split we currently live in. No AC so the upstairs where we spend all our time is hot hot hot right now and not in a good way. But it's home:)

pep talks, play-doh, out to lunch and closing remarks and we are winding down the final day of Life Is Good '09.

The hotel management says that when we all come it's more like a family reunion than a "conference" and the loving, happy vibe is incredible. That's exactly how it feels and the kids have such a wonderful time.

The barefoot boogie tonight and then another year of the kids asking how long before the next conference.

Its been a wonderful weekend. Simon is actually sleeping *really* well and you'd think I would be relishing in all the snooze time but I'm having a hard time with the hotel beds. This morning I woke up early and talked Isaac into sneaking off to breakfast at the hotel restaurant with me.

It was so nice! Lovely big windows overlooking the river and just me and my isaac. Both of my big boys have the best sense of humor. we enjoy humor and relaxing conversations. One of the inherent benefits of living the unschooling life and relinquishing that idea that we must control our children's every move...is that we really know our kids. We share genuine conversations and we enjoy each other's company.

That said...I think we would enjoy each other's company a little more with two rooms next year. haha! Two queens seems to be a little tight for us all for the first time. Our little family is growing up. <sigh>

Loving the weather and the gorgeous view of the Columbia river.

Farmers Market in Vancouver, short walk from the hotel.

Can three more kids fit in this park?

Apparently so...

Xander cam...

Heading back to the hotel for more swimming for Isaac and computer games for Xander...

I was pooped yesterday after having trouble getting to sleep ad then up early for presentations. Isaac played in the pool and then we went to the Amy Steinburg concert. The Vibrations opened for her and they are a blast. Four brothers, unschoolers, who know how to rock!

The Vibrations

The lobby at 11:00 last night.

I am thinking we need to set up two queen beds in our room at home LOL! Simon actually slept with his brothers and jason and I had the bed to ourselves for a change. This is how they slept...

I listened to two awesome talks: teenage years and NOT restricting foods in kids lives.

Jason took the kids to a World of Warcraft funshop and it was hilarious. A long table of kids playing. Isaac and Xander at one end playing alliance and ALL the rest playing horde. What does that mean?

My kind of Disneyland photo. Me and Simon with a troll hunter and a..crap...forgot the name...one of the dog beasts...Worg?

The Life Is Good unschooling conference in Vancouver, WA is here and we are enjoying our first night in the hotel. The pool is loaded with kids, the hotel is buzzing and we actually know people this year which makes it twice as fun.

Look at all these people living this awesome life just like we are.

Red Robin with friends for dinner...

The cool t-shirts this year.

More fun in the morning. They actually have a world of warcraft funshop jason is taking the kids to while I go hear the speakers. The speakers were very good last year and got me pumped for the rest of the year so I'm looing forward to it.

8 years old today and we had a great evening with friends.

Let's zoom in on that bad boy. I am not for hire folks. This creativity is unleashed only for my lucky family.

Xander stuffing the cake in the background and an angelic Orion face up close.

My three nephs, My mama and sis-in law.

The celebration winding down and Xander falls asleep on Isaac's shoulder.

Our little niece Noa turns one and I did take the camera to the party today. Water balloons a second day in a row. How cool is that? So cool the kids made me buy some at the grocery store afterward.

Birthday girl

My mama

Look at my people...my peeps. My parents in the back/left, sister in law Aundi helping my boys with water guns and My brother Casey with his head cut out. Oh and my hottie hubby eating in the very back.

Noa with two of her birthday presents. It was hot out today. She looks like she's wilting. ;)

..for me. My little camera is missing and I don't want to lug the big DSLR with a zillion lenses around.

We had a fabulous day at our friend Tanya and Craig's most awesome Christmas tree farm property. Hiking, sweating and falling on my flabby back side into the mud. Stumbling across a dead mole on the trail, Craig eating ants like Bear from Man Vs Wild...not even chocolate covered! Throwing rocks into the creek and a gorgeous view of finch swarming their bird feeders.

And not a single picture taken. You'll have to use your imagination.

Then tonight we had fun playing Mario cart, eating pizza, throwing water balloons and bobbing for apples at our friends Kristin and Dan's home. You'd think it was a birthday party, but no...this is just how awesome our life is on an average saturday night. Jealous? lol

And once again...not a single picture taken.

So, new camera purchase. What kind should I get?

haven't been as posty. We're still alive. My goofy boys waiting for their "biggest pancake ever." Xander is still interested in recipes and printed off this pancake one. I followed the recipe exactly and the batter came out so runny it had to be the biggest pancake ever. haha!

and simon still spilling every beverage he gets. So this pic is Bergeman life uncensored;)

My little Isaac is turning 8 very soon! This last year has been so amazing. His personality, his sense of humor, his vocabulary, his conversation. He's really growing up.

Today was a fabulous mother's day, just being together (like every day) and the kids woke me up in the morning with a card, coffee and donuts. Way to go Jason!

I feel so blessed every day to have such a wonderful family and TIME. So much time. Time to do whatever we want. We are excited to have the Life is Good unschooling conference coming up in two weeks and will get to spend four fabulous days with lots of other families living this dream life.

A gorgeous day out and perfect time to set up the new (to us;) patio set. Last summer was all about building the deck and this summer will be all about enjoying it!

Here's me and Jason in our new office. We got a his and hers desk from Ikea and I got a new iMac. I guess Mother's Day came early...and it is flippin' sweet!!!!! 24" of beautiful screen and no more of that awful freezing up my old computer was doing.

Jason and I with our super geeky headphones to talk to friends online:)

Needs some decor but here's the start (and probably the finish with the way we get around to things). lol

We spent our weekend reorganizing the house...whew! We originally had all our computers nestled into corners of the main living area. We now have an office! Its more like a computer lab with four of them in one small room but its organized and cozy!

And its nice to have them out of sight in the rest of the house.

We also reorganized the kids room to reconnect the bunk beds and have Simon's bed in with his brothers, ready for him when he is. I tried to lay him in it when he was falling asleep tonight and he would have nothing to do with it. haha! Oh well...he's still in with mom and dad until he's ready but its nice to have everything set up.

I got my good friend Sheri playing World of Warcraft with us! Its been so much fun. We started a new guild that will hopefully grow with local friends. We're uber geeks now playing our video game together and gabbing on our headsets.

We cruise around the world completing quests to level our characters. At level 30 we got these horses so we can get around faster now. Since we did the referral program when Sheri signed up we have been leveling so fast!

Working on Xander's mugshot for my 5 year series. Xander takes this *very* seriously. lol I'm having so much trouble getting a good black and white conversion I'm considering a splash of color in the series. hmm.

We laughed that this face was saying "I'm going to kill you!"

My awesome friend Sheri and her wonderful son RJ came over to play while sexypants and I went to the movies. We enjoyed the rare date and came home to happy kids and these gorgeous dyed Easter eggs.

We'll have to have Sheri babysit again on Christmas eve and instead of food coloring and vinegar, I'll leave the wrapping paper and tape on the counter;) haha!

ooh ooh, Sheri took pics of the egg dying festivities. They had a great time and RJ is such a sweetie, he gave the boys hugs goodbye. I love him!

gonna have to click it bigger to see how extremely adorable I am down in front. I hit 80, the max level, and now its all about running raids to pick up cool gear to make myself tougher.

The shadowy hottie behind me is Jason. We met "Zayzie" in Seattle and a lot of the other people in our guild are all a family from Hawaii. I'm hoping to get an invite to come visit. haha!

My plan was to hit a couple sites and then play on the beach but the blistery rain and wind made beach play quite unpleasant. The true Oregonians that we are did give it a good 15-20 minutes.

We went through the Columbia River Maritime Museum...

The real fun was going on a boat and getting to see everything below deck.

The hallway with the private bunks...

and the little bunks crammed together...

I really wanted to take them to the top of the Astoria Column but when we drove up to it the door was blocked off:( As Isaac put it, "why would anyone come to this column if they can't climb up it?"

The kids favorite stop was the Battery Russell; climbing up and down stairways and exploring the dark rooms within the huge concrete structure. Isaac said "this is the best day of my life!" So that's two thumbs up for the Battery Russell.

Best pic I could snag off the net...my camera battery died early on in our day:(

The kids get to use my "old" D70 to practice taking pics with and Isaac has been great with it for a long time. Tonight I showed Xander how to use it and gave them an assignment to each take a pic for me to replace the tired art in the bathroom.

A few shots taken, a few turns taken, a little fighting over whose turn and a short while later we have a camera with a busted flash and an inability to focus. :(

The red power Ranger Orion and his little shadow, Ironman Simon.

I survived a week without my hubby and he's on his way home. yay!

Aundi reads Spongebob to the kids and they laugh after every line. We love Spongebob. And look at my little Noa niece pulling herself up now.

The weather is getting so nice and simon is big enough to go in the backyard anytime he wants. Project backyard cleanup is going to be in full force now. The new deck needs some stain and a cozy patio set.

Seriously cool friends. Can you believe none of these kids will know what it's like to have their time and learning organized/limited through school? I'm just getting to know more unschooling families in my area and its so nice to sit back and socialize and watch our kids play together in the middle of a Thursday afternoon.

Yay!

A lot of these kids aren't even close to school age and their cool parents have already decided to take the life learning path. I'm always amazed by that since I didn't have a clue until scrambling to figure out what to do with Isaac when he was 5.

Simon's battle wound. The steri strips lasted about five minutes. Now he has a nice little red crescent shape on his forehead.

well sorta...

Jason had to take a business trip and I'm wrangling the household. The boys all snuggled together on the couch. A nice change from the crying that was going on just a short time earlier.. Oy!

What kind of friend shares their Lady Gaga tickets with you? A good one! hahahaha!

Barbie techno is not my usual groove but it was an entertaining show. She knows how to play the showgirl and the drag queens love her! I got a kick out of the 6 foot tall look-a-likes in the audience.

It's late, I feel old. Next time I'll have to have Jessica along for one of my picks. It will be chill and we will sit in the back.

Whipped up some green milkshakes. Pea soup for dinner! haha!

My friend Lisa took some super adorable pics of simon and us at the party...I *need* to get some pics of her baby girl before she starts crawling away.

Simon was crying when I took the camera away. I wanted to let him keep taking pictures but he was trying to shove the lens back in and it has slammed to the floor a couple times already. I loved this progression as I tried to distract him back to happiness:

real crying...

I showed him the pic and asked if he could show me some crying again for another pic. some fake crying...

ooooh! He's good at this...

Now how about a happy face? he's good at that too...

...and he's off playing again.

We had a fun time at a birthday party today. When Xander had some time to sit and reflect he would work himself into a emotional turmoil over his wish to go back to Pump It Up or see if Chuck E Cheese is in fact as cool as the commercials make it out to seem.

It is true we have been to OOTW a lot recently because it is so conveniently close.

The birthday girl, Sophia in her dad's special anti-squirm-to-the-ground hold. One of my favorite grandmas in the background;)

so.....after a great time at the birthday party with good friends, we drove to Chuck E Cheese. Anything to make my baby happy, right? Xander's curiosity is satiated.

Isaac plays my favorite game Hydrothunder. Maybe some day he'll be able to beat me. haha!

Us unschooling parents love to hear from grown unschoolers. They seem to really cherish their childhood, maintain close relationships with their family and continue to enjoy life and learning into adulthood.

It's hard to imagine how it could turn out any other way with as much time, love and fun we share together every day. But, As much as I hate to admit it...going against the grain can feel heavy at times with feeling the need to defend our choices or showcase every new skill the kids learn as proof we're keeping up with the Joneses.

Seeing clips like this one are such a breath of fresh air. It reminds me to relax! The kids will do fine. The kids will be happy. The kids will be passionate about doing whatever they choose to do in life.

Last night Isaac and Xander went with me to see Oliver, presented by the very talented kids at Forest Grove High School. A great show if you're looking for something fun to do!

I love the exposure to new vocabulary words the kids get. They pick up on the funniest things and whisper me for definitions "what does consider yourself mean?" or "pick-a-pocket-or-two." It went a little long for Xander but he was a trooper and let us stay to the finish.

Jason sometimes makes a donut run in the morning before work on Fridays. I woke up to donuts and a coffee waiting. Isn't he the best?!

Xander with his young apprentice...simon has to be right on top of him, doing exactly what he is doing.

Gorgeous evening sun shining in while we relax with Jason after he finished up work today. Xander wanted to snap some pics...

Simon nursing..always always...and Jason leveling his character on Warcraft....always always. haha!

I offered Isaac a new DS game if he let me pull out his loose tooth. It was one of the top two and was pointing sidways (!!!) with the new one half in behind it. His poor gums looked stretched and swollen. He went for the deal and I yanked that sucker with some pliers.

His gums already look like things are working themselves out in there and here he is working through his new game. (xander cam)

We decided to have a smile contest. Simon (somewhere behind that hair) can you smile?

yes!

Awesome!

Typical Xander pose when he's feeling a little sheepish:

"Make sure you get the picture without my eyes blinking."

...after showing him the above pic:

ps...xander can touch his nose with his tongue and if he really works it he can get his tongue into his nose. I guess I'm the genetic carrier of this most awesome talent, that lies tragically dormant in me, because my sister can do this too.

Its so not fair...my sister got the height, the great hair and the cool tongue trick. At least Xander has it:)

After a full day of preparations..ta da! Here we have everything ready for Simon's big bash. Nothing but the finest china for my baby.

My parents called and joined in the birthday song. (thought they were just calling to sing the their own birthday song? surprise! you were part of the party!)

Isn't he beautiful? I love him.

Gift opening time...

mmmmmmmm! Simon was too busy playing with his new toys to eat any cake.

but Xander gives it two thumbs up!

Today Simon is two! He is the master climber, big brother chaser, toy thrower, basket dumper, fetcher and snuggler.

His climbing is the most impressive though. He scales things at the park I would never dream a baby this little would be able to do. I stand close but far enough to let him feel my faith in his confidence.

He is one cool kid!

He's always climbing up here. It makes it difficult to use the computer.

Occasionally the unschooling topic will come up through conversations at work. People are always concerned how kids are going to get the full tutelage on various subjects depending on what's important in their own mind: long division, trigonometry, History, Texas government (??), essays.

They usually cower their heads, feeling guilty (me included) when I ask if they remember all those subjects. We know what we need to know, we know what we are interested to know...and these things we know well!

Without any prompting the kids are finding a need to read, write, use math. They are also finding a desire to learn about cooking, biology, science and more.

Learning is fun and completely child directed. Also their basic needs are completely child directed too!

They eat when they want, as much as they want. Bedtime and waketime is always a pleasure. They love to snuggle into their cozy beds when they feel tired and sleep as long as they need to wake up feeling refreshed.

****Stay tuned for the next editions: Xander cooking at midnight, short-order cook for sensitive palates, child-lead learning leads to a very messy house, parents trying to sleep over the noise of kids still awake in their rooms and more! yay!*******

The danger is really off camera, in that he is sitting at my computer. He somehow changes my homepage and opens a gazzilion windows...downloads a file or two.

before...

after...

I've gone from one (small) usable burn