Memorial Weekend

Saturday morning, we headed out to fish at some local ponds.  The kids like fishing for the first 5-minutes or so.

 

 

We got a lot of nibbles, which was fun to experience, but no bites.  And the kids quickly lost interest.  So we bribed them with peanuts.

 

And then let them run in the tall grass by the pumps.

 

My mom, sister, and I went shopping after the fishing adventure, which was super fun and successful!

 

Sunday, Matt started working on a project....a table to go with our new patio set.  I love it!  It is perfect and exactly the set-up I wanted.

 

 

 Monday, Matt was back at work with his little helper, Laurel, making a new game for the family.

 

 

The kids love the new cornhole game!

 

 

 

Matt also did some more work on our garden....planting replacement plants for the seeds that didn't grow well this year.

 

Our strawberries....there seem to be a million and I can't wait until they are nice and ripe!

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a gorgeous Mother's Day!  On Saturday, Matt and Levi left in the morning to attend a car show with the Model A.  The report I got was that Levi was hot and tired of walking through the hundreds of cars on display, but he liked looking at the hot rods. 

 

Levi ready to go

Matt said he liked riding in the car, but got tired once they got to the car show

Trying to get some shade at the show

Our Model A with her new friends in the Willamette Valley Model A club

 

After the car show, Matt set up the pop-up trailer to see how it survived the winter.  It did great!  We are so excited for our camping trips this summer.

 

While the boys looked at cars, the girls and I met Mom and Sarah for a day of girl time.  We went shopping, had a pedicure, went to a frozen yogurt shop, and ended the day with a barbeque at our house.  On Sunday, I got to eat whatever I wanted and do whatever I wanted.  Pretty much a perfect day for me!

Pedicures

Frozen yogurt

My Mother's Day present...a new lounge chair.....so I can now lounge outside!

Erika has been begging for a slumber party, so we let her have one for her 8th birthday.  The weekend before her birthday, we invited some very good friends from church....who just happen to be the daughters of my best friends!  That was a great "first slumber party" since we knew these girls quite well, they knew our entire family, and we all felt comfortable with each other.  Even with just 3 additional kids, I was surprised at the additional noise and activity that took place!  But, the girls were so fun and kind and it was a great party.  They ate pizza, played outside for a long time, put make-up on each other, ate a ton of junk food while watching a movie, did each other's hair, drew fashion designs and makeup, and giggled and talked until very late!  Erika loved it!  Sarah took Levi to her house for the night so we had a "no boys" sleepover, which helped a lot!  The bummer part of the sleepover happened the next day when we found out Laurel had strep throat.  She was fine during the party, but I felt so bad that she might have infected the party guests....luckily, no one caught it from her.  She was pretty sad the next day, but was a good party-goer!

 

Erika wanted "blue" as a party theme.  Done.

Pizza dinner.

 

Opening her gifts.

My 8 year old!

Make-up time!

Movie and snacks

Hair party

 

On her actual birthday, she had 3 friends walk home from school with her to celebrate.  These girls are very good friends of Erika's and have been for a while.  They are sweet and wild and a lot of fun to be around!

After school birthday snacks

The girls decorated tank tops during the party.  They are excited to wear them to the last day of school!

Happy birthday sweet Erika!

Crater Carnival

This was our third time at the Crater Carnival and it is always a highlight of the kids' year!  I was in charge of the silent auction this year so I didn't really get to see how much fun the kids had, but they would come give me updates every so often.  Their favorite part was riding in a helicopter with Dad.  The four of them got a 5-minute ride circling the rural areas near the school....they loved it!

Waiting for their helicopter ride.

 

And getting their hair done all crazy was probably their second favorite thing to do.

 

It was a beautiful sunny day and  great carnival.  And the auction and carnival sales were very successful for the school!

Happy 8th Birthday!!

Our firstborn baby is eight years old today!  Erika is such a fun, kind, smart, beautiful, loving, and good-natured girl.  Being the oldest, she makes Matt and I experience all "firsts" with her, and sometimes they are amazing and wonderful, and other times we struggle through something new.  But she is the best kid to help us through all aspects of parenting.  At eight, she is looking and acting more like a "big kid" than a "little kid".  I have really great conversations with her about all sorts of different topics....and it is nice now because we can talk candidly and more adult-like.  I love her mind and how it works and especially how she is so compassionate about others.  She always gives people the benefit of the doubt....even when people are bothering her, she complains about it, but then she'll finish with "maybe they just need me to be more patient with them".  She loves her brother and sister, and generally plays quite nicely with them.  There are times, which are becoming more frequent, when she deems their playtime "too babyish" and would rather be by herself.  When they do play together, however, she is still the leader and usually can persuade them to do what she wants to do!  Erika is working on worrying less....unfortunately she sees this character trait quite often from her mother!  She is concerned that Levi will get lost when we go to the zoo, or that her classmates aren't quiet when coming to a railroad crossing on a school bus.  But, she is fearless about trying new things!  She climbed to the top of a 65-foot high zip line at Camp Yamhill without hesitation; she participated in a week-long soccer camp not knowing anyone else attending; she asks older kids if she can play with them at the park.  She is very mature and funny and smart and people love being around her!  Erika loves reading, playing outside, soup, anything sweet, making lists, and being with her friends.  I love this little girl so much....and see myself in her quite often.  We tend to disagree and she gets frustrated more with me than any other time in her life, but she is loving and mature enough to talk it though.  We are both learning what it means to have a different, more mature relationship....and I am loving every minute of it!  We are so proud to be Erika's parents and thank God for her every day!

1. What is your favorite color?  Green
2. What is your favorite toy?  Stuffed dog; "Chocolate Chip"
3. What is your favorite fruit?  Pineapple
4. What is your favorite movie? American Girl movies
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Burrito
6. What is your favorite subject in school? Reading
7. What is your favorite game? Hide and seek
8. What is your favorite snack? Nutri-grain bar
9. What is your favorite animal?  Dog
10. What is your favorite song?  "Happy" by Pharrell
11. What is your favorite book?  Rainbow Magic
12. Who is your best friend?  Helmi and Kennedy
13. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swing
15. What is your favorite drink?  Dr. Pepper
16. What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas
17. What is your favorite restaurant?  Shari's
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Pancakes
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Tacos
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Fashion designer