Mckenzie River Rafting Trip

Before I start this post I must point out that I was completely against the bikini picture. I had a shirt on the whole time until we stopped at this point to jump off the cliffs. My one piece is thrashed and I have not purchased another one yet. I tried to put my shirt on for the picture but Daniel, stopped me and said, "Leave it off. There will come a day when we will be begging you to keep it on." Real sweet huh?

This last weekend we went white water rafting, class 2 and 3 rapids, with Daniel's friend Kirk. He's our friend who is living in the woods right now:) He is a really nice guy and Isaiah has a lot of fun with him. I wish I could have captured some pictures of Isaiah freaking out during the rapids, but if I had tried I would of lost the camera. Here are some pictures of fishing and floating down the river. It was a blast!

I found this net at a garage sale that morning and Isaiah and Daniel thought it was great. It was a good purchase because before the net we were dropping a lot of fish.

This is a little view of the water. It was so beautiful out there and we had great weather. Isaiah was enjoying it as well until we hit some major rapids (for him). After that he said, "Mom this is the worst day of my whole life!" He gets a little dramatic.

The fishing was definitely Isaiah's favorite part. That kid can't get enough of fishing. Daniel caught three and Isaiah was very excited for him. I know he wants to catch one so bad though. Every time he casts out he thinks he has caught something, usually it's moss or a stick.

Here's our major cliff jumping. I was too much of a wimp to jump off where Daniel did, so I climbed down onto the rock. The water was very cold but it was a lot of fun!

This is our friend Kirk. I don't know if you can see Isaiah's face very well but this is what he has been doing lately for pictures. At first it irritated me, but now it makes me laugh because he really does think he is funny. He is crossing his eyes and puckering his lips.

Nehalem Trip

We always like to stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory on our way to the Nehalem house. We usually make ourselves sick though with all the cheese samples and ice cream we eat. I can't believe how much ice cream they put in their milkshakes, and they only have one size option. I know I have the option of not drinking the whole thing but I have issues of throwing food/treats away....I think it has something to do with my childhood. We rarely got treats, and when we did we finished the whole thing. We had a really nice visit with Grandpa Dewey. It was quiet and low key but nice. We also got to sleep in the master bedroom! tee hee:) Here are some pictures of the beach. Most are of Isaiah because it is close to impossible to get Daniel to pose for a picture and absolutely impossible to get Grandpa.





I think Isaiah is pleased with the amount of ice cream he was given. I was shocked that he couldn't finish it all. He actually threw some away.






I got in line first for the cheese samples and Isaiah and Daniel came after people had already lined up behind me. Daniel wouldn't let Isaiah cut and he wasn't too happy about that. I can only imagine the conversation they are having in this picture. Daniel is an amazing dad and he has so much patience for Isaiah....until he starts pouting or whining:)





I took Isaiah down to the beach while Daniel and John worked a little. Isaiah surprised me with his willingness to take pictures. It was a fun time.






Isaiah running as fast as he could down the hill by the sand dunes....and yes he did biff it towards the bottom and we both had a good laugh.






Isaiah chucking rocks into the ocean. Look at that nice follow through. :)





Last year we went to the beach with Nicole and Gilbert, Nate and Erika, and Dave and Jessica. The guys built a fort with the kids by the sand dunes. Isaiah was thrilled when he found it was still there! :) He cracks me up. He was jumping and hollering, "Mom, mom, look, our fort is still here!"









This was the only shot I could get of these two. This is at Hug Point. When we came back around, Isaiah got wet all the way to the waist. He was a little freaked out with the waves crashing on him and had a little bit of a cry. Daniel wasn't very sympathetic and that made it even worse. When Isaiah safely made it through, he declared that he would not be doing that again.....we'll see about that.

Daniel Is A Little Concerned

I kind of figured this is how my blogging would go. I wouldn't have enough time or desire to sit in front of the computer any longer than I already do, so I would get behind. I wanted to post some pictures of the Nehalem trip to see Grandpa Dewey, but I am still too slow at this so I won't have time tonight. I do however, want to attempt adding my first video clip.

Isaiah was cracking Daniel and I up tonight.....well he was making me laugh a lot, and I could tell by the look on Daniels face, he was laughing on the inside:) Isaiah has a really good memory, especially when it comes to music. He can hear a song once or twice and begin to memorize the words. He doesn't just memorize children's songs, he also memorizes longer songs. Two of his favorites are "Mary did you know?" by Clay Atkin, and "Waiting on the World to Change." by John Mayer. The part that concerns Daniel is he also likes musicals. Now that he is older and Daniel gives him a hard time about it, he will try and deny it if you ask. He just can't help himself though when he sits down to watch one. He'll either be jumping up and dancing, or singing along with the songs. His most recent favorite musical is "High School Musical." We borrowed it from my sister in Idaho and he loves it.

Isaiah watched it today and boy did it get him all hyped up. I was very ready for Daniel to come home so Isaiah had someone else to talk to. The second Daniel walked in the door Isaiah said, "Dad, are you ready to play with me?" Then for the next half an hour all I could hear was Isaiah's "noise" and Daniel piping in every now and then. They were working on a puzzle together and Isaiah sang all his favorite songs from High School Musical, non stop the entire time (mom, I am so sorry now I was such a loud talkative child).

This is a very short version of the very long day I had with my musical singing child!

We Gotta Get Outta Here!

Before I write anything I need to state two things. One, I really do like Corvallis, and two, I have nothing against hippies. It's a nice town with lots of nice people and it's clean and pretty. With that said I am always complaining to Daniel about how many hippies live here. I'm not talking about the younger generation of so called "hippies." I'm talking about 50 and 60 year old, flower child, "make love not war people." Saturdays market is a lot different crowd here than it is in Hillsboro. A typical woman would be wearing a long floral, or other patterned skirt, long unbrushed hair, and I can't even begin to say how much leg and armpit hair I have seen. Men

are usually wearing linen or khaki pants rolled up to their mid calf, a button up shirt, either unbuttoned or only buttoned enough so you can still observe their manly chest hair. Now this is all fine. The part I can't handle is that they all walk around without any shoes on. I don't know why this bothers me so much. Maybe I have a foot phobia, or maybe it just bothers me that we are in a public area shopping around for fresh produce and all you can see is armpit hair and bare, calloused, and most likely stinky feet. Well I am not one to hold much in, so poor Daniel has to listen to me complain every time we go to the market.

Now I bring you to today. Daniel took the car to work because he had left his bike there on Friday and I didn't want to wake Isaiah up to take him this morning. The plan was Isaiah and I would take the bus downtown and meet him for lunch so I could get the car. One of our very nice neighbors spotted us at the bus stop and offered to take us to town. He was going to a bike shop that was right across the street from a very cool toy store so Isaiah and I decided to go there and wait for Daniel to pick us up for lunch. As soon as we were in the store Isaiah took off to look at and play with all the toys. I wandered over to the book section to see if there were any cool new children's books. After about five minutes Daniel showed up and came inside. I walked over to find him laughing and pointing at the floor. I gasped as I saw Isaiah's green flip flops lying on the ground without his feet inside of them! It seems Isaiah likes the whole idea of freeing your feet. All I know is we are out of here if Daniel starts baring his chest hair (the little that his has), and I have armpit hair so long you can braid it!

Rocks and Shells

I was never one as a child to collect anything, so I find it so interesting how Isaiah has developed a passion for collecting rocks. He loves searching for specials rocks to bring home to his collection! It's amazing how he can find the tiniest, coolest looking rock amongst thousands at the river. He always has a reason for why the rock he picked is special. When we go on walks or bike rides he will literally stop in his tracks if he thinks he has spotted a winner. He likes shells as well, but most of the shells he has were given to him by his Grandma Vrtiska and he mainly just likes looking at them and categorizing them. Here are some pictures of his piles of rocks and shells.

He's only five so if he keeps this up we are

going to have to have a special room for his collection.

He is so proud of his collection!

This is my all time favorite of his rocks. He says it is his rock from the wild. I just love it because he honestly thinks it came from the wild (which to him is Africa).

This is Mary's River. It is right behind the park where Isaiah has his T-Ball games. He likes to go down this path that leads to a little secluded spot with lots of room to run, play, and of course find more rocks. He thinks that we are the only ones that know about this spot, but I think he keeps forgetting the people that come down every now and then to let their dogs swim around. I just smile every time he says, "Mom, do you think we are the only ones that know where this place is?"

Isaiah also loves to skip rocks. He is actually getting pretty good. I think he thinks he is better than he really is though.

Isaiah has told me many things he wants to be when he grows up. When he was three he always wanted to be a missionary (I think that was more at the influence of Grandma Vrtiska:). Then when he turned four he wanted to be a doctor. Last time we were down at Mary's River he told me when he grew up he wanted to teach people how to skip rocks. Maybe when he turns six he will realize he can actually do all three, if he really wanted to! I love being a mom!

Summer Fun

Well here is my first attempt to start our family blog (sorry I like pink). It is officially beginning to feel like summer weather. We are so excited because Daniel got a job right here in Corvallis so we don't have to move for the summer! I think Daniel is enjoying his break from school although there are pros and cons to work versus school. When he works he usually leaves the house around 6am and gets home around 6pm, but then he is done for the day so he can relax. When he is in school his schedule is more flexible depending on classes so there is always the occasional day where we can take off and do something in the middle of the day, but that usually causes late nights of studying. I sometimes feel guilty, but not too guilty, because Isaiah and I seem to get to do something fun almost everyday. We are really enjoying our summer. Don't feel too bad for Daniel though because sometimes fun days for kids are very tiring days for moms:) We are also planning a trip back to Crater Lake this year and I know Daniel is excited about that. Here are some pictures showing our summer fun so far.





This was actually in May but it was my first attempt at a triathlon. I have always enjoyed running so I thought it would be fun to expand my abilities. I had no idea how hard it was going to be! When I got off my bike to run my legs felt like jello. I did somehow manage to make it to the finish line (sorry about the spandex).





This was also in May but in my defense it was 90+ degrees outside, so in my mind it was summer. On the top is Isaiah and his friend preparing for our rafting trip down the Willamette River. We couldn't find Isaiahs' life vest so we had to borrow one from our neighbors who have a girl and a boy. Isaiah drew the short straw and had to wear the pink jacket but I think it grew on him. The water was freezing and about 8 feet higher than it normally is so I guess Daniel and I didn't think this one through too well. It wasn't until after we had floated down and got out that we realized how dangerous it was to be in the river that time of year. It was fun though and everyone got in the water....well almost everyone. Can you guess who stayed in the boat and just soaked in the rays? I even complained when the boys got back in the boat and dripped freezing cold water on me.


The picture on the bottom is of our nifty new slip'n slide. Isaiah was very excited about the double lanes made for racing. The center lane shot out water. His friend that he went rafting with came over and they raced for hours. I was pretty surprised they lasted that long given the red welts on their bellies. Sooner or later though the younger neighbor kids made their way over and starting walking up and down the center lane. Well as all slip'n slides go we sprung a leak and the slip'n slide has been in the garage ever since.





Isaiah started swim lessons this summer. He actually has been doing swim lessons with Daniel off and on for almost two years now but Daniel is getting too busy to go often enough to make Isaiah a future Olympic swimmer. Thanks to Daniels efforts though Isaiah does awesome in his lessons. The pictures of course don't show any instructors or great skill. This is what we get to do after each lesson. We go outside to "Otter Beach" and play. Isaiahs favorite part is the lazy river. He likes me to chase him around the fast moving waters. The picture of him going down the slide is his first attempt to go alone. Now he knows if you lay all the way back and point your toes like a rocket you will go faster.

Isaiah also started T-Ball this summer. You can see by the picture on the left his enthusiasm the first day of practice. I don't think he had that same enthusiasm in the pictures on the right when he found out he would have to wear Darth Vader's helmet and attempt to run bases. Daniel took a long lunch break so he could come and watch one of Isaiahs games. Half way through the game he said, "I don't think I'll be coming to many more of these this summer." I don't blame him though. It's pretty much a free for all when the kids hit the ball. All the kids dog pile onto the ball and when they get it they stand up and throw it in whatever direction they are facing when they stand. Isaiah gets in ready position and if the ball doesn't come to him he doesn't budge. Once he found out that even if you tag the runner he or she is not out, that was pretty much it for him. What's the point. They do have a short relay at the end of the games against the opposing team and that is how Isaiah determines if they have won or lost. So far, in Isaiah's mind, they are undefeated. I think we have a competitive one on our hands. I wonder where he gets that???

We went golfing for my 27th birthday this year. I am not very good but I love to golf. It was a beautiful day. A little hot for golfing but we had fun. Lindsey kept saying, "Are you ever going to let me drive the cart?" No way, that's my favorite part of golfing!




Doesn't Daniel look cute in his new Father's Day shorts?!?!

We don't quite know what Adam is doing but I felt special that he came to play with us. He usually doesn't go to these things and stays home with their four kids.

I think the picture of Lindsey and me was taken after Linds' had hit her ball into the bush/ditch at least three times:) Can the birthday girl say "BUGGY!"

July, 4th 2008

This is how our day started off. Needless to say my boys don't like taking pictures.
















The day started to get better with candy and a little free political campaigning.















Isaiah showing more of his enthusiasm for baseball at his cousin Justins 8th birthday party at the park. He was born on the Fourth of July!

The night ended well with amazing fireworks and fun with the family at Oak Hills. We have gone for years and I think it's the best show around!