Friday, November 30, 2012

Summering in Oregon: Washington County Fair

 
Cool contraption to mimic milking a cow.  
Elijah all business.
 
We had the cleanest hands at the fair.  This crazy invention, made all sorts of noises and sounds as you washed your hands.  We kept going back to the thing, over and over again.
TRying to talk Elijah into riding the pony.  I had to go get my money back because he would not get on. You see that death grip?!
So excited to ride the pony.  Her cute little face was almost worth the arm and a leg they charge. Almost! 
You could pay to take your picture with this thing on your lap. No thank you! But this kid, a worker, was happy to pose for a picture. 
 
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My only regret to going to the Washington County Fair was not getting there earlier!  The kids had a blast.  We were getting there right when they were closing the kid section of the fair which was a real bummer.  Or maybe it was a good thing because we were able to branch out and see other things too.  

For a fair, they had some neat reptiles there.  My kids are really liking to look at snakes lately.  So these critters didn't disappoint.  

We were there pretty late, at least for our sleep schedules, but the kids really wanted ice cream.  Since the line at the fair was crazy long, we decided to leave and hit up Baskin Robbins.  Matthew and I would always go there in the summer months.  We missed not having him around, but the kids wouldn't turn down an ice cream for anything.  You can't even tell how tired the kids were in these pictures.  Guess that's what's great about vacations.  Schedules don't exist   

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Summering in Oregon: Picking Fruit

 
 
 
 
 
 
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One of the things we would do every year I lived in Hillsboro and was married was pick berries and peaches.  There is something so rewarding about getting your own produce.  Blueberries are a little more labor intensive but nevertheless, I still had to get some.  We went to Washington to pick them and found a sweet, little old lady's home.  Her husband had just passed away, and you could tell she was lonely because she would tell the people stories about her late husband.  True love!  

I thought my kids would enjoy the task because, I had always taken them along as babies; packed them on me, but I realized how quickly they forget because about 30 seconds into the blueberry picking, no joke, Elijah kept saying, "done mama, done."  And for a kid of very few words, it was pretty funny!  

Weeks later we picked peaches.  That was more their style.  Fast and they got to ride along in the wagon.  Gotta love Jossy Farms.  

We also went and checked out Ricky and Keri's first home.  Not bad!  Way nicer than my first home.  But I suppose it didn't take much to be better than our first.  Okay, all kidding aside, I loved their new place.  And the kids loved running from one side of the house to the next, running around their HUGE backyard, to which I tell them they need a play structure and jumping on their beds of course.  We would love to go back, but who knows if they will have us.  Ha!

Summering in Oregon: Cannon Beach

 
 
 
 



 
 
 
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You don't always get this lucky on the Oregon Coast, but this time we were there the weather was gorgeous.  Eva had never been daring enough to get into the water, but this time around something went nuts in her.  She kept dragging her Nana into the ocean with her.  I couldn't get her to stop and her Nana was willing, so I suppose it was a good combo.  She had so much fun with her!

We spent the time there with Cathryn and John as well.  Aunt Cydnie, Grandma Patti and Emmett showed up too for a couple hours and the kids had fun running around with Emmett trying to catch, well, whatever he was looking for.

I decided this time around that I could literally die at the beach.  Morbid, I know, but I can't get over how peaceful and beautiful the beach is.  And my kids are happy there too, so it makes for a win-win, I tell you.  

Still catching up...Eva's 6th Birthday












My baby celebrated her 6th birthday this year!  6th!?  I don't even know how that happened.  We celebrated her birthday many times like this lucky girl always does.  The truth is she expects nothing less than three birthdays.  I should remind her of how when I was a kid my brother, Ricky and I always shared a birthday.  Which, I can't really blame my parents since we were March 16th and March 25th.  But I am pretty sure, this little girl would have nothing of that!  So let's see.  We had a friend party.  I took her to Trompo Magico and brought the entire party in our Radio Flyer.  It was a sight to see.  They actually stopped me at the door telling me that it wasn't in their policy to let food into the museum.  To which I had to remind them, that I had been doing it for years, and no one had stopped me before.  I wasn't going to let anyone ruin all my hard work.  Well, it worked and got my little party in.  Her friend's moms and my good friends now too, were kind enough to join me along with Anjane and Kylee.  Even though Eva didn't really want anything to do with her little buddy, who is actually Elijah's age, at the time, it was nice to have them both there.  Because the truth is, when the girls her age aren't around, she has no problem playing with little three year olds!

We also had a family party on her actual day.  We went to Peter Piper pizza and then did some cupcakes and icecream that night.  We had some friends over and our neighbor Martha.  My kids love her!  She has been nothing but good to my family.  Every once in a while she brings me free tortillas too and I, in return bring her sweets, which I know she doesn't really care for but I know her kids LOVE.

Then back when we made it to Oregon a couple weeks later she had a party there too.  That party has always been my way to get all my buddies under the same roof every year.  We have done it since Eva had her first birthday.  It is always fun to see how my friend's families have evolved over the years.  My parents, since we have moved to Mexico, have been gracious enough to host every year.  We did a hawaiian theme this year, and with the help of a couple of my friends, we provided all the entertainment.  It was a great party!










This is for you Eva...

Eva, you are one special girl.  I don't even know where to begin.  The truth is you are starting, slowly, to become the slightest, so ever, independent.  I can trust you to get up in the morning with your little brother on Saturdays and turn on the tv, and pour yourselves some cereal.  If I didn't know any better I might even trust you two alone.  But of course I know better.  You can be the sweetest, big sister when you want to be.  But you can also be a little feisty and not so nice to your brother too.  But when you play well, you play really well.  You like to build houses with your brother and play house with him too.  You dominate the Ipad and have him sit next to you and watch you play, and every once in a while you sneak him in a turn.  You LOVE to color and draw.  Often when I send you off to play, that is your choice activity.  You learned to ride your bike!  Once you realized you could do it, you just took off.  Like most things for you, you do things at your own pace.

Not sure when or how it happened, but you don't like fish.  When you were little you used to chow down on cocktail shrimp.  I think you would die if we gave them to you now.  But we still make you eat a little bit at a time anyway.  You aren't much of a breakfast person in the morning.  You take after me really.  But overall, if it isn't fish, you like my cooking and you eat pretty well too.

You are getting the grasp of reading.  You still need fluency practice, but you are slowly getting it.  All in Spanish of course, but it is still cute to get all those little notes you like to leave your dad and I.  In fact, your dad takes a picture of every note you write him on his desk.  We love you for your kind spirit.

Your English and Spanish are great too!  You dominate both languages beautifully.  You even have a little Mexican accent, like a real native speaker, that I never had.  You know when you need to speak in Spanish and when in English and to your brother, well, we still are trying to break you out of the habit of mixing both languages like your mommy did to Elijah in a desperate attempt to get him to talk.  

You still have all your teeth in your mouth.  They are pretty cemented in there.  You are showing signs of molars, but that's about it.

You are becoming quite the little dancer.  You make sure to have your toes pointed anytime to you really thinking about it.  You like to have little performances in the living room.  They usually entail cranking up the keyboard music in the living room while you dance around.  You sure are growing like a weed.

You rarely like to be alone.  And, I think that's why you don't like to play alone, because it requires being by yourself and you would rather be with someone.  And that makes you who you are.  We love you to pieces little girly!!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Celebrating the 4th of July ...in Mexico







Only because I want these pictures on my blog, I am willing to post about 4th of July!  Seriously, who does that??  I suppose I do.  This year we were able to spend the day celebrating at a friend's house here in Mexico.  It is so strange to wake up knowing that to nobody else, except Americans that might be here on July 4th, see it as a special day.  I got the family as festive as they would let me, sporting some red, white and blue and went to a potluck.

We enjoyed good conversation and some fireworks that were literally bought from a blind man in an alley!  Who would of thought?  But, it was sure nice to have them to make the day feel like Independence day.  My kids are still scared of the sparklers and the loud sounds they make, but they did enjoy them from afar.

One day soon, we will get to enjoy the 4th in the states and I bet when that day comes I will say, "Remember when we celebrated in Mexico..."  I suppose that's how life is.