Grandma's Visit

The kids were so excited to have Grandma here for a week visiting. We were able to celebrate 4th of July with her, take her to Dorena Lake for a nice hike, and just hang out at the house being us. We already miss her and are ready for the next visit!

I already talked about some highlights of Liz's trip...so here are a few pictures from our week:

Art Corner - Meli's My Little Ponies

Meli and I started this project a couple months ago and just got to finishing it the other day. We thought it would be fun to paint her white letters that spell her name as My Little Ponies. She picked four (which her choice surprised me because she left out Apple Jack which she likes a lot more than Rarity. Maybe it was more for the colors. So, we did Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Meli is pretty meticulous with her painting. She did a wonderful job!!

She wanted to help me with the cutie marks. I was reluctant at first, but it is for her room. I was very impressed with her ability to stay in the drawings I did for the most part. I had to go over it a little bit and did some of the smaller parts of the design. We had such a fun time doing this. Colin wants to do Pokemon for his name. We will see how that goes!

While I was touching up, Meli made this frame for Grandma. I thought it turned out pretty creative and cute!

The Kids' Reading Corner: May & June

Colin loved the first two books of Diary of a Wimpy Kid! I have kept these books on the back-burner since watching my nephew, Alexei, reading these years ago. He was so into them! I like how many drawings are incorporated throughout the chapters. Very nice for kids just getting into chapter books. 

The kids love Piggie and Gerald!! Meli especially. She likes to memorize them. I think partly why they like these books so much is that Will reads for Gerald and I read for Piggie. They enjoy us reading it together and our voices we use. They each try to mimic our voices. Mo Willems is very good at creating fun characters. Sadly, The Thank You Book is the last one for this series. I wish he would continue to write them. 

We are big fans of the original style Winnie-the-Pooh. The kids like hearing the original stories. The characters and drawings are my favorite. I just love them. I recently was shown a Russian cartoon that is their version of Winnie-the-Pooh on youtube. It was very cute. The drawings were re-done. Pooh looks like a ewok...so adorable. It was interesting watching an episode i recognized but in a different language. 

I let Colin take pictures of the books like I do for my other blog. Colin had fun putting them in different places. He says that he loves Battle Bugs because "they are bugs that battle. That is just awesome!" Of course - I should have known that!

I love these small chapter books that you can get from Scholastics for a dollar. The kids like Cam Jansen and the fact that she has a photographic memory. Colin really wants that. Me too! Humphrey is a hamster. The kids enjoyed this book. It is nice having a chapter book that you can read in just a few bedtimes. 

Colin is really enjoying the Choose your own Adventure books. I recently found him several at a local bookstore. Colin was getting a little discouraged that he kept choosing wrong ways to go, so he would come to Will for advice. "If you were on a space ship and had a choice between...." Very cute!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ 

 The B Family

Celebrating like an Oregonian

Sparklers

I have had a few people who are not originally from Oregon, comment on how much we love our fireworks. I never really thought it as being more so than others...but we definitely do enjoy the 4th of July show. A few were from Cali, where they said fireworks have been illegal for most of their life. This was their first Independence Day in Oregon, and I guess they were all taken by surprise by all of the noise...that lasted very late into the night...on a day before going back to work. The poor guy had to sleep part of the night on the floor of his kids' room because they were scared. 

I do remember the kids being scared our first year in Oregon. I guess for non-natives it is a shock to the system. Now, three years later the kids love this holiday. 

Chores

The kids were sweet and volunteered to wash my car. I should take an after picture, they missed several spots. Still it was fun and an easy way to cool off. Meli was a little sad to soak her "holiday" dress.

Grandma & mae

We got to show Grandma Liz how to celebrate the holiday with Oregon flare. I think she had fun watching the fireworks and throwing the snap-its at everyone's feet. After we said that she was off limits. Ha, ha...sneaky Grandma.

With getting ready to move and work,  I have not really been in a cooking mood...but the holiday helped bring that back for me. I had a great time cooking, baking, etc. We made banana bread, festive cake, and a few new recipes. I should have had Liz try Blue Apron out with me. I did not plan that one out. Bummer.

More 4th fun

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th. I really enjoyed the time with family. It was a very nice 4 day weekend. More about that to come!

Welcoming in Summer

To celebrate the end of the school year and Father’s Day, we took the kids to Sunriver. This is our second summer going to this resort and we loved it just as much as last time. There is so much to do that it would be difficult to get bored.

The kids enjoyed rocking climbing (it is so neat to see Colin transforming from this timid boy to this little adventure seeker – love it!), swimming at Meli’s favorite place in the whole world – SHARC, bumper cars, miniature golf, playing at the playground, and some quick dips in the hot tub. Will and I were lucky enough to have two date nights. We were also going to do bumper cars after dinner, but I was just too full. Bumping – just did not sound good!

It was nice to have a little break. We have been so busy with work, selling our house, finding a new place to live, and Will’s band. We needed the R&R. Now back to the grind. I am one who tries not to get too excited about things until I know for sure that they are happening…but I am so excited for our new home! Fingers-crossed! All should be good though. 

Meli had been counting down the days for this trip. You can tell in this picture just how excited she was. She is also like her mama and loves wind. I love being in a car with the windows down and wind in my hair. Not ideal for curly hair, but there are just some things that are worth getting crazy hair for. So, we had all of the windows down in the Camaro (plus the sunroof) and were just enjoying the drive on the backroads to Sunriver. Unfortunately, Meli tends to get car sick and being in the back of a two door sports car, did not help the situation. The remainder of the ride were not nearly as enjoyable as the first 45 minutes.

I was so happy to have some reading time. I got to finish my book and start a new one. My little buddy read next to me. I am beyond thrilled that Colin loves to read. 

We spent Father's Day at the pool for most of the day. It was so cute to see the kids having such a good time with Will. We got him a subscription to Loot Crate! Totally feeds his nerdy side!

When were at the swimming pool, there was the coolest rainbow (I guess) in the sky. It was not a traditional rainbow, but just a part of one cloud formation. The pictures do not do it justice…it was such a gorgeous view. 

The last day, after the kids were lying in bed reading, Will and I got the chance to enjoy the sunset together on the deck. Such a beautiful sky.

"Oh the Places You Will Go"

When Colin started preschool, I bought a copy of Dr. Seuss' Oh the Places You Will Go. It is one of my favorite books and I love the message. Since then, I have had each teacher sign the pages at the end of the school year.  I plan to give it to him on his graduation day. I am so excited for this!  I have one for Meli too.  It is so neat to see what his teachers have pulled out of his personality to focus on. I am excited to see how that changes throughout the years. Or it may not. Most, thus far, have commented on his curiosity, love of learning, in-depth questions, and his kindness. Proud mama!!!  He does ask a lot of questions. I even had his grandparents sign it before we moved from Virginia.

~ Love, Hugs &; Kisses ~ The B Family

Almost Summertime!!!

It is crazy to think that it is almost summer vacation. The kids are in their last week of school. Meli will have a preschool graduation, but will continue to go to preschool part-time to help her get ready for Kindergarten. The last week of school our town always has a carnival. The kids had so much fun going on the rides and playing the games. They each won a stuffed animal and were brave enough to try the rollercoaster. Meli is usually wants to try anything, but Colin has to be nudged. Like a lot!

June seems to be all of our friends' kids birthdays. We had three last Saturday and another two in a few weekends! We have gone to two Warrior Ninja parties. I think we need to try the show out. Meli and Colin loved the obstacle course. I did not take any of Colin. Did not want to embarrass him in front of his friends. 

We had an open house this past weekend, so we took the kids to the movies and had a fun day in the city. Colin got to see Turtles with daddy and Meli, Grammie and I went to Jungle Book. A very good movie. There were a few parts that frightened Meli a bit. 

So, fingers-crossed but we have accepted an offer on our house!! If all goes well, we should close the end of July. The last few days we have been looking at houses to buy. We have two very high contenders. 

Such a crazy week! I am so excited for a little vacation in Sunriver! Relaxing by the pool and family time!!

I also finally got my two additional tattoos! I have been planning them forever. I did my arrow and a phrase that means a lot to me. I still need to do my two hummingbird silhouettes with "my treasure" written in gaelic. I also will probably add "Be Strong" in Cherokee (Stiyu) with the arrow. It is what they say instead of goodbye. They do not have a word for that, because it is too permanent. .

Goodbye Mr. Cowley

“Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.”

- Emory Austin

Yesterday, I drove to my hometown to say goodbye and celebrate a life of a very special person. It was surreal sitting in a multipurpose that I have not been in probably 16 years or so. To revisit a very exciting and important time in my life and at the same time saying goodbye to a person that was very prominent in that period. I was fortunate to know him by different names; 1) Coach Cowley - my 7th grade basketball coach, 2) Mr. Cowley - my art teacher for 3 years, and 3) Dan - a family friend.

Dan was a great person, teacher, and coach. A person who showed a passion for creating, compassion for teaching and coaching, and joy for life. It was evident in life and in the pictures shown at the Celebration of Life that he had a great relationship with his son and  so much love for his wife. People say pictures can be deceiving but not when the joy is so obvious. True joy is hard to fake.

Someone mentioned this yesterday and truly hit it on point. He did not treat us as kids, but as people. This is a very important thing during the teenage years. Mr. Cowley would give my younger brother and I a ride to school during my 9th grade year... He knew me during some of my moodiest years and he was always full of patience. He would offer a laugh when that was what I needed and an ear when I really just needed to be heard.

It is sad that it took his passing to remind me of all the things he taught me during those formidable years. Even so, it was a very much needed reminder. It is amazing how much one person can teach you if you are just willing to pay attention and be open to learning.

After the celebration, I was able to catch up with some of my other favorite teachers from Jr. High. I was amazed how much some had changed and how a few who looked exactly the same. I noticed that if I were to name my favorite teachers there (Mr. Cowley included) they all had similar traits and outlook on life. They were kind, easy-going, and funny. They took learning and life seriously but not so seriously that they did not enjoy it. Their humor and joy was infectious.

I am very glad to have know Dan, to witness his love for his wife and son, and to have the memories of a great coach and art teacher. To have the privileged of being one of his students who heard on several occasions "Add more detail" to my drawing or painting, and one of his athletes who had to run lines for talking too much during practice learning the importance of focus. Along with the important lessons and instructions, I remember the laughs and the high fives after a great shot or play.
Goodbye Coach. Go red!


"Make every Day your Masterpiece" - Dan Cowley

“Life is a first impression. You get one shot at it. Make it everlasting.” 
― J.R. Rim

"Live Simply. Dream Big. Be Grateful. Give Love. Laugh Lots. - unknown.


~ Love, Hugs &; Kisses ~ The B Family

Meli Turns 5...Oh My!!

As usual, a little behind on my post. So much is going on that I want to write about, but finding the time proves to be difficult lately. I am attempting to catch up this week. We will see…

Meli turned 5 in the beginning of May. Oh my goodness! Slow down baby girl! She has morphed right under my nose into a full blown kid. Still with some lingering toddler traits that are so cute and that I am so thankful for. I can just see certain stages passing us by. Unless, something changes she will be our last (you just never know with us) and that just breaks my heart a bit. I am glad to be done with a lot of things from those stages, but there are so many things I will dearly miss. I am sure most people think this, but even though I was always aware to pay attention and remember these moments…I still feel like it was not enough. Like did I really enjoy them as much as I should have or did I do enough to keep the memories with me?  Anyone who reads my blog knows that I definitely take pictures and write about all things mundane and thrilling. I also keep a journal for each kid (which I do need to be even better at) and other things…but it does not change the fact that they are gone.

I am excited for the next stages. I love that Colin is reading so well and enjoying books that I loved as a kid. Meli is learning so much at pre-school and is ready for Kindergarten.

Anyway, back to her birthday. She celebrated for over a week. On her birthday, we celebrated with friends. We had a big pasta dinner with the band and some family. One of the band significant others had a birthday on the same day as Meli, so we combined the celebration. Here is a video of Meli being sung to by the band. She loved it!

We spent a day at Wildlife Safari (which I wrote about previously). Then on the weekend, we had a kid party at Get Air. An awesome trampoline play area. There are ball bits (well more foam squares), trampoline floors, etc.

Meli had a blast! Oh my pure joy. It was fantastic watching the kids just having so much fun!  She slept very nicely that night. I could not get her to drink water during, so you can see in the picture with her friends how much she needs it. She just kept saying “water”. 

~ Love, Hugs &; Kisses ~ The B Family

Beach day

We had a weekend of getting the house ready to put on the market, so we treated the kids to a day at the beach. Meli loves the coast! She says almost as much as Sunriver! 

We headed to Florence to see Heceta Lighthouse. It has been on my list for quite sometime,so I am glad to finally have seen it. 

Colin loved the lighthouse! He enjoyed the tour and even asked questions. 

It was such a beautiful day on the coast! Great weather! Will was cold, but he always thinks the coast is cold (on this side). I started feeling yucky after a bit and ended up sleeping the whole car ride home and laid in bed about 18 hours with high fevers, body aches, and chills. Not fun.