to market we will go

I had a different title in mind for this post. for real. but a) it wasn't that original and b) when you only update your blog every week or so, other people get to title their posts first. But we REALLY DO HEART FARMERS MARKET. Sarri, you're too quick!

Anyhow, we love farmers market. This year, we are part of a CSA (community supported agriculture) so we have already been loving our seasonal, fresh veggies. But there is something so great, so social, so fun about cruising our HUGE (sarcasm voice here) downtown Farmer's Market. We always get snacks, we always see people we know and love, we chat, we drink lemonade, we manhandle fruit. It's great. I love it. In fact, I heart it.

Beach, anyone?

peekaboo, rock. i kept telling the kids i could magically make it disappear. by saying alakazaam. they didn't buy it.

Remember how I mentioned the other day about a summer full of beach posts? Well, you all are due for another one. And as a bonus, I managed to get LOTS of great pics. So not so many words for today, lots of pictures. But hey, I think my kids are pretty cute. Hopefully, you do too.

Okay, I said not so many words. But then I remembered what I wanted to say. Hey, it's mommy brain. Not as sharp as I was three kids ago.

We have about a zillion pics of Jackson surfing. He's taken to it in the last two years in a HUGE way. He's fearless. He loves it. He hoots and hollers and cheers his cousins/friends into waves. It's a blast to watch, and twice as fun to photograph. What you don't see is the three years of work that went into that process. Three years of tiptoeing him into the water. "Surfing" in pinky-toe high waves. Flat out refusals to go near the water. 20 minute suit-ups, only to decide he's not going in when he reaches the water's edge. Shawn carrying Jack on his back as he paddled into waves, then swinging him around to the front so he could "feel the rush." Pushing a bit too hard, waiting for him to come back to it at his own pace. But now, we're getting to see the results.
Aidan is just a tiny way into that process. Recently, we've mostly been at the flat out refusal or the suit me up, no thanks I changed my mind stage. Last time we were in San Diego, we had a pretty gnarly meltdown/breakthrough about Aidan's fear of the water. And last week, we had a MAJOR breakthrough. Aidan paddled out on Shawn's back for what I think may be the first time.
And he had fun. He laughed. He smiled. He pumped his fist and shouted WOOOOHOOO! It was great. Jackson cheered him on. And on our way up the beach to warm him up (seriously, it's Oregon, people. I'm surprised CPS hasn't been called on us yet) I said "that was so awesome! You're a surfer, just like Jack!" He puffed up his chest (such a man already!) and said "That was soooooo fun."

Yessss. ( you can insert fist pump here.)

oh yes. One more thing. The hoodies. They each have one, made from towelling, so soft, so stripey, so delicious. If I could, I would marry them. Or at least get one for myself. Find them here. Order them today. Hurry. Beach coziness is waiting.....

woooohoooo!

suited up, ready to go. maybe. i think. maybe not. well, okay.

the post surf munch fest.

"i don't know, i think that right looks pretty good. did you see that last set? you were ripping. no, you were ripping. seriously."

coco.

can you tell he's a first child? who's had a camera in his face since about .2 seconds after he entered this world?
seriously, mom, get that thing away from me.

luckily, i still know the most ticklish places. ha.

so. stinkin. handsome.

on a treasure hunt/indian expedition thru the dunes. aidan: "i am the indian chief team captain leader." okay, then.

a good day. a great day, really.

Hot. Seriously Hot.

It's hot. You know that saying "when it rains, it pours"? We know all about that here in the um, saturated PacNW. But it seems like we're having a stretch right now that is proving everyone wrong. Forcast? 79. 81. 83. 79. 87.
Ooooh, baby.
Which is great, when we're kicking around the house, or the car, you know, places with AC. But we got the opportunity to take the kids out to a very cool farm with J's class the other day, and let me tell you. It was H.O.T. The class has been studying the Pioneers all year - they've been reading the Little House books (sigh - all time faves!), studying the Oregon Trail, and had a chance to visit the Pioneer Museum in Lafayette, where they tried to punch holes in leather with an awl, got to climb in a real covered wagon, and planted their own seed potatoes. Cool stuff.
Well, the icing on the cake was getting to go to a classmate's home, ride his horses, run with his puppies, and do a bunch of other cool stuff. Someone put together a scavenger hunt that took them all over the property, through the barns, and into all kinds of nooks and crannies. Plus, they were able to brush the horse (ohhh, that horse deserves a medal!) and watch a horse be shoed. Shod? Anyhow.
Hot, but fun. 10 kids, 22 juice boxes, 10 popsicles, dirty hands, dirty faces. Good time had by all. Pictures. Red cheeks. Did I mention it was hot?

Jack counting saddles

Aidan gets a little hand from Riley (who is now officially his new hero. Overheard - "mom, I want to drink out of the hose. Just like Riley does! :)

Seriously. The horse deserved a medal. Or at least a darn big carrot.

We have a future in civil engineering (or, please support me in my old age)

Oh, the science fair. You have to love it. Although I did not take any photos at the actual fair (because we were managing three children, one egg drop project, and one extremely, um, wet project) I thought I'd show off what my 7-yr-old did with his grandpa in a day or so. Yeah, they're a pretty awesome team.

Jackson found the idea in a cub scout book that Shawn bought him a while back. And yes, I tried to talk him into doing something else (ahem, fingerprinting....lame, I know) because Shawn and I were going to Portland for the weekend. Pa to the rescue, of course. I think it turned out pretty great.

10 down, many many more to go....

Ten years? Really? (Obviously, I was practically a child bride. Obviously.)

Ten years is a long time. Long enough to graduate from college, start a family, buy a house or two, buy some cars, add to the family, sell some cars, , start a job, change jobs, lose a job, get a better job, one more addition to the family, grade school, vacations, births, lives, deaths.....

Ten years can change alot.

Thankfully, many things don't change.

Like being married to your best friend. Who has only gotten better, more loving, more romantic, more fun, and turned out to be the best father a girl could ask for her babies.

On a side note, we actually got to get away for our anniversary. Amazing. We ate, without being interrupted. (By anything other than sips of wine, that is) We shopped, we talked, we slept. Oh, we slept so hard. Plus, we got to stay at the most beautiful hotel - it was like moving in to a Tiffany's box. And you all know how I feel about Tiffany's. So lovely. Plus, my husband does super romantic things like bring the toasting glasses we used at our wedding for champagne. He's pretty great.

Memorial Day Roundup....

I'm behind. Again. But this time, it's mostly because we haven't come inside for DAYS. Literally. I think my kids come in to bathe before bedtime, which essentially is just a finger in the dam against the dirtiness that will come again the next day. But that's how it should be, right?

So, here's the round up of the long weekend - we ate, we slept in, we ripped out overgrown wild rosebushes and put in a future salsa garden (with some basil thrown in for good measure), we played, we bounced, we swung, we built things, and then the mama and the daddy had a well earned overnight away to Portland. You know, as a trial run. For...ahem...Paris. Which is in THREE WEEKS. Three weeks, people. I'm just a teeny bit excited. Just a teeny.











Happy Summer.