My Newest Obsession

I had a birthday earlier in July and all I wanted really was a Wii Fit. Jared looked all over and could never find any in stock. So we were talking to my brother Robert and he said he had seen one and would keep his eyes open for us. A couple days later he called and said he had one in his hands. I was sooooo excited. I swear it is the greatest invention. It gives you a lot of variety to work out and they are fun too because you can compete with yourself and try and get a better score. It will also tell you if you are doing it wrong. Since I have got it I work out 6 days a week and haven't gotten bored with it yet. It has been about a month since we got it. The kids love it too. Sometimes Jared even finds time to get on it. Thank you so much, Robert for finding it and thank you, honey for getting it for me.

Multnomah Falls

At the end of July we decided to take a hike up Multnomah Falls. We did this because is was such a nice day and we wanted to get out and because we were trying to get the kids ready to hike Saddle Mountain with some of his family. It wasn't too hot hiking up and the kids did so well. I was really impressed. Here are some pics of our adventure.

Me, Spence and Lexi on the way up

The whole family at the top

Lexi and Spence excited at the top

Bella at the top

One of the things the kids were looking forward to was putting their feet in the water at the top. Above is the Lexi and Spence by the water.

Bella loved the water and wanted to sit down in it.

Our monkey kids in a little cave thing

Happy (Late) Birthday, Jared!!

Since I missed Jared's Birthday being in Illinois. I thought that I better acknowledge it on here, so he doesn't feel shafted. I love you, Honey. Happy Birthday, I hope you had a great Birthday with your family. Thanks for letting me be away on your birthday to be with my family. You are such a great father to our children and I am so glad that I have you in my life.

Illinois

I guess I will start with my trip to Illinois. Where I had a great time by the way. Two of my sisters, one brother and I decided to fly into Illinois a day before everyone else, so that we could do a little shopping in Chicago and to see a Play we also stayed in a hotel in downtown Chicago. The play that we saw was "Wicked", if I hadn't mentioned it before, and it was so great. When we arrived in Chicago we checked into our hotel and then of course did a little shopping. After that we ate at "The Cheesecake Factory", I had never eaten at this place before because they always have such a long wait and it just isn't worth it if you have kids with you or have a babysitter that you don't want to take advantage of. So anyway, they have great food or at least the food that I had was great and the portions are huge, so of course we all ordered way too much food. After we ate we went back to our hotel to get ready for the play. Then we headed over to the play. I won't tell you too much about the play because I don't want to ruin it for everyone, but the idea behind the play is the other side of the story of the Wizard of Oz. That Glinda and the wicked witch knew each other in College. So it is that time period of the story all the way to the end of the wizard of Oz. Just a different way of looking at things. So after the play we decided that we wanted to go have dessert, so we headed back to "The Cheesecake Factory", of course. They don't have lines like here, actually they had no wait at all. Then we headed home for a great night sleep the beds were sooooo soft. (It was the best night sleep I had my whole trip, because I slept on an air mattress the rest of the time).

Carolyn, me and Michelle at "Wicked"
Carolyn, Anthony and Michelle at "Wicked"

The second day of my trip we spent most of the day shopping on the "Magnificent Mile", which was really fun even though I really didn't buy anything it was still a lot of fun sight seeing and window shopping. It was really funny because we had my brother Anthony with us the whole time and he didn't complain at all he was really great about shopping with us. One of the stores that they have on there is a store called "American Girl". It is a store of dolls for little girls all sorts of clothing for these dolls and a little cafe that you can eat at with you dolls and little girls. I wish Lexi was with me to see it I know she would have loved it. It also has a beauty salon for the dolls and a theater. It is crazy how big this store is. Then after shopping we headed to Dixon, Illinois, which is where our family reunion was being held. We arrived in Dixon for a spaghetti dinner with some of the family. The other half of us were there (well other half of the people that went). After dinner my cousins asked if we want to go down to the carnival (they were having a Petunia Festival). So all of us girls headed down to the carnival, where we met up with some of my other cousins and listens to a band, called Catfight. They were really good and we all really enjoyed the music.

The View from the top of our Hotel

This is a picture of a 7 floor Mall this is looking up at the elevators

Anthony standing next to a Lego Statue of Darth Vader
Me with some Lego people (so cool!)
Michelle, Me, my cousin Jeff, Kim and Carolyn listening to Catfight

Michelle helping my sister Vicki loosen up and have fun

(didn't work she still was just standing there, silly Vicki)

The rest of the week was doing family things with the family here and there. One day we all got up early and went and played bingo, none of us won, but it still was lots of fun. Another day we got up early again (we actually got up early the whole time and it was even earlier because they are two hours ahead). We went to a family cemetery that my dad's side of the family has called "Glennwood Cemetery"and then headed up to a family farm where we were able to listen to some great stories from my dad's cousin, Jackie, who lives on the farm.

A group picture of us playing Bingo

The entrance to the CemeterySome of us at the Cemetery at my grandparents graveside

A group picture of all of my family that went to the family reunion

Overall I had a great time getting acquainted with my dad's side of the family. I wish that my dad's other sister was able to come (my Aunt Sally) and her family, but I understand the health issues. It was great forming relationships with my cousins and their families. I will never forget the great time I had there and I hope to be able to go back soon and bring my family to meet them all.

My Uncle Cliff and Aunt Nancy

My Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Allen

Group Picture of family that went including my brother in law

Bill who came down for a couple of days

My Uncle Cliff and Nancy and their family

Keith, Janette, Lori and Steven (Janette daughter is missing)

My cousin Jeff's family (he is part of my Uncle Cliff's family)

Julie, Jason, Jeff, Justin, and Jennifer

My Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Allen and their family

Kevin, Tracy, Michele, Troy, Brett and Maddy

Sorry!!

Most of you have probably thought I fell off the face of the earth when I took my trip to Illinois, but it isn't true. I am still alive and well and so is my family. When I got home from my trip I realized that I wasn't anywhere close to finishing a project that I really wanted to do for Lexi for her birthday. The project that I was doing was a slide show of her life with music with it. It was something that I knew she really wanted and so every free moment I had went to resizing pictures, getting them in order, picking out music and then putting them into the program that I was working with. So needless to say that took up a lot of my time to get it done it time for her birthday. Now I know what some of you are thinking, "It has been a least two weeks since Lexi's birthday, how come you haven't posted during that time." Getting ready for Lexi to start school is one excuse and the other is well I am just out of the habit of posting. So I am going to try and get back into the habit. Hopefully I still have some readers!!!

July 4th

Okay - one last stolen moment on Patti's blog before she gets home. Since she missed the 4th of July with us, I figured I would update on our fun since she will have totally different stuff to put up when she gets back.

The kids and I had a nice morning - Cap'n Crunch for breakfast, PB&J for lunch, and then we headed out to my brother's house in Vernonia for a BBQ. The kids got to go swimming in the pool with their cousins, as seen here.

Lexi had a great time, and I had trouble getting her out of there for dinner, but no real shock.

Spence was also having a great time - using his cousin's raft to float around and splash everyone. I think I caught this picture in that rare moment where he was contemplating his next victim.

After the swimming - we ate. Actually, it was the whole dinner being ready thing that caused the swimming to come to an end, but you get the idea.

We enjoyed the evening out on the deck, and then we went over to watch the town parade. The kids got a ton of candy and a couple of stuff animals out of the parade which was fun for them I suppose.

The kids then got to set off a few fireworks, and do the sparklers and pop-its that they love. Spence managed to spell his name correctly with a sparkler and everything.

Bella spent a large portion of the day (well, and the whole week really) in Daddy's arms since she gets kind of attached. We had a good time.

Lexi was her usual shy, reserved self as you can see in the picture here. (For those of you who don't know me as well, I have a sarcasm problem I have been working on for years... not sure if I will ever kick the habit.)

Just a note, but there is no 'family' picture because Patti wasn't with us, and she is the one who reminds me about it... she also is the one to remember the spare camera batteries which would have come in handy by the time I thought of it...

After that we waited and watched the town fireworks display from my brother's back deck.

It was a fun day. We hope you and yours all had a Happy and Safe 4th of July. That's all from me - I am sure Patti will fill you all in very soon on her trip to Illinois.

Jared has been gone (in the DR) too much...

Okay all, I am totally cheating. This is Jared. I have been traveling way too much of late with work and figured I owed my wife a few public words of thanks. As most of you know, Patti pulled a switch-a-roo on me this last week and went off on a trip without me or the kids, much the same as I have done 8 times since April. Over the past week I have come to appreciate the amount of effort and just plain 'amazingness' that my wife has embodied since I changed jobs. As I have tried to keep up with the kids and everything while she has been gone I have come to understand a little more what it is like everytime I fly off for a week or two.

Thank you Patti for all that you have done for the kids, the home and for me while I have been traveling and working far too much. I love you and truly appreciate it.

Anyway, for those of you (including Patti) who are curious, I am going to throw on a few pictures of the Dominican Republic. We are launching a site down there and I have been heavily involved in all of the IT infrastructure setup.

I hope all is well with you all and I will try not to hijack Patti's blog too often. She comes home tomorrow, so she probably won't let me!

As some of you know I was stuck down there on Father's Day, since I had to work all day Saturday before it and be there for a meeting Monday morning, there was no way to get home. (It takes anywhere from 14 - 39 hours to fly to PDX from there, depending on how bad the airlines mess with you... if you want an earful about the demons of the underworld conspiring to ruin my ability to get home ask me about the San Juan, Puerto Rico airport sometime - or maybe don't...) Anyway, I decided to go out to the beach on Father's Day with a co-worker and I ate at Boca Marina for lunch. Here is a picture taken there.

It was good food, and a great place to eat. The view was amazing. That almost made up for being stuck there - and if it hadn't been a 2 week trip, maybe it would have... maybe. Anyway, here are a couple of more pictures, I guess they don't need a lot of dialogue.

(That is sand, not snow...)

Above, the Caribbean beach of Boca Chica about 30 km outside of Santo Domingo.

Below, the view from my hotel room in Santo Domingo.

All in all, I would have rather been home - to be honest - but if I couldn't be home, at least I got to see something new.

Patti - thank you so much for doing it ALL by yourself for so much of the time! I love you.