A September Wedding

Everyone was dressed up so we took a few pics!



Me, Madeline and Mandy



Ella was not afraid of the microphone...at all!



Crazy dancer!


Another crazy dancer!

End of Summer...

Labor Day Camping Trip (Part 1)

We went camping in the Sisters Wilderness area over the Labor Day weekend. We were at Three Creeks Lake which is at 6600 feet. We froze our rear ends as the temperature sank below freezing. We woke up to ice on the tent and around the edge of the lake. The girls kept warm, though, and they had a blast.

Madeline looks for frogs with Tam Arthur Ridge in the background

Too cute for words...

Madeline shows her moves on the log.

Freezin' by the fire.

The whack jobs and their fort.

Labor Day Camping Trip (Part 2)

We hiked to a beautiful lake at the base of Tam Arthur Rim. The girls enjoyed playing with a slingshot (nicknamed the "beanie flipper"). Later we spent about an hour just throwing and tossing rocks into the lake. Ella yelled at us, everytime she threw a rock, "Hey, guys! Look at THIS one!" They both had a blast.

Madeline finishes her shot...she shoots 'em pretty far!

Ella is getting the basics and looks great!


"HEY GUYS!! WATCH THIS ONE!!!"

Family snapshot.

Stray Cat Family

We had a momma kitty and her kittens move in under our deck in the backyard. We are "fostering" the kittens until the local shelter (a "no-kill" shelter) has room to take them. We are going to continue to support the teen mother and keep her as an outdoor kitty. She is really sweet and "thanks" us by rubbing on our legs every time we feed her.

Maddie's First Day of School

Maddie took the summer off from school and Mom took the summer off from blogging...but now we're back! Today is Madeline's first day of school, Second Grade. We met her new teacher, Mrs. Heley, yesterday when we went into school to find her new desk and cubby and put her supplies away. Here she is waiting at the bus stop this morning, excited and ready to go!

Joined at the Cranium...

Just a goofy picture.

Slumber Party!

Last night Madeline's friend Audrey slept over. They included Ella in their activities for the most part, which was nice! Here they are in the "SCOOBY-DOO MOVIE PIT". They watched 2 Scooby-Doo movies in a row. Ella fell asleep first and I carried her off to bed. Then Madeline and Audrey fought off sleep as hard as they could...they made it to 10:30.

Our Refrigerator...

I was talking on the phone tonight, looked over at the fridge and just started laughing. I imagine things only get worse from here...

Sunny Sunday at Chip Ross Park

We took some time to enjoy the beautiful weather we're having and "hiked" up to Chip Ross Park in Corvallis. When you get to the top you can see over the whole city of Corvallis. We had a little picnic when we got to the top and Madeline got a little tree climbing in!

Happy Easter!

We had some sickness in the house and it was raining, so the Easter Bunny hid the eggs inside the house this year. We would call him lazy, but he did manage to find the time to mow our lawn! We were so lucky this year. Thank you, Easter Bunny!

April Showers bring May Flowers!

Rainy Day with "Littlest Pet Shop" Pals

The "Littlest Pet Shop" animals are all the rage these days! Recently, on another rainy day, the girls set them all up and played all afternoon. Unfortunately, Ella has a few giant dinosaurs that threaten the peace and order of the game. Poor little pets were running for their lives...

More Carousel Party Photos

The BEST photo of the day!!!!

Birthday Party at the Carousel

Madeline and Ella celebrated their birthdays together with a party up in Salem. We got a party room next to the beautiful wooden carousel they have there. Lots of friends and family helped us celebrate and we rode the carousel quite a few times!

Ella and her friend Maddie

Lauren, Olivia, Madeline, Olivia and Matthew

Maddie, Ella and Olivia

Waiting for a turn on the Carousel

Madeline turns 7!! Ella turns 4!!

Yes, I'm almost 2 months late posting the pictures, enjoy them anyway! We celebrated Madeline's and Ella's birthdays on the actual day, and then we had a party for them the following Sunday. They each enjoyed their special day!

MORE Snow!

This time there was enough for Snowmen and Snowangels...

It's SNOWING!

A rare occurrence here on the Willamette Valley floor.
The girls are having a blast!