Kayaking with Eric and Anne

Eric, Anne, Jeremiah, Alayna, and I had a great time kayaking on the Willamette River.  It started out a rainy day but thankfully cleared up enough for a mellow ride under the bridges.  We paddled down to Ross Island for a short break then made our way back up under the Ross Island, Marquam, and Hawthorne bridges before rolling the kayaks back up to the shop.

Fun Weekend!

So, I turned 35 over the weekend.  Approaching midlife at a faster pace than I expected but embracing it as best I can.  I am so grateful that my very good friend Brandy made the long trip from Indiana to celebrate with us.  We had a fantastic time.  On Friday, we went to VooDoo, Multnomah Falls, and even drove out to the Coast to see Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.  Gorgeous!  We drove down the coast for a ways to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  And then, headed home so the grown ups could go eat at a tasty little restaurant named The Observatory.  Since well over 50 photos were taken (and I couldn't decide which were the best to post here), I decided to put them in a slideshow set to music.  If you're on Facebook, I posted an album of all of them there, so check them out!

Happy Birthday to me!

First Piano Recital!

This past Saturday night, Alayna got to play in her first piano recital. She was SO nervous but overcame it with a cool and collected manner.  She played her two songs and sat and listened to the rest of the students.  It was a great night.  These kids have amazing talent and we are so lucky to have an incredible musician like Mary teach Alayna (and she's our neighbor--lives down the street!).  (Unfortunately, we didn't get a photo of them together.  We're rookies at this recital thing.)  A few photos and a video captured the evening.

Her "bio"

Her songs

Before the recital began

Showtime!

Taking a bow.  :)

(And that's her teacher, Mary.)

Aunt Jill brought her a rose.  

Video

Last Day of School!

It's official.  We have a 2nd grader and a 5th grader!  And school is out for summer!  The last two days of school have been nothing but fun!

Field Day

A few randoms

Jeremiah, Safety Patrol
(He is one of the 5th graders who will be patrolling crosswalks before and after school next year.)

Alayna, 1st day/Last day

Jeremiah, 1st day/Last day

Burgerville for dinner celebration!  (Thanks for joining us, Kat!)

Stay-up-late movie + popcorn (Bed at 11pm!!!!)

Pics, Finally

So, all year I've been meaning to get the kids' professional photos taken (in lieu of school pics).  Really, I have.  At first, I was busy with school.  Then, I was busy getting everything together to apply to nursing programs.  And then?--it just slipped my mind.  Well, with a mere 3 weeks left of 1st and 4th grade, we finally took the kids to get their photos taken a couple weeks ago.  Usually, I am all about supporting a local photographer.  But, we were short on time and really just wanted it to be quick and easy.  So JC Penny's it was.  Obviously, they tried to sell us all kinds of stuff, but we stuck with a few poses and ordered just enough for our immediate family and a few friends.  Here they are (nevermind the spots from our dusty scanner, which I did wipe down beforehand and it didn't make much difference):