Ok Ok I'll update!!

Well, the summer has gotten away from me again! Here it is almost the first week of September and the kids are getting ready to start school again, I haven't finished nearly enough of the projects that I had planned for the last three months.  I am hopeful that with that extra 2.5 hours twice a week while Jack is in school I can start to pick up the pieces of the lost projects and get some things done.  I promise to post some new pictures as well, but looking at Elaine and Gertie as little ducklings is almost enough to make me want to get more...ALMOST, but we definitely won't be getting any more fowl.
I feel like I should just post a list here so that I will be held accountable by my beautiful friends and family.  Maybe in a bit.

Much LOVE to TJ...you know this is for you!!

5 days worth of growth....

 On the way home

 Second day home, first outing

 Day 5 at home

The girls, Elaine and Gertie, are getting big already.  It's only been 5 days and we can see a huge difference in their size and personalities. Elaine is more adventurous and daring while Gertie is a little more unsure and reserved.  We are totally in love and I can't even imagine why we didn't adopt before. We take them out into the yard twice a day as soon as it is warm enough.  They have had the fortune of finding a spot in the grass that turned to a pond when someone left the hose on(sprayer leaks a little), they love to play in the water and make quite a mess when they do so in the brooder. 

Small correction to the last post

Well not really small, we brought home baby ducks instead!!  Ducklings you say??  Yep, two of the little angels.  They make the most amazingly sweet peeping sounds.  Chicks have to wait til next week because the silkie chicks that I want come in then and are so small that we have to get all the chicks at once otherwise the "bigger" ones will step on them. Come on over to our up and coming urban farm.

New family members

Well, it looks like this morning is the BIG day!  We are off to Urban Farm Store to pick up our 2 newest family members, chick 1 and chick2.  Brooder is ready to go, nice and warm and awaiting their arrival.  I am not so sure I am ready, I am already nervous like a new mother. One big difference at least with a human baby I can keep it with me all the time and know that it is doing just fine. Who puts their babies in the garage when they are newborns? Well I guess I will be doing just that. Chicks have to stay where it is 90 degrees, I have no intention of cranking up the heat in the house to accommodate that kind of need. Way too hot for me!
Picture of the newbies to follow.

Big oops

Ok so I'm a total spacecase! It's June not May... Duh

May tea party

What a perfect day for our tea party! We set up a beautiful garden like tea in the yard with tea sandwiches, cupcakes and cookies, fruit, lemonades, and tea. The followed it all playing in the pool, splashing, sunning and laughing with friends. Thank you lord for such a clear blue sunny day for us to enjoy.

Back at the spot where we started

Funny how I'm starting where I left off last time, I think we will head back to the zoo tomorrow. See the dinosaurs again, now that jack is bigger. Hopefully the sun will join us and we will take some great photos.

Coming Back

After a conversation with a lovely friend I am going to give it a go again.

Zoo trip with Ashley!!

Jack and Isabella love the Zoo train!!

walking like the chimps

sharing one small elephant ear!!

Project with Teacher Rachel

Isabella was very excited for Teacher Rachel's home visit to make a project before TVP swings into session this month. You can't tell from the photos how happy she was when they were all done with the placemats.

Jack's 2nd Birthday...Wow Wow Wubbzy!

Auntie Joan and Tiffany in the back ground

Percy, Lily and Mo eating cake with Jack

Enjoying cake

My neice Taylor and nephew Brayden with Mo and Isabella

Isabella and Taylor guarding the cake

Blowing out the candles

Wubbzy, the happy bouncy yellow guy!

Multnomah Falls

I have this exact same photo of Paige with the same type of Gap sweater on when she was a little older than Isabella, kind cool how the kids all seem to like the same things

Summer 2009 recap

I don't need to tell anyone that actually reads this that we are all very busy, because we are all crazy busy people dealing with life, family, work as well as anything else that might come up. It hit me today that its September 3 and I haven't touched the blog in 3 months, what in the heck have I been doing?? Such a slacker!!

Actually we have had quite an event filled summer! After the girls all finished up the year at school we relaxed a little then Heidi had surgery, this set us back a little since it took all of us to take care of her! In July, with Heidi on the mend Abigail went off to Steens Mountain running camp down in the mountains near Burns, OR. One picture of her return to follow. She loved and hated it all at the same time, though we are sure that it made her stronger for her upcoming XC season. Jack turned 2, and had a perfect party, the rain held out until we were all finished and had cleaned up and moved inside. Very blessed to have the weather wait on us. We then decided to purchase a boat, nothing fancy, but we are in love with it as well. Paige has most photos on her camera so I will have to steal some to post. August too has brought many busy days/weeks. We lost our nanny, we miss her and are wishing her well, Paige took over for the rest of the summer as our nanny to make her financial goal for summer. We took a trip to Seattle to see a mariners game, all contracted some kind of stomach flu, spent a quick weekend camping for Abigail's 15th birthday!! I had surgery on my "old" legs and have been off of work since, recovering and loving spending every second with the kids! I am sore but very thankful for all the time with the family. We celebrated a little friends birthday as she turned 4, a wonderful party up at the Rose Garden Amphitheatre in Washington Park...a perfect evening with lots of little kids and good company. This week our very nanny Ashley came to visit us before she leaves for 3 months in Chile, it was wonderful to see her, we miss her so much and don't see her often since she is in College. She took Isabella and Jack to the Zoo and had a great time. Whoa, nothing like old times. She took a ton of pictures and so I will post those too.

TVP last day Bike Parade

Isabella and her friend Matt
Isabella and Matt again

Isabella making another trip around the parking lot, race track

Beautifully decorated bike!!

Jack with his balloon

Posing

Photo op with teacher Wendy

We had such a lovely afternoon hanging out with all of our preschool friends!! We were quite happy that the weather held out and we were able to have a picnic as well. School's out for the summer but we have Wednesday park dates to look forward to with all of Isabella's classmates.

A Sunny Day at the Park

Jack lounging in the spinning thing at the park
Isabella soaking her feet in the water at the park
This is not the way we are supposed to get to the top of the slide, but Jack doesn't do things in the usual fashion...ever!

Isabella in the spinning thing, I still need to see how this thing works.

Jack in the sand "box"

Paige spinning the girls at the park

Jack under the climbing structure

Jack finally happy after Heidi took off his shoes so that he could play in the bark chips barefoot! Go figure!

Jack before Heidi took off his shoes! She said that he just sat there pouting until the shoes were off, I guess he knew what he wanted.

Isabella with her park friends on the bouncy thing, she can make instant friends no matter where we go! She is so very much like her biggest sister in so many many respects.

As you can see from all the photos, Heidi and Paige were able to take the kids to the park in Sherwood today to enjoy the sun. I haven't been to this park yet but I think it will be on my list of things to do this week while I am off, it looks like a great deal of fun and with the warm weather should be nice enough for them to play and get wet a little.