Photo Shoots

I'd like to frame some of these first pictures. It is time to pull out the old pictures

My mom with all her grandkids. Too bad Parker was fussy. Two words-- nap time.

When we went to Albany, Parker and Ava were napping and Cam and Julia were with Cory, so I took Sophie to the park. This was our little photo shoot.

Julia tried to get some nice shots of me and my brother with my mom. Cameron was totally making us laugh with his silly faces, but we got some good ones.

I love my family! I wish Cam and his beautiful family lived closer.

Fun with the Clarks

My brother and his family came to Oregon from Wyoming for a visit. This was the first time I was able to meet their youngest girl, Natalia. She is a sweet 6 month old baby. Ava is 3 and Sophie is 5. I love these little girls and their fun personalities!

Watch this video to see how much Parker loved having a baby in the house. He may just be ready for a younger sibling.

We spent a lot of time outdoors. Lots of parks and the zoo.

Cam helps Parker go on his first slip n' slide. It was more like a drag n' slide. He would just sit nicely down at the top and wait for someone to slide him down. I was really surprised that he liked it. It was a hot and humid day, so I'm sure it felt nice.

We went to Multnomah Falls. Grant biked the whole way there. Not sure how many miles, I think about 40. Then he hiked to the top of the falls, a very steep 1 mile each way. And then when we got there, he walked up to the bridge with us. Cam and his family continued up to the top and we, including my mom, went back down.
We spent a day at my mom's house. Cam got to see old friends Cory, Raj, and Brian. I got to see my oldest friend, Niki and her son Arien. We had a great time.

Back at home the girls learn how to play the trombone. Sophia was really good.

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

No, this is not an error, the grandkids call my mom Gamma. This was a wonderful lemon cake. I had the same kind at Parker's baby shower. Yum. Parker and Ava sat at the table with forks in their hands waiting to get a piece.

Julia took pictures of the kids. Only one turned out mainly because Parker would not sit still! He had a pocket car in each hand, but he still wanted to go run and play.

Grant and I got her a laptop for her birthday. She hates her current big, heavy one. She does so much for us. She drops everything to come watch Parker or help us with a home project. She has watched Parker one day a week for about 15 months now. We really appreciate all she does for us. If you know my mom, you know she doesn't like receiving gifts, only giving them. It is frustrating to us; she deserves anything anyone gives her.

For her birthday dinner, Cam and I took her to the Melting Pot. I love that place! We loved having it just be the three of us. We laughed a lot.... mainly, because they were messing up my system for eating there. You get a platter of several types of meats to share and they were messing up the order. I made it easy for them, go around in a circle so everyone gets their share. Too hard for them! Cameron couldn't even keep track of what color his skewers were. It really frustrated me, but was really funny. I'm getting my own individual one next time! :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

4th of July

For 4th of July we went to Aunt Sydney's house in Ridgefield, Washington. We went last year and had a great time at the parade. My mom wanted to come along this year. The parade was great and we found a shady spot to stand and watch. We went to Sydney's friend's house for an awesome potluck afterwards and then came home for naps. While the rest of us were napping, Grant went to Urgent Care. His finger had been red and swollen for a week and this day there was a pus pocket. It was lanced and he was put on antibiotics. It was probably caused by the spreading of bark mulch. We then headed over to a friend's house for another potluck/ bbq and to see the fireworks. It was a busy, but fun day!

Grant's Aunt Sydney

My mom and Parker dancing to the teenagers rockin' on a float.

Parker was super tired and he missed the very end of the parade to go take a short nap. He loved the trucks and liked picking up the candy they would throw, but he wouldn't eat it.

Grant's birthday was the day before, July 3rd. For his special day, he wanted to go on a long bike ride. He rode up to St. Helens and then back down to Sauvie Island. I think that was about 40 miles. We picked him up there. It was a hot day; 93 degrees. He wore his helmet he got for Father's Day and his biking sandals he got for his birthday. He was sure happy. It's easy to buy gifts for him now; it just has to do with biking. The list of things he needs/ wants is never ending. I am proud of my biker. My mom watched Parker while we went to the Brazil Grill for dinner. It was so good. We then went to see the new Transformers movie. It was not one we would normally go to together, but it wasn't too bad.