Thursday, July 31, 2008

Woah


I came downstairs on Leire's last night in Portland and this is what greeted me in the kitchen! Complete with Minnie Mouse hat! Leire had to return to Basque Country (in Northern Spain) last Saturday, but hopefully she will return next summer (maybe with her sister, Itziar?). July went by too fast this year and we miss her already.
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Knobbies


When my sisters and I were little my mom put what we called "Knobbies" in our hair all the time. The other day I was at Walgreens (where I seldom go, but they have the face lotion I like which Target does not carry any longer) and lo and behold, I saw a package of the wonderful Knobbies! And they were only a little over $1! Straight home I went and Ava has been sporting them around town ever since. Brynne is not so lucky as she is in need of some Rogaine (as Papa Mel noticed). Hopefully she can wear them soon, or at least before we lose them all.
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Monday, July 28, 2008

Jonah


Jonah's first attempt at water-skiing...

He's in the water and Daddy's helping...
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Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out...
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Water, Water Everywhere


Jonah on the tube

Ava on the tube--can you believe it?! You can tell how slow we are going by the little tiny wake behind the tube!

I got up right away this time! It's only been 4 years since I tried unsuccessfully and 15 years since I first learned on Lake Arrowhead...

The pro in our family...
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Friday, July 25, 2008

These are for Bepo


I don't know why, but I thought my sister April would like these pictures Leire took yesterday.

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Tagged (again)

Thank you to the lovely Lylah! I have now been tagged again and am supposed to put down 7 songs that are shaping my summer...I think this will be my last tag or meme for a while, as one can only do so much.
Well, unfortunately I don't think I have 7 to share, since I am not a big music-lover like my hubby. So, here goes:
  1. The new Coldplay album Jon got for Father's Day this year (sorry, no particular song!).
  2. The Vacation Bible School CD that my kids play at full volume everyday (exciting, I know). It's called Adventure Park or something.
  3. Pink Martini's "Hang on Little Tomato" CD has a great song called "Anna (el negro zumban)" that my kids love and play over and over and over again. It's fun and we can dance to it and it's all in Spanish!
  4. Nearly every night Ava likes to listen to the "Cat Song" while we do dishes and she dances in the kitchen and we take breaks and dance with her, too. It's really by the Stray Cats and it's called "The Stray Cat Strut". I don't really know what it's about but it's upbeat and fun and Ava loves cats, so...
  5. Lastly, I have had a song stuck in my head for a few days from the Office season 4 episode called "The Dinner Party". You know, the song that Jan's former assistant Hunter sings and she dances to it--sooooo funny. But the stupid song's been in my head for days..."You made everything allriiiiiiiight."
And I am supposed to tag other people, but I wasn't going to until April left a comment. So, April, you are now tagged! heehee

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Memed--Here ya go Bepo

Well, my sister April "memed" me (whatever the heck that means). Now I am supposed to put 7 random or weird things about myself that no one would know. It's going to be a challenge to keep it to only 7. Check the bottom for your name: you could be the next one to be "memed". . . (insert evil laugh here). . .
Here's the official rules as they are to be posted:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay, here you go, some interesting thoughts rattling around in my head:
  1. Much to my husbands chagrin, I love La Femme Nikita (Okay, okay, you probably figured that one out from my username). From season one to the end, it is one of my favorite girl-power, kick a*! shows. Many thanks go out to Ian and Mindy for the season one box set for my birthday this year!
  2. I cannot live without a watch. I look at it about every five minutes and sometimes after I look at it I cannot remember what time it is, so I look at it again. I think there's probably a medication for this.
  3. I spell things with my pointer finger, usually signs I see around town, words I hear, whatever. I think there's a medication for this, too.
  4. One time I was running around the side of our garage and jumped right over a rattlesnake! My dad made short work of that one and I kept the rattle for a long time. . . gee, I wonder what happened to that thing. . .
  5. I hate self-help or any kind of book that does not have a story. I cannot retain anything from them and if you ask me what I liked in one I will probably produce a blank stare and ask: "Well, what did you like about it?"
  6. I love the first few days with a new baby in the hospital. If I could avoid the pregnancy, sleepless nights, labor, and future temper tantrums just to have a new baby in the hospital I would totally do it. This may be due to being spoiled at Providence Portland Hospital. Think about it: every meal is cooked for you, excellent milkshakes at the push of a button, pain medication, visitors, and, when I want them to, the nurses wheel the baby away so I can sleep. It's heaven!
  7. I really like to hike, and I went on quite a few overnight trips with my dad growing up. A little known fact about me is that my hands swell when I hike. I used to be ridiculed about this by some "friends" (you know who you are) when I would hike with my hands held up near my heart. Now I don't worry so much about it as the swelling doesn't last long. :)
Here's the 7 people I meme: Brooke, Ian, Dorina, Jerry, Lylah, Candace, and Jenni.

Buried


Jonah, age 7, buried in the sand.

Jonah with his bury-ers (is that a word?), Anny and Mitch.

It won't come off!

Daddy got in on the fun and reburied him, but Joe said he couldn't breathe, so we let him out. :)
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Monday, July 21, 2008

Kids First Wedding



Our friend's son got married this weekend (we remember when he was 12!) and we got to go up to TCBC (where Jonah went to camp) for the beautiful outdoor wedding. Congratulations Alec and Vera!

This was the first wedding that Jonah and Ava remember attending and they were in awe! Now they both tell me that they want to be IN one (any takers?!). Ava thought the bride was beautiful (she was) and Jonah really enjoyed the chocolate. This was Leire's first American wedding and she couldn't believe it was outdoors ("only in a church in the Basque Country"). She loved the chocolates and the cake (two pieces) and even though Jon kept trying to trick her that the birdseed was for humans and that the mayo packet was dessert ("Just squish it into your mouth") she really had a wonderful time and so did we.

Jon taking an artistic view of the chocolates.

It was cold in the shade so I was snuggling with Ava and Audrey ("Rosie") for a bit.
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Leire with baby Caleb TenKley

Leire and her friend Paula. There are 9 Basque students in the Portland area this summer.

Jon (it's like "Wow!")

TCBC has a new treehouse (you can see it in the distance) that sleeps like 10 people or something crazy like that. We trekked over to it and Leire was pretending she was the flower girl.
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Then there's us...


Jon was being so silly

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

She gets into EVERYTHING

I guess I took too long doing the dishes...

Friday, July 18, 2008

She loves to dress up!


Lately every morning Brynne points up to the hooks and says "Gung-Gung!" (Which translated means "May I dress up please, Mommy?") It's always the same shawl and Ava's Minney Mouse hat, then she runs around and rips it off and wants it on again. And notice the one shoe? She had two different shoes on and proceeded to take them off, then want me to put them on again as well. Sixteen months old and she and Ava (5) have the same passion for fashion.
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Monday, July 14, 2008

Multnomah Falls



On the Fourth of July we hiked Multnomah Falls with Leire and the kids. It was super crowded by the time we were done (we got there early) and everyone was ready for a nap when we got home! But it was really fun and Leire loved it, too.


At the top!

It took an hour to get up (1 mile) and 15 minutes to get down...

Brynne's ready to hike
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