What? A new blog post? WOW!

Ahhh, our poor neglected blog.  It's so easy to throw a picture and a couple sentences up on Facebook that when we get around to doing something for the blog we've used all the good pictures.  But enough complaining, we still like the ol' long-form of the blog. 

The boys and I (Steve) had a snow day from school because, ummmm, we're not really sure.  Somewhere it Portland it looked like it might possibly be bad weather somewhere.  We enjoyed the day off anyway and went to Holly's work to show off Rowsby, the new puppy.  Then we stopped at the park and showed the new puppy what a slide was.  She didn't care for it much.  The boys also made use of some of the other play equipment.

 We got our Christmas tree this weekend.  The one Tim is holding isn't the tree we got, he thought it looked like a good hobbit tree so Holly snapped a picture.  And there on the right Joe decided to hang some ornaments from his glasses while we decorated everything.

Good Dog

We had to put our dear Batsy to sleep this afternoon. What a great friend she has been these 13 or so years - sleeping on Tim's bed, digging under the fence on Tolman Street to go on walkabouts, getting sprayed by a skunk twice, laying in any patch of sunshine, forever nudging doors open to see where everyone was, sitting at the window to watch the world go by (and letting the neighbors know she saw them with a few barks), playing catch like crazy, and being forever tolerant of our silliness. It was hard to say goodbye, but we feel fortunate to have had her in our lives.

First Day of School

Joe is already out the door this morning to catch the bus and Tim is still getting everything together since his classes start an hour later.  Overall they are excited to get back to all their friends, with some regret that summer is over.

This all seems to be routine now for us with Joe being a Sophomore and Tim in 7th grade.  It should be a good year, each boy having been at their school a year now, knowing the routines, being pretty relaxed in their environment.  It's a good space to be in.

Red Head Event

Joe and Tim helped set the (unofficial until verified) world record for most red heads gathered in one spot last Saturday.  For those who missed it in the Oregonian, they ran a story about it.  The boys enjoyed being part of a world record, but the heat and sun almost did them in.  We were able to find a ice cream parlor close to Pioneer Square, so it wasn't all bad.

Waldo Lake

	We went camping at Waldo Lake for three nights last week and of course did quite a bit of kayaking.  Our first trip out we paddled out to one of the small islands.  We had it all to ourselves (maybe 1,500 sq/ft) for lunch, some reading, a couple games of cribbage and no leash for Batsy.  The water is incredibly clear and sometimes we'd paddle and then float for a while looking down at the bottom.  The slide show below has more pictures of us out on the water. When we weren't paddling we did a lot of reading (the boys and Holly), some writing (Steve), sleeping (Batsy), and playing games (everyone).

Tim is Twelve!

Tim turned 12 yesterday.  His birthday celebration was a bit spread out between some vacations and camp, so he had a bunch of friends over a couple weeks ago and took them to Laser Tag, a free Slurpee (it was 7/11), and back home for cake.

This last weekend we got together with family for a BBQ and presents, and yesterday was FINALLY the official day.  We played a couple games (Tim won one and lost won), went to his favorite restaurant for dinner, and finished the night off with cupcakes.

Joe and Tim at Camp

The boys spent last week at Trout Creek Bible Camp.  Thanks to everyone who sent them mail!  (If they get 3 or more pieces of mail they have to kiss the moose.)  They had lots of stories to share about the games, archery, paint ball, go-carts, the zip line, staying up until 2 am, and much more.

When they got home on Saturday, Tim fell asleep for two hours and Joe grazed in the kitchen for three. 

July 4th Morning Paddle

We went out on the Willamette this morning.

Happy 15th Birthday Joe!

Joe turned 15 today.  We had a family birthday party yesterday (in the 96 degree heat) and Joe opened some more presents this morning. 

He spent the day reading some new books, playing a new board game, and playing a new video game too.  To top it all off, we went out for pizza (of course).

The Last Day of School

Friday was the last day of school for the boys.  Now Joe is a Sophomore  and Tim a 7th grader.   For those who want to compare, the smaller picture is from their first day of school this year.

Drummer Boy

Tim (in the drum line) and the Sellwood Middle School Marching Band marched in the St. John's neighborhood parade. They won 2nd place.

Second Place!

Last week Joe finished his first high school track season. We are quite proud. He competed at the Freshmen level  at the district meet and finished second in discus and fourth in javelin and shot put.

Discuss Discus

The boys saved up some money and ordered their own discuses so they could practice on their own. The discuses arrived in the mail on Friday and (since there was no school) they went down to the high school field and threw for a while. 

Checking Out Bandon

We're down in Bandon for the end of spring break. Tonight we took a walk on the piers (and watched some silly seals) and then headed out to the beach by the jetty. Tomorrow it'll be a little bit of swimming, some board games, some time on the beach, maybe a nap for Holly . . . .

Piggy Sitting

Steve and the boys are on spring break now.  An added bonus is they get to watch the guinea pigs (Barney and Bam Bam) for some friends who are out of town.   The piggies aren't loud, but makes lots of sounds that roughly translate to:  Feed Me Now! (lots of little squeaks) and Leave Me Alone! (a baby wookie growl).  They give the wookie growl to each other when they're both in the same space.

Joe Placed!

Joe placed in all 3 of his throwing events last Wednesday (discus, javelin and shot put) at his first high school track meet. He was most proud of his discus throw which put him in 2nd place in the JV category.

Thanks to Grandpa Denniston for the pictures.

Making Root Beer and Helping a Neighbor

On Sunday while Tim and Steve were off making root beer, Joe was helping a neighbor move a shed. Over Spring Break we get to try "Midnight Medical Snack Root Beer."

Welcome to The Ravioli

We got our new car on Friday and said goodbye to the "Super Blue" (our blue Subaru) that we've had since Joe was 3 months old. The boys are quite excited. We're road tripping to Bandon for part of spring break and will put the roof rack to good use with our kayaks this summer!

Now to get the stupid decal off the front.

Drumming competition

Tim competed in snare drum at the county-wide solo and ensemble competition last week. At the middle school level they are just critiqued. In high school they can move on to the state competition. Steve was there and said Tim did a really good job.

Next up - the drum line in the neighborhood St. Patty's Day parade!

Honor Roll and Principal's List!

The first semester of high school and middle school are done.  Yahoo!  We have a few accomplishments to share.

Joe was recognized for being a student athlete with at least a 3.5 GPA (a 3.78 as a matter of fact with 2 honors classes!).   That day he not only got a certificate, but more importantly to him, a second breakfast at school!  And we received a letter from the principal this weekend saying that he's also on honor roll - a distinction for Freshmen!

Tim also did well, especially with Jazz Band practices, and was one of the students recognized for excellence in performance.  He decided he was happy that he was home sick the day the certificates were handed out at an assembly (the students had to dance in front of everyone).

Congrats to both boys.  Can you tell we're a little proud?

Books for Books

The boys sold some books back at Powell's this weekend and of course got in store credit, and promptly used it.  Powell's didn't buy all of the books back so next they went to Wallace's, a smaller bookstore in our neighborhood.  Wallaces's bought more books that Powell's did and the boys (re)loaded their bookshelves some more.

Holly was the one who drove them since Steve was home with a fever.  She did snap a picture of Brave on the Page while at Powell's, the book Steve has an essay published in.  Currently it is at  #1  on Powell's Small Press Bestsellers list.

Celebrating the Inauguration

This morning we watched/listened to the speeches and tonight we drank Fitz's special rootbeer (thanks Grandma and Grandpa B!). Steve also broke out a bottle of the The White House Honey Porter he and his friend brewed.

The boys were quite pleased when they noticed Michelle Obama's brother sporting his OSU scarf and orange tie.