Happy 6th Birthday Jack!!!

I can't believe that my favorite little dude turns 6 today!!! Here he is at one of his karate tournaments!

Wish we were with you to celebrate little dude! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! We LOVE you!!!

Houston, We Have a Problem...

All Victor said when he came into the house was "oh honey, do you have a minute so you can come out and help me?".....all I saw was this.....the steering wheel that should be on the riding lawn mower (the older, 2nd lawn mower since the other is DOA right now and waiting for Sears to come out Thursday and fix it).....Almost looks like the "Bat Signal" doesn't it?? We could have used Batman this afternoon to pick that puppy up and move it back to the shed....

No steering wheel means NO steering....

More pushing the riding lawn mower...

Here's Victor pushing it up the hill and towards our property...

There is ALWAYS an upside at our house....the entire yard/orchard got mowed. He did his Incredible Hulk routine when he was mowing part of the grass down on the other side of our fence next to the wheat field....Gotta love living in the country!

The Pud is Feeling a Little Punky...

Charlotte hasn't been herself at all today. She woke-up feeling kinda punky and it's been that way pretty much all day. Her & Victor are watching Elmo right now and I'm about to join them in the family room. So no new Charlotte photos today....instead.....

Here's one of my favorite photos from this year (so far)! This was taken back in February. We have a photo contest at work (you don't win anything), BUT if one of your entries is chosen, your photo (along with about 45 others) are printed out 3' x 2' and hung up in one of the main hallways at work for everyone to see. When June is over, I'll get the print to take home!

The Nome Didn't Make it Back from Hawaii in One Piece...

Susie called me tonight to let me know that her Travelocity Nome met an untimely demise in the dryer...I jokingly told Victor tonight that it looked like "the mob" got ahold of him...Guess she'll need to get a more durable nome for future trips.

Silly Charlotte...

She rediscovered the plastic flower lei that Nana & Papa gave her when they met us at the airport in Honolulu. She wouldn't wear it, but NOW she thinks it's great fun to wear on her head!

Remembering Sydney Pollack...

I don't normally post things about people I really don't know, but I was truly saddened by the death of Actor/Director Sydney Pollack on Monday (age 73 died of cancer). He directed two of my all-time favorite films "Out of Africa" and "Tootsie". "Tootsie" is one of those rare films that I can seriously laugh out loud every time I watch it! The scene where Dustin Hoffman lets the whole TV world know that he is a man, playing a women on live TV is CLASSIC!

He most recently starred in "Made of Honor" with Patrick Dempsey (McDreamy for those Grey's Anatomy fans out there).

Until reading his bio, I hadn't realized just how many films he had directed and/or starred in over the past 40 years, "The Way We Were", " The Firm", "Electric Horseman" and "Absense of Malice". What a career and what a risk taker!

BBQ on Memorial Day...PDX Style...

Suz & Shawn invited us over for a BBQ this afternoon. Of course being Oregon in May and Memorial Day...it rained the entire time. We still had a great time, lots of great food and company. Charlotte was in rare form, had a great time and conked out on the way home (thank you munchkin) and slept for an additional 2 hours so mommy & daddy could get some work done around the house.


Victor & Shawn spent most of the time on the patio (covered area) talking about war gaming and manning the BBQ!!!

Charlotte, Murphy and Jessie...

Well, this was a first! Not only did Charlotte want in the inside dog area (where they sleep at night), but she decided to sit down and FEED them individual pieces of dog food! She even called Jessie by name and Murphy's name came out Mummies!

She immediately got a nice long bath after these photos were taken. I can hear her in the dining room with Victor and she's pushing her baby doll in its' stroller!

The Guys are Back from Enfilade...

Victor, Ken, James and Andy are back from the NW Gaming Convention that was this weekend in Olympia. They had a great time (even Ken who wasn't feeling too great on Saturday night).

They played quite a few games. One they didn't like, the rest they did. The ASL (Advanced Squad Leader) is one they agreed they will start trying to do once their current campaign is over (WWI Fighter Campaign).

Here are a few photos of some of the games. I forgot to remind him to get a photo of the guys...He'll do better next time!

Post #700...

Photos while she was eating dinner tonight!

Saturday's Weather Turns WACKY....

I knew the weather earlier today was TOO good to be true!

Here are a couple of photos from this afternoon when Charlotte & I were in the back, I pulled some weeds while she was blowing bubbles. Later, I used the hose to totally clear off the back patio and deck area of ALL debris.

On the way home from dinner, there were some mighty black clouds towards the west and I saw lightening.....

When we got towards home I figured it had rained some, but BOY, it rained more than that. There was bark dust all over our drive way and if you look at the last photo, you can see the pile of pine needles.


Not only were there pine needles all over the driveway, deck and back patio....Water puddles IN the garage (seeped in under the garage doors) and the grass out back was totally flattened.

I called Gloria (our neighbor) to check on her and ask what had happened. She said it was one of the worst thunder & lightening storms she's seen in a long time. She said the rain poured for over 30 minutes and she felt like the lightening & thunder were directly over the house. Yikes, glad we missed it and we weren't driving in it....so much for the perfect Saturday weather!

Dinner at CPR...Suz & Shawn are Back from HI...

Suz called me late this afternoon and wanted to meet Charlotte & I at CPR for dinner (they were going thru Charlotte with drawls)....We had a great time (although their pizza took way too long)...we had fun hanging out and Charlotte was in rare form at dinner (all good).

Thanks you guys for the cute turtle t-shirt (she's still wearing it)! Glad you made it back safe & sound and sorry the flight back wasn't the best, but you are MARRIED now!!!

Lunch with Laura...

Laura was up from Eugene this morning taking her mom to PDX. We met her at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Earlier they had planned to bring the boys, but the twins & Rob are all sick, so just Laura made this trip!

What a Beautiful Saturday...Fun Outside the Library...

I don't think you could have asked for a more perfect day today! After all of the rain on Friday, I thought for sure it was gonna be a repeat today. NOT...gorgeous...72, perfect!

Charlotte and I went to the Hillsboro Farmers Market (I forgot my camera in the car), then we went to the Hillsboro Library to walk/run outside and take some photos!

Charlotte watching her shadow. She actually said something that sounded like shadow today while we were chasing hers'.


I love the Hillsboro Library. The inside and the outside. Here's the view of the backside....Love the ponds and all the walk ways around it. A great place to walk, take photos and have fun a perfect Saturday!

Wee Bees for a Cure '08 -- Banner is Done!!! Thanks Rosemary!!!

Check it out! Not only do we have an AMAZING new banner to use every year at Relay (THANK YOU Rosemary)!!! We also have a super cool new wall hanging with the happiest BEE you will ever see (besides Charlotte)!!!

A close-up of the Bee on the banner.

Lunch with Kenzie...

Mama and I have had quite the busy day today! Besides my doctor appointment, we stopped in to say "hi" to Dr. Korman (they super cool lady that delivered me), we also met up with a bunch of mama's friends from work at Happy Panda for a yummy lunch.

This is Kenzie & I hanging out after lunch! She was super nice and even shared a bunch of her crackers with me so I didn't starve before our lunch arrived!

Charlotte's 2-year Wellness Check-up

Weighing in at 26lbs 7 oz. and 34 1/2" tall is Miss Charlotte. She did great at her 2-year wellness check-up appointment today. She didn't even cry when Miss Hannah gave her shot (she only got one this visit). We won't need to see Dr. G. again until she is 3 years old!

Have Fun in Olympia War Gaming Dada...

Here are Dada and I this morning before he left to go meet up with the rest of his war gaming buddies. They are heading up to Olympia to attend Enfilade 2008. It's the NW Miniature Gaming Convention.

He text paged Mama around 12:40pm to let us know they made it safe & sound. Love you Dada!

Thursday Update and Have a Safe Memorial Day Weekend...

No photos today (shocking I know)!!! I actually forgot my camera in my hast for us not to be late (which we were anyway--my fault) to meet up with Kim & Tom for dinner. YEAH, we finally got to meet Tom!!! We've been planning dinner for about 3 months and we finally had everyone in town and not already double booked!

Kim & Tom got Charlotte two great gifts for her birthday from a really cool shop in Sherwood, MudPuddles Toys & Books. Kim & Charlotte had a great time working the Beginner Pattern Blocks (which featured a fish pattern on the top puzzle) while we talked and waited for our meals.

Thank you guys for the great gifts for Charlotte and the fun time at dinner! We look forward to seeing you more this summer!

After bath time and a little walking her baby doll around in its stroller, Charlotte is in bed, Victor is working on home work and I'm ready to crash myself.

Big weekend plans....Victor, James, Ken & Andy are going up to Olympia for 3 days to a war gaming convention...they will have a blast.

Charlotte & I have a very busy Friday, including her 2-year wellness check-up, stopping by to see our OB Dr. Korman who's in the same building, dropping off quilt raffle tickets, picking up my prize from Scrapbook Attack (I have no idea what I've won, but it's scrapbooking, so it's gotta be good and my name is listed on their blog as of May 19th as a winner), lunch with some friends from work and then who knows.....it's just me and the pud this weekend!

Everyone have a fun and SAFE Memorial Day weekend, take time to remember those we have lost and to tell those around you that you love and appreciate them!

The Puppies are Home...

The puppies are back from the puppy hotel. They had a great stay, but are very happy to be home. I think Charlotte was even more excited to see them than they were to see her!

Love Her Smile!!!

We are still settling back into a routine after being gone nearly 2 weeks. Charlotte is back in action and actually slept in until 8:50am (YEAH). She even took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon while I was home (double YEAH)!!!

She was taking her baby doll on a stroll tonight and when I asked her to smile for the camera, I got lots of great shots like this! Love that she likes having her picture taken!

Heading Back Home...

We are heading back to the main land this afternoon and will be home later tonight!

What a great 12 days we've had here in Hawaii.

THANK YOU Nana & Papa Green for being wonderful hosts! We really do love your side of the island and hope to come back soon!

Turtle Bay...

It was over cast and raining this morning, so we decided to head north to Turtle Bay. By the time we got there for lunch, it was nice and sunny. This is a beautiful resort on the north side of the island. Very expensive, not the place we would ever stay, but a nice place to have lunch and walk around at.

Speak no evil, hear no evil and see no evil (Charlotte didn't quite get her part down correctly).

Charlotte and Victor watching water come out thru a lava blow hole.

The Cutest Hula Girl You Will EVER See...

We picked this up in Maui for Charlotte (thanks Shawn for the suggestion). She LOVES it...I think we are gonna have a hard time getting her to change back to regular clothes later. This has to be much more comfortable than the coconuts.

Mom & Victor were coaching her to move her arms like she was Hula dancing.

Waikiki...

After going to a scrapbook store and book/comic book/cd/gaming store (both in the same complex), we headed down to Waikiki. We'd driven by, but actually stopped and parked. We decided to check out the Hilton Hawaiian Village and wandered around for a couple of hours and had lunch right near the beach.

Charlotte still is afraid of all the birds and doesn't want to touch the sand...

Charlotte screaming as Victor attempted to show her that sand is her friend. She didn't buy it. We all three walked a ton and she was out for the count within 5 minutes of getting into the car.