blogging catch up

Our dear sweet cousins are headed back to the Philippines after six weeks of rest and recovery (recop? relax?) in the NW. Year-round we love Addie and Bella from afar on their blog. We sing and dance to their favorite songs and follow their mama's fashion trendiness.
Here are a couple pictures from their visit. We'll miss you dearly!

ice cream pals

emme's first love

Emme has her first crush - on Toby Tyler - aka Kevin Corcoran - child actor of the 60's. She discovered him in The Shaggy Dog and carries the DVD cover for the movie Toby Tyler with her obsessively. She alternately calls him "the boy", "Moochie" (his nickname), or "Toby Tyler".

a visit to the farm

We take a trip to my parents' friends' farm each time we visit Wisconsin. This year the temperature was so warm that all the animals were hiding in the barn - and their echoing bleating was loud enough to keep Ems away. And the smell was enough to keep me away! I did get a couple of sweet pictures of them as we bought some fresh eggs.

children of the corn

I spent my junior high summer days detasseling corn - the glamorous process of marching through cornfields, picking off the tassel on each corn plant - sticky, hot, buggy work - and if I remember right, we were paid less than minimum wage because we were so young - yikes!

But this summer, I am struck with how beautiful Wisconsin looks, especially the cornfields! The green is so intense, so consistent, so lush. Even my kidlets couldn't resist the fields.

happy 4th of july!

mud and baseball

The rains finally let up enough for E to have his last baseball game of the season. The highlight of the game was 50 naked bicylists riding by halfway through the game. Every boy stopped, turned, and watched them go by - then broke out in hysterical laughter.

Ems didn't quite catch on. She was too busy living it up in the mud puddles.

Videos below.

strawbery rhubarb pie challenge

I am not a skilled baker. I can cook the hell out of a meal, but ask me to measure things perfectly and remember that something is actually cooking in the oven, and I'm lost. But the Oregon strawberries were calling at the market and my rhubarb plant is doing GREAT this spring. So Emme and I took a morning to be adventurous and try it out.

Step 1 - get a good helper. It helps if she's infinity coy and charming.

Step 2 - chop up the fruit

Step 3 - let it sit and get all yummy

Step 4 - cringe at the amount of mess it takes for me to pull off a crust.

Step 5 - pie, baby!

field day

Rain didn't stop field day from happening. The kids seemed to have the run of the school (kind of scary considering a local boy who disappeared from his school just a week ago) - but they reveled in it. My favorite was potato hockey and the marble grab using toes only (this in not your mama's kind of field day).

E hung with two cool friends - they were like puppies rolling around from one activity to the next.

Crazy ginormous action video below:

chinese garden

We took Nana to the Chinese Gardens - we just became members - it's my new favorite place in Portland. And I am waaaaay late to the party. It's been here for years, and we just hadn't taken the time to go. Now I can't wait to go back over and over. It's so lovely, so peaceful. I could spend all day just looking at the paving designs.

peony love

We are surrounded with peonies these days. So, so happy!

just a bit more birthday cheesecake

birthday party night

After the fun friend party, we had a little family party. Bring on the Tinkerbell cake, fairy wings, and lots of presents. Oh sweet girl, we love you so!

birthday party morning

There were multiple fetes for sweet Em. She requested a Tinkerbell park party. We got rained out from the park and relocated to our house - a dozen sweet little three year-old bodies running around the house on a wet morning. Em was delighted with her friends - and her doughnut cake!

our birthday girl

Our sweet baby Ems is three today. It's almost impossible to believe she's only been in our lives for three short years. What would our family be without her? Em is full of opinions, love, and the ability to nearly to everything "by herself." I love her sweaty little head at night, her determination when she runs somewhere, and the tender love she shows all babies.

sweet Delia

Sweet baby Delia - newly walking one year-old and fashion plate. Here is the green poncho I knit for her - part of the poncho Mafia that also includes Ems and Moo. SOMEDAY I'll remember to get a picture of all three of them wearing their ponchos together. Video of her chatting away with Moo below . . .