What did I do this summer (part 3 of ?)

SO, what should we remember next…

How about MOSSY ROCK and the Lumberjack Festival??

We drove up on Friday evening, pitched a tent at the lake and built a rope swing for the kids.  Bryce, Shantel, Zoey, Ben and Grandpa joined us.  We haven’t done much camping this summer so this was a weekend we were all looking for. 

The Rope Swing was by far the biggest hit -

When Kenneth was young, his family would block out this weekend every year and spend the weekend in Morton and on the lake.  We have decided that as long as we live here, we will make it an annual event as well.  The campground was really nice, not to busy or crowded and there was plenty of room to run and play.

Saturday Morning we got up early and went to a pancake breakfast that was being hosted by one of the “Clubs” and then went to the parade…

What a great shopping cart – don’t you think???

This is a beam from the Twin Towers.  It was being brought to the area to be placed at a memorial that is being created in this area.  I found it very interesting to actually see what a “twisted” piece of steel looks like after working in the Fireproofing Industry for several years and talking about and hearing about what happens to steel when heated too quickly. – Sorry, the ramblings of Melissa can be a bit off the wall.

The Festival was next, after wandering through the flea market a bit.  And who can forget the FOOD – all kinds, all fattening and all good.  The boys had never seen anything like it, except on a WII game and they thought it was pretty cool to see it “for real”.

The day was a great one, not too hot, not too cold, and packed full of fun and food and by the time we got home we were all tuckered out and ready for bed.

What did I do this summer (part 2 of ?)

So we are at the beach and while there, we decide to write our names in the sand…

Overall, the kids and the parents and even Grandpa had a great time.  We love to explore new place and experience new things.  This was a fun trip that we will definitely have to do again soon.  Spending time with the family is definitely one of my favorite things to do and spending time with family in the beautiful Northwest is just an added bonus.

What did I do this summer (part 1 of ?)

This summer has been jam-packed full of activity.  We moved, played, camped, explored, hung out, worked, played some more, got reacquainted with family, ate lots of food… 

I will try to share most of it over the next few posts and hopefully most of the memories we made this summer will be included.  If I forget any, feel free to remind me so I can add them.

So where to start…

Let’s start with our trip to Astoria and the Fort in July.  We went with Grandpa Harmon.  We went to the Astoria Tower, climbed all 164 stairs and flew a pinewood airplane from the top and then climbed all the way down.  I never knew 164 stairs could be so hard to climb…

                                       

The boys loved it and we enjoyed seeing the bay and watching the boats.  They also loved the bridge and tried to guess how long a bridge it is…

It was a cloudy morning and this added to the great effect of the bridge.  We also watched the tug boats and large, commercial barges.

 

After we explored the tower, we went to the Fort and let the boys run, play, climb, hike, explore and see what they could see.  They loved it.  They climbed the trees, crawled around in the remains of the fort, and tried to imagine what the buildings would have been.

        

Next, we stopped off at the shipwreck and the beach and boy did they get dirty…  But then again, what Harmon boy wouldn’t take advantage of an opportunity to get dirty and wet???

     

                        

Read the next post for more memories…

Kenny's Nine Now...

So yesterday was Kenny's ninth birthday. We had celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago with the family and I don't think he even remembered it was his birthday yesterday.

We decided to take he and Kale to OMSI for his birthday because he had been asking to go for several weeks now. We started out in the science wing where Kenny and I went to the chemistry lab and did some neat experiments. He really seemed to enjoy playing with beakers, chemicals and learning.

Next, we went to an IMAX Movie,

about elephants and orangutans and what people in the world were doing to rescue and save the babies when their moms were killed by poachers or their enviornment being destroyed. It was really cute and sweet but reminded us all of the importance of taking care of our world.

After that we went to the Video Game Exhibit, Game on 2.0 where we explored over 40 years of gaming entertainment; from the first commercial coin-op to the latest in virtual reality and 3D technology. They had Nintendo, Pong, Wii, Centipede, Pac-man, pinball... the list goes on and on for 125 titles.

After OMSI, Kenny picked Izzy's as his birthday restaurant, so off we went to eat salad, pizza, chicken, Jell-o, all the good stuff that kids like. Unfortunately, for mom and dad who are dieting, we could only have a small amount of salad and just a bit of dressing (and not even the good kind). But the boys sure enjoyed their meal...

Later that night, Grandpa & Grandma Ericson & Megan and Tyler came for dinner and desert. IT wasn't bad and Kenny seemed to enjoy it all (Kale ate earlier as he doesn't like fish). We had cake and ice cream and brownies with raspberry sauce... all things mom and dad couldn't eat. But seeing everyone else enjoying it made it a bit easier to "swallow".

Kenny is an amazing little boy.

He loves legos, playing with Bionicles, Hero Factor or any other toy that he can take apart and put back together. He loves riding his bike in the front yard and around the neighborhood. He loves playing with his little brother, Kale (although I think they are going through a bickering phase right now, and I hope it ends soon).

Kenny loves school. He started on Wednesday and loves everything about it. He has two "girl" friends and his teacher's name is Ms. Marvin. He loves to read and is currently enjoying a couple of series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites.

Kenny is an inquisitive little boy, full of life and always wanting to learn. When he finds something he likes, he REALLY likes it and eats, sleeps and breaths it. He is kind and considerate. He is ALL BOY and I don't think that will ever change, (at least I hope not). He loves to be the center of attention, but also loves to have "me" time and be alone with his things and his thoughts.

Kenny really loves music and singing. Unfortunately for him, he was not born with intonation. He is really trying though. He sings the hymns at church and joins in with the radio and even sings in the shower. Sometimes we have to ask him to "keep it down" because he gets so wrapped up that he doesn't realize that he is "screaching". We love that he tries and we love that he loves music and hope that he always keeps that love with him.

As Kenny's parents, we are so proud of who he is and who he is becoming. I am pretty sure that his Heavenly Father is proud of him too. He has had a few challenges in his life so far, and they haven't been small ones. He is still working on some, some will stay challenges his whole life, but he hasn't let that get him down. He starts each new day fresh, with a smile (that is missing several teeth) and goes at the world full force.

We love him and feel very blessed to have him in our family.

I know, I know... its been forever

So I haven't blogged for quite some time and so much has happened this year that I don't even know where to start to catch up. So I will try to catch up but I am not promising it will happen chronologically. I will also do my best to keep it updated with the current happenings in our ever-changing lives.

So we have moved to Vancouver, Wa and are no longer in Las Vegas. This happened over the summer and it has been a bit emotional for all of us. There is so much good in Washington - family, greenery, cooler weather, work, a simpler life... But we left some great friends back in Las Vegas that will not be replaceable and we have missed them a great deal in the last several months.

The boys are starting back to school on Wednesday and are they ever excited. They are tired of having to play with their mom and dad and want to make some friends of their own. That is definitely one of the hard things about moving during the summer. They have been able to play with their cousins a lot though and that has been a blessing and a saving grace. But Kenny misses Cassidy and wishes she was here to play with him.

Kenneth and I are getting ready to start the HCG diet and loose 30 -40 pounds in the next 30 days. I am looking forward to the outcome, although a little apprehensive about the limit of 500 calories. But having Kenneth with me should make it easier, a built-in support system, a friendly reminder, and a reality check when I need it most. I am so grateful for a loving, supportive husband and friend that keeps me working to be the best I can be.

The boys (all 3 of them) have had a lot of fun this summer and we have travelled a bit as well. I will try to bring you up-to-date on all these fun memories over the next few weeks as I work on our scrapbooks. I hope you will enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them.

Check back soon...

A quiet house...

So, last night the boys (all three of them) got in the car and began their LOOOOOONNNNNNG drive to the Northwest. One of Ken's best friends is getting married this weekend and he decided to travel up there to be at the temple sealing. He took the kids with him so they could see their grandparents and hand out with their cousins. They didn't even know where they were going until they were on the road.

I rented a "dance" flic and spent the evening curled up on the bean bag chair with the dogs watching the amazing choreography and wishing that I wasn't such a clutz. I have always been envious of those who could dance. It is such a beautiful way to express life and all it offers. I don't' have the ability to keep one foot in front of the other when I walk, little less try to put rhythm and movement to it.

I just ordered Chinese food and I am going to sit down and try to catch up on some scrapbooking. I really love to scrapbook digitally. It is fun, fast, easy and much more affordable then the traditional method, but I must admit, I miss working with the paper, ribbon, and other "real" stuff. I will have to find time to sit down and make some cards or something.

Below are some of the pages I have finished lately. I don't scrapbook chronologically so they are in no order and quite random. But I think they are great and thought you might enjoy them.

This is one of the photos that we had taken right before Christmas at Olan Mills. I love it because it captures that personality and attitude of my two precious boys. It also reminds me that they are not little anymore and growing up way too fast. I also love it because it is a great picture of me and I don't have a lot of those either. My favorite thing about the shot is the "I'm too cool attitude" of Kenny's face. It makes me laugh! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

These are some great pictures we took at the Bear Lake Family Reunion held in 2006. The kids loved playing in the sand and walking in the water. And my little Kale still had his long hair. Both boys have loved playing with their cousins since the very beginning of time. And if the noise I heard on the other end of the phone tonight is any indication, they still love hanging out with them and they get along fabulously.

This is us at Death Valley, Thanksgiving 2010. We stopped at a dry lake bed and were amazed at the "hard" ground. Even throwing a large rock didn't make much of a dent in the dirt. And you could run and run and run and not find an end to the dirt...

This is Halloween 2006. We took the boys to the elementary school where Nicky (Ken's oldest sister) teaches and let the trick-or-treat through the hall ways. They loved it and they stayed warm too.

This is my nephew, Thaysen. Meredith left a bunch of her pictures on my computer the last time she was down to visit. I started looking through them and found some great ones of Thaysen as a baby. The headphones are as big as he is but the face says it all. The boy is going to be musical, just you wait and see.

This is another one of the boys goofing off in Death Valley. They were posing and trying to look cool. Truly they are chips of the old, or should I say, young block...

I hope you enjoy these peeks into our life and family. Until next time...

Snow in Las Vegas

We woke up Monday morning to snow. Not a lot, but for Las Vegas, snow is snow. We don't get it often and so when we do we relish in it and enjoy the WHITE of it. It was wonderful and beautiful and wet. Unfortunately for all of us (the boys especially) it didn't stick for long and the day went on like any other day.

I loved the suprise of it though. It made me smile and was a great start to my week (which has been a long on so far...)