This week was much more tame than last week. I can't be expected to make a bridge jump every week, can I? In fact, I don't even have pictures for this week. Sad but true. Instead, the reader gets the 10 highlights of the week (good and bad)! Note that these are in no particular order or excitement.
1) Someone in our household received a $200+ photo speeding ticket, and it wasn't Luis.
2) The scale said that I lost 6 pounds in the last month.
3) Luis overcooked some pork.
4) Listened in on the Cadence earnings call (see previous "Hostility" post below for reference) with a large group of co-workers and our company president. They severely lowered their earnings projection for the year and one analyst even went so far as to ask the CEO if he was the right man to run the company. Our reaction to said call was akin to a barroom full of rowdy Red Sox fans cheering, hooting, and hollering.
5) Watched Handy Manny 38 times.
6) Turned "green" and began carpooling.
7) Ran 9 miles in 2 days.
8) Bought 3 necklaces and 3 pairs of earrings while shopping with Siena. I had a realization earlier in the week that not only did I have little jewelry that the kids haven't broken, the jewelry that remained was about 6 years out of style.
9) Overplucked right eyebrow.
10) Saw the new Batman movie in IMAX with the DeCicco's. Said movie is HIGHLY recommended. It was one of the best movies I've seen in the last year and Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker.
**Note to those who may or may not be wondering what the hell Mount Wannahockaloogie is...just ask any toddler wearing a Nemo t-shirt.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
9 Games of Yahtzee, 1 Giant Leap into Billy Chinook
Another summer, another vacation. This year we headed east to Eagle Crest, 6 miles from Redmond, OR. As we did last year with our Lake Shasta trip, we invited YaYa and Papa Ron (aka my parents) to come along. They are pleasant company and also provide the occasional babysitting duties when Luis and I decide to escape for a round of golf or tennis.
We were very active the whole week. It was like the Cruz Olympics. In addition to the aforementioned golf and tennis, I learned to play racquetball. We also went biking, I went running, and we went on a lot of walks. Dispite all of the activity, I notice no visible weight loss. The nice nightly dinners may have had something to do with that.
The Cruz boys and their families (Jr. and Joel) were camping at nearby Lake Billy Chinook the same week we were on vacation so we drove over to there campground one day. The drive there took us deep into Deliverance country as seen below. They owe us a car wash. The burnt trees are the result of a wild fire from about 5 years ago.
Jr., however, was a little more gutsy than his younger bro. He snatched the lifejacket and made the leap. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, I missed the shot of him in mid air.
Well, that gave Luis the encouragement he needed. He made the leap.
That only left Joel - the one I most expected would do it. He took a look and flat out refused to do it. Luis then asked me if I was game. Of course I am. I made my way to the bridge and with little fanfare, took the plunge. My theory is that the more you think about it, the less likely one is to do it. I didn't think much about it aside from plugging my nose (I don't need water up the nose to deal with). It was a great jump aside from landing ass first. Not the best feeling...
So of course after I did it, Joel had no choice (can't let his sister-in-law show him up). Here he goes...
So here's the Cruz boys strutting their stuff after their brave bridge jump.
And here's me with them as well. I rarely post pictures of myself on this blog (mainly because I'm taking them), so I find it ironic that the rare picture of me is in a swimsuit...
So back at our house, things were as usual (doesn't everyone's kid stand on a potty chair with an inflatable sun around their head).
There were mishaps such as the brilliant waffle breakfast idea which turned into YaYa's waffle scramble.
Here's YaYa and Papa Ron cleaning the waffle scramble off the iron...
Papa Ron was the only one brave enough to eat the scrambled version. The rest of us were patient enough to wait for the iron sprayed regular version.
Siena was just happy with the strawberries...
This was our view of the Deschutes from the back deck. The river didn't come out great in the picture but it was an awesome scene to look out on.
YaYa had another brilliant idea. This one involved putting a wading pool out back for the kids to play in while we were hanging around the house. The problem is that there was no hose or outdoor spicket. However, YaYa isn't one to give up, especially where her grandkids are involved. So, we ended up with the old-time system of pots and water.
Yup, here's the Einstein behind this idea...don't be fooled. She's not as innocent as she looks.
And an hour later, we had a whole inch and a half of water in the darn thing.
The limited amount of water didn't slow Mason down much though. Besides, there were real pools that we took them to play in every day, sometimes twice a day. I'm surprised we didn't bring home little prunes.
We drove to Lake Suttle for brunch one day. It was a great place to eat since it was literally on the water. And of course they had chicken strips so Mason was happy.
And there was water so Siena could make one of her famous concoctions. You don't want to know what's in it.
Luis found some new sunglasses. That's his model pose.
The Grandparents and Nannies in Sisters.
Mason in the bike shop. He liked to smell all of the tires. That is not a trait of mine.
The kids in Sisters.
Yup, it was a good week.
We were very active the whole week. It was like the Cruz Olympics. In addition to the aforementioned golf and tennis, I learned to play racquetball. We also went biking, I went running, and we went on a lot of walks. Dispite all of the activity, I notice no visible weight loss. The nice nightly dinners may have had something to do with that.
The Cruz boys and their families (Jr. and Joel) were camping at nearby Lake Billy Chinook the same week we were on vacation so we drove over to there campground one day. The drive there took us deep into Deliverance country as seen below. They owe us a car wash. The burnt trees are the result of a wild fire from about 5 years ago.
We had our waverunner and took everyone who wanted a ride out on the lake. All the kids got to go. Mason was scared of it last year but got into it this year. In the course of conversation during the day, Luis bragged that he was willing to jump off one of the bridges over the lake that we had crossed earlier in the day. Jr. and Joel were pretty sure he was full of it, as was I so they followed us back to have him prove it.
This is the picture of Luis climbing into position, and then completely wimping out and climbing back onto the bridge.
Jr., however, was a little more gutsy than his younger bro. He snatched the lifejacket and made the leap. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, I missed the shot of him in mid air.
Well, that gave Luis the encouragement he needed. He made the leap.
That only left Joel - the one I most expected would do it. He took a look and flat out refused to do it. Luis then asked me if I was game. Of course I am. I made my way to the bridge and with little fanfare, took the plunge. My theory is that the more you think about it, the less likely one is to do it. I didn't think much about it aside from plugging my nose (I don't need water up the nose to deal with). It was a great jump aside from landing ass first. Not the best feeling...
So of course after I did it, Joel had no choice (can't let his sister-in-law show him up). Here he goes...
So here's the Cruz boys strutting their stuff after their brave bridge jump.
And here's me with them as well. I rarely post pictures of myself on this blog (mainly because I'm taking them), so I find it ironic that the rare picture of me is in a swimsuit...
So back at our house, things were as usual (doesn't everyone's kid stand on a potty chair with an inflatable sun around their head).
There were mishaps such as the brilliant waffle breakfast idea which turned into YaYa's waffle scramble.
Here's YaYa and Papa Ron cleaning the waffle scramble off the iron...
Papa Ron was the only one brave enough to eat the scrambled version. The rest of us were patient enough to wait for the iron sprayed regular version.
Siena was just happy with the strawberries...
This was our view of the Deschutes from the back deck. The river didn't come out great in the picture but it was an awesome scene to look out on.
YaYa had another brilliant idea. This one involved putting a wading pool out back for the kids to play in while we were hanging around the house. The problem is that there was no hose or outdoor spicket. However, YaYa isn't one to give up, especially where her grandkids are involved. So, we ended up with the old-time system of pots and water.
Yup, here's the Einstein behind this idea...don't be fooled. She's not as innocent as she looks.
And an hour later, we had a whole inch and a half of water in the darn thing.
The limited amount of water didn't slow Mason down much though. Besides, there were real pools that we took them to play in every day, sometimes twice a day. I'm surprised we didn't bring home little prunes.
We drove to Lake Suttle for brunch one day. It was a great place to eat since it was literally on the water. And of course they had chicken strips so Mason was happy.
And there was water so Siena could make one of her famous concoctions. You don't want to know what's in it.
Luis found some new sunglasses. That's his model pose.
The Grandparents and Nannies in Sisters.
Mason in the bike shop. He liked to smell all of the tires. That is not a trait of mine.
The kids in Sisters.
Yup, it was a good week.
Monday, July 7, 2008
All In The Family
Yup, 4th of July came and went. There was picnicing. There was tasty food. There were cloudy skies (it is Oregon after all).
I realized I'm becoming a grumpy old woman when I became annoyed at the barrage of fireworks outside my window at 11PM. Yes, I know its one night a year and its in celebration of our country's independance. I'm as patriotic as the next gal. We have a flag in front of our house. I stand and salute during the national anthem. I root for the USA in the Olympics. However, as patriotic as I am, I also enjoy my sleep and when tired, I disdain anything that gets in the way.
The virtual invasion of Normandy outside my window got me thinking about the whole correlation between fireworks and the 4th of July. Why are loud banging contraptions really necessary? If my memory of history is correct, the Revolution happened AFTER the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th. If we wanted to celebrate the signing, we'd spend the day cooped up in a humid room debating the virtues of our nation, not blowing stuff up and keeping the tired mothers of the country up past their bedtime. If you think I'm responding this strongly to this holiday, just wait until I give my views on New Years eve.
Aside from the Battle of the Bulge happening outside, it was a nice 3 day weekend. We took the kids to see Wall*E on Saturday. The Live Wire (aka Siena) didn't quite make it through the movie so Daddy had to take her home. Mason and I both thought it was great. Highly recommended for adults and children alike...and this coming from one not normally fond of animated films though Pixar movies have recently become the exception.
Sunday was a fun day for all the Cruzes. The sun came out and we spent the afternoon at Joanne and Doug's house in their swimming pool along with Heidi and Dan and their kids (Ellia and Berron) and Jay B. and Chandra and their daughter (Jocelyn). The little ones floated on a variety of inflatible parahpenalia while the "adults" engaged in a world-class game of pool "HORSE" (note that there is a basketball hoop at one end of the pool).
The game went like this: miss, miss, miss, crazy make, miss...for a long time...
Ultimately it came down to the final two - surprisingly the only two females in the competition, Chandra and myself. It became a slam dunk competition between the girls. Finally, Chandra beat me on a jump shot from the free throw line. The crowd went wild. I went to the side of the pool in shame (not really).
Dinner was at Bruce and Mary Lou's house. Sadly, this is the only place I managed to bust out my camera all weekend. However, the few pictures I got should provide a good look at the Ham farm...I mean house...
Mason and Siena had a wonderful time pounding the keys on Mary Lou's very nice (and probably very expensive) piano. Not sure if this means that they need lessons one day. Their parents aren't particularly musically inclined so time will tell.
And Jim Bob...I mean Jay B....shooting birds away from the crops. It may be a BB gun and he was only shooting for small birds, but the threatining image still applies.
I realized I'm becoming a grumpy old woman when I became annoyed at the barrage of fireworks outside my window at 11PM. Yes, I know its one night a year and its in celebration of our country's independance. I'm as patriotic as the next gal. We have a flag in front of our house. I stand and salute during the national anthem. I root for the USA in the Olympics. However, as patriotic as I am, I also enjoy my sleep and when tired, I disdain anything that gets in the way.
The virtual invasion of Normandy outside my window got me thinking about the whole correlation between fireworks and the 4th of July. Why are loud banging contraptions really necessary? If my memory of history is correct, the Revolution happened AFTER the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th. If we wanted to celebrate the signing, we'd spend the day cooped up in a humid room debating the virtues of our nation, not blowing stuff up and keeping the tired mothers of the country up past their bedtime. If you think I'm responding this strongly to this holiday, just wait until I give my views on New Years eve.
Aside from the Battle of the Bulge happening outside, it was a nice 3 day weekend. We took the kids to see Wall*E on Saturday. The Live Wire (aka Siena) didn't quite make it through the movie so Daddy had to take her home. Mason and I both thought it was great. Highly recommended for adults and children alike...and this coming from one not normally fond of animated films though Pixar movies have recently become the exception.
Sunday was a fun day for all the Cruzes. The sun came out and we spent the afternoon at Joanne and Doug's house in their swimming pool along with Heidi and Dan and their kids (Ellia and Berron) and Jay B. and Chandra and their daughter (Jocelyn). The little ones floated on a variety of inflatible parahpenalia while the "adults" engaged in a world-class game of pool "HORSE" (note that there is a basketball hoop at one end of the pool).
The game went like this: miss, miss, miss, crazy make, miss...for a long time...
Ultimately it came down to the final two - surprisingly the only two females in the competition, Chandra and myself. It became a slam dunk competition between the girls. Finally, Chandra beat me on a jump shot from the free throw line. The crowd went wild. I went to the side of the pool in shame (not really).
Dinner was at Bruce and Mary Lou's house. Sadly, this is the only place I managed to bust out my camera all weekend. However, the few pictures I got should provide a good look at the Ham farm...I mean house...
Mason and Siena had a wonderful time pounding the keys on Mary Lou's very nice (and probably very expensive) piano. Not sure if this means that they need lessons one day. Their parents aren't particularly musically inclined so time will tell.
Here's a nice example of the wildlife Bruce and Mary Lou can view from their very own backyard. Yes, it appears the donkeys had a nice 4th of July weekend as well.
And Jim Bob...I mean Jay B....shooting birds away from the crops. It may be a BB gun and he was only shooting for small birds, but the threatining image still applies.
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