Bad, Bad Blogger!!

I know I've been remiss in my blogging duties.  It's a combination of being busy, being lazy, and just not getting to it.  I realized though that I should get the Halloween pictures posted before Thanksgiving at least though!

Here's our Spanish Princess and Zombie Mason!

Zombie attacking the Princess!

Both kids scored a good haul which they're still eating.

Soccer finished up 2 weeks ago and the kids had their celebratory party last Saturday.  Siena also had her final musical performance last Saturday.  We recorded this and I'll post it as soon as our video editor makes it YouTube worthy.

Tonight Siena is off to her cousin Tristyn's house for a sleepover!  Mason and I are watching disaster movies.   Luis is counting down to the Timbers big playoff game tonight. Everyone is happy!

No Little Girl Has Ever Been More Excited...

...for her 8th Birthday.  Siena's official 8th birthday was on Wednesday the 16th (along with her birthday buddy Papa Ron).  She had been begging me to go visit her class at school so I went by for a couple hours on her birthday and volunteered with her class.  31 second graders is definitely herding cats.

Siena's party was today and she was SOOOOOO happy.  Since she loves swimming, we planned this year's party at the aquatic park.  Here she is with her friend Leslie from school and cousin Ellia.  And some tres leches cake of course.

Since it was a pool party, we did the "party" portion first with cake and presents.  She tore into her gifts like all little girls do and loved the neat stuff she got.  She's doing some Easy Baking as we speak...

Showing the b-day card Giada made for her with her friend Myla next to her.

Here's a few of the kids swimming - Myla, Leslie, and Siena.

Look who worked up the nerve to go down the big slide!!!  He was scared but he did it...and then he loved it!  After the first slide he went again and again and again....

It was a lot of fun celebrating Siena's birthday this weekend!!  Now it's on to another busy week...

Fall = Go Time!

Fall has begun, school has started, and we are busy.  Luis has become "Coach Luis" this season and is coaching Mason's soccer team:

 His team from upper left: Zen, Louie, Coach, Zach, Chase; middle row from left is Sonny, Cody, Matthew, and Chris.  Bottom row is Mason and David.  The wins haven't exactly been piling up but our goal is more about teaching all the boys all of the positions and getting everyone equal playing time.  They did get a good 4-4 tie yesterday.

 Mason and Siena clowning around at the soccer Jamboree.

Mason and his friend/teammate Chase.  This has been a fun group of boys. I hope to add more in game pictures later.  I'm usually on the sidelines with Luis during the games (yup, Coach Kris at your service) trying to track playing time and positions so it's hard to take pictures at the same time.

Cousin Craig and Aunt Janine came out for a visit last week.  I was able to take a few days off work, which after a crazy busy couple of months was awesome.  Craig and I went hiking around Multnomah Falls on Wednesday.  I only had my camera so I didn't add too many pics.  This was a nice little spot though at Ponytail Falls.  

After 3 uphill hikes, including to the top of Multnomah Falls, we had to hit up this place...

Thursday was Morbidity Tour 2013!!  Stop #1 Skyline Cemetery.  Here's Craig by his father Richard's grave.

You can make it up that hill Mom!!

My grandparent's grave - Fred and Novia Kinney.  

Craig, Mom, and Uncle Ron by the Kinney graves.  They look awfully happy for a morbidity tour...but I digress.

Two beautiful ladies - Janine and Mom.

We had lunch at the Skyline Restaurant which while the burgers were just okay, the milkshakes were pretty awesome.

We drove by the Kinney's old house on Johnson Road.  It's hidden behind a fair amount of shrubs and has been remodeled rather extensively but Mom and Ron still recognized the old place.

We also visited Uncle Leonard who is suffering from Parkinson's and is struggling health wise.  Janene is checking out his ramp.  Leonard seemed emotional but I think was happy we came to visit.  I was happy to visit as well.

Did I mention we had breakfast at Original Pancake House twice in 3 days?  Well that happened.  And it was pretty awesome.

I was going to take Craig up to Mt. St. Helens on Friday but thanks to the Federal Government and it's inability to compromise, Mt. St. Helens was closed.  Plan B: downtown Portland.

We went to the Oregon Historical Museum.  If not for the visiting display of Presidential letters, the Museum would have been a dud.  Craig did enjoy checking out the size of beds that were aboard the old fur trading ships.  I'm not even sure Mason could fit on those comfortably.

Midway through the day we decided to go pick up the kids after school and take them with us to the Japanese Gardens.  I actually don't think I had ever visited the Japanese Gardens before.  They are quite beautiful.

The kids were given a scavenger hunt map to try to find certain landmarks throughout the garden.  Made the visit extra fun for them.  Here's the cranes...oh, and Mason and Siena too.

Checking out the koi pond.

Craig and the kids on the Moon Bridge. Did I that this garden is rather impressive?

The koi were following us around...much like Tommy in the morning looking for his food.

The garden crew:

Posing in front of a deer something or other.

Goofy kids.

Siena's channeling her inner zen while Mason, I don't know what Mason is doing.

Haiku-ing.

It was a beautiful day in Portland on Friday and I don't know if I've ever seen a more beautiful view of the city...

After garden visiting, it was back up to Mom and Dad's for an extended family dinner and October birthday celebration.  Oh yeah, guess I'm getting a year older tomorrow...

Here's 3 of the 4 birthday kids...

Examining the camera lens Dad?

In a fit of insanity, I signed up to do the Tough Mudder in Seattle with Angie, our Mentor Graphics fitness instructor (3rd from left).  I rode up with some gals yesterday morning for the race.  Here we are pre-race, still looking nice and clean.  It didn't stay that way.

After 12 miles and some awesome obstacles (check them out here: http://toughmudder.com/obstacles/).  We completed most obstacles (Everest was the only one I couldn't make it up.  Gave it 2 solid tries though) and ran wherever we could.  It took about 4 hours.  It was incredibly tiring but was an absolute blast.  I'd do it again anytime.  Except today.  Need to rest the sore muscles today.  

I hope to have more pictures to share next week.  I didn't take any myself but need to get some from some of the other girls who were there.  This was probably the toughest run I have ever done and has been on my challenge list for a long time so I was really glad for the opportunity and to have been able to knock it out with some great ladies.

Beach Cruzin'

It's a holiday weekend and the kids need school clothes so we needed to head to the beach.  Since we go to the beach 3-4 times a year, we have a bit of a routine.

We stayed at my parent's condo here in Taft:

After breakfast at our usual haunt, the Spouting Horn (sorry, no photo as the camera battery was charging while we were eating breakfast), we went straight to the Tanger Outlet Stores to get the kids their school clothes.  We usually do well at Osh Kosh and they did not disappoint.  The kids should be good to go for the next 9 months.

The afternoon was so nice that after shopping, the kids spent a long time playing on the beach while Luis and I tried to watch some of the first weekend of college football.  I had to make an emergency run to the store to buy sunscreen because it was so nice out.

For dinner, as we usually do, we headed south to Newport to our favorite seafood restaurant Local Ocean Seafoods.  I recommend the Fishwives Stew.  This place has earned a reputation as the place to eat in Newport and as such, the wait is often long.  Best plan is to get your name in (they don't take reservations) and then go for a walk around the old Newport bay front.  The restaurant sends a text when your table is ready.  This may seem like a lot of effort but trust me, it's well worth it.

Newport is also important because it is the home of Aunt Belinda's Candy Shop - home of the pecan caramel log roll and the taffy boat.  We loaded up on both plus the kids and Luis threw in a few of their favorites.

We also visited our sea lion friends on their favorite dock by the Underwater Museum.  They were in fine form and barking away.

The kids watching the sea lions.

Both kids managed to talk me into getting them some cool new shoes for school.  Siena's sporting her Hello Kitty high tops and Mason has his no-tie Converse.

If we're eating breakfast out 2 days at the beach, breakfast joint #2 is always Lil' Sambo's which is toward the north end of Lincoln City.  They have a good kids menu, including hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream.

Usually once a beach trip we try to find something new to do or someplace new to go.  I read about Hug Point on the internet and thought it might be a fun place to check out.  The family was game for this adventure so we headed up north.  Hug Point is located just south of Cannon Beach and is a really great little beach for playing in the sand and exploring.  It didn't hurt that the weather was absolutely perfect. 

Mason checking out some of the many caves around Hug Point.

Plus a cute little waterfall.

Siena by one of the picturesque high clips.

It was so nice that we even played in the water a little bit.  Enough to get our feet and bottom of shorts wet at least.  This still isn't Puerto Rico.

The kids and Luis.

Here's a picture of the original stagecoach road that ran along the coast before the highway was built. Pioneers traveling along this headland had to hug this particular point even at low tide, hence the name Hug Point.  Now it is home to tide pools and a view of the coastline.

Feet in the water.

Siena loves playing in the sand.

Mason shares some of my Scandinavian blood and we both had some fun wading in the water.

Turns out Cannon Beach was crazy busy, what with it being a holiday weekend at all so after lunch, we headed back home.  We needed today (Labor Day) to relax and get ready for the upcoming school year.