dudes

surprise birthday bash

Grandpa Bob and Grandma Kelley's weekend visit to Bend was kicked off with a little surprise birthday party for Kelley.  Most of Kelley's family lives here in Bend and they were all game for an impromptu early celebration, as Kelley's actual birthday is a few months off when she will be back in Mexico.  I had some fun making a few decorations and favors for the party and we all enjoyed a great dinner from Zydeco at the Loft of Bend.  Happy 50th to you, Kelley! 

(Oh, these photos are just awful!  Camera phone and low light.  Sometimes bringing the good camera seems like a hassle, but I always regret it.)  

bliss

Wax poetic about a bakery much?  YES.  This place is pure heaven.  We now bike to the Sparrow Bakery once every weekend.  It is the most divine spot, a brick courtyard flanked by lavender and sunflowers and artists' studios in the Old Bend Ironworks collection of crumbling brick buildings.  The bakery is tiny, with two and a half tables...I don't know what we will do when it is too cold to sit outside!  The kids' vanilla steamers are floating with real vanilla bean speckles.  The banana bread has some yet-to-be determined magic ingredient.  Matt and I have universally decided that the "bacon breakfast sandoh" is the best sandwich in Oregon, possibly in the world.  And their famous "ocean roll" is a cardamom-croissant dream.  Come on over to visit for the weekend, we'll take you straight away to the Sparrow Bakery.  Heaven, I tell you.  Heaven.  

OWL

Our other task of the weekend was to gather information for Walter's first family homework project.  That's right, homework.  His preschool class, called the Passport class, "travels" around the world, learning about the geography, people, and animals of a new place each month.  To start off, for October they are studying Central Oregon.  Our family report was on the Great Horned Owl.  We listened to a short lecture  and met "McKenzie", the high desert museum's great horned owl found injured on McKenzie Pass.  We went later in the weekend as a family to the library, taught the boys how to search for books on the library catalog computers and how to locate books in the stacks.  We read books, cut out pictures in magazines, drew owls and learned to write "OWL".  It was a really fantastic experience to do this teaching and learning as a family and I am thankful to our preschool for being the catalyst.

PS.  None of our stuffed animals have ever been given real names until now.  Bear is called Bear, Monkey is Monkey.  Hippo is Buppo, but that was due to the ever-so-cute pronunciation of a one year old Fritzi.  However.  Times have changed.  The two stuffed owls at our house are now (both!) called McKenzie.  And the boys beds are more crowded each day as the list of "must have" occupants grows, because McKenzie(s) must sleep in bed now.  Of course.   

the high desert museum

A few weeks ago we took our first trip to the Central Oregon High Desert Museum.  Well, not exactly our first as Matt and I have both been there before, but that was somewhere in the realm of 25 years ago.  Ouch.  The boys had a ton of fun traipsing around the museum's enormous grounds with Gramma and Grandaddy, learning all about Native Americans, settlers, and native plants and animals.  Playing "Indians" is a new favorite at our house and there are some pretty hysterical theories that have come out of their limited understanding of history.  For example, "Did Indians live a long, long, long time ago...like with the dinosaurs or like when you (Mommy) were a baby?"  Also, "Indians lived in tents before there were houses or animals or plants."  This knew found "knowledge" coupled with the opportunity to try our hand at archery the following week at the pumpkin patch has fostered (especially in Fritz) a LOVE for playing "bow and addows".  

I didn't look carefully in the museum gift shop, but if they don't, they really ought to sell these stick and hoop games from the settler's village.  Simple, beautiful craftsmanship, and endless fun.  

 

Gramma and Grandaddy bought us a family pass for the year, so we'll be back!  

making beds

You know what is really terrific?  Freshly laundered sheets. And a dryer that actually dries them in one cycle. Amaze. And not so terrific?  Dragging yourself to bed (Far. To. Late.) and realizing with bleary eyes that your darn king sized bed has not made itself. Ugh.

mexico 1990

That's right folks.  This here foam brimmed hat with puffy paint lettering is from the 1990 Mexico Mission trip.  Fritz is into vintage classy.  

random snap shots of life

@ Pilot Butte.  

snow is here

I took this photo out the front windshield for a text sent to Matt on the morning of October 4th.  "Good morning from Bend!  Snow in the mountains this morning!"  Just to make him salivate!

fall art festival

The "Bend Experiment" offers all kinds of entertainment.  We just walk into town and see what is going on!  This particular day we found the main streets of town blocked from traffic and all kinds of interesting things to see and do.  First pony rides and first cotton candy...not too bad!

lovin' man

off to bend

We're up to something new... we call it the "Bend Experiment".  A year in Bend.  A rented house in the heart of town, "our brownstone" as it is called by the boys.  Living with bare essentials and focusing on family time.  Days full of sunshine.  A winter to ski to our heart's content.  We left late one night after Cousin Ryan's birthday dinner.  Here is Fritz headed over the mountains to his Bend adventure.

snap shot of a morning date with Wally

NE Alberta Street in September: Bolt, bubble tea at Townshends Tea House, and sun.  Fantastic.  

Johnson family session

Occasionally I have the chance to pretend I'm a photographer.   I don't actually have aspirations to be one in real life, but it is nice to pretend and to share the results with friends.  With quite a few cheater tricks up my sleeve (good camera, photo editing, and mostly taking ten thousand pics to get three good ones) I fake my way through.  Here are a few of some dear family friends, the Johnsons.  These folks have known me since the day I was born.  In fact, my parents and Marcy and Greg are actually responsible for the set up of their siblings (Lisa and Randy), my cousin Betsy's parents.  This, according to my Gramma Dorothy makes us kids "kissing cousins".  Although brief, it was so nice to catch up with these old friends.

luxe

For the wedding weekend, we stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle.  Aside from the fact that it is gorgeous, this hotel totally catered to our kids.  Upon arrival to the room, they each received a gift tray full of snacks and toys.  When we came back to the room after the wedding, their covers were pulled back with kid sized slippers and robes at the ready.  Hilarious!

dancin' fools

Way back in September we made a quick trip up north for my cousin Betsy's wedding in Issaquah. We all had a great time, dancing the night away.  These dancing boys have got some serious moves!    

Some times (ok, most times!) Auntie Bridget and Uncle Michael are more fun than mommy and daddy!  

Watch out...

Woah....accidentally fell off the blogging wagon.  It's been a very busy two months.  Thankfully we've still be snapping photos, so with a little effort and editing, I'll be posting soon.  Watch out Grandmothers and Aunties, the blog is about to return!

a clever boy

After a scuffle with his brother this morning, Fritz came to me and announced... "Mommy.  He hit me.  I'm allergic to Wally."