Another Day at the Beach

Here is more of the week of adventures with Kim & her kids!

We spent a glorious day at the Hood River Marina Beach

Toll Bridge Park, Ice Cream, & Cherries

Last Tuesday we went on Adventure #3 for the summer adventure group. We went to Toll Bridge Park outside of Parkdale. The kids rode bikes, threw rocks in the river, & played on the playground. My SIL Kim and her kids Andres & Adan joined us on our adventure. Berkeley was a mess. He got his pb & j so dirty that it was more dirt than sandwich. He would not give it up!! We had a picnic lunch too.
After the park we drove into Parkdale and got ice cream for the kids and veggie burgers for Kim & I - Yummy! It was awesome because they have $1 kid cones. Then we drove to a few of the fruit stands on Hwy-35 and got lots of cherries, cookies, & scones. What a great trip. If you are wondering why all my pictures are fuzzy - you don't need glasses - i just had my camera set to a wierd button all day - didn't notice until I got home and loaded the pics on to Picasa! Yuck - oh well..

Berkeley's First Camping Trip

After Berkeley ran away about a hundred times he started spending A LOT of time in his Pack-n-Play!
Oh yes - I got Carlie these crocs for $5 (they are crocs - not a knock off brand!) It was such a great deal I got her four pairs!
Carlie O and her daddy
mmmm Smores - what is camping without?

Chillin' in the new tent

Never go camping without a chair that attaches to the picnic table!

Carlie O playing in the Dechutes River at dusk.

Well we finally took Berkeley camping and I think it will not happen again for awhile. We spent the whole time chasing him around and he screamed bloody murder for a LONG time in the middle of the night. Carlie on the other hand had so much fun wading in the water, playing in the tent, playing catch with daddy, etc.

Berkeley's Stats

Here is Berkeley after eating his morning oatmeal, with Carlie's old pink bib.

On June 15th I took Berkeley in for his one year check up (I know it was a month and a half late - but better late than never!)

Here are his surprising stats:
Weight: 23 lbs. 1 oz. 40th percentile
Length: 31 inches 68th percentile
Head Circumference: 18 1/4 inches 20th percentile

It is so wierd to have a child that not only is not off the growth charts, but is below average. He actually wears clothes sizes that correspond with his age. I remember Carlie wore size 2T when she was one.
Anyways, Berkeley is a super active kid who walks with his hands straight up in the air. He loves to babble and be loud. He loves to be outside and play with his big sister Carlie. He says, "momma, dada, sista, & uh-oh". He is a very determined little guy who doesn't like the word no. He has a crazy high-pitched scream that according to my mom I had when I was that age. Corey & I spend most of church in the foyer because he can't sit still and he is so loud. He loves patty cake, sandwiches, bananas, graham crackers, eating & wearing shoes, cars, & anything his sister likes. I have to scrub the table, floor, and Berkeley after EVERY time he eats - what a big mess he makes. He has the most amazing blue eyes that melt your soul and I love him with all my heart!

Adventure 2: Hood River Beach

Adventure 1: Catherine Creek Hike

I decided to start a little summer adventure group to force me to take my kids on fun outings all summer long. So I made a list of things I wanted to do using a great book called "Kiddin' Around the Gorge" and made a weekly schedule for the summer. On our first outing we started off mellow by going on an easy hike on the Washington side of the gorge. The hike was Catherine Creek - a paved loop trail with breathtaking views of the Columbia River, cherry orchards, wildflowers, and Mt. Hood. It was perfect for little kids and strollers! After the hike we drove through Schreiner Farms. This is a farm that raises animals like: giraffes, zebras, camels, reindeer, llama, sheep, yak, bison, antelopes, etc. You can drive through the farm for free. It is like we have our own wildlife park in our backyard. I take the kids there every couple of weeks to see the animals. You should check out their great website:http://www.schreinerfarms.com/

Bactrian Camel

Damara Zebra
Kiddos Having Fun Seeing Their Animals

Reticulated Giraffes
Giraffes & Mt. Hood - spectacular!

The bitter end of wildflower season - I need to go on this hike again during the spring next year - I bet it is amazing!

Here is Berk getting mad that I would not let him out of the stroller

to climb down the hill like the big kids!

Sydney Helping Carlie Find Her Way Back!

Oh man I can't get enough of the views of Mt. Hood

The Case boys climbing down to Catherine Creek

Wildflowers Galore!!

Carlie & Sydney & Tyson - such a cute photo!

More Spectacular Views!

Baby Maxwell

Here is Auntie Gigi and her new nephew Maxwell. Corey's brother Matt & his wife Kelsey had a baby boy on June 10th and we finally got to go meet him yesterday. He is super cute and I can't believe how much hair he has.

Throwing Rocks

For FHE last Monday we went on a walk along the Columbia River (there is a nice paved trail - perfect for the jogging stroller & perfect for my plan to be healthier and lose some of my accumulated chunkyness) and ended up at Riverfront Park. Carlie had been asking to throw rocks in the river for a few days and finally got her wish.Here is mommy lettin Berk eat a rock!

I think she threw a thousand rocks in!

Look at my long haired hippy boy!

Strike a pose Berk!

Carlie showing her strength or doing Mountain pose at sunset.

I didn't take any pics of Carlie's fall on the asphalt on the way home or mommy and Carlie crying as daddy dug a piece of gravel out of her knee at home. SO SAD!

Carlie's Year of Preschool

Carlie had such a great year at Preschool. She had amazing teachers that sent home a CD of pictures they took throughout the school year (so awesome). Carlie learned so much this year. She can read all her numbers, the full alphabet, and the names of all the kids in her class. Carlie already misses preschool, BUT she has one more year. She turns five 2 1/2 weeks after the September 1st cut-off. She is already 4'2", can you image how tall she will be when she starts kindergarten???

My Handsome Boy

Here we are hanging out at the ball park watching my nephew Sean's baseball game. Berkeley was in the beginning stages of walking and Carlie had fun hanging out with her cousin Claire.

Berkeley's Improved Walking

Here is Berk walking on grass for the first time at his cousin Sean's baseball game 3 days after he started walking. He has made some serious improvements! Plus he is so super cute!!

Berkeley Starting to Walk

Here is Berkeley starting to walk on June 1st , 2009.

Carl and Verba Froebe

For FHE on Memorial Day we visited the gravesites of Corey's grandparents Carl and Verba Froebe. Corey and his extended family (under the direction of his mother) wrote memories of them. Corey printed them up and put them on the gravesite. They are buried in a really pretty little cemetery in the middle of a grove of cherry trees.

Fudge Face & Grahm Man

Carlie is such a chocolate monster!

Here is Berk hanging in the backyard eating a million graham crackers (his absolute favorite) while mommy and daddy are TRYING to make the backyard usable to no avail!