Enchanted Forest Slide Show

What an Enchanting day!

Saturday we headed to the Enchanted Forest for the day for our gift to Cale and Ty for their birthday presents. We didn't do parties or gifts from us because they decided they wanted a fun outing instead. We got there at 10am and left at 5pm. It was a long day but we all had a blast and the kids were so well behaved! Theres a slide show beneath this that is marathon length but shows some of our fun from the day. The only issue was the roller coaster, the three older kids and I stood in line for a quite a while to go on it and once up got seperated into two seperate carts. Morgan and Cale were in the front while Ty and I were in back. I kept hearing Cale screaming in what I could tell was not a happy scream. When it was finally over Morgan was in tears and Cale said I am never going on a roller coaster again, I'll admit the whole feeling like it's going to come off the track thing is not the most pleasant feeling Ty and I still had fun. Brock was only big enough to go on the train with an adult so Don and I both did that a few times.

Fun at the park

We decided a while ago that the last day we had all the Smith kids before school started we would walk to their school so they could see the new playground, cafeteria, etc. So today was our day, it's weird to think that we'll only have one of the three of them here most days, we've gotten so used to them all being here, they are so excited to start school so it was fun to see. At the park we found that someone had dropped a gigantic sunflower so we salvaged it and pulled all the seeds out of it that we could, now we have to figure out what the heck to do with them, looks like I need to do a little research on the computer later. I got some fun pictures and thought I would share them. Only one more day this week, yeah, this is our first week that we've had kids every day, this morning was tough getting up because their mom had to go to work at 7 so she had to drop them off at 6:15am but she did bring me coffee, THANKS DANIELLE I needed that caffeine today for sure. Okay enough of that on to the pictures!

Our fun day!

Morgan and Harrison horsing around

Cheesy Abby

Ty and Hayden, this was supposed to be their mean picture

Brock just learned to jump so they were being jumping beans

Ty just learned to climb a tree this morning so he and Cale spent a lot of time up there with the other boys, he's so proud of himself.

Yesterday was not one of my better days on the daycare front. I think every single one of us was a bit grumpy so we were all thankful when the day was over! We had an extra kid that is a bit of a button pusher and let me tell you he pushed all of our buttons so needless to say today has been so much better. I decided to snap a few pictures to be able to look back on when we have rough days in the future. I love the kids I watch but just like with my own kids we all have off days. The kids all spend so much time together they fight like siblings instead of friends so we have our fair share of pushing, hitting, kicking and yes the occasional biting so it is refreshing when they love each other too.

Look what we saw

This morning I'm laying in bed and hear this weird noise, I know what weekend it is mind you but I couldn't figure out what the noise was. So suddenly it dawns on me and I go running outside in my pajamas to gaze at the beauty of dozens of hot air balloons going right over my head. Cale was the only one up so I gave him the camera of course and we captured a few pictures. It is the Art and Air Festival and all three days this weekend they set off hot air balloons at 7am, last night they had a night glow where they tether a few hot air balloons to the ground and after dark they do the fire thing where they light them up at night, it's so cool, we didn't go this year because DON'S HOME, he got home around 8:15 so we decided to bask in the greatness that is Don instead of watching some boring old balloons =) Another cool thing this weekend is our little airport offers really cheap twenty minute flights over town and young eagle classes for 8-17 year olds to take a little class and then get to go up and "fly" with an instructor. I think we'll wait til next year and Morgan and Cale can do it together.

Our busy day!

Well I finally did it. I moved Brock out of our room and in with Morgan. I think part of me has been hanging on to him in there because he is our last baby and it's hard to let him go. His first nap this afternoon didn't go real well which is my fault, I'm sure if he would have been moved earlier it wouldn't be such an adjustment. So anyhow, Don and I finally have our sanctuary back if he ever makes it home that is =) I am tired, sweaty and a little nervous about tonight. It is official we are out of space. I think if we have visitors they will be relegated to the couch or a hotel. Sorry! Oh by the way any input on a color for Morgan and Brocks room would be welcomed. I'm thinking a form of green to have it be neutral but I'm open to any suggestions.

Trip to the zoo

The kids and I went up to the zoo in Portland with our friend Charity and her daughters Tuesday. We had a great time, it was supposed to rain the whole time but luckily held off doing that until it was time for us to go home. We drove up and hung out at their house for a little bit before we headed to the max which took us the rest of the way. I realized while dealing with for me seemed like large amounts of people in a small fast moving train car that I am so not a big city girl. I felt like a nervous wreck the whole time we were on the train. They are doing construction on part of the train line so part way through we had to switch to a bus and then back to the train, STRESS! One of my big fears is that someone is going to take one of the kids and I felt like that was magnified in those huge crowds. So this girl in me who claims she's a big city girl suddenly became a mid-sized city girl haha. My kids did so well listening during all this which really helped my nerves. The highlights of the trip there and back were first when some weird guy starts talking about being on methadone and not to take heroin and then touched Brock, yes I said touched him, was trying to hold his hand until I told him it was enough and then I major MAJOR disinfected my small boy. Then on the way home the bus driver made me take Brock out of the stroller even though he was sleeping Charity had a few words to say to the bus driver about that, not bad ones by the way she was just being my friend defending me. By the way thanks for doing that Charity!!! Okay enough ranting, complaining, etc. The zoo was fun the kids loved to see all the new animals, I wish we lived closer to be able to go more often but alas I'm a mid sized city girl now, would not want to live in Portland! Cale got some great pictures which I put in the marathon length slide show below.

Pictures from the zoo

Our trip to the coast

Well Don is gone again this weekend, so I decided to use our Aquarium membership before it expires at the end of the month. I called my friend Charity and she came down with her two daughters and we caravaned over to Newport. We ended up spending two hours at McDonalds in the play area, the kids didn't want to leave until they realized that we got to hang out with them more, we don't see them often so today was a big treat. The aquarium was packed, I've never seen it that busy but I'm guessing heat was a big factor. It was 65 there and when we got home it was 99 yuck. We had a great time, it was fun watching the kids together again, I miss all of them so much. Thanks Charity for coming down and hanging out with us! The pictures are in a slide show below, Cale took a majority, maybe he'll be a photographer when he grows up.

Aquarium slide show

Kids pictures of the garden

Pumpkin, so exciting

A very spicy pepper

I woke up this morning to little voices in my backyard and when I looked out Morgan and Cale were in the garden taking pictures so I thought I'd share. It's cool they are getting so excited about all the growing things.

Carousel slide show

Rinky round fun

When I was a kid we lived in Spokane and they have this amazing carousel that we rode on quite a bit as a kid. This past weekend we went downtown to a place where they are building a new carousel for Albany. It was so awesome, there is a history museum about how they were invented and then we got to go in every area where they are carving, painting and even the room with the actual mechanism for the carousel. I guess a guy said that if the organization could provide a storefront and have a museum he would give some old animals from his collection and donated the mechanism for the entire carousel. It was so cool to see the history and get to go during the building process. They expect it to open in about five years. I'm going to put the pictures in a slide show, I went a little picture crazy because it was so cool. They even provide carving classes on Thursday for people that want to help. I wish I could go I would love to do that oh well. Please visit http://albanybrassring.com

I've been published

I thought I would share my little bit of fame for everyone. Don came home finally yesterday after being gone for two weeks. Cale and I were the only ones who knew so the other three were so shocked to see him when he walked in the door. Brock looked at him for a few seconds, pointed at him, and then got this huge smile on his face, and went running. Morgan and Ty were both outside when he got here and came to tattle on each other I'm sure and there was Daddy, there was a lot of screaming and hugging going on, I wish I had my camera at that moment, but I'll admit I got caught up in the whole thing too. Anyhow, this past Sunday I was reading the letters to the editor in our local paper and someone wrote a letter saying they thought we should starting shipping all our products on the trains, and that truck drivers are causing the roads to be unsafe, blah blah blah. I was so annoyed by the whole thing that I wrote a letter myself. I wasn't sure about showing it to Don thought I might embarass him but he said it was a good letter. I had it waiting on the counter for him when he got home.

Our trip to the Lake

Our friend Hayden in the mud

He was such a mess

We went with a couple of my friends and their kids to the lake for a few hours today. It was fun for the kids. It was our first outing to a lake and let me tell you I had anxiety all night last night, my kids don't know how to swim so the idea of going somewhere with water without Don to help was not a good one for me. The water was really low so the places available for the kids to splash around were muddy, so muddy that for a few minutes Cale actually lost one of his crocs in it. They had fun, I was stressed but it was fun to have some adult conversation, it hasn't happened much this week without my mom being here and Don gone I've missed it.

A few cute sprinkler pictures

I got a few pictures of the kids playing in the sprinkler earlier this week. A gal I went to bible study a few years ago had a tragedy this week losing both of her young sons and it has made me so much more thankful for my own, they are truly a gift from God! Make sure you hug your kids and tell them you love them every day!!

We are so sad

My mom left a little after noon today and we were all so sad about it. We all had a great time, and my mom said she enjoyed being able to participate in our daily activities, I think her staying longer made the leaving part much harder, we got used to having her around that's for sure. We all stood and cried as we waved good-bye and I don't think Morgan, Cale and I stopped for about fifteen minutes. They said things like "next time can Grandma come for a year?" and "I wish we lived right next door to Grandma" oh and the cutest Cale said "Grandma said even when she isn't right by my side she's still with me in her heart" They're so sweet. Thanks Mom for taking the time out of your summer to come hang out with us! We loved having you.