Party at the O'Hara's

After church yesterday, the guys were saying goodbye, and Sean asked what we were doing. We told him heading home....as we walked away, Bill & I were talking, that it seemed Sean was looking for an excuse for us to get together....so Bill suggested that we get together for supper. As I hugged Tracey goodbye, I whispered to her to join us for supper, as Bill was saying in the other ear....(not whispering) that she should invite us for supper!! Long story short, we, along with the Von Rudens (Jami & Jeremy, plus kids) all got together for an afternoon of fun and supper.

Check out Tracey & Sean's Blog complete details of our crazy afternoon & evening are there along with great photos! Thanks Sean & Tracey for letting Bill invite us all!

One More Night of Fun

Both Kristin & Ryan had friends stay last night (Friday night)--they had so much fun together, they stayed again tonight!

Ryan & Hunter have not moved much from the livingroom. It has been a fun treat for them to have their games on the big screen and have surround sound. Ryan knows not even to ask for game time this week!! It has been fun watching them work together on a game that they both enjoy--even if Mom doesn't like it.Hunter letting the girls give him a makeover--Alexis even did his hair!

Kristin & Alexis did a multitude of things today. They gave each other manicures and pedicures, then, even gave Hunter a manicure. He loved the color changing nail polish (it's clear or white inside, but in the sun it's pink or rose--depending on which one you wear--Hunter has both!!) You can tell he has four sisters of his own--and is the only boy. He was very sensitive to the girls and their playing....even to the point of allowing them to make him up. What a great sport...we love having your wonderful warm spirit around Hunter!!To top it off, Hunter even let the girls dress him up. Way to go Hunter!!

The girls also did many crafts, practiced roller skating, played barbies, and even had some of their own time, because Kristin was tired of crafting and Alexis wasn't. I told them there was nothing wrong with that, and they had a blast today.

The weather was perfect today! Bill & I washed all three trucks.....and then tackled the trailer. We started at 10, and by 2, we were done with the washing. We finished all the trucks by 11:30--so you know how long the trailer took!! It's a big job, and we did a thorough spring wash on it. Afterward, I even tackled waxing the trailer. I complete one side and the front.....so officially one half is waxed. It's a big job, and I'm glad half is done. I'm hoping to get the other half done tomorrow. Maybe I'll have some help :)

The girls were in bed at 8 to watch a movie in Kristin's room with her small DVD player, which we made an exception of it coming out of the car for Alexis & she to watch a girly movie. They finished Enchanted, and were both asleep shortly after nine. The boys are watching a movie, and I'm sure I won't be far behind the girls.

Enjoy the fun pictures...I wish I could have put some sound to the pictures...lots of giggling and fun remarks!

Girl & Boy Fun

Today both Ryan & Kristin were allowed to have one friend stay the night. Since the O'Hara's brought home the girls from Ukraine in September, Alexis & Kristin have not had any alone time....so Tracey suggested we do just that! It worked out great since Hunter was coming to stay the night with Ryan. They boys played video games (courtesy of Hunter bringing his Xbox) and the girls had a blast doing their things.

The girls played outside in the beautiful sun, and they playhouse, then helped clean off the tablecloth for camping, by slipping & sliding with soap & water on it in the driveway....they then had a nice LONG hot bath! Afterward they decided it was time to dress up (if that's what you call what they wore!). They had fun dancing in Kristin's room (they didn't want to boys to see them!) and then they settled down for a craft. They made very cute frogs!

The girls headed to bed about 11:00 and are watching "Enchanted" as they lay there...it won't be long until they are asleep. I do know those girls can make a huge mess in a short amount of time!! It was all worth it..they had so much fun.

The boys are still hanging out on the couch shooting each other. It's a special time for them, and thankfully, we don't own an XBOX of our own to monopolize our living room!

Be sure to check out the pictures on the Riverbend Blog and the OMSI blog, as I uploaded Tracey & Sean's pictures there as well.

Home School Group

Just to keep you up to date on our Home School Group. You can check out our events & happenings anytime. The link is http://bvillehomeschool.blogspot.com/ and the link is also on the right of this page under homeschool happenings!

Camping with the O'Hara's April 18th-20th

Friday's pictures
Friday started out early, with Bill having to call into to work with another headache....actually the same headache, so the kids & I finished up the tasks to get ready to go while he rested. We left home around 1:00, met up with Tracey and arrived at camp at 1:20!! Tough commute! We were able to set up camp before the rain hit, and Bill, even with his head hurting was able to help me get up the tarp before he headed in to lay down. Tracey ran back to town to get the other kids & Sean, who ended up having a pretty tough day of hauling cement. This was Tanya's first camping trip ever--Alyona had camped in Ukraine, so she was familiar with the outdoors and campfires, but to Tanya, this was all new. She loved the marshmallows over the fire--and of course ROASTED (AKA Burned!) her first one!!




Tracey & Sean's Pictures
We all had supper together, simple first night fare....hot dogs, chips, fruit, and of course dessert was marshmallows! We enjoyed a nice fire, some great conversation, some laughs, and we learned, how much a yard of concrete weighs....I don't recall the exact amount, but you can check out the O'Hara blog, and I'm sure it will be posted in the near future! (We love you Sean!) We headed to bed, two O'Hara girls with us (Tanya & Alyona), and the rest to their own trailer. Until some modifications can be made, the O'Hara's can only sleep 5 comfortably...so we'll just have to continue camping together!


Saturday's Pictures
Saturday we woke to a light dusting of snow....it was pretty. The kids ran off to the new play area to have some fun, and while they were there the hail started....and then quickly changed to snow. It was beautiful big flakes. The kids had SO much fun catching flakes, scraping together snowballs, and just enjoying playing together. After awhile the sun came out, and I took the kids for a walk to the river. They had so much fun playing in the river making a dam like they did in this same camp last fall...only we were short two girls!! The spot they made the dam in was covered with water, so they built farther in to shore. Needless to say, everyone was wet, which created a trip to Sweet Home & Sodaville for more wood and more clothes for the O'Hara kids. Thankfully, between the drive, the loading of wood, and the packing, we were only gone an hour and fifteen minutes!!

When we returned, we had pizza pies over the fire. It has been years since we've made these, and they tasted so good! I think we need to figure out who we loaned our other pie maker to, or invest in a new one, since this was a big hit..and it took a long time to feed 11 people with 2 pie makes (and one was a short handled one!)

We enjoyed a great afternoon of adult conversation and visiting while the kids played together. The guys managed a nap....Sean on the couch....and Bill in bed earlier. Tracey & I just sat at the table and visited...it was great! It got pretty chilly in the afternoon so we allowed some movie time. Two girls watched a girly movie in the kids bedroom, and the other five piled on our bed to watch a different movie. Poor Bill was still suffering of a migraine, and didn't do much today.

We started supper, and had a great meal of chili & cornbread, followed by cobbler, with berries that Tracey had picked...and ice cream that the kids made with the ice cream balls. It was great!! A nice addition to an already great cobbler tradition. (Papa Cyril...we're counting on you to try some with us!--We remember how much you enjoyed it last fall!)

We had another great night together, and everyone headed to bed about 11. It has been hailing/snowing for a good part of tonight.....thankfully, the tarp did stay up!!




Sunday, we woke to more snow...it was beautiful out the bedroom window....trees with snow. The loop we camp on only has 4 sites, so it's almost like having a park to yourself. By the time I dressed and took the dogs for a walk, a lot of snow had melted, but we had a great fire this morning, cleaned our chili & cobbler pots, as well as cooked an awesome breakfast with sausage, bacon, onion, red pepper, potatoes, and eggs....it was great!! We need to name it! Fresh fruit accompanied, but was eaten well before breakfast/brunch was served!






We enjoyed some beautiful sunshine before we had to tear down and head home. Everyone was shedding coats, going for walks, and basking in the rays....until 20 minutes later, when it was hailing again.



We left camp, knowing it was the first of many fun times of camping with the O'Hara's.....everyone loved it, and what a better way to enjoy your kids and your family??!! We broke camp at 2:20 and arrived home at 2:40--tough drive home, no traffic!! Watch for more pictures soon...as I will post Tracey's soon as well.

Science Fun

Today started off at 8:30 as we headed for the O'Hara's with a crock pot full of roast! We arrived at Tracey's and dropped off the roast, plugged in the crock pot, loaded our lunches in her truck, piled in, and 8 of us headed to Portland. Alyona decided not to join us today, so that she had the privilege to attend a school party on Friday. Our destination was OMSI (Oregen Museum and Science Institute). We arrived about 10:30, and Declan had a class to attend at 11:00. We hung around the technical area before, during and after Declan's class. There were SO many things to do, and the kids had so much fun. I would have to say that the Water Rockets and the Chemistry lab were the hits for today. The kids went back to the water rockets every chance they got.

We took a break for lunch, went out to the truck, and had a picnic lunch looking out over the river. The girls & I walked to the submarine along the shore, and talked about it, while Tracey & the boys went back inside. We went back into the technical area, and spent another 2 hours there. The museum emptied out of school groups about 1:30, and we really enjoyed the last few hours with no kids other than our own as we explored, touched, explained and played. We had so much fun in the physics lab as we were able to watch these three employees trying to improve or make a better "static ray" and we had fun watching them do all those things you tell your kids not to do! I asked them if they got paid for having all this fun, they said "Yes!".

Around 3, we decided we'd better head up to see the Dino exhibit..as it is a traveling exhibit and we'd like to go back, but who knows how long it will be there. So, we explored that, and then headed to the car, knowing that we would have to come back, as in the 4 1/2 hours we spent there, we were in one area alone. They have sure made a lot of nice improvements since we were there last. It was well worth the drive.


Tracey's Pictures from OMSI
After arriving home, we were greeting with the smell of a wonderful roast, Tracey made yummy potatoes, and we had supper together. Poor Bill was suffering from a migraine, so was home in bed...it's one of those doozies.....so hoping he will be recovered tomorrow to head to work and go camping afterward.

It was a great day, spent with great friends....learning lots...and realizing how it will be traveling all day in a car with 7 kids.....oh boy, "How long until we are there"!??!!

Stay tuned...we're camping for the first time with the O'Hara clan....there are sure to be some fun pictures!!

Canada...Here we come!

A few notes for the last few days....

Saturday--Bill, Ryan & I spent the full morning (8-1:30) working in the yard. Temperatures were close to 80 (I think official was 78), and it was BEAUTIFUL!! We cleaned up all that we cut on Friday afternoon and burned all day. The yard looks so nice! The girls (McKenzie & Kristin) drug all the fir tree clippings to the fire pit for us....and there were alot! Kristin kept us all supplied in water, and it was a good day, complete with a good lunch, shower, and wonderful nap!!

Saturday night, Kristin invited McKenzie to spend the night, since it was her last night here. She was to return home to Washington on Sunday morning. They started the evening with showers & popcorn, complete with movie. About halfway through the movie, McKenzie started with a headache and before we knew it, it was like a migraine, so home to Grandma's she went...poor thing. Kristin was disappointed, but it was best that McKenzie felt better. They will miss each other....they've put more time in the playhouse this last two weeks than it has ever seen in it's 10 years with us!

Yesterday, the seat for the Suburban arrived. The O'Hara's went in with us on a 4th row of seating for our trucks (we can move the seat between our two trucks....we have the same vehicles--even the same color!!), and it will enable us to haul 11 passengers now. Bill & Ryan installed it today and the hardest part was taking apart the trim work to get to the floor to drill the holes. The seat is VERY nice, and fits two children very well, and even will sit three, but it would be tight, since it is 6" shorter than the other bench seats, so that they can gain entry through the back door. We headed out to dinner after Ryan & Bill finished and then over to the O'Hara's to show them our new purchase. All the kids had to take a turn in the seat....and everyone but Tanya (she gets carsick & can't sit in the back)is drawing straws to see how gets the first turn back there! Nana & Papa...here we come. We have a car top carrier (another joint purchase), a rack for the back with the truck box, and now the extra seat.....we are ready to go!! Here's another picture of what we might look like!!!

Spring Cleaning

Today started out with a beautiful sunrise (Sorry Cec, I didn't have the camera out!) and it warmed up nicely. By noon, we were all hurrying to finish school and our chores, so that we could go out and enjoy the sun & warm! Just about the time we were getting lunch, Bill pulled in from work. He had gone in early and then decided to take a few hours off this afternoon, and enjoy the sun with us!

After lunch we had the mandatory "afternoon" Richards nap, and then headed outside to trim some trees. Four hours later, we were still at it, and getting very tired!! It was 7:30 before we decided to call it night, and decided to finish up tomorrow, and take all that brush mess that we created to the burn pile in the morning.

Kristin & McKenzie have been playing in the playhouse all week. They have remodeled and made some girly improvements....there are now curtains and a blanket for a makeshift door, courtesy of Ryans helpful hands. I wish I'd had the camera out the day he was crawling into the playhouse with a bag of tools to take care of the girls, but I opted out because it was pouring outside! They had a nice cozy afternoon in the playhouse, and said they didn't get wet at all. Guess Bill & Ryan did a good job on that place!

McKenzie will be going home this weekend. She's been here for two full weeks visiting her grandma & grandpa (our neighbors) and the girls have had a blast. Being they are both country girls with no neighbors, it's been great for them to have the "girl next door" to play with this last two weeks. Kristin will be so lonely when she goes home.

The weekend promises 77 tomorrow, and nice on Sunday too.....so, we are going to enjoy this beautiful weather. Stay tuned for more pictures!

Fun at the O'Hara's

Do you know this man in red???

Some say they saw him in line at the Goodwill, but we know better!!

Had a fun evening at the O'Hara's. We went to share supper, and for the guys to shoot. Unfortunately, there was some special event going on and the boys were unable to shoot tonight. We had a nice evening of visiting, and of course, some horsing around on the way out the door. Always a great time when we are together!

Home School Presentation

Monday, April 7th, we had Mr. Tony Farque of the US Forest Service join us at Home School Group. He is an archaeologist and very knowledgeable about our area. He did a presentation on the Calapooia Indians, who lived in our area. The kids were entertained, but got a bit bored after awhile. We adults could have listened a lot longer! He is taking us on a field trip to Cascadia State Park just outside of Sweet Home, to view the Indian petroglyph's and learn more of their lifestyle. We will keep you posted!

Swimming Fun

Tracey & I braved the pool tonight, and took the kids swimming. We decided that we probably won't do another Friday night anytime soon..there were tons of kids there. I'd guess there were about 100 kids overall. The kids had fun anyway and all played almost the whole two hours we were there.

It was my first time really back on deck after 14 months. I realized how much much I missed it there, and how you can take the lifeguard out of the water, but you can't take the water out of the lifeguard. Although I miss it terribly, I realize that my time is much better utilized now, and it was fun to sit in the bleachers for a change. Enjoy the fun pictures of the kids...

April Fools

Nothing funny about April 1st. We had a great day! Audrie came to visit while Daddy went to some driving school in Salem and Mom went to work in Eugene. We love it when Daddy has to go to work on his scheduled days off(I'm sure Nate doesn't, but we think it's cool that Audrie gets to come play!).

Audrie changes so much each time we see her. This time, she was pulling herself up on furniture, and crawling like crazy, talking as she went. The fisher price toys weren't near as interesting as the cat toys, but hey, the cardboard scratching toy was even more fun! We decided she'd be happy if we just gave her a box!

McKenzie, the neighbor's granddaughter arrived from Washington on Monday night. Kristin & she have been glued together all this week. Tuesday, they did makeovers....they had a lot of fun. Wednesday, they spent the day together while I went to work, and Aunt Adell took the girls rock hunting up the Calapooia River....they had great fun, came home VERY muddy, and had a bucket full of crystals. Kristin can explain more, but they had to dig these up on some grounds that the Calapooia Indians used to dig for the very same rocks. I'm sure we'll hear more next time we see Adell.

Thursday took us to the O'Hara's early in the morning (7:30AM--thanks Tracey) so that I could be in Corvallis for some blood work and a Dr. Appointment. All routine stuff. The kids stayed there and did their school, played, and had a good time while I did my appointments, ran my errands, and even got to have lunch with Bill. While running errands--I found some great deals at the Goodwill in Corvallis---roller skates for Declan (I'd picked up a pair for Alyona, Ryan & an extra pair on Wednesday) and Kristin had gotten a pair a few weeks ago. Now 5 of 7 have inline skates, and we have enough for everyone if someone will wear the skates that aren't inline skates and the other skates that fit over shoes (and no, they don't have a key!). The other bargain for the day was a rack for the back of the suburban and trailer. (For those of you that don't know....Tracey & I are taking all 7 kids to Canada this summer to visit her folks. Due to the fact that there will be 9 of us in the car, with the extra seat we have ordered for the suburban, there is no place for luggage or anything else inside for that matter! ) So, I found this bargain, a brand new cargo rack still in the box. The guys took it out and put it on the truck last night, and modified it so that it will hold the tool box from the back of the truck. That, along with the car top carrier that Sean & Tracey picked up last week, we are pretty much set for our big trip. The car carrier box will hold 2 full sized adults if need be...so we have plenty of room for luggage on top and a box on back for daily stuff that will be needed during travel, or for any unruly kids!! So, the count down begins....look out Nana & Papa, here we come! Here's what we're probably going to look like, minus the animals. The guys are staying home to take care of the animals!

After I picked up the kids, we headed home to do some chores, and then the O'Hara clan arrived at our house for supper as the guys had bible study. The boys are suffering from gun class withdrawal! I'm sure we'll get back on a normal schedule for them soon. The kids had a blast skating on the porch, playing Marco Polo. It was fun to see them enjoy themselves. It was nice & warm today, and a beautiful sunny day. You'll see by the pictures, some took things to the extreme (Kristin), in a tank top & skort. Ryan & Alexis had hats on for some reason, as it wasn't that cold, but I'm sure they appreciated it when it did get cooler as the sun went down. There were 9 kids out there (2 of ours, 2 of the neighbors and 5 of the O'Hara's)---it was a fun sounds as they laughed, played and had a good time. It almost sounded like the old neighborhood days from when I was young.

No huge plans this weekend. Maybe catch up on some things around the house, maybe relax....who knows. The possibilities are endless!