Wabi Sabi

The kids have a few favorite stores downtown, but the one they frequent most is called Wabi Sabi.  I think part of it has to do with the big sweet black cat, Neco.  We love all the downtown shops because they are locally owned small businesses, and it has such a small town feel to it.  The people are all genuine and friendly.  I have a new favorite shop that is floor to ceiling olive oil and balsamic vinegars.  I could stay there for an entire afternoon just tasting all of it!  I digress--that will be a post for another day.  Back to the kids!  Wabi Sabi has an annual japanese eraser diorama contest.  All you have to do is use at least one japanese eraser in a diorama.  There are four age categories and a lot of fun prizes.  While Fred and Kelly were here, Kelly treated the kids to some erasers so they could enter.  Their imaginations started working overtime, and they both spent over 5 hours each on their project.  I was impressed to say the least!

Dylan decided on the "Bend Zoo"

Izzy went with "Nothing Bundt Cakes"

I love the koala up in the tree on Dylan's, and Izzy's glass front display case at the front left of the bakery.  (You can always click on the photos to see them a little bigger).  The little details are so amazing to me.  It has been a fun project, and I hope they win a prize!  Everyone who participates walks away with at least a new eraser, so it was all worth it win or lose.  They just had so much fun creating them!

*UPDATE
Isabelle took 3rd place in the middle school age division :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving dinner was a little bit smaller than usual this year, but it was still yummy.  We had turkey breast brined in honey and salt (it was really juicy), mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, fruit salad, garlic balsamic green beans (yuck!), veggies and dip, and Izzy and Dylan's favorite, jell-o jigglers.  For dessert we had pumpkin pie and cranberry pudding cake with butter cream sauce.  Not bad for a first attempt at a holiday dinner.  I have never made a big turkey before, so taking baby steps with just the breast was nice.  As we took turns around the table sharing what we are thankful for, it became very clear how blessed we are.  Moving to Oregon was a big leap of faith, but we couldn't be more sure of our decision.  We can't wait to see what this year brings and where we are when Thanksgiving rolls around next year.

Visitors!

Fred and Kelly came to visit us last weekend, and we had so much fun!  Of course we forgot the camera every time we left the house, though.  You'll have to trust me when I say we saw and did a little bit of everything.  We watched Izzy swim and Dylan play football.  We hit the museum, Tumalo Falls, downtown Bend, and The Old Mill.  We ate yummy food and spent some good quality time together.  The kids even got to sleep over at their hotel on Saturday night.  Gotta love slumber parties!

We loved every minute of their visit, and can't wait to have them come back.  Hopefully next time it will be a little warmer.  We had a major cold snap while they were here; the high temperature was 34!  Yikes!  Now we are back up into the 50s and loving it.

Thanks for making the (long) trek!  We love you and miss you!

Flowrider

We went to a birthday party in Sun River and the kids got to play on the flowrider.  It was pretty hard to get a good photo with my phone; I wish we would have taken the camera. You get the idea, though...

So much fun!  The kids also tried surfing, but that didn't go as well.  Those pictures were a complete blur.  Luke tried surfing as well, but I took the smart approach (sit and eat 7 layer dip and watch everyone else wipe out).  Good times!

Da Bears!

Bucky is on a flag football team here in Bend, and he is loving it!  If he's not carrying the ball and getting in the middle of plays,

He usually looks like this:

or this:

He works his guts out every single play.  It doesn't matter if it is offense or defense; he is in the middle of it.  We get such a kick out of watching him.  Go Bears!

Clown College

I don't know how to turn this video.  You'll just have to turn your head to the side :)

We thought it might take Dylan a while to figure out unicycling, but he surprised us and picked it up really fast.  He loves it!

Cascade Dance

No pictures on this post...just a fun update. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! I was dropping Izzy off at a friend's house and stopped in to meet her parents. They were so nice, and I stayed to chat for a while. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that I taught ballet in Utah. Amazingly enough, the dad had just built a studio, but had no one to run it. He wanted to start a beginning ballet program for young students, but hadn't had any luck finding someone to run it. Lucky for me, he hired me on the spot. I called Luke with the good news and we all went to dinner to celebrate. Afterwards, we went to take a look at the studio, and it is so cute! I will be teaching ballet and creative movement to 3-6 year olds, and I may even start a class for special needs kids. He was supportive of the idea, which thrilled me. It's something I have wanted to do for a long time. My niece is special needs, and her mom (my little sister) was told it would be good for her to get into a dance class to socialize. It ended up being a really bad experience. That was when I first had the idea...everyone deserves a place to be creative and make friends and be confident. So, here I go...wish me luck!

Halloween

This year Izzy dressed up as a zombie ballerina...

and Dylan decided to go as a Ducks football player.

They had tons of fun trick-or-treating, and came home with way too much candy! I was in charge of Dylan's class party. We played games, ate healthy snacks, and carved faces into apples to make shrunken heads. It was so much fun! The middle schools don't allow dressing up, so Izzy didn't get to wear her costume to school. Fine by me...I'd like to get rid of the holiday altogether, but that's not going to happen. I'll keep hoping in the meantime!
We hope you all had a happy and safe halloween :)