Kayaking

It's been a while since we took the kayak out for a spin. Since the weather was perfect, and we live less than two minutes from the river, we decided to spend an afternoon on the water. I wish that I could describe the smell of the junipers and do justice with pictures to the fall colors, but it's just not possible. Luke soaked in the sun and read, the kids played until they were ready to drop, and we all went home happy and hungry. Long story short, it was an amazing day!

Dylan tried his hand at skipping rocks

It was his first time in the kayak alone, and he did awesome! It seemed every time I looked over, I was watching the back of his head as he paddled away.

The sun on the water was brilliant. A big dose of vitamin D was just what the doctor ordered!

The kiddos wanted to pose on the otter. Isabelle LOVES otters.

Izzy shared the water with a paddle-boarder and her dog for a bit

While I was out on the water, the kids made little boats.

Dylan's boat :)

Unicycling

I couldn't help sneaking into the gym this morning to take a picture of Dylan during unicycling. What a stud! His elementary offers free unicycle classes before school, and he is loving it. Unicycling teaches things like centering, concentration, and neuromuscular training (linking the brain to the body to develop good nerve function). Dylan doesn't care so much about the benefits; he just thinks it's a riot. He was able to get up on the first day, and has been able to ride about 5 feet. It will take some practice and patience, but I know he can do it!

October Road

Izzy and Dylan in October 2007
Mike and Lori's cabin

Fast forward 6 years to October 2013
Shevlin Park

Nice Butte!

A little attempt at humor in the title...if you have seen "Cars" you'll get it! We spent part of our afternoon hiking to the top of Pilot Butte. It was a nice little walk. The weather was amazing today--almost 70 degrees. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We were able to see all the mountains that surround the town, including Mt. Hood. It is 92 miles away, but we could see it very clearly! It was a fun afternoon. Izzy even caught a lizard. There was a cute little park at the trailhead, too. Top it all off with a slurpee, and life doesn't get much better. When we stopped at 7-Eleven, I was pretty excited to see that they have Pepsi slurpees here. Yum! I was in heaven!

Me and the kids with the Three Sisters and Broken Top behind us.

This is at the top of the butte to help identify all the peaks.

Luke and I loving the sunshine!

Izzy was playing on one of those things that spin around, and I caught her at just the right moment.

Mt. Washington on the left; Mt. Hood on the right.

Apple Bars

These apple bars taste just like my mom's apple crisp...yummy! Autumn is hands down my favorite season, and what is more autumn than apples?

1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C brown sugar
1 C rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves (optional)
1/2 C butter
3 C apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 C sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 7x11 baking dish. Mix flour, salt, and soda together in a bowl. Add brown sugar, oats, and spices. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Spread half of the crumb mixture in the pan. Top with apples and sprinkle with sugar. Spread remaining crumb mixture evenly over apples. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Serve warm or cold.

Lava River Cave

We spent part of our morning yesterday at the Lava River Cave. It's a mile-long lava tube just down the road from our place. It was awesome!

150 steps down!

A wall in the cave...nothing mind-blowing, I just thought it looked cool.

Luke, Izzy, Dylan, and Stella checking out the end of the cave. We wanted to keep going, but we would have had to inch along on our hands and knees. No thanks!

I just snapped this from the front (passenger) seat of the car on our way home. It's nice to see tall trees instead of tall buildings :)





The weekend ended up being a little overcast and rainy--perfect weather for homemade brownies and games. We taught the kids how to play Settlers of Catan today and they loved it!

12

Twelve candles? What happened to my tiny girl? I guess she's all grown up! Happy birthday, Izzy--we love you!