Gwynnie turns '3' .. Happy Birthday To You!

Six months prior to her 3rd birthday Gwynnie knew of three things she wanted to happen on her special day. First, she can begin chewing gum, and thanks to her sister Addison, Gwynnie had a good chew the morning of. Secondly, she wanted to invite friends to the library for story time and discovery village. And finally, Gwynnie wanted to go ice skating. Well, two out of three ain't that bad. Like three out of the last four years Gwnnie's special day had some 'INTERESTING' weather. The day we brought her home from the hospital the electricity turned off due to 80 mph winds; the temperature that night in the house got down in the 50's and it wasn't until late the next morning did the electricity turn back on. Last year (2nd birthday) snow began to fall and didn't stop for a few days. This year was an ice storm and because of that we had to put the ice skating trip on hold. We did make the trip a week later (see picture).

Gwynnie had a wonderful day with her friends and sister. Her favorite gift was the red scooter (It had to be her favorite because her parents got it for her) ... she's already planning out her next birthday.

Gymnastics a Big Hit with Both

Addison: "I love to go on the trampoline, bars and balance beam .. and I love to go on the vault. I love to go on the floor and practice hand stands, somersaults and cart-wheels. My teachers are Marcey, Taylor and Emily. I love it because it's fun.

Gwyneth: "I like to do somersaults at binastics and I like to go on the trampoline, too. And I like to go on the balance beam too. Sometimes Ms. Erin helps me. I only know Abby in my class."

Kindergarten for Addi - Time with Momma for Gwynnie

Addison began her 3rd year at Willamette Christian (Previously Cornerstone), as a Kindergarten student. Her days increased from half days of 3 days / week to 5 days / week. She absolutely loves school as her class is learning all letters and recently began reading 3 and 4 letter words. What an incredible moment as parents, to hear your child putting letters together and forming words. Her curiosity with sight words as we are driving or walking around a store is fun to watch. With Addi in school three days / week Gwyneth is experiencing quality time with her mom. They spend their time at the Courthouse Athletic Club getting fit and increasing Gwynnie's friend pool, gaining curiosity at the Gilbert House, drinking tea and 'hot chalky' before bible study on Tuesday's, walking Roxy, and riding horses at the Carousel.

CAMPING along the Santiam River

In mid-July we spent a couple of days camping with some friends from church. It was a neat experience, especially for Addi and Gwynnie since this was the first time camping for us as a family of four. We went to a site along the north fork, about 20 minutes outside of south salem with four other families, called Taylor Park. It was a great experience for our girls as they enjoyed playing with other kids, sleeping in the tent, wading in the river, and laughing at mom and dad as our air mattress leaked and ended up with little comfort throughout the night. Regardless of Dad's efforts to blow it back up at 2:00 am. We were roughing it! The girls did a great job falling asleep on their own as the adults stayed up and chatted around the fire. Given the success of this camping experience we are really looking forward to taking more camping trips this year .. we just need to find someone to cook for us.

2009 Run For The Iris

This years Run for the Iris events were very successful. On Saturday, the 5K and the brand new KIDZ 3000 took place and the Half Marathon and 10K took place on Sunday. The weather was terrific, although maybe a little warm later in the day. The 5K has been an ongoing annual event in Keizer, however, this was only the second year for the Half and 10K. I was very encouraged by the increase in participants and the energy that the volunteers provided. We added some modifications to Sundays events given that the festival moved locations and this change was an overall positive given the dynamics of the start and finish be located in the same location. My personal favorite of the entire weekend was the addition of the KIDZ 3000. Although we only had 30 runners the plan for the upcoming year and years to follow is very exciting. We are working out the details to make the KIDZ 3000 a benefit run for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). I feel that this will become a very popular and significant event in the Willamette Valley.

For Sale

After 7 years we have decided to test the market and put our house for sale. We ask for your prayers that God will lead this decision. Since Chelsey and I have made the decision to remain in this area instead of moving to Colorado we don't have to sell our home .. so, much of the anxiety of having a house on the market is not there. However, to see the sign in the front is a little weird. Our wishes include a modest home on an acre or more .. enough to have small animals, orchard, A Field of Dreams, you know, the necessities. We will keep you posted on the outcome. I've included some pictures of updates and changes we have made to our place.

Addison celebrates no. 5

Addison has had her 5th birthday planned since the day after her fourth. She, of course, gets her planning from her mother. Addison's plan was to have her friends over on Thursday, June 4th, for a pizza eating-tie dyeing-dance 'til you drop (or win a prize) extravaganza. And anyone that has experienced the northwest knows that it's not entirely safe to plan outdoor activities in June. Addison's guests were to arrive at 5:00 pm and this MONSOON of a midwestern storm arrived at 4:15 pm. There was a tornado warning (some lunatic sighted a tornado in the vicinity) a few miles south of us and it was heading directly at us. It was eerie but invigorating. Being the caring parents that we are we decided to head for the basement. (That's right! We have a basement). I kept running upstairs to witness this storm. It was intense .. full of high winds and an incredible amount of rain fall .. gutters were no match! And neither were the sewers as our side street was flooding. I have it all on film! Although, this lunatic did not sight a tornado or funnell cloud. As the winds and rains died down Addison's guests slowly began to arrive .. and the party took place in the house. I felt bad for Chelsey as she had the itinerary set to the minute (we actually had a practice run the day before). All was good as the girls had a nice time.

However, Addison's OTHER birthday plans took place the following day, on her actual birthday, at the Oregon Aquarium in Newport. Since we were on the coast we decided to spend a couple of nights at Gran Annie's in Florence, Oregon.

As Addison begins to plan for her 6th birthday I must take the time to brag about my daughter as she is one of kindness, caring and creativity. The pride that she gives me on a daily basis is, at times, overwhelming. She loves her sister and I can't think of anyone else that I would have Gwyneth learn from.