Day 216

It probably isn't surprising to know that Les "helped" Parker pick these toy swords out when we were shopping for Parker's birthday in May. But I have to say that the two of them get really good use out of them. Parker with grab both of them and hand one to Les and say "Let's Fight!"

Day 215

Have I mentioned that it's been really hot in Portland lately? And that, of course, means another evening on the deck in the pool. Hope you are not getting tired of Kids in the Pool series of photos, because I am sure there are more to come!

Day 214

Grandma came over to beat the heat (I love air conditioning) and hang out with the grand kids. Parker was wearing my hat and looked so cute, but kept covering his face. So Grandma was trying to get him to put his hands down. I have to say I like this candid shot of the two of them better than the posed photo of Parker with the hat.

Day 213

Okay, so you are wondering what this photo is all about. Well, it's Project Supernatural. Carrie and I have convinced (forced?) Mindy to spend her summer watching all four seasons of the TV show Supernatural. Tonight we watched at Carrie's place so we could watch using the inFocus projector on the giant screen. And besides, who doesn't want a picture of Dean on their blog?

Day 212

I took another Monday off work (yeah for 3 day weekends) and the kids were very excited to see me when they got home. They literally climbed up my legs to get to me! Thanks again to Les for the quick grab on the camera. If only all three of us were looking at the camera . . . oh well, still a cute photo.

Day 211

This is a pretty cute picture of Parker inside is football toy box. But what I should have taken a photo of is all the toys that were in the box strewn about his room. I hadn't realized how much fit into that box, because the toys where everywhere.

Day 210

Road trip to the beach! Mindy, Kaitlyn and I drove down to Lincoln City for a geocaching event. Here is Kaitlyn & I by the confluence of the D River and the Pacific (with the GPS, of course). The D River is the shortest river in the world, traveling less than 500 feet from Devils Lake to the Pacific Ocean.

Day 209

Ladies Night!!! Of course, I forgot to take any pictures inside the restaurant . . . Andra was in town from San Francisco, so we used the occasion to have dinner the the Melting Pot. 7 ladies, cheese, chocolate and girlie drinks - what's not to like?

Day 208

The Portland heat wave continues, so it is back to the pool again. I snapped this picture of Kaitlyn right after she squirted herself in the face with the squirt gun she's holding. She thought it was hysterical!

Day 207

Potty training is not going all that well . . . he refuses to go at school and has to be bribed to go at home. Nonetheless, here is is first evening in big boy underwear. He seems quite proud, doesn't he? Hopefully, this will encourage him to use the toilet more often.

Day 206

It was Teddy Bear Picnic for Parker's class at preschool today. Here he is wearing his school backpack and holding his bear. It was a bit of a scramble in the morning, because we weren't sure Parker had a stuffed bear - I mean he's got every other stuffed animal. But we found one! (Thanks to cousin Mallory who gave us one for Christmas).

Day 205

So I took a day off work to go Geocaching with Mindy. Here we are at the Tribute Plaque for the very first cache ever placed. With all the outdoorsy options in Oregon, I am not surprised it is the birth place of Geocaching (there is now about 850,000 caches worldwide). If you look closely our GPS units are on top of the plaque - for good luck and long battery life. Thanks again to the fellow geocacher who was driving by and stopped to offer to take our picture together.

Day 204

This just might be my new favorite picture of the kids together. They are both fresh from their bath - which is about the only time you'll see Kaitlyn's hair all down and loose. Parker was working on a puzzle and he invited Kaitlyn up to sit in the chair with him. And miracle of all miracles, they both smiled for the camera.

Day 203

To celebrate Mike's birthday, we had a BBQ at Hammerle park. Both kids had such a fun time running around with their uncles.

Day 202

With all the crazy heat, we've been playing in the pool almost every evening. Here is Parker & Kaitlyn trying to splash Mom.

Day 201

Time to play out on the deck again, don't you just love the summer weather? Parker has discovered how much fun the hose can be. If I can get him to stop spraying Kaitlyn, then we will all be happy.

Day 200

I'm Batman.

Day 199

Another sunny day means another trip to the park after work. Parker's favorite is the water spouts, but I think that Kaitlyn really likes the swings right now. She always tries to wander off to the swings by herself.

Day 198

For our final activity for Ladies Weekend at the Beach, we decided to go on an outdoor adventure. We headed into the Siuslaw National Forest to the Drift Creek Falls trail. It's a about 2 mile round trip to view the 75 foot horsetail type waterfall from the 240 foot suspension bridge that is about 100 feet above the creek. The weather was perfect to hiking - not too hot but not raining either. Thankfully I was able to figure out the automatic timing so we could get a photo of all four of us on the bridge.

Day 197

Things I love about this photo:

1. Neither kids have pants on.
2. Kaitlyn is wearing one of Parker's shoes - on the wrong foot.
3. Parker is wearing sunglasses in the house.
4. I think Kaitlyn may be strangling the monkey.
5. Parker is pretend drumming, but without the drum sticks sitting next to Kaitlyn.
6. Kaitlyn seems to be fascinated by Parker.
   

Day 196

On Saturday morning, Mom was off the the coast for a Ladies Weekend, so Dad was in charge of the kids. So after Family Dinner, (how dare they go to Changs without me!), Les took the kids to the park. It must be a sappy mom thing, but any time I see photos of the kids holding hands it makes me go "Awwwww." Kudos must go to Les for snapping the Awwww-inspiring picture.

Day 195

Hopefully this is a sign that Kaitlyn will have better skills than her mother when it comes to gardening and plant care. If it weren't for Les, all the plants in the house and yard would surely be dead by now.

Day 194

Kaitlyn was sent home from school with a "fever" yesterday. Since she was totally faking it but had to stay home anyway, Mindy and I took her on a Geocaching Adventure in Lake Oswego. Kaitlyn has been geocaching her whole life (her first adventure was at about 5 months), so she really enjoyed herself and the time outside. We got to see 7 baby ducks and Kaitlyn was very good to always point out "WATER!" We successfully found 5 caches, before it was time to head home for a nap.

Day 193

Judging by this chip stack, Les is certainly having better luck in Las Vegas than he did when he was there in December. I am delighted to report that he cashed for the first time in a Vegas tournament.

Day 192

With Daddy away, playing in the pool on the deck is easier than taking the kids to the park by myself. We even recorded a video wishing Daddy luck in Las Vegas that we emailed to him (I tell you, the iPhone is amazing!) I am sure this picture with horrify both children when they are teenagers - Kaitlyn doesn't have a shirt on and Parker is wearing a Little Mermaid swim diaper . . .

Day 191

Time for another Man's Trip to Las Vegas for Les & Job. This time they planned it so their visit would coincide with the World Series of Poker's Main Event. This year they were there only to watch (and unless Les wins the lottery to pay the $10,000 buy-in, he will most likely only ever get to watch). Within minutes of arriving at the casino, they were able to catch glimpses of celebrities - both TV stars & famous poker players.

Day 190

Nicole was in town this week and her sister Mindy threw her a surprise baby shower. I hadn't seen Nicole in years (she really should move back to town as soon as possible), so it was nice to catch a little bit. It was also fun because Parker & Kaitlyn got to meet Beth's daughter Sarah - they all had a grand time running around.

Day 189

We spent the 4th over at Aunt Susie & Uncle John's house (or as Parker always calls it "Tobey's House"). We all spent most of the afternoon in the pool - and Parker LOVED it. (Henceforth their house is now known as "Tobey's Pool"). At dark we went out to watch all the illegal fireworks in the neighborhood, as well as did sparklers and some pop-its. We must have had about 20 different shots of the family, but this was the only one where all four of us were looking at the camera and had our eyes open. Oh well, maybe we'll get a better one for Christmas.

Day 188

Since I had the day off work, I decided to take the kids to the zoo. We were lucky enough to have Kelly, Grayson & Aunt Kathy (Grayson's Aunt Kathy that is) come with us. The weather was perfect! Having the two boys was actually easier than when we took just Parker & Kaitlyn earlier in the year. They were able to keep each other entertained and that way Parker wasn't always wanting to be carried or in the stroller. He and Grayson could be "big boys" together. Luckily, Kaitlyn was content to sit in the stroller and watch them bounce around. In this photo, the boys are in the polar bear den and giving their best bear ROAR.

Day 187

Grayson came over to hang out after dinner and he & Parker ran around like the little hooligans they are. Then they decided to make a nest with the pillows on the couch. It's fun to see them play together, because they always have so much fun - And because Kaitlyn just trails after them . . .

Day 186

Parker almost gave me a heart attack when he climbed up the jungle gym and then slipped through the bars to swing like this. What I had failed to notice is that Grayson did it first . . . and you know 3 year olds . . . Monkey See - Monkey Do.