Gregg and Mike

Last week Gregg was in San Diego for a conference of some sort. As it turns out, Mike (Gregg's brother) was also there then. These two are never in the same time zone so they made sure to see each other since they had the chance. If I remember correctly, the last time they saw each other was back in 2003. Mike lives in Oregon and is married with two boys.

Here is the one and only photo they took together in Gregg's room on base.

Camping April 2008

Well, our first family camping trip was a huge success. We all had a great time. The company was good & there was a lot to do around the camp site. We fished, canoed and did some bike riding. I enjoyed the canoeing so much that I plan on buying one in the near future. I wish I would have gotten some photos of our canoeing trip down the river, it was the best part in my opinion and the views were magnificent. We also look forward to our next camping trip which hopefully will be soon, before the hot weather sets in.

The kids and Gregg went fishing on Saturday, everyone caught some fish and had a really good time. Payton caught the first fish of the day and wanted to keep it as a pet at home. I don't know where she got this idea, but I had to convince her that throwing it back into the river would be a better life for it. She put up quite a fight and had the waterworks flowing, eventually she gave in and threw him back.

The weather was beautiful all three days with 1 tiny shower as we were packing up the truck on Sunday. It got into the low 80's during the day and only into the mid 60's overnight, perfect camping weather.

Here is our setup. We thought it was a great idea to be close to the showers and bathrooms. Little did we know that because of this we'd hear people walking to and from them all hours of the night, that was a little creepy. The kids had their own tent and said they slept well, Gregg and I on the other hand weren't so lucky. I guess it just takes some getting used to. We won't be putting our tent this close to the bathrooms on future excursions.

The trees in this part of the country are really something to see. They are tall and skinny with very few branches and they seem to go on forever and touch the clouds.

This is the consolidated campsite where we all had meals and hung out around the campfire. We had a lot of good conversations with our friends right here. All in all there were 6 adults and 8 children. Not all the kids got along, but no one got hurt, can't ask for much more than that. The food was decent (edible, but total junk: hamburgers, hot dogs & such) and the drinks were plentiful.

And just to prove I was there, since I took all the photos, here I am, in our tent mid-day after a long morning & afternoon of biking, canoeing and baiting hooks. I made it through this first camping weekend and I am eagerly awaiting the next chance we'll get to do it all again.

Camping Anxiety

This weekend is a long one for the kids, they are off school Friday for a "staff day." Gregg flies out to San Diego on Monday for a week, so what better time to go do something fun, like......... camping? We are driving down to a state park on Friday afternoon and plan on camping that night and then also Saturday evening.

There are electric hookups and running water and bathrooms, but I still feel that I'm leaving everything behind, like I'm going on that show Survivor or something. I've got a list about a hundred items long of things I feel I might or could need or want. I know I don't need 6 changes of clothes, but I feel compelled to be ultra prepared. We are going with two other families, there will be 6 adults and 8 children, so it could get really interesting. I will be sure to take some photos and post them when I have recovered from all the "fun."

Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that I don't die without internet or television, or for that matter a big fluffy bed to sleep on for two nights, in a row. I camped one night in high school with Gregg's parents and seriously thought I was going to die. So I really need all the help I can get to make it through this "adventure" unscathed. Only because I'm not really the camping type.

I am going to try my best to look on the bright side and help my kids enjoy nature and everything it has to offer. Oh, and here's hoping that the weather holds up and the fishing is good.

What did I get myself into? (me, 1979)

Science Fair 2008

Tuesday evening was the science fair. In 3rd, 4th & 5th grades the kids do science projects and display them for friends and family. Payton did a great job (she got a 98%) & had a lot of fun.

Payton and Austin in the car on the way to the school, being silly as usual.

This mural was painted outside Payton's classroom by some high school students. It appears to not be finished quite yet.

Here is Payton with her science project. She tested the evaporation of different types of soda. I never did a science project as a child, so this was all new to me. Luckily I got a sneak preview of one of the neighbor kids projects so I knew what to expect & how it should look when complete.

This is Payton's gargoyle she made in art class. It was displayed in the commons area of her school. I do, honestly, think it was the best in display & truly quite scary.

Spring Photo Time

Today the kids brought home their spring school photos. It is amazing what they do for school pictures now days, pose choice, different backgrounds and better lighting. No ugly school pictures any more with messed up hair and unflattering lighting. Guess if they are going to charge you an arm and a leg for school photos, they might have to make it worth it.

I remember when I was a kid school photos were like $20 and you got more pictures than you could possibly give out to friends and family. Now it runs about $60 each kid, each season, and you get less than 30 photos each time, so you have to pick and choose who actually gets one. They take school pictures twice a year here, so I always say I'm not going to buy spring and fall pics, but they are always so darn cute I can't help but buy them both.

So here are my kiddos new photos...