It is finished...

A few years ago - before my blog posts were filled with stories about my children - I wrote about the license plate game we play... finding each state's license plate in alphabetical order. We started on July 18th, 2004 - in Jackson, Wyoming - when we drove by a van on the road with an Alabama plate. This spring, when Bethany came to visit, her Wyoming plate finished the game. Now we just have to decide if we are going to start over, or move on to something new. Thanks Beth for helping us out!

(FYI, this is not Bethany's actual license plate, so don't try to stalk her or search her DMV records using these numbers... you won't get very far.)

Updates...

In case you've missed it, here is the list of updates I've recently posted:
August 30th: Sometimes...
August 29th: Distractions on the way to bed...
August 29th: GFU alumni game...
August 28th: Welcome baby Charlie...
August 27th: Water and lights...
August 26th: I'm back online...
August 25th: Water baby...
August 24th: A big girl bed...
August 23rd: Burch Lake...
August 18th: Post-bath sillies...
August 17th: More masterpieces...
August 16th: You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go...
August 13th: A big step...
August 11th: High as the sky...
August 9th: Breakfast at Bob's...
August 8th: Brownlee birthday beach bash...
August 8th: My birthday...
August 3rd: Bend it like...
August 2nd: Soccer camp...
July 31st: Backwards or forwards...
June 29th: Grace's green gala...

Sometimes...

Sometimes we have rough days - the girls are bickering, biting, fighting. Some days Claire wets her pants six times in a row and I can't help but be frustrated. Some days I have a headache, too much work to do and the house is a wreck. I guess I just described yesterday.

Today is different. Today the girls are playing nicely. Today Claire hasn't had any accidents and it once again acting excited about the fact that she is potty trained. Today my house is (almost) clean and the laundry is (almost) all done. Today I am finished working and enjoying the break. Today is better... and after yesterday I needed better.

Distractions on the way to bed...

Today I sent Claire up to her room to go to bed. Everything was quiet so I assumed she had gone. When I went to check on her a minute later this is what I found. Apparently she got distracted by my head phones and was sitting on the stairs listening to music... not in bed.

GFU alumni game...

Every year before the regular season starts, there is an alumni soccer game at George Fox. The old guys vs. the young guys... aka alumni vs. the current GFU soccer team. It's always fun to go out to Fox and watch Scott, Merrick, Craig, and other friends play again. The only negative was the heat - I was practically melting into the pavement, and I'm not one who complains about sun.

Welcome baby Charlie...

Charles David Parsons (aka baby Charlie) was born on Saturday, August 27th at 2:28 am. Remember back when we hosted a party for Sarah's 30th birthday and they announced her pregnancy? It seems like the last few months flew by and here he is. All 7 pounds 6 ounces of his perfect little cuteness. Congrats friends. We are very happy for you both and wish you all the best on this grand adventure called parenting!

I stole these pictures from Amy. Amy, if you read my blog, thanks for the pictures!

Water and lights...

On Friday we headed out to the 53rd park to cool off in the fountains. We went shortly before bed time and were surprised that as the sun went down, a light and water show began. The girls had a blast in playing, swimming and splashing.

I'm back online...

After an unintentional, extended break from my computer, it has been repaired and I am back online! I have weeks and weeks of pictures to sort through, stories to write and blogging to catch up on, so stay tuned.

Water baby...

We finally had a free day and were able to make it to the pool with Sophia and Shannon. It was so much fun - as always! Sophia was the first to brave the diving board.

Then it was Claire's turn. I was treading water and waiting for her to jump when she said, "No jump with mommy. Jump with Shannon." So Shannon got back into the pool and waited, and waited and waited. 

Eventually Claire opted for jumping in off the side instead (but it still had to be to Shannon).

Grace preferred "jumping" from the stairs.

This summer Claire is the water baby. Crazy and courageous. Showing no fear and loving every minute of her time in the pool (or the lake, or the river, or the ocean, or the creek...).

A big girl bed...

Since Claire has been out of diapers for 2 1/2 weeks, and out of her crib for 10 days, we decided to go ahead and take the crib down. We are officially a crib-free, diaper free, but not-yet-binky-free house! So far things have been going really well. Claire seems to sleep just fine in her bed, though she usually falls out once a night (something Grace never did). We might have to consider buying a bed rail for this girl if that habit continues. She doesn't get out of bed unless it is time, but even then usually lays in bed reading books or playing with "Big Guy" (the stuffed elephant she sleeps with). Sometimes I feel like she is too young for these transitions, but then again she seems ready. 

Burch Lake...

We spent the weekend camping with friends at Burch Lake - just north of Corvallis. The property is the perfect place to camp... and we had a blast. That problem is that we were having too much fun to really take many pictures. I guess that happens when you spend your days in the lake: swimming, fishing, boating, floating, and playing. In the evenings, after dinner, Burch would light a big fire and we would congregate around to enjoy fireworks, s'mores and camp songs. Okay, we only sang one line of one song, but Melissa and I tried.

The second night we enjoyed Hobo Stew - meat, veggies, and seasonings all wrapped up in foil and cooked over a fire. I am not sure if the meal was great because we were exhausted and starving, or if it was really that good. Either way, we devoured our dinners.

Even as the air was cooling and the sun was setting, we couldn't keep this girl out of the water. She asked to go swimming the minute she woke up on Saturday and Sunday mornings and stayed in the water for the majority of the time we were there.

Nothing like a warm fire... except the air was still hot after our 100 degree day, so we all sat a good distance away from the burning coals. We just needed to be close enough to roast hot dogs and marshmallows.

And Claire, how she loves camping, swimming and peeing wherever she is - which led to pictures like this...

While we packed up camp, and cleaned out the shelter, the kids played happily in the lake and in the sand. I don't know why, but Claire refused to wear the bottom half of her swimming suite on Sunday. To be honest, it wasn't a battle we wanted to fight at the time, so we let it go.

Thanks, friends, for inviting us to join you for the weekend. We had a great time! Hopefully we really can make this a tradition.

Post-bath sillies...

Sometimes bath time just makes you silly.

More masterpieces...

We got to spend another fun morning at My Masterpiece Art Studios today. Shannon and Melissa had groupons to us and invited us along for the adventure. The kids had a blast, and I loved the time with my friends. My kids didn't paint the next Mona Lisa, but I loved seeing how into it they both were. Painting is definitely a favorite activity around here.

And the finished products...