The Earlywine's

Baby Elliott is Here

2012-01-10T16:36:00.001-08:00

On January 3rd, Elliott David entered this world much to the delight of friends and family. Here are a few fun pictures of the day.

Christmas fun

2011-12-28T13:28:00.001-08:00

Jude loads up his dump truck

2011-11-07T20:57:00.001-08:00

Brilliant!

Jude Turns 2

2011-09-30T23:01:00.001-07:00

I am Officially Podcasted

2011-04-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

Some of you hear me way too much, others may not hear me enough... If you would ever like to subscribe to my podcast, click here.

Or you can also hear the audio at www.6thandgibbs.com

Picture

2011-04-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

Sunriver 2011

2011-04-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Karley Turns 11

2011-03-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking, that was in February and you are right. Well, sure but a month later isn't too bad isn't it? We all had a blast with at her party. The best part was that in her basketball game, she scored her first basket of the season! just before we partied for her birthday.

Here is the party crew! Most of it at least!

Here we are playing an exciting game of "CHUBBY BUNNY" the goal: Say chubby bunny with as many marshmallows as you can cram in your mouth.

Karley trying to win the game!

The Birthday girl next to her favorite friend Natalee.

Happy 11th Birthday!

A Valentine Gift from Grandma and Grandpa Earlywine

2011-02-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Nut Cracker 2011

2011-02-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

Every year our girls are a part of the Nut Cracker performances here in Cottage Grove, through South Lane Ballet Company. You can see in this video, Cedar, Abi and Karley doing their parts. Abi is one of the mice, and Karley is a Candy Cane Princess. Cedar was a helper with multiple groups, so she is both in the mice and the Candy Canes and something else too. PS bonus points for the person who can guess the background music, and no, it's not from the Nutcracker.

Jude Devours a Carrot

2011-02-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

See how quickly carrots are here and gone in the Earlywine family!

AJ's Recitation "The Defense of the Alamo"

2011-02-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

AJ gives the recitation here that he gave at school.

Jude For Grandma and Grandpa

2011-01-31T23:24:00.000-08:00

Some Good Pictures for Everyone

2011-01-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some great pictures of the Judinator! He is getting so BIG.

And Abi too!

Priorities

2011-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Saw this picture today and it made me laugh!

Personalities

2010-12-19T22:39:00.000-08:00

After today I am really struck at the difference in personalities of my children as infants. Jude is way different than any of our kids, even AJ. I (for whatever reason) thought that Jude was a boy, so was AJ, they will be about the same. Not so much! No, Jude is much more destructive than AJ. AJ was rather quiet, Jude is rather LOUD! Jude is more destructive and likes to figure out how things work. AJ on the other hand did a great job of being a copy cat, he would do the same things you would do. Jude simply tears things apart to see how they work.

It is so awesome seeing my children grow and change, what an incredible gift from God. I can only image the joy that God gets by watching all of us change and grow as well. It's so cool being a dad.

A Day at the Snow

2010-12-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Remembering Christmas

2010-12-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

The Christmas story is a story of hope for the world. It is God’s master plan, sparked at the beginning of time when Adam and Eve broke God’s commands. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Sin itself began its reign in the lives of man and the only recourse was a yearly sacrifice and the blood of bulls and goats. Man was and is completely powerless to save himself and though they knew not exactly who they waited for, they knew their Messiah was coming, the Emmanuel, God with us.

Surprisingly, God brought this Messiah through a virgin, Mary. Jesus was not born into wealth, he was not the son of an earthly king. He was born in stable and his first bed was a trough. His first visitors were not people of importance or influence, they were Shepherds who were dirty, smelly and decisively average. Jesus came not to bring hope to just anyone, he came to provide hope for EVERYONE (yes, even shepherds).

Jesus spent his first years on the run from King Herod, his parents far from the comfort and normalcy of their surroundings. Jesus’ earthly father was no CEO, he worked hard with hands. As a carpenter he did not have power tools, he had callouses and scars from his labor. His parents were faithful to their God and raised Jesus attending their prayer time and synagogue. Jesus was raised in an average family, by average parents. Yet, his birth is the most significant in all of history.

Jesus brought hope. He was the messiah, the savior of the world, his birth was the hope for the people who had waited desperately for their savior. Yet, he did not bring about the salvation they had expected. Many anticipated their Messiah to rise up and reign in this present world. Yet, the Lord knew what we needed, not earthly king, but the blood of sacrifice sufficient to cover our sins. He knows what we need and how best to provide that for us.

During this Holiday season we must not forget the hope of Christmas. It is the anticipation of the returning King, it is trusting in the Savior who knows our needs and it is the preparation for our eternal life. Enjoy this Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

I wanted to take moment and wish everyone a very Happy and a very blessed Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for so much in life, I pray your thankfulness is over flowing as well.

I know I will be spending much of my thanksgiving with family and pray you are able to as well. I will also be watching a lot of football... Have a wonderful thanksgiving!

A Friendly Church vs. A Relational Church

2010-11-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

I recently heard a story of a guy who has been attending 6th and Gibbs for a little more than a year now, and in a conversation we had, he let me know that lots of people shake his hand and ask him how he's doing but he has no friends... In our discussion, I realized that there is a difference between a church that is friendly and a church that builds relationships. Sure, a friendly church is nice but a relational church is what we are shooting for. Let me be a little more specific.

A friendly church... greets people on Sunday's and asks "How are you doing?"

A relational church... invites people to their small groups and opens their house hospitably to others.

A friendly church... is welcoming and very smiley on Sunday Mornings.

A relational church... works on building relationships outside of Sunday mornings, especially with those who have been invited or are attending their small groups.

A friendly church... expects the pastor to be the one spurring on evangelism and can't wait for someone or the visitors to "hear what the pastor says today."

A relational church... Understands their job as messengers of the Good News and seeks to not only build relationships with Christians but also with those who need to hear the message of Jesus.

A friendly church... Enjoys having non-Christians in their midst, as long as they don't spill on the carpet.

A relational church... Understands non-Christians act wrong, speak wrong, and are just messy people, yet they love them anyway and seek to spend time with them with the purpose to share the message of Jesus with them. A relational church does not expect non-Christians to follow the "rules", and are willing to meet people "just as they are".

A friendly church... expects new Christians and non-Christians to conform to their style of church.

A relational church... asks the question: What can we do to reach a new generation? How can we best get the truth out to people who want/need to hear it?

Now, the truth is, a relational church takes some work, it's not easy. People have to step out of their comfort zones. We have to be willing to give up traditions and the "usual" way of doing business. Relationships are messy, time consuming and draining. We will get hurt, but, we will be making a difference. Our efforts will not be in vain. We will be tired but fulfilled, we will be hopeful, we will be expectant and we will meet a lot of pretty cool people too.

Jalepeno Pickin'

2010-11-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

I was gifted a bunch of peppers. We got some fresh jalepeno peppers, fresh cayenne peppers, some gypsy peppers and some green peppers. I cut up and froze the green peppers and the gypsy peppers. I'm planning on using those in stir fry and spaghetti sauce and what ever.

If you know me, you know I LOVE jalepeno peppers. I love them on my nachos, on my burgers, on my ham sandwiches, in my eggs and with my peanut butter fudge (okay, not my fudge but you get the point). So, I took an afternoon and AJ and I canned all of these peppers. I already opened a jar (though they should sit for a few weeks to absorb the vinegar and seasonings) and they were AWESOME!!! I'm telling you this: I'm doing a bunch of these next year!!!

Discipleship: Establishing a Relationship

2010-11-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am an introverted, extrovert. I love time to myself and the peace and energy that comes from my alone time. Yet, I am also energized by being around other people. I love to socialize and I have many friends. Yet, I don't know anyone who can maintain lots of "good" friends. Sure, I have 600 facebook friends and acquaintances, but when it comes to real friends, I certainly do not have more than 20 that I spend time with weekly, and that may be pushing it. As I have studied this, I have come to the conclusion that for a church to grow, EVERYONE must be a part of the discipleship process, therefore, everyone is responsible to build relationships.

Statistically, they say the average church will not grow above 150 if the pastor is the primary disciple maker. He just can't maintain that may relationships. If we want to grow and we want to be and do the things that God has called us to do, than ALL of us are called to be disciple makers. The biggest thing a disciple maker needs, relationships.

See, relationships is how it all comes together. In college, I took a class called "Personal Evangelism." In that class, we were taught the many different evangelistic techniques that were available. From "Cold Calling" (randomly knocking on people's doors) to "Argumentative Evangelism", we were taught that the best way to evangelize was what we called then, "Friendship Evangelism". Today, that is still the best way to evangelize. To build a relationship with someone and when given the opportunity, share your faith.

The first step to discipleship is the willingness to build relationships with people around you. You have to be given the right to speak into the lives of people. You have to earn that right and sometimes it takes time to build a real relationship so that your words, and actions mean something.

Here are Our Ballerina's

2010-11-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Our girls have doing ballet at the South Lane Ballet Academy and we are excited about the many opportunities it has given them and we are thrilled even at the things they have learned. Here are a few fun pictures, enjoy.

Relevance in Ministry

2010-10-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Just had a great conversation with a friend of mine very frustrated in ministry. He has recently become the volunteer college pastor at a very traditional church in a college community. He feels as though the church has started this ministry because they want younger people in the church but they are not willing to reach out to these students in a way that these young people can understand.

He has an opportunity to share his heart with the people of this congregation soon and is looking forward to an opportunity to share his heart on this matter. As we spoke I was reminded of something... We don't get to pick our culture. We are put in our culture and asked to share the message of Jesus with those around us.

"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." - 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

The WOE Fair

2010-09-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

This year, our whole family got involved in the Cottage Grove Fair. It was a lot fun and all the kids did there part and enjoyed a great time. Cedar danced at the fair and helped to put on ballet classes for the South Lane Ballet company. Karley put a chicken in the fair, won 1st prize for show and a 1st prize in the kid/animal parade. Because we were moving into town, we cannot keep a rooster in town, so her rooster was purchased at the fair too. All in all, that rooster earned her $20.

Can you find AJ and Abi's cars?

Abi and AJ both entered the Awana Grand Prix. AJ finished 10th overall and both had a blast! I'll share with you some fun pictures of the weekend.

AJ Karley and all the kids looking on as the ballet dancers dance.

Here is Karley's chicken, a beautiful chicken!

Karley and her friends with their animals.

2010-08-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is a surreal picture of a surreal place. I have to be honest, I was not ready to go on vacation last week. In fact, I really thought to myself that this was not the time to "break away." Yet, I must say that I spent a couple of the most relaxing days in years there at Camp Sherman, no internet, shoddy cell service, and absolutely no news and television. Just, peace.

Aunt Carol even watched the kids for us one evening so that we could have a date at the Shuttle Lake Lodge. It was a fantastic dinner and Carol even let us borrow her Jeep Wrangler. By the way, a Jeep Wrangler is my next vehicle (I'm starting to save the cash now!) So, if your there Carol, don't sell that Jeep without talking to me :).

I have many more pictures and when I get an opportunity I will post them. The kids playing in Carol's Tepee, or me in the Jeep, we had a spectacular time. The kids were all able to take a ride on the horse, and the most fun I had, you got it, on the hammock sleeping....

Congratulations Dwayne and Cindy

2010-08-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. Dwayne and Cindy are married! Here they are during their first dance... What a great looking couple and it was an honor to perform their wedding.

Actually, my brother-in-law was the DJ; Mom-in-law did the cake (and Heidi's doing next week's cake)... I'm thinking we might be on to something, a little summer hobby?

Lead Me

2010-08-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

This is a video I did for Father's Day

I had a lot of fun making it, the last bunch of photos are actual photos of people in the 6th and Gibbs church. I hope you like it, I don't have a lot of patience to wait for the video to upload, so it is kind of pixely.

aaron

The House Project

2010-07-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

We've had an incredibly crazy wild and wacky summer. We have been living up at a beautiful home just outside of town, over looking Cottage Grove's Row River area. The home is 4,000 sq. ft of fun, open floor plan and a fantastic deck to host people on. In fact last week we had over 20 people and their children over for a vision casting meeting for the church. It has been a blast and a lot of work, living up here.

Since about March/April we have been pretty sure that this blessing would come to an end. We knew it could not last forever but for the time it has been great! About that time, we began to remodel the house we own in Cottage Grove. We have been through just about every room. New cabinets, new toilets, new carpeting, new wood flooring, the list goes on and on. Here in the next few weeks or so, it will be time to migrate back in. Truthfully, though I know that I'm going to totally miss the house on a hill but it will be very nice to be back at home. Back in the home I own, in the home I have put my blood sweat and frustration into. A new kitchen, bathroom, paint, on and on.

This work, I don't think I would have done without actually living AWAY from the house. Could you imagine trying to do all of those things while living in it. It would have taken forever to accomplish. As frustrated as I was working on the empty house, how frustrating would it have been had I actually lived in it?!?!? I'm sure there is a lesson here somewhere.....

An Update

2009-12-13T21:15:00.000-08:00

It has been such a long time since our last update, that Blogger is now different than when I posted here last... It has been a while huh? We have had a great fall and now have moved into winterish weather as we await the arrival of winter time here on the house on a hill. This last couple of weeks we have had a couple Christmas parties and a going away party for some close friends.

We had a wonderful thanksgiving down in Myrtle Creek and spent time connecting with awesome family. Thank you Aunt Dorothy for hosting us. Above is a picture of grandma great Weaver coming up to visit little Jude. We have loved the incredible support of our family, thank you all!!!

AJ and Abi have both had birthday's lately. As you can see, both are growing up to be very good looking kids. We are so thankful everyday for such an awesome family. We are more than blessed!

Have an awesome day!

Life is a Learning Process

2009-11-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

It started out just like any other day.... except it's not every day that you have to get your parents to the airport. Anyway, we had to get my parents to the airport for their 4pm flight to Portland, so that they can catch their 8pm flight back to Boise. We arrived at BJ's or lunch at around 2pm, about 15min from the airport. Though BJ's is some really, really really good food, they were just a little slow in getting us our food. Still, it's the Eugene airport, how early do you have to be there to catch your flight? Well, if you didn't know, you have to be there by 3:30 for the 4 o'clock flight. Not 3:32, which was what my phone said as we walked up to the ticket counter.

After some debate, we decided that we could easily get to Portland in time to get them back to Boise, so, off to Portland we went. We arrived in time to check baggage, say our good bye's and sure enough, get them on the flight back home. We learned a few things that day.

Never joke about missing a flight, it really isn't that funny when it all happens.
BJ's is fantastic food, but if you have somewhere to go in the next couple of hours, do not order a calzone. Fish tacos will work though.
You have to be at the ticket counter at 30 minutes before the flight leaves, not 29 minutes. (I might add that the ticket people in Portland were MUCH nicer than here in Eugene. I'm not saying...I'm just saying)

Anyway it was finally time to send them home.....

A Life and Baby Jude Update

2009-11-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here is baby Jude and his big brother Aaron. Jude is growing more and more everyday. He has grown an oz. a day and is catching up quickly. He is the most popular family member, EVERYONE wants to hold him. Karley and Cedar are especially good at "mothering" little Jude and both of them love to care for their brother.

We are all extra careful with the little guy and I think he knows he's spoiled. His favorite place to be of course, is in the arms of his mommy.

Happy All Hallows Eve

2009-11-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome Jude

2009-09-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman, let me introduce you to Jude Thomas. Jude was born on the 17th of september, 3 weeks early, delivered by c-section. He came into this world a little premature as he was considered to have some growth issues, leading our doctor to believe he could thrive better outside of the womb. We really had only a day and a half to think about it, but as you can see from these pictures he is a wonderful thriving baby and we believe it was the right move.

Jude weighed 5lbs and 2.4oz. He was 18 inches long. In order for him not to be sent to the NICU unit, Jude had to crack the scale over 5lbs and he did just that. He struggled to maintain body heat for the first couple of days but has proven to be very healthy and he did not need to spend one minute in the NICU.

I, Aaron, was there for the whole thing and was even able to cut Jude's ambilical chord. I got dressed into this sweet outfit and hoped that no one would confuse me with a real doctor, don't worry, no one did. I was able to be with Heidi for the whole thing.

Here they are checking him out, counting his toes, sucking the junk out of his mouth and making sure he is doing okay!

One of the things we had to do with Jude is to finger feed him. He was a little early, and was not totally ready to nurse. Here we are placing a finger in his mouth and a really small tube next to Heidi's finger where we slowly added some of Mom's milk. We had to do this for only a few feedings until he caught on and was able to do it all by himself. What a sucker.

We had some trouble getting pictures at the hospital, but I did a pretty good job myself huh?

Mom and Jude needed lots of rest, but the nurses were all impressed with her ability to care for the little guy. This isn't mom's first rodeo though huh? In order to keep Jude's temp up, Heidi and Jude did a lot of skin to skin sleeping.

I still needed a few lesson reminders. All thoses nurses are nice ladies, even when I needed a few extra pointers.

On day 2 the kids were finally able to come up and visit and hold little Jude. They were so excited! When grandpa told Abi she was no longer the baby in the family, she punched grandpa right in the gut, she is not going down with out a fight. Abi and all the kids love their new sibling. I think he loves them, but you know, time will tell.

Jr. Camp Video Watch for Karley

2009-06-29T13:06:00.001-07:00

Last Day of school is Coming

2009-06-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

At the end of every school year the kids at ACE do projects, their end of the year character projects. They take the character traits that they have been learning all year long and do a project that reflects that trait. Resourcefulness, Diligence, sincerity, Initiative, Endurance, Dependability, just to name a few. They then make a display of how they showed character in one of these areas. Then at the end of the year they do a Character Fair. Here are the projects that the kids did.

AJ Made an Apple Cake

Character Trait: Obedience

AJ obeyed the directions and followed them well (with the help of his brother Alex)

Here is the completed Apple Cake, by the way, it was an incredible cake, AJ put in all the ingredients and measured each himself.

AJ is carefully putting the cake in the oven, after pre-heating it himself.

Here AJ is measuring the wheat to put into the cake.

Here AJ reads and follows the directions that are written out for him. He did a great job with his project!

Karley fed the cats of a friend of ours for 2 weeks

Character Trait: Dependability

Karley was dependable as she fed and watered the cat of some friends while they were on vacation. Each day, she would plan when to go, open the door herself and feed and water the cat.

Here Karley is getting into the back yard to feed the cats

Here is the cat, Karley has already fed the cat and is placing water by the food of the kitty. What a great worker!

On one of the days Karley noticed the newspaper advertisment in the yard and put it on the back porch, what a great job of being a helper.

Here is where the food was stored, each day she got food out of the box to fill the cats.

Cedar created a dance to show to others

Character Trait: Compassion

Cedar showed compassion to a few shut-in people by performing a dance she created herself. Cedar danced to care and love them.

Cedar danced for our friend Katie. Katie lives in an assited living home and loves whatever visitors she can get. What a treat it was.

Cedar dancing for Katie

Cedar takes her show on the road to the home of Glen and Lucille. Glen has cancer and has been very weak lately but he loved the dance!

Cedar dancing away!

Alex built a fort out of recycled wood from around the house

Character Trait: Resourcefullness

Alex was resourceful by using wood pieces from old projects and from a fence he helped to tear down. He built the walls with old 2x6's, put up used plywood and roofed it with fencing.

Here is the completed play house, Alex is still planning on putting in windows, but he painted it himself.

THis is a picture from the inside before the roof was added. The walls were dividers from the church, so on the inside there is space to write on chalk boards.

Here is the walls and the framing.

Alex showed resourcefulness by using these used pieces of wood. He nailed, cut, and painted the whole thing by himself. This is a great project that will be used for years to come.

Pictures from our trip to omsi

2009-05-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

Boys Weekend

2009-05-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Just Men

Alex and I spent a weekend on the beach going through the talk men have with men. We did the Passport to Purity weekend and had a great time. We discussed some deep issues about girls and dating. Then we cruised the beach, had lunch at an awesome dive and chilled out on the way home!

Alex Turns 13

2009-05-26T22:17:00.001-07:00

Alex's 13 Year Old Birthday

Alex turned 13 on May 13th. We had his big party on the 8th, took 6 boys to laser tag, then came home and had an awesome slumber birthday party! Aunt Dorothy made the boys survival bags for the night, Gatorades with Alex's face on them, snacks and a head band.

Laser tag was awesome! We had a great time and loved every second of it, especially when the owner of the business took us through the paintball part and explained a few different parts of the business and the fun.

Birthday Girls

2009-05-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday

Cedar Turns 7

This is Cedar and Becca, two twin sisters from another mother. Yep, they were born on the exact same day, the exact same year. May 8th! They planned their party together, and thanks to the help of aunt Dorothy the tea party was a total success. They created beautiful hats, decorated their own shirts and enjoyed tea and snacks together. What a fun birthday.

AJ can't keep himself off the ground

2009-04-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2009-04-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Here is a great picture of the family after services on sunday. You can see that I didn't even take off my lapel mic for the picture and Abi is trying to hide behind my hand. Ah well.

I hope you had as great a Resurrection sunday as we did!

Easter Pictures

2009-04-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to all!!

Egg Painting

2009-04-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

We all got to paint some eggs the other day for Easter and what fun it was, here is the fun we had:

This was the egg Karley made, it reads: Jesus rose on the third day!

Abi and Karley working together to make their eggs.

Alex waiting patiently for the green and then I see some yellow over there too. Looks like and Oregon Ducks Egg in the making.

AJ makes some designs on his egg with a marker.

Mustard

2009-04-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

AJ has become fixed on mustard. He loves the stuff. A few weeks ago he even made himself a mustard and Peanutbutter sandwich. Yes, he did eat it ALL and said it was delicious, thank you.

Buy stock in mustard, it's going way up.

Look at Our Nails

2009-04-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

Check out these fancy nails. Girls will always be girls, won't they?

Our Trip to Molalla!

2009-03-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

This last week we were given a chance to go visit a couple friends of ours in Molalla, Or. They had purchased some great property in November and had us out for a bunch of brats, hotdogs and lots of horse back riding. Tony and his wife Cleosa were awesome hosts, (who dares bring out the Earlywine's and those 5 kids) and we left tired and blessed.

Here are some great pictures of our experience:

Tony's beautiful house on top of the mountain, what a view!

Cedar and Ballet

2009-02-25T21:24:00.000-08:00

Cedar is doing exceptionally well in ballet. There she is, the beautiful ballerina on the right following her teacher. Cedar moved up into ballet 3 and we are so proud of her! The scary next step is getting her to Eugene where the instructors would prefer to have her.

Isn't she so little and cute?!?!?!

Alex and the Ramp

2009-02-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Alex made a ramp for his Grandma Debbie but check out this video:

Rock on Alex!

Grandma Greats Birthday at Dinner

2009-02-24T19:57:00.000-08:00

We all love Grandma Great and I love Chinese Food, what a combination. We celebrated her birthday in fashion and spent a lot of quality time together.

The highlight of the day was touching Kami's tummy.

Happy Birthday.

Karley and Her 9th Birthday

2009-02-24T18:29:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Karley! Karley turned 9 last week and we celebrated her birthday the way that she wanted it. Karley made her list of invites, planned exactly what we were going to do; we had a room for necklaces, a room for playing dolls, and the outside for riding bikes and scooters, she was obviously in charge.

Karley's Birthday cake, a heart cake with pink M&M's

Karley opening gifts.

Karley with her friends savanah and Amanda.

Karley opening up gifts

At the party we decided to try something new, a money tree. Karley has more toys than she needs and what a great way to teach saving, tithing and budgeting. Karley recieved $99 and will be buying a couple things before it goes to the bank. (I threw in an extra buck to bring her to an even $100)

Birthday Kisses!

Karley's Dad steve visits

2009-02-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

Karley had a visit this last week from her biological dad steve. He came by but had to leave before the party, so as you can see, he helped to decorate and he got a little decorated too!

Here are both families combined.

Karley's Happy List

2009-02-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Karley made a list today, it is a happy list. Things Karley likes to do that make her happy.

Play by myself
Play with other people
Play with my cats
Look at Encyclopedia's
Make Necklaces
Cook
Organize something
Gardening
Write and draw in my diary
Do crafts
Make blankets
Ride Bikes
Go swimming
Ride my scooter
Build marble towers
Make fun lists
Do hair
Type on the computer

Rocking fun!

Alex The Cook

2009-02-10T22:11:00.001-08:00

Alex has been working very hard at perfecting his cooking abilities. Here are a couple of his most recent works. He made Cinnamon Rolls the other day - FROM scratch! He made the dough, raised it, rolled it, cut it and cooked it! Boy were they good. Below is a picture of the Cornbread muffins he made a couple days earlier. He is doing great in the kitchen.

Karley and Cedar

2009-02-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

Here are the ballet princessess

A few Beautiful Days

2009-02-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

It has been gorgeous here in the Grove the last couple of weeks. Very seldom do we have clear days like this in January and February, let alone like 2 great weeks. I know the rain is coming and I'm kind of looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong I would take days like these ALL year long.

Alex's Bed is Complete!

2009-02-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here is Alex's bed, it is about 5ft off the ground with his desk beneath. I have since put up a rail and he has a ladder, a picture of the finished product is coming. He loves it!

Alex can almost walk underneath his bed. It is made of 2x6 and 2x4's. Alex helped to sand and stain the pieces.

There is a brace that runs from the corner to the wall, there is no post involved. The cross brace puts all the pressure on the 2x4 mounted on the wall. That 2x4 is mounted with 3 inch lag bolts, basically if the bed comes down, so will the wall!

Here is another picture of the cross brace, it is mounted on a stud too. I can actually hang on the corner of the bed it won't move an inch.

Alex is helping me hold a board in place and level for me to mount. It was a very fun project and AJ's bed was next! what great fun we have!

Water

2009-01-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

Here is an update for those who care:

Okay, so the sump pump has been resolved and replaced.
The sink has been fixed and updated.
I have a new grand scheme for the upstairs tub that should be fixed soon (I hope).
Roof will have to wait, but I'll get to it on a sunny day.

I forgot to mention.

My car's trunk leaks.
And the van back door leaks.

So. . . I still hate water.

I do have a plan to seal up the leaks in the vehicles though.

As for more complaining:

The power chord for my computer went kuput. (I find it interesting how somethings quit working or break but batteries always die, how sad.) So, as I send away for some power the pictures will not be available till then. Nutcraker pictures are coming though, I promise!

It's 2009, do you have a New Years Resolution? Mine is simple. STAY AWAY FROM WATER!

I Despise Water

2008-12-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, I haven't been able to post lately and it's because of water.

My roof has a leak (water coming in from the roof)

My sump pump quit working (water sitting under my house)

The upstairs tub leaks into the downstairs shower

The kitchen sink has a leak by the drain

It's raining right now

And to top it all off my doctor wants me to drink 3 liters of water a day.

I hate water.

Aaron

Nutcracker Performance

2008-12-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here are the Nutcracker kids. Enjoy the pictures (and video) everyone.

Cottage Grove Snow Day

2008-12-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Now, this does not happen very often, but check out this snow. We woke this morning to lots of this fine powder. It was some good ole' Idaho snow, terrible for making snowballs until it begins to warm up. Now, the Grove is not really prepared for a mess like this (and they say that more is coming), so the roads are terrible AND it's supposed to freeze again tonight!

Bright and early, about 8:30am the kids hit the snow, Alex hopped on his bike and snow plowed up and down the road, while the little one's found fun in snow angels and eating snow. They cleaned off the cars, stompped through the powder and were ready for hot cocoa by 8:45!

As the snow melts and clumps I'm sure we will have a snow man or two created this evening and I hope to get some pictures of something like that. As a home owner my first thoughts when I saw the snow were, "I need to winterize" and "I wish I would have mowed before the snow fell." Yes, the grass is still green beneath the snow, and I WILL have to mow when it all melts off.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

This snow is the best gift of the season so far!!

Very Frustrating

2008-12-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

It is hard to explain the pain that I am in. I have a bulging disc in my neck causing me great pain throughout my whole left arm/shoulder area but only when I'm laying down. I have been getting rest in my recliner instead of the comfort of my own bed and boy is it frustrating. I get to go into have my neck x-rayed today and may start physical therapy to regain strength in my arm.

Let's face it. . . this is the product of getting old. No, no it's not. I'm not ready to face that music. This is obviously a case of having a much to heavy head for my neck to hold up. Maybe I will shave my head, goatee and eyebrows to relieve some of the pressure.

A Day Off?

2008-11-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, I am relaxing in my lounge seat enjoying a football game (Nebraska vs Colorado). Life in the last month has been wild, from school, to church, to ballet, to open gym with Alex, to blah blah blah, time like this is few and far between. So as I relax I will post some of the pictures the kids have taken and also update everyone with our lives.

Yesterday was Turkey Day! Happy Thanksgiving to all. I want all of you to know how much I love an appreciate your support over the years! I am thankful for my family as they change and grow, and I am thankful for ALL of the extended family that has extended further and further through the years. We are so blessed!

Alex has been getting ready for the basketball season, he has been going to an open gym with all of his buddies from the last couple of years. His arm is almost back to 100% from breaking it during the football season. He has been doing his exercises and it is getting stronger every day. Basketball will start about the end of January, he will be ready by then. One of the other things Alex has been doing is the piano, he is excelling at the ivory keys. He has been playing with both hands, reading notes, and keeping a great steady beat.

This winter we will be very busy with Karley, Cedar, AJ and Abi. All four of them are in the Nutcracker performance. Karley and Cedar will be performing at the Holt Center and all 4 of them will be a part of the performance here in Cottage Grove at the CG Theater. They are all little mice and have their dance down pat. They are soooooo excited! If you have not heard and would like to know the performance schedule, let me know.

I finished the update on the laundry room about a month and a half ago, I have a couple more irons in the fire. I was hoping to finish the lamanet flooring in the family room but I have had pinched nerve in my shoulder so I have been doing other odds and ends that requires less shoulder movement.

Christmas has already proven different this year, like many the belt has been tighter but many of our family traditions requires very little cost and we are finding other ways to have fun! I pray this Christmas Season will be blessed for you. Enjoy the pictures.

2008-11-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

Here we are!

Here we are again!

Abigail ready for school.

Karely in Piano Lessons

Cedar's new glasses.

Make a silly face, from Karley's camera.

Say CHEESE

Grandma Cecil came to visit!

The Kitty Cats from Cedar's camera.

Abi's Princess cake, from her party.

The Braid tale

2008-11-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday all 4 girls had their hair done the same, with a little braid tale and they were all so proud of themselves. What beautiful girls we have and my oh my how they have grown. Here is also a picture of their faces.

2008-11-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

I know, my camera phone is not the greatest, but it's all I have for right now, and Cedar Karley and Alex won't let me borrow theirs. I think they are afraid I'll break their camera too.

This is Friday night. Obviously a few weeks ago, because Alex's arm is in a cast in this picture and he has gotten rid of it as of Oct. 27th. On Friday's if the kids have all gotten pretty well caught up on their homework for the week, everyone gets an ice cream sundae! For some reason on Friday's the kids call me Mr. Brown and I take their orders for Sundae's. They get their pick of ice cream and toppings. It has been pretty funny because they all get the same kind of sundae, "EVERYTHING PLEASE!" Eat 'em up yum. And yes, Mr. Brown gets a sundae too!

A Couple Weeks Ago

2008-11-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

Was ugly shirt night. Alex went with me to Jr. High Youth group and the rest of the kids headed with Heidi to Awanas. That is our normal Wednesday evening. The night I took this picture was ugly shirt night, so each of the kids took a shirt out of their drawer and uglied it up. Karley had the most fun with the scissors, so much so she had a hard time figuring out where her sleeve wholes were. They had a blast, where the winner gets an extra piece of candy. None of our rascals won though, the winner had a shirt that was burnt and run over by his father. Why can't I think of things like that?

If you zoom in on Cedar's shirt, it says, "Jesus loves me, Even in an ugly shirt."

Halloween 2008

2008-11-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

I would hate to classify myself as a loser but I have not done really well at updating this sight, if you have not figured it out, I have my spurts. Well, I will not promise you anything, but here is a picture from Halloween.

We spent the morning of Halloween in Mrytle Creek, Canyonville area. I know that you are supposed to trick-o-treat in the evening, but we did it all in the morning. We had to have Alex back up in Cottage Grove to go to a youth event. By the way, the youth event was incredible, there was great speakers and lots and lots of fun!

For Halloween we had the 3 kittens who lost their mittens and a couple super heroes in the form of Batman and Superman. Alex was really proud, it is difficult to find a costume in his size that you don't have to rent from a costume shop, so he got on making his costume a couple weeks ago. He created it from the ground up. His batman hat is paper mache' and he sewed on his cape himself (with help from mom).

We had a great Halloween and feel blessed by all of our family.

aaron

It's My Birthday and I will whine if I want to. . . .

2008-10-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

I made it, 32. Happy Birthday to me. The last week or so I have been fighting kidney stones, and I have to be totally honest, they suck. I had a simple one on Tues. of last week, then the BIG one hit, I was down until yesterday. I ended enjoying part of my sat. in the ER while they hydrated me and let me get a couple hours of needed sleep.

I back though and feeling a ton better today on my birthday. What a day! I won at Bi-Mart, tea and then it was free taco day because someone stole a base in the World Series, so I took the whole family out for a taco!

This was the cake the family made for me, what a great fam! Happy Birthday to me.

aaron

Lost Vacation Footage

2008-10-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

On the Hunt

2008-10-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Honestly hunting has never been something that I have totally been into, I do like doing it, don't get me wrong, it is fun but it is not something I plan my life around. Alex and I went to Eastern Oregon for a hunt, just past Burns about 80 miles from the Oregon boarder, we were heading about 18 miles off of the main road to the family hunting spot. Things just didn't go as planned, in fact the way I drew things up, went the opposite of the way things really went. Infact, let me give you a day by day break down (pun) of how the week went.

Thursday: We left Cottage Grove at around 5am to meet grandpa Bay in La Pine, OR. We ate at the Gordy's Truck stop and truthfully, the name of the place says it all. A HUGE plate of greasy food. Alex ordered a Belgian waffle with bacon, he didn't eat the bacon, grandpa gave him a hard time, I chewed on some of the bacon, like chewing on leather straps. Well, the ole' Camry was giving me some fits, it had some struggles going up the passes, I thought not much of it though because the car is 18 years old.

We left Gordy's and headed straight for camp. Lunch on the go in Burns and we were on our way. We hit the BLM road a little after noon, I caught some cell phone service and made some final phone calls before moving forward on the road. Grandpa had his big truck towing a horse trailer with all the camping goods he got a mile or so ahead of us. As I was catching up, my car started to die, I fired it back up went a little further and died. We got grandpa stopped, he put us in tow behind the horse trailer. What a site we were, headed into camp, pretty sure we just needed a fuel filter and our problems would be solved. We set up camp in the rain that continued off and on for the night of the night.

Friday: We spent the whole day setting up camp, as we prepared for the arrival of Ryan, Dwayne, Cindy, grandpa Gesier, grandma bay and grandpa John. The rain began to pour down about the time that grandma Bay and grandpa Gesier arrived in camp. Grandpa John was leaving Boise about 4, 3 o'clock our time and he should be arriving at 8ish. Ryan pulled in at about 7pm and still no grandpa. At about 8:30 Dwayne and Cindy pulled in and described grandpa John's truck, stuck in the mud at mile 9 off the BLM road. Because of the rain, that hill and corner were a complete mess and only 4 wheel drive vehicles were able to make it. Stuck in the middle of the road, a couple hunters pushed him to the side of the road to get by.

We set out to rescue grandpa John, he had caught a ride from a nice couple and we ended up meeting him about 4miles from camp. We got him in safely and all had arrived. We set out for bed.

Saturday: Opening hunting day! We did a hunt not far from camp, it was a couple mile hike, only got lost twice or so, but no animals to speak of. By the way, the rain continued. Normally we would have seen quite a bit of hunters and even some campers, but we seemed to be by ourselves.

After the hunt, we put together a plan to rescue grandpa John's truck. What a mess, the hill he was stuck on was NASTY, no wonder we had no other campers, that road was impassable if you were towing anything. We got him out and unfortunately had to point him home, but we got a fuel filter from him, in hope that we could fix the Camry. I was bummed we were not able to spend more time with papa John, but I think he understood.

Sunday: Big hunt day, we hunted the BIG Canyon. Near the beginning of the hunt, grandpa Geiser saw the first buck and he was huge (so grandpa said) and the first shot rung through the canyon. The buck got way, hit or not, we found no sign of blood but tracked him as far as we could. We finished the trek through the canyon by about 3pm and went back to the original sighting of the big buck. Still no new sign, we followed another canyon in hopes of finding him but to no avail. We arrived back at camp at dark, not enough time to fix the Camry.

Monday: This was the day we were supposed to head back for the Grove. We still had hope that it was still possible, since we did have the fuel filter on hand. We did a couple hunts, in places that bucks had been shot in the past, but still, no sign, no bucks. We got back to camp at little afternoon and began working on the Camry. We got the fuel filter on, we even got the Camry running but at the end of dinner, the Camry died, never to be started again.

Grandpa Bay towed us out to the road, we stayed the night in Burns waiting for tow dolly to get us back to the Grove. The trip out did introduce us to a beautiful buck that jumped the truck. We hunted it for an hour, but no luck. I was able to arrange some help to get us home, a place to crash out in Bend and a buddy to pick us up from there to get us the rest of the way home. I tried calling a buddy of mine in Burns, to no avail, we spent the night in a hotel and waited for the rental store to open.

Tuesday: The rental place opened at 7am and by 7:30 we were headed to pick of the car. By 9am we were back in Burns and ate at the Apple Peddler for breakfast and ran into the friend I knew in Burns. Sure I was glad to see him, but it would have been nice to see him a few hours earlier. We chewed the fat, bacon again, and headed to Bend.

In Bend I met up with my buddy Mike who treated us all to the best burgers I have ever had, Powell Butte burgers, YUM! We chilled in Bend for about 4 hours waiting for Butch to come rescue us. After freezing our bums off at Mike's sons football practice Butch picked us up and we arrived in the Grove around 11pm Tuesday night. Glad to be home, glad to be back in our beds, with Camry in tow.

What a trip. What an adventure.

Our Beautiful Garden

2008-09-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

Here is our garden, it has been an amazing blessing for our family. It has been quite the learning lesson as well. We have watered, fertilized, made more room for growing plants. Many of the plants you see we did not even plant. We had over 12 tomato plants, and only 3 of them we had planted ourselves, the rest grew out of our compost pile, truly amazing. We have 9 pumpkins, including one HUGE one, it will be a great fall as we finish harvesting all of our plants.

What an incredible lesson these plants have been. The soil must be prepared, properly cared for before the plants can even have a chance to grow. As we have learned too, spacing is the key, each plant needs the right amount of sun and water. The smaller the plant, the more attention it needs. I can go on and on. What a great learning time.

Fun with the Camera Phone

2008-09-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

I found a pretty funny option on my phone, we had fun with it one evening.

Alex and his face mask!

Karley in a fake T

Can you guess who? It's AJ

Boise State WINS!

2008-09-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

Heidi and I got a unique experience together this past weekend. We did something we have never - ever done. We attended an Oregon football game together. In the past, Alex and I have been invited to many a game. We have had opportunity to cheer on those quackers together. Now, I actually got to experience the game in a whole new way, as a visiting fan. That is right, I wore my blue and orange and cheered on the Boise State Broncos.

For the most part, Oregon fans are pretty nice. I didn't yell at them, they didn't yell at me. I was even congratulated after the game in a very kind manner. It was a fun experience, one I won't forget.

I had this date circled on my calendar for quite a long time. I couldn't wait for this game. Truthfully I did not expect the outcome that happened, I was impressed by the poise and the execution of the offense that Boise had. Are you kidding me? No one was giving them a chance.

By the way, pre-game menu consisted of Bellotti BBQ, I had the Beef Brisket and Heidi had the pulled pork sandwiches. Good choice. Half time festivities encouraged us to try curly fries. Bad choice. I think they had been sitting in the warmer since the first quarter of the Washington game. Live and learn.

Our seats were the very very very top row, section 36, next to the sky boxes. Thanks to the sky boxes, we could only see to the 40 yard line, from there we had to look through a couple posts and windows to figure out what was really going on. Is there a bad seat in Autzen stadium? Well, maybe a couple.

So, August 5, 2009 is the rematch. I'm looking forward to it. In fact, I hope to be there in Boise, surrounded by the friendlies. GO BRONCOS GO!

Vacation Pictures

2008-08-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

2008-08-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some 4th of july pics

2008-08-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

Fun in the summer

2008-08-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

This summer has been an incredible summer, full of all sorts of things, that were worth every second of our time. From camps to the 4th of July parade, from vacations to all sorts of BBQ's, our children are convinced that summer time is nothing more than a never ending party.

Truth be told, I think they are right. Here are some random pics from the the non-stop party!here is AJ cheering on the parade

2008-07-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our beach house in Lincoln City this summer, it was beautiful.

Alex's View of the World

2008-06-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

Through the eyes of Cedar

2008-06-04T23:49:00.001-07:00

Our Anniversary Trip

2008-06-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Heidi and I have been married for 10 years now! We were blessed to have 4 days to just enjoy one another, so Heidi and I went to Forest Grove, OR to McMenimus resort. We traveled one day to the coast, another day we went hiking, we also went to Portland for church and the saturday market. We just had fun, here are some pictures of our weekend, we did not have the camera with us the whole time but here are some pics of the hotel and hiking.

aaron

2008-06-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Fun in the Sun

2008-04-15T13:11:00.001-07:00

We reached 84 degees he on Saturday and had to take full advantage fo the sun (we don't get to see it out here much). Enjoy the pictures of our fun.

aaon

2008-04-15T12:53:00.001-07:00

Here are some great pictures of Alex, he is really doing well in all of the areas of his life. He is becoming an incredibly hard worker. He is a great example as he does his chores and his homework. His schooling is going great, he has quite a lot of papers, pages and projects to do and he is working very independently. He, as the rest of the children, is in a charter school here in Cottage Grove. The school encourages, thinking, reading and independent thought and work. He has done excellent as he puts together each week a plan for accomplishing his homework and following through on that plan. At the end of the week we check his work and most of the time he has it all completed and completed correctly.

More Desturbing News About Pluto

2008-04-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

My world has been completely rocked. Not only did I find out this week that Pluto is not a planet, I have also learned what Pluto is, it is classified as a Dwarf Planet. If you ask me, that is just cold. It was once a planet, now it's a dwarf planet.

The brilliant minds at NASA have decided to make a new classification for space things like Pluto and Dwarf Planet was the best they could come up with huh? I'm not even sure if the word Dwarf is socially acceptable. Why not "Minor Planet", or "Little Planet", or a "little bit lesser planet"? This news was almost as devastating as hearing the new information about Global Warming, and how this frigid winter is nothing more than proof that Global Warming is here to stay, or that bit out the O-zone. Are aerosal cans still destroying our world? I give up. . . .poor little (dwarf) planet.

2008-04-04T20:42:00.001-07:00

Just relaxing. He sure is turning into a good looking kid. This is another one of Karley's pictures. We really have to figure out what is wrong with our camera.

Well, today we had some fun at the Eugene Science Factory. We got to see the planetarium with all sorts of stars. It was really neat to see so many of the constellations and even a couple of the planets (Mars and Saturn). I was also devastated to hear that Pluto is no longer classified as a planet. I'm not sure what that makes it, but it is not a planet. That's like getting cut from a basketball team after you already made the team. I kind of feel bad for the poor planet or whatever it is now.

The Artist Karley

2008-03-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from the one working camera in our house, Karley's camera. She is quite the photographer. You can buy some of her prints through. . . . maybe one of these days.

Lillian

2008-03-17T22:34:00.001-07:00

The last 5 days I have been without Heidi at home. To be honest with you it was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be (of course Abby and AJ spent a majority of their time with Grandma and Grandpa Bay, including while they were sick). I must say I was impressed with how I did. In the same breath I am soooooooooooo glad Heidi will be home tomorrow. I have spent a lot of time trying to coordinate 2 schedules and massively failing at it. My wife is an organizational mastermind and it is awesome to have her around.

We've had fun, but we will all be very happy to see Mommy again.

Heidi was in Idaho, for the birth of our newest niece, Lillian. She was born on Friday morning at 8 am Mountain Standard time. She weighed in at about 6lbs 4oz and was 19 and 3/4 inches. Here are some pictures of the new born.

AJ got run over by a Fire Truck?

2008-02-27T22:28:00.001-08:00

Yes, he is really sleeping?

An Eclipse

2008-02-27T22:20:00.001-08:00

Here is the best that my camera could do, this is the lunar eclipse from a week ago. It is a beautiful sight and the kids were in awe by it. The moon glows based upon the reflection of the sun. A lunar eclipse happens when the earth gets in the way of the sun's reflection.

It is a beautiful sight to see. I only wish my camera could have done it more justice. An eclipse is awesome! Enjoy!

Karley Turns 8

2008-02-27T22:12:00.001-08:00

Karley had an awesome birthday party. She got some wonderful gifts from a wonderful family and friends. The dress she is wearing is from her grandma and there she sits with her birthday buddy Grandma Great. She also got a camera, I will have to borrow it sometime so I can put the pictures she has taken on here. It's interesting to see the world through the eyes of an 8 year old. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Heidi

2008-02-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

This video was taken at Heidi's 31st birthday celebration. We made pizza had cup cakes and celebrate Heidi's aging. By the way, the pizza was a pesto greek pizza, yum!

Some new pictures

2008-02-25T22:44:00.001-08:00

Here are some quick pictures from our life. I will be updating Karley's birthday party soon and of course a few other things. . . . enjoy

Abby is so cute in her school shirt! Mischievous to the core!

Alex shoots, he scores! The boys are undefeated this year and continue to roll. They have scored at least 60 in the last couple of games.

Karley loves to play dolls, what a doll herself

Who is who? Kimmy and Alex, the twins!

AJ loves dinosaurs, even ones created from legos!

Mom's job every night! The kids love the stories.

2008-02-12T13:47:00.003-08:00

Gymnastics

2008-02-06T22:29:00.001-08:00

Here are some great pictures of the girls and their gymnastics! Once a week the girls go to gymnastics and practice their tumbles, somersaults and even some fun beam work. Both girls are doing great and excelling, while having a bunch of fun. Enjoy these pics. . .

Alex's Igloo

2008-02-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

This last month we had an awesome snow storm hit us in Cottage Grove. We are not accostomed to this kind of snow but it sure was fun! Alex put together this igloo from the storm with the help of some friends. He did quite the stellar job as the contractor for this project. In fact, as you can see he used pretty much every once of snow we had on our property. It was big enough to fit all of the kids inside, it was great fun for all. In fact, about the only remains of snow on our block is the little bit of leftovers on the front lawn.The tub in the picture above provided the blocks used for the foundation. Alex would fill the tub and pack it tight and then stack the blocks one on another to create the outside. It wasn't possible to make a great roof for the igloo, it just wasn't cold enough to freeze. So Tom McCormick from the camp came over and used plywood to make the foundation for the roof and stack snow on top of that. Like I told Alex, a good contractor knows how to sub-contract to the right guys.

Cedar's Lost Tooth

2008-01-29T23:35:00.000-08:00

I think my life is now defined by my children. I remember growing up and people would say to my parents, "Oh, you're Aaron's Dad or Mom." I thought it was cool back then, but I began to realize how difficult that must have been, losing their identity to their children. Well, I'm getting there and I really began to feel like a sentimental old man when Cedar lost her first tooth. This can't be true! or can it. Here are the before and after shots.Tooth GONE

Trail Blazer's B-ball

2008-01-29T23:30:00.000-08:00

There is story behind the next bunch of pictures. This Christmas Alex received a Christmas gift from us, tickets to the Trail Blazers vs the Houston Rockets. We were planning on going with a bunch of people from the church and enjoy the game together. A couple of days after Christmas I was informed that since the Blazers had won 12 straight games, there were no available tickets to the game. Heidi reminded me that I should get tickets to another game before I break the news to Alex.

Well, like any well meaning dad I totally forgot. Last Tuesday Alex came to me and asked what the day was, "It's the 23rd," I told him. "Yeah, only 2 more days till we go to the Blazers!" You can imagine the sinking feeling in my chest, it only got worse as I looked up the available seats for the Rockets Game. None available. I then looked up some tickets to bid on, someone's season tickets.

As I began looking to bid I thought a great game to make it to would be the March 3rd game against the Suns. There were some tickets starting at $5,000, courtside. I asked Alex if maybe he wanted to give up his college fund for the tickets, no go. Finally I bid on a couple tickets for the Rockets game. Sure, I probably paid way more than they were worth, but it was a blast and though the Blazers lost, Aaron Brookes had a great game!

Did I mention we were on the Jumbtron! 15min of fame.

2008-01-29T22:42:00.001-08:00

It was Channing Frye BOBBLE HEAD night! How lucky could we get? Does anyone know who Channing is? He played for Arizona, bet you didn't know that!

Alex soaking it all in. . . .

The jump tip! Go Blazers!

That Yoa Ming dude is tall.

This is Blaze, he's a pretty cool cat or wolf or maybe coyote? I don't know, he's cool though!