Back to School 2015

Ava will start kindergarten this week.  It is a full-day program, so we will see how she does adapting to her new schedule.  I believe she is ready and will just love kindergarten.

Lauren just started 5th Grade today.  She is excited about the new year and was able to get the teacher that she wanted.  

Tyler starts 10th Grade tomorrow at Sherwood High School.  He seem excited about the new year and looks forward to good times with his friends.

Back to School 2014

This week Tyler and Lauren head back to school.  Lauren will be entering the 3rd Grade and her teacher is Mr. Bahns.  She is excited and ready for the new year.  She hopes that she likes her class as it is boy-heavy.  I think she will have a great year.

Tyler is entering the 9th grade which means he is a freshman in High School.  He seems ready to tackle the challenge that is high school.  His first day went well and he seems like it is no big deal.  He is playing soccer for the freshman team and seems to enjoy that.

Happy 14th Birthday Tyler

Believe it or not, Tyler has just turned 14.  It amazes me to think that I could have a kid that old.  He is an amazing young man and we are so happy to have him as a part of our family.  Some of his favorite things are playing soccer, Minecraft, hanging out with his friends, playing with Ava and watching any and all sports.  He is excited for school to get out and will be starting high school next year.  He has a full summer ahead of him with a family vacation, scout camp, soccer camp, EFY, and soccer try outs.  Should be a lot of fun.

Update on the kids

Tyler will turn 14 in June.  He is the biggest Blazer fan out there.  It is fun to watch Blazer games with him.  He's on track to have his braces off later this year.  Tyler keeps busy with soccer training.  He will try out for the high school program in August.

Lauren is 9 and just got her cast off.  She still walks around the house on her tip toes and is always dancing.  She is so fun to have around and is very social.  She plays with her friends any chance she can and stays busy with her dance classes.

Ava is 3 1/2 and continues to be a fireball.  She keeps Mere and I on our toes.  She loves Peppa Pig and Pete the Cat.  She will not go to bed unless you read at least one book to her.  She has great command of the english language, but recently chooses to revert and do baby talk.  Use your words Ava!

Fun in the Snow

We've had about 10 inches of snow over the past few days.  This is unusual for Oregon but we love it.  The kids have played in the snow all day long and are so tired.  Here are some pics from their adventures today:

More Soccer

We have been enjoying beautiful weather this week.  Watching soccer games in the sun is the way it should be.  

As usual, Ava didn't see much of either game.  She just looks for places to explore and play.

Tyler's team struggled a bit today, but they played hard and had a good time.  Here you can see Tyler right after he headed the ball.

I think something clicked for Lauren during this game.  She was on fire.  She was aggressive and hussled all over the field.  She was so tired after the game.  The pictures below give you a little idea of how she played.

Soccer - Game 3

This weekend we had warnings about the amount of rain we would receive.  We can handle rain, but this weekend we were to receive up to 4 inches of rain.  That usually means we are going to get wet watching soccer games.

In Oregon, as long as there isn't lightning, they will not cancel soccer games.  Tyler had the first game in Beaverton and the weather was less than inviting.  Sideways rain is always fun!  I wish the pictures would show the rain better, but it was sideways due to high winds.

Tyler's team lost today.  Tough game.  They started to play better in the second half, but couldn't make the complete comeback.

Lauren's game was next and we had a nice break in the weather.  It basically stopped raining during the entire game.  The field was really wet and muddy.  That didn't stop these girls.  They played right on through the mud.  You can see from their white socks.  They aren't so white anymore.

Soccer - Game 1

Today was Lauren and Tyler's first official games of the new season.  Lauren played locally in Sherwood while Tyler played at PCC.  Both of them played very well and had great games.

Lauren is a natural defender and is really learning how to be more aggressive.  After the game someone mentioned to her that it was a nice win.  She then asked, "We won?"  Officially they don't keep score, but they won today.

Tyler played on a nice turf field at PCC.  I like the faster pace of the game when played on the turf. Some of the other games have been played on taller grass fields and that really slows things down. Tyler had a great game and scored two goals.  Picture below is of him scoring his first goal.

Back to School 2013

It's that time of the year again.  School is back in session.  Our family tradition (thanks to Stephanie) is to take some photos of the kids before they start the new school year.

Tyler, 13 years old, starting the 8th grade

Lauren, age 8, starting the 3rd grade

Ava, age 3, starting preschool

This year I purchased a DSLR camera and I am determined to learn about photography.  So, when we went to take pictures of the kids, I was anxious to learn from Stephanie on how to best capture good portraits.  Let's just say that I need to learn a lot more, but I enjoy photography.  In fact, if you are into photography, let's chat.  I have lots of questions and am anxious to learn.

Soccer Season 2013 Begins

Another soccer season is upon us.  It seems to always start with beautiful weather.  The first game or two are in hot sunshine leaving us all looking for shade if possible.  Just give it a month and the sideways cold rain will be here.

Tyler and Lauren are both playing again this year.  Tyler again chose some flashy shoes.  I told him the other team can spot him easier with those shoes, but he likes them.

Lauren's team chose to buy matching socks.  She voted for neon green, but the team settled for ones that match the Sherwood colors.  Lauren is very social and that even shows when she plays soccer.  Her friend was on the other team and they were out there socializing while battling for posession.  She is fun to watch.

Ava gets to hang out with us and watch the games.  As long as I bring water and a few snacks, she is pretty good.  Right before this picture she was off jumping in a mud puddle.  She was barefoot for the rest of that game.

Deacon Collar Be Gone

Each year our Ward has a film festival.  Many of the families and other groups will create a small commercial or movie and then we all get together and watch them at the Church.  This year Tyler's youth group created a commercial about Deacon's Collar.  Not sure what that is, well, you will have to watch:




One of our favorite movies was done by the Roberts family.  If you have a few minutes, you will have to watch it:

Growing up

Last Sunday Tyler and the other young men in the Deacons Quorum presidency were in charge of conducting and running a meeting for the 11 year-old boys that would turn 12 this year. Jackson, Nathan, Tyler and Tucker each did a great job with their assigned topic. It was fun to see them take on this responsibility and do so well.  Tyler's topic was the duties of a deacon.  He researched it and wrote it all on his own.  It's fun to watch them grow and mature.

Braces

It was time for Tyler to get braces. I had been thinking about getting them for a while.  Out of all my siblings, I somehow didn't get the opportunity to straighten my teeth out.  So, after much persuasion from Meredith and my cousin (who is a dentist), Tyler and I decided to get braces together at the same time.  

I was concerned about the hassle of getting braces as an adult.  I wondered how it would be with braces at work.  I speak in front of a lot of people and give presentations.  I didn't know how braces would affect my speech etc.  We are six weeks in to this project and so far so good.  They definatly take some getting used to and I feel Tyler has adapted better than I have.

In this picture we wanted to get all four of us pictured at the same time.  Cate is almost done with braces and Emma just started.

Summer fun with cousins

Thank goodness for cousins!  These kids can play together for hours.  They have such a great relationship with each other.  We are so thankful for family.

Portland Timbers Field Trip

Tyler’s class had a field trip at JeldWen Field to watch the Portland Timbers play.  Portland now has a MLS team and there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Timbers.  Since this was close to my office downtown, I met Tyler there and we enjoyed a beautiful day and a great game.  The Timbers lost, but it was still a good game to watch.

This is a picture of Timber Joey, the mascot for the Portland Timbers.  Each time the Timbers score a goal, he pulls out the chainsaw and cuts off a slab from a large tree log.  (Only in Portland)

Tyler and his best friend Casey!

Warm-ups!

After the game Tyler and I wandered around Portland for a while.  The picture below is located at Pioneer Courthouse Square.  They used living plants to create a map of the world.  They did a really good job.

Romeo and Juliet

Tyler’s 5th grade class put on a fun version of Romeo and Juliet.  Each class member had a role in the play.  Tyler was a member of the Capulet family.  The picture is a little blurry, but you can see Tyler in the white shirt.  Tyler did a great job as well as all of his classmates.  It was a lot of fun to watch them perform.

We are so thankful for Tyler’s teach Mrs. DeGregorio.  She is a fantastic teacher.  She has been the perfect teacher for Tyler!  It is so nice to have a teacher that really cares about the kids.  She is one of a kind.

 

So long Cub Scouts

May 31, 2011

Today at pack meeting Tyler earned his Webelos award, Arrow of Light and his religious knot.  He is now done with cub scouts and will be moving on to the boy scout program.

Meredith is collecting more mother’s pins.  By the end of Tyler’s scout career, Mere will have a lot of hardware on that jacket. (Side note: that is Mere’s scout jacket.  She has worn it to all the pack meetings that Tyler has earned pins.  Where is the Dad pin?)

Tyler crossed over the bridge which represents the move from cubs to boy scouts.  After they “cross over” he gets to sign his name on the bridge.  Our pack does a great job!

I can’t believe that we are done with cubs!  This is probably a good thing as our pinewood derby cars have not performed too well!