What we've been up to....

The day our friends left us I found some unhappiness in Courtney's ear. It was most unpleasant. A trip to the doctor's that day (of coarse it was Friday...) showed that yes indeed Court had an ear infection. There looked also to be a hole in her ear and no sign of the tube. Monday we would be able to know the test results. Things looked a little more suspicious than normal.

Saturday we went to the stake "fair". It was fun for the kids. Food, games and lines for balloon animals, cotton candy, and snow cones in an unpleasant heat of high 90's plus. We headed out after accomplishing said activities and were invited to the pool. We accepted and are thankful we did. Court couldn't go under water but was still able to cool off.

Sunday we had some friends over because we hadn't seen them for awhile. (Summer's do get that way) and because we are headed out ourselves soon.

Monday arrived and with it more 100 degree weather. Not much happened which was good but we did get the call from the doctor. Court's lab showed that staff had started growing in her ear. After telling the doctor we would be out of town she suggested that we try to see Court's ear doctor for his evaluation.

Tuesday brought Court's appointment. We can still take her swimming (yeah) but she needs ear plugs. Start giving her different ear drops and have her lay on her side for a half an hour to let them really sink in twice a day and some antibiotics just in case. The hole is okay but we need to watch it.

Kevin had some time so he started tiling the bathroom counters.
Courtney was outside in the late afternoon on her bike and fell off. Her wrist hurt her. Frozen blueberry's soothed it but what gave me the first real thought to it being broken is that she cuddled up next to me on the couch and fell asleep in the afternoon. Not your usual Courtney behavior. I checked her wrist while she was sleeping and got a negative response.

Wednesday I took Courtney to the doctor and yes, there is a small buckle brake.
So for the next 4 weeks Court has a buddy.

Multnomah Falls and Bonneville Fish Hatchery

We traveled out to Multnomah falls.

This is the view from the bridge looking away from the waterfall.

We went on a little hike. There were 11 switch backs and we went to the 4th. A few of us ( not naming names) were not ready to hike the rest of it.

We left the falls and headed out to the fish hatchery for a picnic.

This is one of the sturgeon that is here at the hatchery. The oldest one's name is Herman and he is 70 years old and over 400 pounds.

Then we fed the rainbow trout.

Another good day.

Another trip to the zoo

We all went to the zoo and had a fair sighting of the animals. I think it was a little too warm for them. These animals had a good time I think.

Picnic in the park

One, two, three.... how many of these kids do you recognize? We had a dinner picnic with a bunch of friends. The kids had a good time in the water.

Damon had a way with Zachary. They became good buds.
It was a good evening. The weather was hot and the friends were great.

Lily's Birthday

We were able to celebrate Lily's birthday with her and the Dominguez family. The kids (and I should add the parents) had a good time. Happy Birthday Lil's!

Beach Fun

Our good friends came up to visit so we spent the weekend at Rockaway Beach. The sand was really strange. It squeaked when you stepped or ran your foot over it. It sounded like seagulls.

This was the path to get to the beach.

We drove 15 minutes south to Tillamook for some yummy ice cream.

On the way back I saw this rock and tried to get a good shot. Damon was helping me understand exposure a little better. It was not the right time of day but it turned out okay.

The second day looked like this. The strange thing is that it came in pockets so we would see this. And then we would enjoy sunshine for awhile.

Then the wind came and we decided to head back to the beach house!

Saturday we went up to Seaside.

We are loving our time with our friends and are very happy we'll be seeing them again this summer!

Saturday at the ballpark

A couple months ago, I heard at work that the Portland Beavers (our triple A baseball team) was looking for volunteers to help out as they were hosting the triple A all star game. Along with it came tickets to the family fun fest (Saturday), the home run derby (Monday) and the all star game (Wednesday). We're always looking for fun (and free) things to do in the summer, so I signed up.

The family fun fest was on Saturday and we weren't really sure about what to expect, so we planned to hit the event and then the Saturday's Market. Fresh kettle korn and an elephant ear can save any day. After grabbing the Max (the light rail), we arrived at the stadium. The event was being sponsored by the Portland Police department, so we were greeted by several different divisions of the force. The kids really liked the animal police force lead by the horses and dogs.

Additionally, Connor was able to get into partial riot gear. Where are those hippie protesters when you need them?Once we entered the park, we were directed down to the field. Across the outfield were large inflatable activities, a climbing tower and a few other activities. Along the infield were carnival type games. The kids had a ball running from event to event. The crowds were pretty light, so there weren't many things that required a wait....

Connor and Mallory scoring some goals
Courtney on the climbing tower

Court sliding home on one of the inflatable obstacle courses.

Mallory finishing another obstacle course in style.

Connor showing his old man how to hit the strike zone.

Me, looking like and old man.

Mallory knocking over the milk bottles.Court had so much energy, she tore right out of her shorts!!!

Along with the games, the Beavers arraigned for some past Portlanders to come do a round table discussion and sign some autographs. The headliners were Dale Murphy (old Atlanta Brave great and mission president of Boston when we were there for our internship), Johnny Pesky (Red Sox great) and Scott Brosius (NY Yankee and '98 World series MVP). Interestingly enough, the park was filled with the Red Sox faithful with sparse Yankee fan attendance, which was nice. Pesky and Murphy received the loudest applause and mentions of the Yankees was received with tolerant moaning. As I listened to the round table discussion, Julie happened to notice a line starting to form for the autographs. Thankfully she alerted me to the line and saved us a good hour or two. That's me back by the 317 mark, about 25 ft back in the line. The line ended up extending to center field and then back into the infield. Yikes.

It was a nice sunny day, so sitting on the warning track was no problem.

Johnny Pesky was great. He still works for the Sox and as such....

had a little jewelry to show. The 2007 World Series ring!

Dale Murphy was great with the crowd and the kids. Always nice to have great role models like him.

This is a weird mask that is outside of the stadium, we're not sure why or what it had to do with baseball, but it makes a good prop for pictures.

It was a long, hot day. So, the kids cooled off with an ice cool soda as we waited for the Max to take us back to the car. The kids all had a great time and the girls slept in this morning until 8:30 (a rush to get to 9AM church), so we must have worn them out. I consider that a success.