Whatcha all up to?

Hey, well! Thanks for askin'! While Shad and Aidan go to school, we work on lots of things... but our favorites are...

Camten plays with cars!

Trinity dances!


Jeremy turns a truck motor compartment into a work of art!

And I, of course, do laundry! (you say I'm playing on the computer... that would be MY secret, now, wouldn't it?!)

Boring Pumpkin Patch

We went to this AWESOME pumpkin patch out in Boring! (Yes, I am continually grateful that where I live changed from Boring to Damascus!!! Damascus has Biblical depth to it, as a name, whereas everyone assumes Boring has a reason to be called that, which might be debatable!)





At this trip to the Pumpkin Patch, the part with the pumpkins was so 'exciting' that I forgot to take any pictures... so these are the photos from the calm, happy moments where our kids played happily and Jeremy and I had a moment to chat and ooooh and aaaah over our beautiful kids. The boys looked great, we thought, in the corn kernals with the bones! Camten loved the ball/tunnel thing - we just stood guard at the entry in case he zipped out.





Trinity remained glued to the little Merry-Go-Round I could control with a little switch on the wall. Please notice that Binky-Bear got to ride, too. She has taken Tea-Time to a new level and includes her favorite bears in all kinds of Important Events. She had meant to bring Blueberry, too, but Mom left her guarding the car, somehow. (Trick: if you threaten to leave ALL animals behind, they are grateful to pick just ONE!) It might be interesting to note that these Bears love dancing in circles and wearing diapers and learning how to practice going potty on the potty chair just like Trinity, too. Talented!


We did find some pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch, too. And you can check out this cool Patch at www.liepoldfarms.com for more Fall Fun!

"The 'Last Clear Sky', Oregonians." Well, that's what all the newscasters said, anyway, so I got a picture to remember, and besides some thunder storms and hail, we've had quite a bit of blue sky, actually. Were they trying to depress us prematurely?! Well, I lit some candles and feel quite cozy, so bring on a little shower or two... what's the big deal? (NOW it'll rain relentlessly, right? yikes!)

Daily Stuff at our House...

Science Projects! Shad made a "Machine" that sorts light and heavy marbles and Aidan made a Mailbox!

Camten and Trinity are painting... on a different day, of course. (I'm not crazy!!!)

Dad's projects.

Daddy found a Go-Kart with a motor in it!!!!! It's our favorite new thing-a-me-bob. It's not very big, so Mom got to do the first couple test runs up the road and down the field. I thought I was gonna end up in the ditch for sure! That thing can FLY! But sometimes we gotta push it a little to get going up the hill...

...so after 10 trips pushing my kids up the hill and then running back down as fast as I could to catch them before they drove too far, I was ready to park it temporarily.

So... this is our Favorite thing to play with as soon as Dad and Mom feels like some exercise again!

Milaukie House Build... they go up so fast! See that big, bay window on the second floor? That's the Master Bedroom with a view of trees towards the Willamette! Oh, yea. With a walk-in closet and private bath! (Why do we build houses I want to move into?!)

First day of school. Shad's in 3rd grade, and Aidan's in 1st. Eche las ganas, boys!

This did NOT happen at MY house!!!!! (well, actually, it did.)

I really pride myself in closesly monitoring my kids. I have a fast road outside and I need to know where each one is at each moment. I don't where ear buds or play music too loudly so I can always hear them. If I'm on the phone and distracted, I'll actually follow them around the house, so I don't lose track. The few instances I HAVE lost somebody, for example, I've started the hunt within 10 mins. or less. Period. (And that goes for visiting kids, too!!)

The one exception is bed time. I set up a "safe" enviroment where minimal danger is present... like Trinity sleeps in a Nest in the middle of her big, double bed AND we removed the blinds from the window because of so many injuries w/ blind strings (on the news). I'll hear her get up and play in there sometimes, but she loves to arrange her baby dolls after turning off her fan, so I pay light attention only.

Deep breath.

So, imagine my surprise when my little girl comes out with a tiny curtsey and twirly showing off her beeeYUUUUtiful face and clothes covered in DESITON! I couldn't even push her towards the bathroom without getting it all over my hands! (Oh, man, I hope that stuff just washes out in the laundry! I threw them in with the current load! But that's a bunny trail.) As soon as I got her in the bath, smiling prettily and still proud of herself, I dared to check out the damage...

...Desiton was everywhere in her room and the drawer she found it in. There was a great, big smear on the floor where she painted, plops on the covers and dresser, Poodle Purse was covered, the nob on her fan and the door out, which I discovered when I grabbed it.

I went for paper towels.

Trinity is still extra pale. I soaped her thoroughly all over a couple of times - a few white streaks were in her pretty curls. Her face was "beautified" the mostest. I think she had gotten the idea at a friends' house earlier who had pretend lipstick in a pretend purse, and obviously I had underestimated the girly desire to beautify herself!

The Armstrong Family Vacation to Montana...

Aidan - "I can drive a 4-wheeler! and I don't even have a license!"

Story - Trinity watched her Great-Grandma Mary use the phone, and never left it alone after that! She collected all Gramma's stuffed animals (to care for them carefully) and made phone calls.

Gramma worked hard to win Camten over - he finally gave in to COOKIES! and was even play-pretending a moment ago to "go visit Gramma"! Gramma Mary also has these puff-balls she throws at everyone who's not looking. So, watch out!

Grandpa Herb was supposed to be resting after knee surgery... not likely with us around! We "helped" him get up and moving again in record time!

We left with a BANG, of course! After visiting people in Billings, Missoula, Red Lodge, Cooney Dam, and Ceour'd Alene, Nana Marie gave everyone a toy for the trip home! They're displaying their new treasures, but I'm not consentrating on the picture very much because Trinity decided to get sick right then! Like I said, a BANG!

This is my "new" Ride - '00 Odyssey minivan. We sold the cool Tahoe (it's off to Florida) and found something that can actually hold all the groceries after a trip to Winco... and has head and leg-room for all.... and AC for all, of course. It's totally fun to drive, and I'm starting to not miss the big-truck-dominating-the-road-feel already!

We did CAR SHOWS this summer! Jeremy entered the BAD white shortbox Chevy truck, which didn't win anything, sad to say. It needs a new paint job, and as fast as we're hurrying on the Maaco, it's not fast enough for this beaut! 'Cause we sold it! That's right, folks! Hot off the press! Someone bought it down in New Mexico - they watched the VERY cool video on Myspace of it roaring down Sunnyside Rd... which is totally cool, actually. I'll have to get the address to that... yea....

We had a great time at the Fair this year - the highlight is usually the Crash-Up Derby... but we crammed in so much stuff this year, that it wasn't as relaxing of a show as usual. Our favorite memories this year were probably....

1 - "real" Light Sabers!!!!

2 - game prizes... we won a few!

3 - parents DON'T like Ferris wheels, but little kids DO

4 - our "treasures" - Crocks and Salsa

5 - there's Bees at the Fair!

6 - Trinity doesn't like pigs, no matter how small

7 - we can go past bedtime and still keep walking in our new duds!

8 - Laser Tag is fun for ALL ages!

9 - the bumper cars aren't worth the wait when you can't reach the pedels!