Happy 4th!!!!!!

Ted and Robin invited us to join them in the Classic Rides parade in Corbett! We won 2nd place for our totally awesome truck and had a GREAT time! Nana (and Papa Jim) made it just in time despite closed roads and detours.

We taped squirly Bible verses on our candy and passed out Gospels of John, running out of everything about a third of the way along the parade route! Then we just smiled and waved, "HAPPY 4TH!" Everyone smiled and waved all over town all day... right through the car show and fair, where the big boys each won goldfish. We headed home loaded with treasures and candy for a short rest before our fireworks display on our hill. "The Best 4th, yet!"

Birthday Season

There is nothing quite like celebrating two birthdays back to back. We had an entire week of balloons and party favors and new toys. The sun was slow in coming out, but then we had water balloons and squirt guns and more new toys... our family was so, so great about celebrating growing kids. We had the best of times. Great memories.

Her Legacy will live on Forever

Grandma Vivian Ruth Swopes Casswell Urie, January 15, 1930 - June 6, 2008.

She has risen new and perfect with God, beating us if we were in a race. Like my honey said, "now she knows. She knows what we all wonder... what it's like on the other side."

She leaves behind a rich, rich legacy of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as influence far beyond family. May we all strive to be as loving, as accepting and as strong as she lived.

We can't help missing you, Grandma, but we rejoice with you, too. And we will pour out our love on Grandpa now, just as you would want us to!

Armstrong Field Trip

Monday the 19th of May was Shad's special Fun Day. Instead of going on a Canoe field trip, we studied the rivers of Oregon on Google and then checked the closest ones out ourselves! It was
so much fun, we paused to get Aidan after school and headed back out. We saw the Clackamas river all swollen with mountain runoff. We found Eagle Creek and Deep Creek that flow into it. We collected rocks and brought home 3 pet snails. Shad learned how to read the Thomas Guide road map so he could follow our winding drive and give me directions!

The Park

One of the funnest things we do is go to the Fairview Library and play at the cute playground a block away. We try to coordinate with Becca and Hannah as often as possible. She showed me how to order books online, which is super easy. We usually borrow 20 at a time and read all the way home. (Well, each kid has 3-6 each plus one for Mom, so sometimes it's only 15, but that's a lot of books!)

Just like Dad

Camten likes to pretend to work on cars. When we're volunteering at Deep Creek, he'll scootch under the lunchroom tables on his back and ask Trinity to pass him tools like he's under a car. She thinks it's great fun.
Cam was excited to help Daddy on a real car out in the shop! This is an old truck Jeremy's doing some body and paint work on for friends he met at the Swap Meet.









I can hardly believe our big boys don't fit in these toy cars anymore. Just last summer they became Cam and Trin's officially, and now they're getting big for them, too! Of course, Shad and Aidan think ramming into each other while balancing on top is great fun.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day for... lots of creations... notes left where Mom would find them... flowers, real and painted ("like Van Gogh, Mom")... poems and recipes... songs sung in programs just especially for Moms... a fun baseball game... and seeing Moms and Grandmas and Nanas. Mother's Day is actually sorta exhausting, really. I know I wasn't the only Mom that had a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend AFTER Mother's Day! Hahahaha... but I'll treasure every moment (and handprint).

Celebratin' our 10 Year Anniversary!!!

We've come a long ways in 10 years!! We've both grown and changed a lot... and had four wonderful kids. We couldn't have done it without our family and friends, so we thought it would be fun to celebrate with them. We had a private section at the Spaghetti Factory looking out over the river. The kids could play freely, which was important to us, 'cause kids are a big part of our lives. We were so grateful so many people could come out, too... despite naptimes and busy Saturdays! We've been so blessed. What a great way to remember such a great Anniversary!

1st Grade Zoo Trip

It was amazing to see the Zoo all over again in NEW eyes! Camten and Trinity didn't remember any of the animals from past trips, and Trinity, especially, was full of wonder. She could have watched the Penguins all day... I think she wanted to bring one home! There were lots of cuddly, sleeping animals she wanted to touch, and she ran away from the big ones. The sand pit might have been the very best part, and hanging out there caused a hurry at the very end to see those bats!

Puppies for Sale!!!!

Two adorable, beautiful, bouncy, snufflin' puppies for sale!!

We call one Cent because she has a tiny stripe on her back like a piggy bank. She has huge paws and the gentlest, shyest nature... just like her papa. She hardly barks and stays close to her Mom, the kids or the doggy home. She LOVES the kids, of course.

We call the other one Sniff or Sniffers 'cause she has little snorts and sniffs and wiggles and wiggles! She jumps and runs with her ears flopping as she tumbles down the grassy field. She loves to tug on Trinity's twirly skirts and chases everything that moves. Her nose is speckled and she's mostly black... cute! She looks like she'll have her Moma's look and character, full of fun energy and absolutely gorgeous.

Both puppies already have registration papers as pure-bred Pitbulls, and their pedigree is available after they're officially named for only $25.

PUPPIES FOR SALE!!!

Swap Meet 2008

The Portland Swap Meet is HUGE!!!!!

People... guys... come from hundreds of miles away to set up booths at the Expo Center every April.

When the Expo Center is completely full, they fill up the parking lot around the Expo Center. To get there, everyone parks in fields and buses to the Center.

When the parking lot is full, they expand to the Portland International Raceway!
That's where the Armstrongs could be found for an entire Thursday, Friday and Saturday... rain and all!!!
We got two spots together on Pit Row. Jeremy set up a '74 Short box for sale and the beautiful '70 long box, freshly painted hugger orange with a mean motor. In between we had all kinds of things guys at swap meets like... a tack, dash consol, seat covers, gas caps, license plate cover, speaker, radiator fan, and even a Nascar quilted curtain. Well, that didn't sell.

On the second day we brought out the Go-Kart which turned into a memorable HIT! We road up and down Pit Row and down all the side alleys of more booths and around and around dodging the track monitors! They have a one-way policy and a low speed policy that we had to continually remind ourselves to follow carefully. Hahahaha

I fit in the Go-Kart great and had a BLAST giving the kids tons of rides. We were happy to sell it, though. We don't have a nice racetrack at our house and Go-Karts are bumpy rides on gravel roads and muddy fields!!! (Not to mention the HILL and running down to make sure young drivers get turned back around fast enough!)