Random Things

1. I LOVE the library. The other day when I was renewing our library books I got a message for the first time, "this book can no longer be renewed." Basically what they were telling me, you have renewed this book for one year and you have to let someone else read this book. So, we sadly returned one of our favorites.

2. We are on VACATION! We love vacation with our very favorite friends. As the adults were trying to set up the house and get dinner going, our children had some bathroom issues, drew with blue marker on each others faces (the girls, pictures to follow), and the boys ran around stirring up fun in their super hero costumes that are so too small for them. It was a great way to start vacation!

3. I sold my very first item on Craigslist today! Go Me Go!

Cheers

Tradition!

Ever since Sarah was pregnant with Sam (5 years ago, almost ready to pop), we have made an annual Independence Day pilgrimage to the Pumpkin Patch farm on Sauvie Island. This was our 6th such trip, and each year, I've taken the same picture of Sarah and our kid(s) in the same spot in line, getting ready to buy berries and honey sticks. The series of 6 pictures is below (top row, l-r: 2004, 2005, 2006; bottom row, l-r: 2007, 2008, 2009).

I could look at this progression for hours. 5 years goes by quick.

4th of July Weekend

We had a great 4th of July weekend! Loved it. Here are a buncha buncha pictures...

Pickin'

We spent a great Saturday morning at Kruger's farm on Sauvie Island...surprisingly were able to accumulate a whole flat of berries to take home...despite the dozens of berries that ended up in our bellies. Sam was a very diligent picker, perhaps a future career? As for Amy, we just tried to keep her from eating the berries that were in the box. Here are some pictures to prove we were there. Cheers!

Green Hair!

Just like the Joker!

We love May!

OK, so after a few weeks of inactivity, its time for a bit of a photo dump, but with some context.  May has been a fun and busy month, and as we now sit in the middle of a sunny and warm 3 day weekend in Portland, OR, its time to look back a bit on some things we did this month as we get ready for (official) summer!  

Continued thanks to all of our great family and friends who we love spending (not enough) time with!   Enjoy!  ~The Ericksons

This is a new trick, making "paint" out of chalk dust and water, and then doing cave paintings and hyroglyphics on the cement.  A bit creepy but very fun...

Another Superhero Sunday with our good friends the Bruggers: 

Because Sam's birthday is in July, his preschool class teachers have set up special "birthday" celebration days for kids who have birthdays during the Summer.  And on a birthday day, the birthday kid gets a birthday crown to wear all day.  Just so happens that his birthday celebration fell on our snack day, which is nice....

Sarah and Liz took the kids to Multnomah Falls for a nice mid-week hike: 

We had a great visit from Sarah's grandma (GG!)

Sam made Amy a crown, too (it's pink and she liked it):

Hanging out with our good neighbor Molly: 

Dad went to Seattle last week for a 3-day conference and both kids got Ichiro t-shirts.  Ichiro!

Saturday morning painting distraction so that Dad can make waffles and coffee in peace.  Not entirely successful, but fun anyway...

Lunch at Cousin Kaja's house...

Bath time!

Bike trip to Sellwood Park tonight for a picnic dinner, and Amy's new favorite thing...the big red slide.  

This was today, too.  This is hilarious and cracks me up looking at it.  At Sam's urging, the kids dressed up in life jackets, helmets, and sunglasses to be "spacemen".  The kickboard is Sam's spaceship.  He is taking it very cool and seriously, as you can tell...

Crazy Week

We have had a week of lots of Happy to you songs, travels, tears, help from friends and family and then most of all "hold yous". 

Last week we spent the weekend celebrating my mom's 60th birthday at the beach. We had a wonderful time as a family. We met the "new Sarah" who is Court's new girlfriend. I am not sure if she is the new Sarah what that makes me... It was an ideal weekend with tons of fun on the beach and lots of family time. 

As Sunday rolled around, my parents and brother and I left Portland to join my dad's family in California to celebrate my uncle's life. As many of you know he had been sick for about a year with cancer. The service was an amazing tribute to what a wonderful man he was. It was very good to see my dad's side of the family. It had been at least ten years since I had been there and seen a lot of my cousins. How we had all changed. 

Chris and the kids did an amazing job of keeping the house in one piece and everyone very happy. I can't tell you how happy I was to see them when I got home. I have been doing a lot of "hold yous" since coming home.

The link below will lead you to photos of GG's farm (stopped by on the way to the beach), the beach, and the week without me.

 To photos