Oregon Japanese Garden

 

We took a little trip to Portland for part of our spring break. We enjoyed the gardens and all the beauty. Ruben said the giant zen garden was his favorite.

First spring session

Ruben and Spencer had a great time in the water. Both boys used their boogie boards. Great way to kick off Spring Break!

~This Moment~

Joining Amanda Soule

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A little housework

Ahh the kitchen being cleaned by someone other than me. Gotta love it. I would be happy to lend my vehicle to these two in exchange of housework, it was a deal:) I love this picture and I love these two big kids. Still kids and yes big now. Young men really, but wings just aren't ready for flight.

Wood Chucking

Yikes! Yes I know my 6 year old with an axe..."I can do it Mom, I am safe"



Smell this wood, it smells so good!

We went on a family outing Wood Chucking at Big Creek. A big pile of wood left a the stock pit by ODOT. The boys loved the opportunity to use an axe, run around all wild in the woods, and climb the piles of gravel. It was a successful trip of foraging and collecting and not to mention outside in nature as a family.

Taking a break

It's tax season and for as long as I can remember this is the busiest time of the year for  my father..."grandpa" now. 7 days a week he is working these days. Luckily for me this time of year produces extra work for me too, I get to work at his office a few days a week to help out and make a little extra money. During this busy time for Grandpa, we come to him for a visit. We stop by with the kids and dog and Grandpa takes a break. The boys are always making him laugh with all their silliness and well frankly Grandpa can be quite silly too, when it comes to playing with Grand kids. My kids are so lucky to have a Grandparent like him, devoted, unconditionally loving, and a friend like a Grandpa can be. He loves to bring out the rowdy, rascally, a little bit of teasing, in the boys. These are things Grandpa's do.

Lizard Love

One thing I love about the pets we have in our family is that it brings out the nurturing in my boys. It creates the empathy that all people should have for other animals and people. I never thought I would say "oh look how cute he is" (about a lizard) but I do and I he is so dang cute. Lizard Love!

Tsunami Marine Debris

I recently volunteered for NOAA shoreline marine debris monitoring program Our first day out with a few other volunteers to establish our transect we found this Japanese Vessel. It was immediately reported to ORPD, ODFW, and 211 the new marine debris reporting hotline. With in just a few hours a construction company was hired to remove it from the beach. It was infested with non native species. It was really just an accident that we even found it. We originally had chosen Washburn as our sight for the monitoring program, but then changed the site that morning to Ponsler. It was pretty amazing to have found this Japanese vessel and have it removed all in the same day. Check out Charlie's post her for more pics (one of me!) and information about the process. oregon surfrider

Back From Hibernation....