20 years!!

Happy Birthday Jake and Amber! I am so grateful to share my birthday with my beloveds. So unique to share the same birthdate with my son too! I love it!! My birthday was spent with friends and family, the most precious to me. Thank you all for your love and friendship!! 

11years old

Ruben Reef Tucker.

Our son, smart, skilled, handsome.

Growing up graceful.

Ruben Mastering his Mountain Bike

Ruben skills in his bike keeping getting better and better. He rides everyday jumping the neighborhood driveways, and cruising down Hilltop so fast and gracefully. 

Recently he asked to let him ride at his favorite fishing hole. He isn't allowed to fish there anymore since his tag has been filled. While we fished he rode. His skills have definitely increased and the satisfaction of a wheelie well done has "watch this Mom" needing a camera in hand. I adore how he encourages and influences Spencer too. Who is practicing too, and just might master the wheelie as well! 

Welcome November

Back to our favorite fall and winter beach.  It felt like comin home. Being here is like being in a wild -ness of the ocean -river- beach-forest. So much going on and changing every 6 hours. It is amazing and lively,  Heron, salmon, osprey, and us. My heart is here. 

First catch of the season

Ruben caught a fish,  learned to clean and fillet it too. I took a try with smoking the salmon. The first fish I smoked turned out great the second one... Not so great. But I'm still learning.  I hope to catch a fish this fall too. I like fishing off the bank in Mapleton when the river gets higher. I feel pretty lucky to go fishing and have my kids learning to fish too.  

5th grade field trip... Whiskey Creek Organic Farm

I had the pleasure of joining Rubens class for their fall field trip. He has such a fun class. The kids are great! Ruben and his friends are so funny and silly. I loved it!  Plus the day at the farm was excellent!! This farm is off the grid powered by hydro and solar, which we learned about. We so assisted in eradicating scotch broom, a terrible invasive species, planted lettuce, picked veggies, took a hay ride, and had a lesson on the forest trees. 

Spending time with my boys is a favorite of mine. Getting to know their friends and being in the outdoor classroom was a real treat! 

Honeyman State Park Field Trip 3rd Grade

Feeling pretty grateful to get the time to spend with Spencer and his class. We have some talented grant writers getting funding for great field trips... " know your watershed" was a hit, tree planting, water macrobes, nature journaling, slug racing,  and acting out erosion were our stations today. Hence the happy faces!! 

Great Wolf Lodge

This isn't our typical weekend get away. Our usual is the beach, river, forest, or lake. What is common about this weekend get away is WATER! Yes we are a family that loves to play in water! So for a change of events... I took my boys and their two cousins to an indoor water park for the weekend. We had a blast! Yes lots of laughing, screaming, running, sliding, and swimming. We met other family and friends there too, a total of 12 kids and 9 adults. It was playtime all weekend for all of us. We also got to celebrate Stella's 5th birthday over the weekend. Tres had a nice quiet solo weekend at home. Which was a treat to him, because when does that ever happen? Rarely! 

September is my favorite month

Summer is nearly over. Only a few days until the fall equinox. September offers both summer and autumn in the same day. It feels lively to harvest, bask in the sun, swim, and wear a sweater that evening. It's the simple things that please me so much. Watching the seasons come and go and experiencing our seasonal traditions is one if my favorite things.  This September has been perfect, and sharing it with my loved ones makes my heart full. 

Fall Traditions

Apple cider pressing in my parents backyard has been a tradition of ours for as long as I can remember. The press we have was built by my Grandpa Lagler. We  harvested the apples from the yard, likely a tree that was planted by my grandparents when they lived at this house. We also threw in some pears from the yard too. The juice was as delicious as it always tastes, pure goodness. Fall traditions are a favorite of mine. I'm looking forward to applesauce next. 

School Days

3rd and 5th grade on the second day of school, because the first wasn't all smiles. Things are looking better now, however the switch from the wild and free summer daze, has been a tough change. 

Crater Lake National Park

It was majestic.