the county fair

We spent yesterday afternoon at the Benton County fair.  The best part was watching our friend Nicole get hypnotized and be silly on a stage.  But we also enjoyed the giant sno-cones, Ben did his first ride on the Scrambler (my favorite), and we all took a trip through the fun house.

slumber party

Owen had a campout slumber party to celebrate his 9th birthday.  Five of his friends came to spend the night.  We set up the tent-condo in the back yard, and put a fire pit next to the (now abandoned) sand box.  The boys had a blast- we had pizza and cupcakes and s'mores.  They exploded diet soda bottles with mentos, played various forms of tag, and when it got dark enough, had a dance party with the disco ball and glow sticks.  The boys eventually fell asleep, they all stayed in the tent for the night,  and the neighbors have yet to complain about the noise. I think we can call this a successful event!

owen turns nine!!!

Owen turned nine last Sunday. He got up early to tackle the gifts then planned out the rest of the day. He got to use some of his new gifts- a golf practice set in the back yard and a snorkel set at the pool. He was very excited about some new software- including a flight simulator.  He also was happy to get a science kit from Grandpa and new clothes from Grandma, some legos, camping gear and cash from aunts and uncles.  We ended the day with cake and family celebration, after a chocolate waffle dinner.

cub scouts on mary's peak

Richard organized a pack hike up Mary's Peak last weekend, and they luckily hit the perfect day for the trip.  They had views across Oregon, up to some peaks in Washington and to the ocean.   We believe Jefferson and the Sisters are in this picture behind them.  They ate lunch on the peak and hiked back down - with a DQ stop before getting home.