Today Summer is one year old. Happy Birthday, Baby!
The kids played "Limbo" with streamers for a stick. More like "Speed Limbo" since they were running. 
Brendan wrote a sweet card with some spelling help from Natalie. 
She wasn't quite sure what to do with the cake. But she figured it out pretty quickly.
The cake was a hit! Happy Birthday Summer Pie!
Written by Lisa:
I hate snakes. Hate them hate them hate them. Normally, they inspire shivers up and down my spine, a racing heartbeat, and a "creepy-crawly" feeling for the rest of the day.
Yesterday I was out in the backyard when this big guy slithered by about 12 inches from my foot. I did not freak out, my heart did not race, I didn't even move. I calmly called the kids to come see and to bring the camera. I proudly showed Ezra this photo tonight thinking he would be amazed at my newfound reptile maturity. The only thing he said was, "Why didn't you catch it????"
I guess I'll pat myself on the back. Good job, me.
Brendan and Master Kim at Brendan's Tae Kwon Do rank advancement. I think Brendan's favorite part is the sparring where he gets to chase after one of the instructors to use his moves. I would hate to be on the receiving end of one of his attacks.
So Ezra, Natalie, and Brendan all took off on Thursday for a camping trip at Silver Falls near Salem, Oregon. The weather was hot, the place was packed, and they picked the perfect spot to go explore.
The pic above is just as we started the short hike down to the first two falls. an you see the trail right behind the water fall? Back in the 1930's the original owner of the land used to charge people $.10 to watch him push old cars off the falls into the pool/rocks below. Times have changed a bit.
Natalie catching up on the Star Wars action...
Brendan chillin...
Dad nappin...and Brendan Karate Choppin?
Any tricks to helping the tooth fairy remember the pick up and delivery?
Natalie turned 8 in February so she decided to be baptized and become a member of our church. It was a very special day for the entire family, especially because Grandma and Grandpa Heath were able to attend as well as Grandma Jean.
We downloaded the pictures to the camera today. Lets see if we can guess who has been playing with it.
Upside down on the couch. Could someone have been standing on their head with a camera?
Lights must have been out. 23 perfectly black pictures.
I think we have a clue....
More feet?
Getting warmer...
Gotcha!
He used 143 pictures. Good thing we don't have to pay for film anymore.
BRENDAN!!!!
So on Sunday Ezra had the brilliant idea to make cinnamon rolls. He has made them before, but this time things turned out a bit differently. As the rolls expanded, butter dripped onto the tinfoil in the bottom of the oven and started smoking. We opened all the windows and the kids were swinging towels around trying to get the smoke out.
Then before we knew it, flames were in the oven and making even more smoke. Luckily we pulled out the nearby fire extinguisher and put the fire out.
The worst part: The lost cinnamon rolls.
The funniest part: From the moment Ezra said fire, it took Brendan exactly .05 seconds to be out the front door and to the designated emergency meeting tree.
What we learned: We have 7 smoke detectors in our house and everyone of them works very well. Also, Summer can sleep through all 7 without waking up.
Fact #1: The smell of smoke can last in your house for at least two days (and counting).
Fact #2: Cleaning out the oven is worse than cleaning up any kid fluids.
The Best Part: An unforgettable lesson (including visual aids) in fire safety.
The Next Sunday Cooking Challenge: Rice Krispie Treats
This past Sunday after church, we were having toast for lunch. It was the "healthy" precursor to our Sunday Sundaes (our weekly bribe for good church behavior). Ezra served everyone toast with what he called his new "secret sauce". He later showed us that he had added a little sprinkle of nutmeg to go with the cinnamon and sugar we normally use. We all thought it was a nice twist to our standard toast.
Today I told Brendan to make his own breakfast while I showered. At our house, "making breakfast" generally means pouring yourself a bowl of cereal and milk. Brendan took advantage of my absence today and decided to do a little cooking on his own.
So as I was finishing drying my hair, Brendan came into my bedroom. Here is our conversation:
Brendan: "Mom, my toast didn't taste very good today."
Lisa: "Toast? You made toast?"
Brendan: "Yes, but it didn't taste very good." (makes a yucky face)
Lisa: "Umm, okay (trying to be patient while thinking of the mess in the kitchen). Did it get burned?"
Brendan: "No."
Lisa: "Well, why didn't it taste very good?"
Brendan: "Well, I tried to use Daddy's secret sauce. But I didn't know which one it was. (remember, he's still learning to read) So I had to use them all."
Lisa: "All of what?"
Brendan: "All of the little things."
Lisa: "You mean all of the little spices?"
Brendan: "Yes, spices."
I came downstairs to find his toast preparing station:
Here I have lined up the spices so they can be clearly seen. He remembered from Sunday what the nutmeg container looked like and found all of the similar-looking canisters in my spice rack:
And here is the tasty toast. That is a quarter-inch-thick layer of spices on the second slice!
And yes, that is also a snickerdoodle on his breakfast plate. I guess he found that in the freezer while getting out the bread. I'm not sure why he didn't finish that.
I think tomorrow I will stay in the kitchen while Brendan makes his breakfast.
When soccer finished we immediately started looking for another activity for Brendan because everyone seems so much happier when he has something to keep him busy. Luckily, his school had a Tae Kwon Do class for a few weeks that seemed to channel some of his energy.
At the end, they put on a show and had an official "Board Breaking" ceremony. If you are not a grandma or grandpa, you may not be interested...but we thought his little performance was quite cute. Especially as he tries to keep up with the other kids.
Let's just say he is quite pleased with his performance...
Oh, and we signed him up!
Who says Oregon winters are dreary and gray?
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