Last Day of School. . . . . and First!

I had this post in edit form ever since Molly finished 1st grade in mid-June. I guess now is as good a time to finish it since she has now started 2nd grade :/. Riverside was a new school for her last year as she transferred there to be in their newly formulated spanish bilingual program. Understandably, it was a rough start for her, but by the end (as you can see from the pictures below), she was enjoying it very much and couldn't wait to see all her friends again this year. It's crazy how as the older we get, time seems to stand still (or speed by) as I remember very clearly the last day of her 1st grade. So here's a look of Molly now. . . .

Molly excited for her first day of 2nd grade

Molly was hoping to have "real" desks this year and she got her wish! (She also got new carpet and new windows which I appreciate much more than her ;))

and then. . . .

Enjoying the fruits of their labor. The first graders planted and cared for carrots, peas, onions, lettuce and radishes as part of one of their science units. The salad was delicious!

Molly in her india-style hip hop regalia. The dance number she performed for us and the school I recorded, but couldn't download.

Saying good-bye to friends: Josephine, Makenna and Abby.

Molly swinging away at a Pinata--a great way to finish the year. (Dad got the lucky volunteer opportunity to hold the rope :))

Molly with her bag of pinata goodies which she mostly did not eat. If any of you haven't tried mexican candy well. . . . honestly, you are not missing out.

Molly with good friend, Zoe.

Maestra Nicola signing Molly's "Yearbook."

We'll miss you Miss Nicola! We all loved having you as Molly's teacher!

It was a great first year for Molly in the spanish program filled with art, dance and culture. I hope the trend will continue this year.

Mt. St. Helens

I'm sure my few blog followers have given up on reading anything new so. . . . surprise! I'm back! (At least for one entry--haha) A couple weekends ago we hooked up with my brother Paul and his family and headed up to Mt. St. Helens--a place I had not been for about 7 years or more (Kevin has a better memory than I and remembers exactly when we last visited.) It was, however, the first trip for our kids and maybe my brother???? It was going to be a very hot day in Portland--in the 90's--so it was a great way to gain some elevation and escape a little bit of the heat. It was a gorgeous day. Clear, blue skies. We visited both visitors centers and read and saw some very interesting information about the eruption that occurred 30 years ago. The devastation was far greater than I had ever imagined and you can still see remains of it (thousands of fallen trees) to this day. The "clean-up" process has been quite amazing and the area is mostly reforested and beautiful again. It was nice for once to actually be able to see one of the educational movies as Keenan is able to finally make it through. Molly, Kevin and I all took pictures so I chose the "best" ones for this post.

Mt. St. Helens in all its glory

Keenan driving the rescue helicopter at the Weyerhauser Visitor Center, with his co-pilot Cash

View from the north side. Notice how much of the mountain was blown away in the eruption. The mountain's elevation was reduced by 1300 feet.

Molly took this one of me at Coldwater Lake. This lake created after the eruption

A nice little boardwalk following alongside the Lake

On the way home from the mt., we stopped in Longview at this gorgeous park that lined both sides of a waterway. It was now in the 90's again, but between the water and the tree shade, we actually were quite comfortable. Molly took these last couple of pictures as we were resting on the grass and they are some of my favorite pictures ever.

Memorial Day

After so much rain, everyone was hoping for a sunny Memorial Day as we were planning a weenie roast down at Grandma and Grandpa Compton's house. Kevin and the kids who were camping all weekend (their post to come later) met me, Paul/Ellen/Cash and Cole there in the afternoon and as good luck would have it, it turned out to be a very nice day. The kids ran around endlessly and the adults talked, lounged, and later on played Settler's. Some went over to the nearby Salt Creek Cemetery and although I forgot to give a moment of silence at 3:00 for all those who have given their lives in defending freedom, I did think of them and others I have known--both family and friends--who have passed away. A talk in church I heard the day before made me want to be more diligent in trying to educate my children on the relevancy of these holidays in their lives. They may be only 6 and 4, but so very teachable and I need to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. So what holiday is next? Father's Day? This will be an easy one for I'm sure the kids will want to honor their dad and give him all the love and special treatment that he deserves. But what about when Labor Day comes? Good thing I have a partner in the joint education of our children. . . and thank goodness for the University of Internet :)

--But back to the fun part of holidays. Here below are our picture memories of this years' Memorial Day.

Paul lounging with Cole. Paul wasn't quite hungry for dinner yet as he had just made a run to Aspenwalls for a DELICIOUS fresh strawberry shake.

The cousins chowing down on their hot dogs.

This picture tells a funny story: Here we have Keenan dropping his hot dog out of his bun. He smacks the side of his head and says, "Oh no!" Molly and Cash then look down at the dog and Molly starts to laugh. What you then don't see in the picture is me picking up the dog, putting it back in Keenan's bun and saying, "3 second rule!" J/k (on saying 3 second rule ((I did put the dog back in his bun though))

I took about 10 pictures of these crazy kids and not one of them turned out with the kids all cooperating for a "nice" smile.

Mom and Dad enjoying the nice spread. That was some good potato salad, Mom!

Ellen looking so cute with adorable Cole (notice her hand over Coles ((I do believe he just was eyeing those beans and went for a handful :] ))

How many Brats is that now, Kevin?! :]

Molly so excited to roast her marshmallows for Smores

It had been so long since I had roasted marshmallows that I think I took this picture because it felt like such a novel event.

Trying to smile for the camera while not trying to light my marshmallows on fire :)

All the kids being Kraaazzzy

Mother's Day

My kids can be very sweet and they were particularly sweet during Mother's Day Week. In fact, I think every day that week Molly must have asked if it was Mother's Day because she had been planning something special for a while. But let's first start with Mother's Tea. Milwaukie Preschool does a little celebration to honor all the preschooler's mothers and so when I arrived, Keenan ran up to me, gave me a hug and offered me a red rose. From previous years with Molly, I knew that this was going to happen, but still it was very touching to see the loving, softer side of Keenan. After a tear-jerking storytime (Teacher Vicki also always reads the book, I'll Love You Forever) Keenan led me to a seat at a little table and brought me cake and chocolate-dipped strawberries (which I had offered to dip for the occasion). Here we are enjoying the delicious desserts below:

For gifts I received a shrinky-dink pin of Keenan's hand and and also this hand-printed poem. So thoughtful of Keenan (and Teacher Vicki :))

May 9th, Mother's Day

Molly was so excited to serve me breakfast in bed Sunday morning that she got up nice and early (so much for sleeping in), came up with a menu (just one delicious item needed :)) and took my order.

As you can see, I had more than just pancakes and syrup. There was also orange slices and juice ;) Don't look too closely at these pictures--I just woke up!

The kids helped me eat as they were too hungry to wait for dad to make more pancakes.

Nice family photo with the self-timer. After finishing eating, I was given more gifts. This time it was a cute T-shirt from REI and a new water bottle which was very much needed.

I love my family! Thanks Kevin and kids for a wonderful Mother's Day.

Weekend Wanderings

(Guest writing for Marin this entry is her husband, Kevin)

With Marin's weekends being taken up by work and church-related duties, the kids and I do many adventures without Marin. Below are two different adventures we have done in the month of April.

Moultan Falls and Cedar Creek Grist Mill

April 10

On this trip we head north into Clark County to take in the beautiful Moultan Falls on the East Fork of the Lewis River. We teamed up with two of our friends, as Molly and Keenan say, Kathy and Rachael. It is never Rachael and Kathy.

After a week of rain,the falls were roaring. I have been up to these falls before, but have never seen the river raging quite like this. There are rocks right next to the falls that are fun to climb on. Molly and Keenan took right to them. They didn't seem to mind that the river was moving extremely fast. I, on the other hand, had to remind them not to get too close to the falls.

What is really nice about this park is that there is a beautiful pool just up river from the falls. This reach of the river changes quickly from serene to powerful. You can get right down next to the water or you can go high above it on the foot bridge that crosses over the river. Once you cross the bridge, a path leads you to a wonderful system of trails.

After enjoying the falls, we headed into Amboy for lunch, then onto the Cedar Creek Grist Mill. As you might have expected, the mill is on Cedar Creek. To get to the mill, you have to drive down a windy road. As you come around a bend, you are greeted by a covered bridge crossing over the creek. The mill is right next to the bridge.

The Mill is from 1876. Due to it's location on the steep bank of the Cedar Creek, the mill was never profitable because of all the up-keep it needed from the flood damage it sustained over the years from the creek. It is still a working mill, operated by a "Friends of" group. It is only opened on the weekends for a couple hours each day. They will demonstrate how the mill works by grinding different grains into flour. We were fortunate to be there when they were grinding soft white flour, perfect for buttermilk pancakes (which we have made since then a couple of times).

Camassia Natural Area

April 24

Molly and Keenan saw a picture of the Woodburn Tulip Festival and decided that they wanted to go there to see the pretty flowers. Not wanting to deal with a weekend crowd at the festival (nor did I want to pay $10 to get in) I went to the Oregon Wildflower web page to locate some beautiful wildflowers where there wouldn't be a crowd or a cost. This mile and 1/2 loop was just what I was looking for; close proximity to us, a short hike and the flowers were blooming. It just happened to be on the way to our ultimate destination, a pet store in West Linn. This meadow is hidden between the West Linn High School and a cluster of houses.

The common camas (Camassia quamash) were in full bloom

The kids liked it because there were numerous rock outcroppings that they could scramble around on. These rock were exposed from the Missoula floods 15,000 years ago.

Wandering across the boardwalks through the camas meadow

Now that summer will soon be upon us, hopefully Marin will be able to join us on our adventures. Lands we hope to journey to are: Steens Mtn./Alvord desert, Cape Argo, Smith Rock, Eagle Cap Wilderness and any other place that our trusty Subaru will take us to.