Goonies and Pirates...oh my!

The Oregon coast is stunning. We camped last weekend really close to the part of the coast that is in the last scene of the movie Goonies...when the pirate ship is heading out...this is of course not a picture of that...I neglected to get a picture so you will just have to take my word that it is pretty cool:)

All Aunt Adriane wanted for her 23rd birthday was a camping trip with her family. I haven't been camping in years...well since having kids and was pretty apprehensive about it to be honest. It turned out pretty well. We only met rain on the second night and even then it wasn't too bad. The girls just love camping and it is in Kristian's blood, so I think our little family will be stocking up on gear and heading out more now that we have cracked open the egg. I am looking forward to it....honestly:) Grandma entertained the kids so much on this trip she hardly had time to relax! We parents sure appreciated it, but the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven! Thank you, Grandma! Adriane was fortunate to have her in-laws, the Denczuks, in town from Brazil and we all had fun getting to know her new family a little better. All the cousins love Aunt Adriane!! Dancin on the beach at sunset! Fin's face looks kinda funny, but I liked the background:) Fin has the smile thing down! She lights up the world!

Avery is our little acrobat. I admire her fearless spirit so much! The best part, I think about camping, is the down time... The cousins had a lot of fun together...mostly:) I just love this little family! It was a little to cold to go into the water, much to the girls' disappointment, but they did have a lot of fun in the sand! Aunt Rebecca had the great idea to do a treasure hunt with the kids..they loved it! We had Adriane wait on the beach and draw a huge X in the sand, while Grandma came and told the kids she had found this map on the beach. They got decked out in pirate gear and headed off to find the loot! It was pretty cute! A huntin we will go! And the treasure is found!! It was a fun weekend and we were greatful to have the oppourunity to see more of Oregon and hang out with family.

First Day of Preschool!!

So Avery started Preschool this past week and she couldn't be more thrilled! She has been wanting to go to school for so long now, and the day finally came. Mom went with her the first day for just an hour and then on Thursday she went for the whole time all on her own. She didn't even want mom to walk her to class (although it is the school's policy and ours:)! She had a blast and can't wait to go back! Avery insisted this was the backpack she wanted. I thought it was just a little to big for her...what do you think...but she loves it! This was taken on her first full day by herself outside of school So far we like the school and have heard nothing but good things about Good Sam:) Her teachers name is Mrs. Dazey(Daisey)...how sweet!Here are the newest little beaver fans! We went tailgating the other day to one of Kristian's colleagues parties. It has been really fun getting behind a school team and especially a school with so much spirit! It is everywhere in this small town and we are loving it!

Miss Finley turns 2!!!

The Birthday Girl!!

We had a little celebration for Finley the weekend of her birthday and it was a lot of fun. I was worried because we wouldn't know anyone for her birthday, but we were thrilled that Rebecca brought the kids and Adriane and Tiago down from Portland to celebrate with us. We love the Fancy Nancy series of books around here and Finley also just loves doggies and told me she wanted a doggie cake for her birthday. So I decided to try to make the stuffed doggie that Nancy has in her Posh Puppy book. It turned out pretty good...so like usual I would do some things differently, but every attempt is a learning experience! The kids got to eat out of doggie bowls too and I decorated in pink, black, and white. It was pretty simple, but fun! Thank you so much family for coming down to help us celebrate and for making little Fin's day so special!Finley got to take a special trip with daddy on her birthday...all by herself...what a treat! Our little two year old has more personality than I often know what to do with. She is a little firecracker, full of life and almost always smiling! She is talking up a storm now and trying to keep up with her big sister as much as she can. She is healthy as a whistle and always off the charts for height. She is sweet, feisty, persistent, charming, flirtatious, clever, fun, cuddly, smart, devious, social, funny, spirited and the list goes on and on. The kid has so much personality it is hard to put it into words, but we love her so and look forward many more great years with our little Fin! Her big sister did a great job of stepping back and letting Finley shine for the day! Aunt Adriane and Uncle Tiago entertained the kids on the deck by teaching a very serious ballet lesson:) Eating up the cakeThe decor The cake shot from the night before...prior to little hands smearing black...the lighting isn't the best, but you get the idea. And the day of...you can see some of the black smudges where my painting job hadn't quite dried yet. He was a cute little dog and really fun to make! Kristian helped out too with the bone, and 2 and placing some of the fondant on. Oh and he also did a terrific job on the button nose and eyes! We are a great team...good thing we're married huh? Aunt Adriane is helping Finley open her presents. It was hard for the other kids not to want to jump in and just get the job done:) Finley is obsessed with babies and so every present prior to opening she said "more babies things...know it"!!! She was very excited!

Put up your feet and stay a while...

Please allow me to explain a little...I lost the cable to our camera in the move and so have sadly not been able to post until now. So I encourage you (if you are still checking into our lives) to get comfy and enter this sojourn into Brooke's blog book with some patience, it just might be a long stay:) ************************************************************************************* CHAPTER 1...Packin the bags ************************************************************************************* We left Tucson on the 20th of July with some sad hearts, but mostly anxiety and anticipation of what our new lives would be like in Oregon. We packed up a POD (okay, Kristian packed it up) over a weekend and then I went on a plane to California while Kristian had the fabulous opportunity to travel with Piper (our cat) for two days. I really can't complain about that deal:) We will miss this house. We managed to live in four different places in the six years spent in Tucson. We will miss each one for different reasons, but this last house felt like home. We were there for two years and it is all Finley had ever known.

The slideshow above sums up the last few days in Tucson. We will cherish our friendships and memories there and always keep a special place in our hearts for the old pueblo. ************************************************************************************* CHAPTER 2...on to sunny California ************************************************************************************* I think for the sake of space, I will do all slide shows...so first off enjoy a look into our four glorious days soaking up the sun with Grandma A in Los Angeles.

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CHAPTER 3...hotel week ************************************************************************************* So when we got to Corvallis, we spent our first 10 days in a hotel until we could move into our house. At first it sounded like a lot of fun, but we soon found out that no matter how nice your hotel is...a week with two kids in a hotel room is not luxury living. We did however get to spend some much needed quality time with Kristian. The girls and I finally have our man back and couldn't be more thrilled! Kristian does not start teaching until January and while he is working on research at this time, his schedule is fairly flexible. I hope we (me in particular) always remember the times when he couldn't be around as much and not take our situation for granted. We are very blessed and I hope we always remember the journey that got us here. Anyway...we spent the week checking out our new city. The campus is amazing and we are still in awe at the beauty that surrounds us here. Everywhere you look there is green...such a stark contrast to the desert! We are in a great location less than an hour from the ocean, about an hour from some amazing mountains, and an hour and a half from Portland. So come on out and visit anyone and everyone!!

************************************************************************************* CHAPTER 4...the ocean ************************************************************************************* Being so close, we have been to the ocean a couple of times now. We just love it!! While it is much colder up here on the coast than in California, we still have plenty of sand and sun and fun! We discovered a love of water in both of the girls, but particularly in Finley. She could be shivering from head to toe and still she heads back into the waves. She absolutely loves it! And Avery thinks the sand is the greatest thing since ice cream...they are beach kids at heart! Rebecca (Kristian's sister) her husband Mark, and their two kids Ella and Arlo came over to the coast for a weekend and we met them there one day. They live up in Portland as does Aunt Adriane and Uncle Tiago. We are so excited to live closer to them all now!

************************************************************************************ CHAPTER 5...settling in ************************************************************************************ The girls seem to be adjusting pretty well and we are starting to establish some normalcy. We have had the opportunity to get to know Oregon a little with a few trips to Portland, and a trip over to the Bend area for a faculty retreat weekend. We have been enjoying the bike mecca that is Corvallis and are dusting off our walking shoes just about everyday. There are bike paths everywhere and everyone is so active here! We look forward to living a healthier lifestyle and enjoying all that this new green state has to offer.

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Well...you survived, I think. That's it for now. We are happy to be back blogging and I will post pictures from Finley's second birthday in a few days...or maybe even tomorrow if I have the energy! We miss you all and love to all...please don't forget us and keep in touch!