Rodriguez Road Trip

Natty's first ferry ride

2012-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

We thought it was about time that Natty experience a ferry ride. How can you live in Seattle and not do that at least once!? We traveled over to Port Orchard last April to look at a boat for sale. It was a quick hop off and hop on kind of ride, but nonetheless we had a great time!

Fun with my new lens!

2012-01-20T10:28:00.000-08:00

Last March Mom got a new 50mm lens for her camera! Yea! Since then I have been using it for most of my photography work and have been very happy with it. Here are Natty and I testing it out in my office/studio!

Testing it out at the store...Natty makes any lens look good!

Reflection, shooting into a mirror.

Showing off her latest preschool creation!

I have to thank Tim, for making my dreams come true and helping me chase after my passion. I love you!

Together we sing!

2012-01-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

Both and Audrey and Celeste love to sing and have been in choirs for the last 4 years. In March 2011, their choirs came together to sing. Here are the two songbirds (Audrey - Chief Kanim Middle School 8th grade choir and Celeste - Fall City Elementary 5th grade choir)

Celeste Rodriguez - Girl Scout

2012-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

2011 was a fun year in Girl Scouts for Celeste. She is with a great group of girls and leaders and they have a lot of fun. Sadly the troop hasn't been as active this school year, but tweens do get older and find other things to occupy their time. Here are some memorable moments from 2011.

Searching for snow...at Grandad and Grammy's

2011-11-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we had to search, but we found snow! We took a little trip to Redmond, OR to spend some time with Grandad and Grammy while Dad and Becky went to look at Utah State University. You can tell this is old, because during this trip we found out Becky got accepted to BYU. Now she had a decision to make...cougar or aggie? Let's just say she made the right choice (not that I'm biased or anything). She is now in her 1st year at BYU and loving every minute of it. Sorry, Becky I know I was more than obnoxiouly persuasive last Winter.

A hot chocolate morning for Natty and Sophia snuggling with Grandad and Grammy

We love BINGO with Grandad and Grammy. They have had this game for years and we love playing it every time we visit.

Pick a good one, Grandad!

We stayed at the Eagle Crest Resort near Grandad and Grammy's house and had a ton of fun playing in the snow, and swimming. Tim and I even played a mean game of raquetball (I won of course! Well, not really...Tim beat me wearing socks no less! It was a sad day...)

Our cousin Josh celebrated his 14th birthday while we were there. Happy Birthday, Josh. We are so glad we could be there to celebrate with you!

Another fun pastime is card games. Hearts and No Peeky were 2 favorites. Ah, Becky...you always love to get your picture taken. She is even wearing her Aggie sweatshirt. I wonder if she wears that at BYU?

Naptime!

We love Grammy!

Sophia's baptism pictures

2011-10-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe our little Sophia turned 8 last year and was baptized. We are so proud of her and the choices she has made to follow her Savior. Here are a few pics I took of her for her annoucement...she was a trooper...outside in December in short sleeves. We love you, Sophia!

The 3 kings came!

2011-10-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Once again, The 3 Kings visited the Rodriguez household, bearing gifts to all little ones (and big ones) who left their shoes out the night before. January of this year we awoke to this! Thanks kings!

Christmas in Pennsylvania

2011-10-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

We traveled back to PA last Christmas and oh the fun we had. The best part was we had almost everyone together! It was a Rodriguez reunion!

Pappy with Aeden. "Who is this strange man I call Grandpa?"

Vanessa and Steve made the girls the cutest aprons and cookie mix for Christmas. So creative!

Crazy Gionvanni! It was so wonderful to see our cute grandkids!

We always love to hang out with Oliver. We miss you!

Josh, Mia, Giovanni and Aeden. Florida is so far away, it was wonderful to be with them.

FOUR GENERATIONS!

During out time in PA, we spent the afternoon with our wonderful friends, Louis and Fran in New York. We had Aunt Fran's famous Eggplant Parmesan and she gave me her even more famous secret cheesecake recipe!

We also stopped in to see the Peet family, our neighbors and great friends in Newfoundland. We had dinner and had fun playing drums, wii sing along, and air hocky. Oliver got his first strum on a banjo!

Sophia misses her best friend in PA, Makenna. They had some fun times together.

Sophia is baptized in Honsedale, PA!

Grandpa and Gradma Worth came for the Baptism from Virginia!

oh, the boring plane ride back home....

Natty kept herself occupied with all her goodies she packed in her bag. We miss you Pennsylvania!

....no excuse

2011-10-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

I am ashamed to say the family blog has fallen by the wayside. I see my last post was about Christmas 2010 and here we are almost in November 2011! Family is busy...my photography business is going great, but it leaves less time for family blogging. Soon, business will slow down after the holidays and I'll have more time to catch up. More to come...

Pre Christmas fun!

2011-05-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

Ok...still 6 or so months behind in blogging. Christmas 2010 brough a lot of fun. Here are some highlights during the month of December...

Natty has truly loved her new preschool this year (In the Beginning Preschool). She has just blossomed there. These are pictures from her Christmas concert.

Natty and friends!

Great friend, Luca and his brother, Brando pose with an after concert cookie.

I remember many years ago our neighbors in West Seattle, the Hylands, gave us this great electric train for Christmas. It has been a favorite of every kid who comes to visit out home during the holidays. Here, Natty and Luca enjoy a close up look.

I was asked to take Santa photos at our Ward Christmas Breakfast. Here is Sophia, still a believer!

And Natalia...our biggest believer!

when you get a little older...you gotta sit with your friends on Santa's lap...make is less embarassing! Becky with friends, Sara, Christine, and Elisa.

Audrey, with friends, Jessica and Josie.

Celeste...never too old to sit on Santa's lap!

18!

2011-05-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

Becky turned 18 years old last December 12! It is so hard for us to believe the time has passed so quickly. It is hard to surprise someone so in charge and indepedent! But, we managed to pull off a little party at Red Robin for her and her friends, and later we enjoyed a little family celebration. Happy Birthday Becky!

Becky and best friend, Taylor

Big sister, little sister

Turkey Day

2011-04-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

We are thankful for family! Grandad and Grammy joined us for Thanksgiving and what a feast we had! Here are some highlight photos..

Chefs Natty and Sophia stirring away!

Me and Celeste pause for a picture. Love those "chef hats" (actually bread basket liners)

"Grammydad" so in love! (It was a sad day when Natty learned to say "Grandad and Grammy" seperately. But, they will always be "Grammydad" to us!

Grammy showing Audrey how to make the perfect crescent rolls

Beautiful name cards the girls made for our Thanksgiving table

Free haircuts from Grammy! You can't beat that!

Many years ago we had Thanksgiving at Aunt Stephanie's house. We played the Candy Kiss game. Each person got 3 kisses and wrote on the bottom what they are thankful for. We put the kisses in a basket and passed it around the table. Each person took a kiss, read the bottom and guessed who wrote it. Thanks Stephanie for this great tradition we carry on each Thanksgiving.

YUM!

Early Christmas gifts! The girls all decked out in their outfits from Grandad and Grammy

Work hard, play hard - The Rodriguez Motto

2011-04-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

From leaves to new kittens and so much more...

This girl loves her kitties. We have 2 now and they are great mousers! Every once and a while Natty brings them in the house for some "play time". I don't think that is quite what the kitties call it though...more like "torture time". But, they take it well. This is Penelope and our other cat is Chloe.

Vanessa and her fiance, Steve came for a visit right before Thanksgiving. We had so much fun while they were here. We can't wait to see then again at their wedding in Park City, UT this August.

Here is a great example of our family motto, "Work hard, play hard". These girls put in many hours in raking and piling these leaves. Now it's time for fun!

Audrey and friend, Erika take the first leap!

Nice form, Sophia

Go Natty!

Good landing, Celeste! Definitely a 10!

Lost pumpkins

2011-04-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Somewhere between then and now I've misplaced my Halloween pics of last year. Old news anyway, however as I keep trying to keep up with the family blog (yes, I'm still back in October of 2010). I think I lost a few photos when my computer crashed a few months back. Anyway, I did find a few...
We've become great friends with a family we met through Natty's preschool last year. The Mallamos came over for some pumpkin carving last October...

Jaime, Brando and Luca peeking behind Mom are just getting started. Celeste is working on getting out the "pumpkin guts".

Natty and Sophia stop for picture while audrey is cutting away.

Serious stuff!

The finished product Natty, Luca and Brando pose with their jack-o-lanterns!

Young Women Evening of Excellence

2011-04-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Becky and Audrey's night to celebrate all they've achieved in Young Women at church. My girls just keep growing up no matter what I have to say about it! I'm so proud of all the women they are becoming!

Becky with great friends, Sara and Christine. Becky will be rooming with Christine at BYU next Fall.

Audrey and her knitting display. She takes after her Gran's great love and talent of knitting.

Go Cheer!

2011-04-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Becky's High School cheer days are coming to an end! We were so proud of her for going out for cheer as junior at a new high school. This year she even became the team captain. It's hard to believe in a few short months she'll be starting college at BYU Provo. The Mt. Si Wildcats took 3rd in State for their division. Here are some pictures from this year in cheer and one from when it all started as little girl!

From Black Bear to Buckhorn to Wildcat! Cheer has always been a part of Becky!

Becky with co-captain and best friend, Taylor

Football Season!

Senior night during basketball season.

Practicing indoor photography

2011-02-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

What do I love most about my family? They are willing to be my favorite models! Here are some indoor shots I took of them last Fall.

Sophia - Soccer Star

2011-02-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

Some shots from Sophia's last soccer game and team party. Go Green Ghosts! They had a great season!

Thanks Audrey for helping pass out our cupcapes to the players!

Celeste is enjoying hers a little too much!

Natty is savoring every bite!

Once upon a time, the sun was out!

2011-01-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

"Once upon a time, the sun was out." That is how I'm feeling these days...the gray days of Seattle are starting to get to me. I grew up here in the NW. I've even convinced Tim that I'm used it and it doesn't bother me, but to be honest...looking at pictures from a few months past have made me long for a little vitamin D. One day, when the sun was out, Natty had some friends (Luca and Brando) and her cousins (Sacia and Anna) over to play. They had so much fun running and riding back and forth in the driveway. It never got old and THE SUN WAS OUT! And so I we wait for more days like this...

West Coast Worth Reunion

2011-01-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

Ahh, I keep finding more pictures and fun times I need to document! Last August we went to Portland for a West Coast Worth Reunion at Champoeg State Park. I took so many pictures, it will be hard to choose just a few! But I'll do my best! It was so great to see all the cousins, many that we hadn't seen in at least 3 years! We are doing it all again in Idaho this summer and we can't wait!

Aunt Stephanie opening up her "window"on the yurt. This was our first time yurt camping. It was actually a great way to camp, complete with beds, matresses, light and electricity!

Aunt Karen with cousins Cameron and Andrew!

Audrey with cousin Cameron.

We had a fun time playing charades and making up plays to act out in groups. Here is Aunt Stacy whispering her idea to Celeste for Charades.

Can you guess what cousin Emily is doing?

We were so glad Oliver was with us during the reunion!

Aunt Stephanie and cousin, Sara.

Cute baby Jessica, the youngest Worth cousin.

yurt sweet yurt

BIG game of tug-o-war

Here are all the cousins with Uncle Carl. I'm sure we were quite the sight around the campground and park with all of us! One day we all rode over to the local ice cream shop. I think we left their ice cream barrels empty after we left!

Playing in the river...(left to right) Cameron, Brooke, Emily, Audrey, Oliver, Aidan.

Cousin Brooke and Audrey

Playing cards

Silly faces picture of all the cousins!

Blackberries we picked right next to our yurts for breakfast the last day, YUM!

Little Natty loves posing for my camera!

The gang's all here!

whoa, go back to summer...

2011-01-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

What happens when you get soooo behind in blogging? You forget to add some fun events...so we have to go back again to summer (august 2010 to be exact). We enjoyed a little family reunion at my sister's home on Lake Newman near Spokane. It is an annual event and this year was just as exciting as years' past...swimming, waterskiing, tubing, campfire, s'mores, and family fun.

Greta, the resident lake dog.

Grandad and Grammy with the grandkids after swimming over to the floating dock! "Thumbs up! We made it!"

Gran and Natty hangin' out on the grassy beach.

Sophia, the flag girl on the boat!

Audrey and cousin, Kyle...Kyle says, "faster, faster" and Audrey says "I've had enough!"

Celeste lovin' life on the tube!

Aunt Trish and cousin Sacia after a good swim.

Dad and me relxaing on the "teacup", a big water toy which seats 10+!

Comin in off the boat after nephew Kyle and I had some good tube wars!

Lookin' cool, Audrey!

Getting ready for a delicious dinner, here is Sandrine and Mary Paule's hard work putting together kabobs for our appetizer!

Ice cream and gas stop, Felix, Audrey and cousins, Kyle and Anna stop for a quick pic on the dock.

Outdoor dinner table is set!

Daddy and Natty enjoying the view.

We had a cake after dinner in celebration of cousin Anna's adoption, We also celebrated all our August birthdays which were many!

Aunt Trish, Uncle Clint, cousins Sacia and Anna. Poor Anna with her broken arm. No fun to have that at the lake!

Late dinners make sleepy girls.

Cousin Lauren with her boyfriend, Colin and his cute kids, Felix and Lola.

Uncle Carl, Aunt Sandrine, cousins Elise and Margot with their grandma, Mary Paule.

Grandad and Grammy with cousin Kyle relaxing on the dock.

More cousins....Lauren, Taylor, Greg, Andrew, and Ashleigh.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Card this year

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011!

Tim's crazy idea of mixing seasons! I kinda liked how it turned out though. Poor little Sophia in bare feet had snow between her toes! And yes, this is in Fall City, in our own front yard. We had a few fun days of unexpected snow around Thanksgiving. Woo Hoo!

Sneaking into Tim's suitcase

2010-12-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

I got to join Tim on one of his many business trips this year. Half of his accounts are located in the San Francisco area, so he travels there about 2 weeks out of each month. We miss him terribly when he is gone, but this time, I got to go with him and enjoy the wharf and other fun places! Most of all it was just a fun getaway for us last August. (Yes, I'm still trying to catch up on the blog!)

Spending time on the Fisherman's Wharf!

Creative Sourdough! We walked by the Boudin San Francisco Sourdough Bread Co. window and watched them make it!

Many ways to get around downtown San Fran!

One of my favorite pics of Tim

Oh to have the life of a Sea Lion on the Wharf.

We drove to many places around the area. At one point I thought we were heading back to the airport, but Tim surprised me and drove us up to the Oakland Temple which overlooks the bay. This is one of the most beautiful temples I've seen. I loved the grounds which included this beautiful rocky stream leading up to the temple with outside music coming out of hidden speakers in the ground. I only wish we had more time to go inside. Maybe next time!

Natalia - swimmer and gymnast!

2010-11-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Natty is learning to swim! She took lessons with Sophia last summer for the first time! They both did great!

Getting comfortable in the water!

Natty has been doing gymnastics for almost 3 years now and LOVES it. We started out in the mommy and me classes, and now she's moved up to the Invitational Butterfly class. She is the youngest and smallest in her class of Kindergartener's, but her teacher felt she had the skills to move up to the older class. Here she is with her old teacher, Miss Frances.

Fun on the tramp!

The best part...getting stamps afer every class!

Visit with Gran

2010-11-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

While in Spokane a few time last summer, we stopped in to visit Gran in Cheney, WA. Here are Audrey, Celeste, and Sophia posing with Gran in front of the beautiful flowers she grew from seed!

Celeste is double digits!

2010-11-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

For Celeste's 10th Birthday she recieved a horse riding lesson. Our new neighbor, Manuel runs a ranch just up the road from us and taught Celeste the basics of riding. She took to it right away. Celeste has always loved horses and her desire to ride them has never lessened over the years. Happy Birthday Celeste, we love you!

Glacier National Park

2010-11-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

This was THE trip of the year for our family. Glacier National Park was INCREDIBLE! Despite the windy and rainy weather at the park itself, we enjoyed our trip so much! Becky's friend, Christine joined us and fit in as one of the girls! We took a couple days to get there, stopping in Spokane and then in Polson, MT on Flathead lake. We stopped here two times, on the way to Glacier and on the way back. While at the Park we camped in the small town of St. Mary and enjoyed the 4th of July Fireworks from our camper. It was clear, but COLD! Temperatures are definitely quite a bit colder on at the park. A little pit stop on our trip through the park, making our way to the Going to the Sun Road (the main drive through the park).

Did I say the temps were a little colder? Quick, climb out of the car for a picture with a Glacier!

Retreat of Glaciers in Glacier National Park (here is a little info. on the melting Glaciers in the park. We are so glad we were able to visit to see these beatiful Glaciers before they dissapear!)

"In Glacier National Park (GNP), MT some effects of global climate change are strikingly clear. Glacier recession is underway, and many glaciers have already disappeared. The retreat of these small alpine glaciers reflects changes in recent climate as glaciers respond to altered temperature and precipitation. It has been estimated that there were approximately 150 glaciers present in 1850, and most glaciers were still present in 1910 when the park was established. In 2010, we consider there to be only 25 glaciers larger than 25 acres remaining in GNP. A computer-based climate model predicts that some of the park’s largest glaciers will vanish by 2030 (Hall and Fagre, 2003). This is only one model prediction but, if true, then the park’s glaciers could disappear in the next several decades. However, glacier disappearance may occur even earlier, as many of the glaciers are retreating faster than their predicted rates."

Becky and Christine posing with a Red Bus Jammer which takes tourists all around the park.

We saw a couple of the huge lodges around the park, built in the early 1920's and kept renovated with the orginal feel.

Relaxing Sunday in the Lodge after church.We drove A LOT, but everywhere we went it was worth it! What a beautiful rainbow! On our drives we would look for animals...and this is what we saw!

Baby Grizzley just out in plain site.We also saw Praire Dogs. In fact here is Christine on a hunt to catch one...but they were just too quick for her! Our animal count included mountain goats, bear, prarie dog, dog wandering on the side of the road - some of us were convinced he was a wild dog following the scent of a nearby McDonald's bag), lots of squirrel, and deer.

While we stopped for Christine to go Prarie Dog hunting, we saw this sign and learned we were at the Farthest point West that the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled.

The water in this lake, really was this green. It has a special color due to the mineral particles coming from the friction of the glacier against the rocky bed.

Here is Natty's favorite place to be, in the camper with Daddy. Despite the cold temps at the park, we found summer in Polson, MT. Both times we camped here, first priorty was getting to the pool. While in Polson, Becky and Christine had fun getting lost on Flathead lake with their deflating boats. But, Dad came to the rescue after the rest of us took a side trip to the Kerr Dam.

Go Glacier!

Annual Father's Day Camping trip

2010-11-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

We kicked off our 2010 camping season, taking Sylvia out to the Tri-cities area for camping on the Snake River last June. After spending a long weekend, we've decided it is one of our favorite spots. We'll definitely be returning each year. Unfortnately my camera came out just this one evening, but we also enjoyed some fishing, family time on the nearby playground, and playing in the sandy beach off the river. Tim and I also took a little excursion to the Ice Harbor Dam. Becky was able to finish her cheerleading activities and even drove over to join us for an evening to celebrate our Daddy who we love so much!

Audrey and Dad enjoying the campfire and view right outside our camper door!

We found these huge marshmallows at a local market. Perfect for BIG s'mores!

Natty enjoyed hers...can't you tell? Her face matches the pink sunset behind her.

Celeste making grass bracelets under the sunset.

love this toothless grin!

100 years, 1000 memories

2010-10-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

I've already posted some of my pictures from my Grandmother's (Nani) 100th birthday bash on my photography website, but I felt I needed to add more here. First to document what an incredible woman Edna K. Shaefers is, and second to show what a roaring good time we had at the Stinson-Green Mansion in Seattle...1930's style! June 2010

To start things off, a month before the party, I spent the afternoon with Nani at her apartment and we did a little photo shoot. I used this picture on her invitation. Beautiful spring flowers in her garden area were a perfect backdrop!

Stinson-Green Mansion. Seattle, WA

Audrey all decked out in her flapper attire. We had a fun time dancing...

My friend, Natalie Gunter made this beautiful cake! Even the picture was edible!

Becky and her friend, Taylor who joined us for the night!

What a spread of food...typical NW fare...salmon and fresh goodies!

More dancing!

Me and Nat cuttin' a rug! Tim and Clint...the "men in black".

Celeste with cousin Elise and friend, Lola.

Natty with cousin, Sacia..".it's so hard waiting for Nani to cut the cake...hmm, I think I'll just try a little first."

Check Daddy and Natty swingin'! Grammy and Sophia sure have the moves!

Cheers to Nani! We love you!

The best dressed of the evening! Audrey, Aunt Sandrine, Uncle Carl, cousins Elise and Margot.

Grandad, Aunt Dana, Aunt Trish, Uncle Carl and Mommy. Thanks to everyone for making this evening one we'll never forget! Happy 100th Birthday Nani!

Bermuda!

2010-10-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

We went to Bermuda!...it's been several months ago...but somehow it still seems unreal that we traveled to this beautiful little island in the middle of the Atlantic. Thank you to Pitney Bowes for this wonderful, all expense paid trip, but an ever bigger thank you to my incredible hubby for working so hard in 2009 to get us there! It was everything we imagined and more...

Yes, the water really is this blue! Our first day we went out to the pink sand beaches...enjoyed lounging, sipping out little drinks with umbrellas and swimming. Tim snapped this picture from the beach. I couldn't believe how warm and pleasant the water was....paradise!

Paradise, unless you touch one of these beautiful, yet painful friends. This is a Portugues Man-o'-War and they were in the water. Signs on the beach said, "swim at your own risk". The blue water was calling me and I couldn't resist. Luckily I wasn't one of the 2 people in our group who got were stung.

While we were there we enjoyed a little surprise birthday dessert at one of the fabulous restaurants we ate at every night! I think almost every dessert we ate was as fancy as this one! Happy Birthday Tim!

Our room with a view!

The Little blue trolley took us down to the beach and various resort restaurants.

One of our day trips included time in the Capitol city of Hamilton. This modern city included lots of shoppping and walking around. We also saw many cruise ships that stop here.Well, it's not Jamaica, man...but we found a fun hat shop. I tried not to look like a tourist stalker, but I had to get a picture of a local in his Bermuda attire. This is a businessman...pink shorts and all!

We enjoyed haning out with Tom and Kathy again. Tim and Kathy worked together at their Microsoft account. Tom and I get to the be the "significant others" and we don't mind a bit!...Last year Puerto Rico and this year, Bermuda!

One morning while Tim had a business meeting I hiked up to the lighthouse, not far from the hotel. I found this little guy along my path and got some great shots of the lighthouse.

As you will see later, we ventured out to the island on moped. It look a little while to get used to driving on the left!

The old town of St. Georges. Here I am in the gallows in the town square.

Admiral Sir George Somers, Founder of Bermuda

The homes in Bermuda and mostly pastel stucco. It is quite a site to see all these beautifully colored homes dotting the island. Bermuda has no public water system. They catch the rain water off their roofs and store it in large barrels. Yes, it rains in Bermuda that much! Do you think we could try this in Seattle?

We went into St. Peter's Church in the old capitol of St. Georges. It is the oldest continually used Anglican church in the Western Hemisphere.

You might say we ate our way through Bermuda...dining at incredible restaurants every night! Here we are at a dinner on the beach. I think our favorite Bermuda dish was the local Rock fish!

Bermuda is a British overseas territory...therefore driving on the left, Bermudaish Brittish accents, and the Red Telephone Box. During our moped adventure, we headed over to the Dockyard area of the island and found many little shops, including Bermuda Clay Works and watched the owner throw a pot. One nice thing about the island is the cleanliness and friendly attitude we found everywhere. I don't think Bermuda had one bad area to be in. We felt very safe there and were treated so well!

On our moped excursion we stopped at one of the many parks along the ocean.

We found this fisherman on the cliffs, catching bright blue fish with just a line and a rock, no pole. He had already caught a few, so I guess it's the way to fish, Bermuda style! We probably sat and watched him for 45 minutes that day. We also ventured down to a little private beach and found a Bermuda Longtail bird nest. Mama sat patiently so I could snap a picture.

Ok, so we look a litte nerdy in our moped helmets :) Thanks Tim for being our driver!

There are no cars allowed on the island, unless you're a local, and even then, there weren't a lot. Everyone rides a moped!

Just one of the many flowers on the Island.

Just say the word, and we'd be back in a heartbeat in our Bermuda shorts and all!

Sophia Marin

2010-09-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Learning to ride a bike...war wounds to show for it!

Sophia has been a busy girl with school activities, sports, etc. etc. I've taken several pictures over the last few months, and now it's time to post them. The big 8 year old birthday will be here in 3 short months! She is really enjoying her new 2nd grade teacher and class. But, here is a look at last year and summer...

Daddy and Sophia after the 1st grade concert

Sophia's best friend, Katie. They've been in the same class since Kindergarten, so this will make 3 years running!

Our little singer!

End of 1st Grade awards ceremony

Low tide first grade field trip to Alki beach to search for creatures!

Our little girl is growing up! This is my favorite baby picture of her....where did the time go?

Penelope

2010-07-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Our little kitty is 5 months old now. I have really missed having a cat. It has been about 8 years of not having a cat in my house. Despite Tim's allergies, he finally broke down and decided a good mouser could be worth it on our property. I have yet to see any mice brought to the front door, but she does LOVE to pounce on bugs, moving grass and her favorite...Bella's tail. I think more often however she is found cuddled in Natty's arms rather than out hunting. Her other favorite thing to do is harrass Bella. But, Bella kind of likes it and they have become inseperable.

"new" family pictures

2010-07-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we headed to our backyard for our own photoshoot to get some updated family pics. They turned out pretty well for the camera being on a timer. We missed having everyone home (I'm still hoping for that picture someday :) So, it's just the 7 of us at home right now. Just as we finished we felt rain drops. Good timing!

Natty's Pony Party

2010-06-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

My baby is 4...what happened?! We celebrated this milestone last April (yes, I'm still behind in posts) by having 2 ponies come to our house. Natty had a few friends which made it even more special in her eyes. When the ponies first came, she didn't want to ride. In fact out of all her friends, she was the only one who was scared. But, after a while (and coaxing from Dad) she jumped on the saddle and realized there was nothing to be scared of after all. We continued the pony theme with a beautiful Cowgirl Dora cake that my very talented friend, Natalie made. Thank you to Madelaine, Dylan, Aiva, Sacia, Anna, and Aunt Trish for joining us that day. The only glitch in the day was that Tim was the camera guy and I forgot to change the camera settings back for him to use. So...many of the pictures didn't come out. But, we did get some great ones! Happy Birthday to our little Natty.

Going back to Easter

2010-05-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so things are getting a little out of order...oops! But, important to document nonetheless! Easter 2010. Tim took this beautiful shot of the Christus and Easter lillies that sat in our front entryway. We are so grateful for the ressurection of our Savior. What a blessing to know he died for all of us, he was resurrected to show us the way and gave us all the opportunity to live with our Heavenly Father again.

We have church at 1pm this year, which gives us a little time to relax before the morning rush to church. We did a little easter egg hunting this morning and had time to enjoy what the Easter Armadillo, bunny, pig, lamb or whatever it was this year brought to fill our baskets!Ready for action! Get ready, get set...go find those eggs!

Did I ever say how grateful I am to my kids who are usually willing to pitch in and help out! After a fabulous Easter dinner, everyone helped out with clean up. I think I even heard them whistling :) Happy Easter!

Our resident Oompa Loompa

2010-05-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Audrey has been busy in April and May! She started practice on her Middle School Play, Willy Wonka and performed it last weekend! What a joy to watch her as an Oompa Loompa. Grandad and Grammy came up to see her also. It's always fun when they come to visit!

In April she also had a choir concert where she performed her first solo during the same week she was student of the week. It was fun to see her name on the board at school!

Woo hoo! Go Audrey!

Becky's Mormon Prom

2010-05-07T14:33:00.001-07:00

Make a free slideshow design

What a fun evening having Becky's friends over for some pre-prom activities! They made a day of it, first the group went into Seattle on a scavenger hunt. After going back to their homes and getting dressed up, they came to our house for pizza and pictures. Ah, to be 17 again! Becky (the shortest girl), just happened to have the tallest date! I liked the pic of them where she is standing next to Sky on the fireplace...and they are the same height! I am so happy that our area offers a clean, safe, and fun alternative to high school prom.

Quick trip back East

2010-04-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Back in February, I took a quick trip back east for my nephew's memorial service at Arlington Cemetary in Washington DC. Even though the circumstances were very sad, I'm really glad I went. The ceremony was beautiful. Lance Corporal Eric Ward was a wonderful young man who served his country as a young Marine and died at the age of 19. He was killed in Afganistan. My sister, Dana and brother-in-law, Steven are making it through one day at a time. My heart aches for them. Being at the memorial service was an experience I will never forget. I truly see our soliders in a different light. And I am even more proud to be an American after this experience.

Before the service Kevin and Kelly so graciously let me stay with them a couple nights on short notice. It was so wonderful to visit with them and meet my little nephew, Ethan. I enjoyed hanging out with Kelly during the day and had fun practicing my photography skills on this sweet baby boy with his daddy's blue eyes! One evening Grant, Richard and Nancy and kids came over for pizza. It was so nice to see them! I missed Margaret as she was in Utah with her other new granchild.

I have to say traveling solo was a little strange. I am rarely without children in tow, but it was a nice time to get away. Did I say I have an wonderful hubby who held down the fort in my absence? Thank you Tim for letting me take this trip. I know the kids had a blast just having daddy time. And as usual I returned to find the house so nice and clean. Daddy always knows how to whip those kids into shape!

After my time in Washington DC I drove up to Albany, NY to see Oliver. What a wonderful weekend we had! He showed me all his favorite places to hang out. I got to see his school and we enjoyed just spending time together. I think my favorite day was Sunday when we went to church together and just spent the rest of the day talking, taking walks and hanging out in my hotel room eating microwave meals. It was hard to say goodbye amongst many tears and yet my heart was full knowing he is doing so well. It's even hard for me to write this right now, so much emotion about me being here and he being there. But, I have always felt that the Lord watches over my children in my absence, and I have never felt stronger about that then I do today.

On Monday my plane touched down back home, back to Seattle, back to the rain, back to my sweet daughters and wonderful hubby who greeted me at the airport with flowers and a sign. My flight was a little late and I found out they had been waiting over an hour for me. What troopers! I love my family and am blessed to have each and every one of them in my life.

Shootin' hoops for the first time

2010-04-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Celeste tried basketball this year and enjoyed it. Here are some pics from her last game. The Meteors had a great season and it was fun to watch Celeste learn the game.

College Road Trip

2010-04-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

No, not the movie. Never saw it, but if it is anything like our college tour with Becky...it's a whirlwind trip, with a lot of driving, a lot of sleeping, and a lot of fun. We got to see some family and vowed with trip to bypass McDonalds and any other fast food chain. We kept our goal of only eating at local joints which made it even more fun! Our first stop: Rooster's in LaGrande, OR. We decided we'll make this a regular stop when we drive through again. Great burgers and Yankee pot roast.

It was fun to to take a trip just the 3 of us. Audrey, Celeste, Sophia and Natty spent the week with Grandad and Grammy.Big thanks to Dad and his trusty FJ for getting us to Utah and back. We stopped at a few lookouts on the highway. Here is Dad taking a break from the wheel.Our next stop was Boise where on the recommendation of the hotel's front desk, we ate at Brick 29. The food was great and we never would have found this restaurant on our own. It was perfect for "local faire" food.We stayed in 3 hotels and they were all great. It was nice to stop and put our head down a few times to relax.We finally made it to our first college tour, University of Utah in SLC. We were hoping to see Vanessa while we were there, but she was in Thailand at the time. We were sad to miss her! Becky had pretty much already figured out she wasn't too interested in Uof U but we thought we were in Utah anyway and it would be good for her to compare it to the other colleges we'd be seeing.

We spent 2 days in Provo. At the end of our BYU tours, Becky felt pretty good about BYU. Tim and I were really impressed with the new Hinkley Visitors Center. After going through, why wouldn't anyone want to go to BYU? Things have changed a little since I went to school here. Of course the infamous Los Hermanos mexican restaurant was just as good as I remembered. And the ice cream at the Creamery was a nice treat! BYU has defintitely moved to #1 on her college list. Now, I think she realized she may have to work a little harder to get in here!

In search of new and interesting places to eat, Tim found a little Peruvian restaurant in downtown Provo. We really enjoyed our lunch there!Ok, it seems like perhaps this post should be called, "food on the college road trip". We did have fun searching for the best local faire we could find.

While in Provo, I was able to get together with Karen and Jared and take their pictures. They were so fun to hang out with and it was great to finally meet Jared. They were so excited for the birth of their first baby. In fact, Karen gave birth about a week after we were there. I'm glad I got there when I did! We also met up with Nancy and her boys for a quick pizza dinner. I'm so glad Nancy came to Provo from SLC to see us!Our last day in Provo we did a quick morning tour of Utah Valley University which was nice way to start our morning. It felt quite a bit smaller than BYU, but was a very nice campus.After Provo, we set off for our next and final college tour at BYU Idaho, Rexburg. The first thing Becky said as we drove in was "brrrr..it's too cold here!". Of course we did this trip in the middle of February. But she learned while there that the snow is a permanent fixture in the Winter. She thought she was escaping the Pennsylvania type winters she grew up in. Everyone was so nice and we really enjoyed the tour.While in Rexburg we met up with Alisha, Zeb, Sydnee and Kip for breakfast. The kids are getting so BIG! I wished we could have had more time to spend with them. Little Kip and Sydnee were so fun.

We stopped in Missoula, MT on our trip back home for a little shut eye (no pictures of that), and then on our final leg home. We did stop for a very YUMMY breakfast in Spokane at The European Breakfast House. I can't remember the last time I had ebelskivers! We came home to find a happy house that didn't miss a beat with Grandad and Grammy in charge. Thanks to them for letting us take a great trip with Becky! We decided after this that we need to make this a trip for each of the kids as they prepare for college.

Gimmee some love

2010-04-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

What happens when you start your own business? Every day life sort of gets pushed to the back burner. The laundry piles up and so do the pictures of all the family events. So here I am again, playing catch up. Slowly, but surely I'll get the blog caught up. Until then, I gotta start somewhere! I know Easter is this Sunday, but what about Valentine's Day? Yes, we did celebrate it in our traditional way. What girl doesn't love to get flowers, especially on Valentine's Day?

So Dad has set the bar for all the future boyfriends and husbands. But what Daddy doesn't want to let his girls know how much they are loved?

After looking through my blog pictures...I've realized that Celeste is always the one with the silly smile or crazy pose. Is anyone surprized?

Chocolate for breakfast...nothing beats that!

I wonder if some day Becky will realize that most pictures I take of her will appear on the family blog. Perhaps that will encourage her to smile a little more often. A teenager smile right after being dragged out of bed (even if it's for cupcakes?)...I guess I'm just asking too much!

Lots of love in this house! Happy Valentines Day (2 months late :-)

Do glasses make you smarter?

2010-02-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

I think Audrey might say "yes!" She has been working really hard this year to get a 4.0! We are so proud of her! I attended her 7th grade award ceremony where she was up on the stage many times for various awards. The one she really wanted was "perfect attendence". But, that didn't happen. Maybe next year!

Way to go Audrey!

It's great being the youngest!

2010-02-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Those words would come out of my mouth, most of my life as the youngest of 4. You could call me spoiled and I knew it. I still know it :-) Now, I get to spoil my youngest. It is so fun to enjoy Natty's activities with her. knowing that this is my last, I try and take in every second of her childhood...the baby brattiness (do I have a choice?) as well as the sweet hugs I cherish every day. I have enjoyed helping out at her preschool. Here is a little of what we've been up to.

Circle time at preschool. Miss Lindsay is reading a book!We went on a fun field trip to the Children's Museum. Natty has been wanting ride the big yellow bus all her long 3-year-old life! Her wish finally came true. It has been a few years since I've been to the museum. It didn't change much from 7 or so years ago. But it was just as fun! Here is Natty painting her heart out!Working with clay was a favorite at the museum.Natty is working hard as a server in the pretend mexican restaurant. She even served me some awesome (plastic) tostadas!Eventually she got hungry and decided to make herself a plate at the Phillipino cafe.

I keep telling Natty to stop growing...but she just won't listen to me! Until then, I'll keep enjoying our time together!

Audrey's winter piano recital

2010-02-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Audrey recently switched piano teachers and had recital a few weeks ago. She has really blossomed as a pianist the last few months. It was fun to see her perform. Great job Audrey! Thank you to my friend, Sherri who first referred me to the new teacher, and second for taking pictures of the recital and giving me a copy!

Wildcat Cheer!

2010-02-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

It's hard to beleive that cheer season is coming to an end. What a great year it's been! MSHS recently competed in the Washington State Cheer competition. They scored 6th in a very competitive division. Way to go Wildcats! What an incredible growing year for Becky. We are so proud of her!

And the winner is...

2010-02-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

SOPHIA!!! Happy New Year! True to tradition...we ate our grapes at midnight to see who would eat 12 (for each of the 12 months of the year) the quickest as the clock strikes 12. The winner has good luck all year long! The older kids felt like it might be the last year for Sophia to start a minute early. I'd have to agree...her head start proved to be a little too helpful.

Dad serving up our favorite sherbert punch!

CHEERS to 2010!!!

Cedar River Watershed

2010-02-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

During Christmas Break we enjoyed having Oliver home! One thing we did was head over to the Cedar River Watershed in North Bend. The education center was having a family fun day and we were able to do all sorts of things including learning more about conservation, crafts, and meeting Mishka the bear dog. It was so fun, I think we'll do it next year. While the girls did some crafts, Oliver borrowed my camera and took a few great shots!

Visions of sugar plums came true!

2010-01-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, 2009. Seems my blog entries are fewer and farther in between...feast or famine at times. Ok, I'm only a month late at getting Christmas documented, but at least it's not Valentines Day yet! Christmas morning seemed a little quiet this year. But, we certainly enjoyed our "us" time. Here come the lazies who slept in until 7:30am. Let the games begin! Santa brought a kitchen and new leotard for Natty!

New basketball duds for Celeste!

I-pod for the Tween!

New tires for Becky (and her car). I know, BORING gift! She did get a few little things to open too :-)

"Every 1st grader has a DS, Mom." I guess Santa wanted to make sure Sophia wasn't left out.

Presents for Dad...the home/school-made kind are the best!!

Daddy's dresses! The tradition continues...

What a morning...time for a nap! Merry Christmas!

SOPHIA IS 7

2010-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Bithday Sophia! We headed over to the Family Fun Center to celebrate Sophia turning 7. Unfortunately, Natty was running a fever, so Tim stayed home with her. Cousins, Elise and Margot joined us for a evening of fun.

These girls always have fun together! They came home with us after the party for their second sleepover of Winter Break.

Miss Margot enjoying a little cake

Sophia and her big sisters! Happy Birthday Blue Eyes Sophia!

DOG!!!!!!!

2010-01-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

These are the remnants of my Christmas baking for teachers, friends and neighbors. Yes...the DOG! She has been having sneaky issues lately...likes to wait until the kitchen is empty and goes sniffing for goodies left on the counter. Since this day she's consumed a dozen Krispy Kremes (in a closed box), a loaf of fresh bread, and probably other things I don't even know about! I thought I was doing good and making sure anything on the counter was pushed way back or put away, however this morning she jumped up on the kitchen table and knocked over our fruit basket and took an orange back to her bed. Do dogs really like fruit? She's getting desperate! If you follow me on facebook, you'll see there was quite a debate on whether I beat my dog or not. Hmm...after this, what do you think?

Don't let her sweet face fool you! Her face is sweet and so is her tooth!

16 going on 17

2010-01-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Could it be true?!...Becky is 17! Tim and I took her out for an evening of shopping and dinner and then we enjoyed a Cold Stone ice cream cake with the family. Happy Birthday Rebecca!

Natty's Winter Gymnastics show

2010-01-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Of course I forgot my camera at Natty's Winter gymnastics show. Thanks goodness for cell phone cameras! She was VERY shy and almost didn't perform. She loves her little class once a week, but when it came time to show off her stuff in front of everyone, she had her first experience with stage fright. She had already taken off her costume at this point. Getting a little gift (her bear) at the end of the show made it all worth it! Also, knowing she got a date with mom and dad at our local burger joint, put a smile on her face when all was said and done!

"All Aboard the Santa Train!"

2009-12-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

We drove over to our neighbor town, North Bend to hop on the Santa Train, a holiday favorite to locals. So much so that we had to get tickets well in advance since they sell out every year. We road the train to the town of Snoqualmie which is known for its railroad and lumber history. It has a small train museum including about 20 old train cars that are on display outside while they are being refurbished.

Here are Tim and Nana waiting to board the train.

...on the train...excited to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

This isn't Santa, but one of his train helpers. After we got off the train, we waited in line for the real Santa. This is our view as we anxiouly awaited to go into this train shop.

All I want for Christmas is...

After visiting Santa we headed over to the hot chocolate train car. We sat inside and enjoyed the cocoa, cookies, and warmth. It was a cold day!

Fun times playing in and around all the trains!

We found this cool totem pole!

This huge "log" on a train car is a permanent fixture to Snoqualmie.

On our ride back, another of Santa's train helpers came out to lead us in "Jingle Bells". What a fun day!

Leavenworth, the Bavarian Christmas Village

2009-12-13T22:08:00.000-08:00

Seems we have found ourselves drawn to this little Bavarian Village in the mountains about 2 hours from our home. We've been there 3 times in the last 2 months, and each time we love it more! After Becky, Audrey and I shopped till we almost dropped on Black Friday, we met up with Grandad and Grammy and spent the rest of the day in Leavenworth.

Not sure what it is with Sophia and funky glasses, but she always finds a pair and then always find Mom for a "cool" picture!

Look who we saw strolling downtown!

Nana loved the lights and snowy mountains so close. I took two pictures like this....but chose to post her smiliest one!

Here is a preview of our Christmas card this year. "Quick...take off your coats for a family picture!" Brrrr...at least everyone tried to smile a chilly smile. Our little trip was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TURKEY WEEK!

2009-12-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

We had 8 or our 9 home during the week of Thankgiving. We missed you, Oliver! I'm still hoping for that far reaching family picture of all of us together...but I still believe it will happen someday! We did get to see Alisha, Zeb and kids, Vanessa and boyfriend, Steve, and Josh even flew up for a couple days from Florida! It was his first time seeing us here in the Seattle area. Being new to Seattle, we took Josh and everyone to Pike Place Market and the waterfront. First, we stopped in our local crazy burger joint, Triple X....decked out in 50/60's stuff (and I mean LOTS of stuff, you can't even see the walls).

Josh making mini planes for Celeste and Sophia to have a race see who's could fly farther.Vanessa and Steve. It was really nice to meet Steve. He got the 3rd (or 4th) degree from a few of us...but I think he survived. Going with tradition, we played our Candy kiss Thankful game (Stolen from Stephanie Stewart many years ago) after Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoyed sharing what each of us is grateful for.

Nani and Gran joined us for Thanksgiving dinner. What's dinner without your grandmas and great grandmas!?Nana was here from Pennsylvania for the last 2 weeks. It was so great to have her. She spent some of her time on puzzles, however we bought one that was so difficult that she and Audrey ended up putting it away. Nana has since took it back home with her and will try again.

Sophia is feelin' pretty cool in the sunglasses Josh bought for her!

Celeste's first year of choir

2009-12-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

Celeste LOVES to sing. She was so excited to learn they offered an early morning choir at her school this year. She goes every Wed. and Friday mornings an hour before school starts. Her first concert was on Veteran's Day. Since then she has had 2 more concerts where she joined with Audrey's middle school choir at the Fall City Tree Lighting ceremony and at their holiday concert.

Young Women "Night of the Stars"

2009-12-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

Young Women "Night of the Stars" was a great Evening of Excellence for the Young Women in our ward.

Becky was the "star" of the show. For one of her Laurel YW projects she planned, coordinated and conducted the evening. The girls showcased their talents which included artwork, photo slideshow, piano, singing and so much more. The evening was modeled after the Oscars and girls dressed in their fanciest attire.

Becky's talent was putting together the evening's activities and Audrey played and sang "Beauty and Beast". This is Audrey and her friend, Maryn...a fellow Beehive.

Joshua and Mia 11-7-09

2009-11-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

It's official, Josha and Mia are married! After being together 6+ years, they tied the knot on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida. Tim, Becky and I flew down on Friday, enjoyed all the festivities on Saturday, and flew back to Seattle at 5am on Sunday! Can you say "tired?" But, it was all worth it. What a happy, happy day!Cedric, Mia's dad, walking the bride down the aisle. Isn't she beautiful!?The bridal party

Becky and Vanessa enjoyed being 2 of Mia's bridesmaids. Of course, Giovanni was a cute Ring Bearer. It was so nice to see Stephanie (Josh and Vanessa's half-sister) who lives in Florida. She and Becky are about the same age and these 3 girls hung out all day!Nobody told 8-year-old Giovanni that the love of his life is also his Aunt Vanessa. He just loved giving hugs!The first dance

After the wedding we all headed over to the Metrowest Golf Club for a great reception. Josh and Mia went all out! We had a nice dinner, DJ and dancing. They even had a second Carribean DJ that played some fun Island music. Mia and her family are from the Island of Dominica. We enjoyed getting to know much of her family better. Vanessa caught Mia's bouquet. Will she really be the next to be married?

We couldn't believe how much Aidan had grown since we saw him in June. Aunt Becky couldn't resist holding her sweet Nephew!
Toward the end of the reception, Josh's Uncle Bobby whispered in the DJ's ear that the famous "Midnight Magic" was in the room! For anyone who didn't know, Tim used to be a DJ in the 80's in NYC. He was actually pretty famous, DJing for parties all around the city when hip hop was born. Although scratching on the turntable has been replaced with computer technology, Midnight Magic will always be remembered in important circles! The DJ brought him up and asked Tim why he ended his DJ career. Tim answered, "kids and family." The DJ responded, "Well I guess that's why I never got married!" So here's to kids and family!! We wouldn't change a thing...(But, he's still my "Midnight Magic!")

They're creepy and they're kooky...

2009-10-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

Check out the creepy's this year...This Halloween we had some ups and downs, some tears and some laughs...But, the candy certainly wasn't in short supply! Becky's crazy Jack.

We all put a little more effort into our carvings this year and convinced Becky and Dad that it just wasn't Halloween if they didn't carve a pumpkin! Neither of them like to get their hands dirty....what wimps! After all was said and done, our creations turned out pretty darn good! Shhhh, don't tell, I think Becky and Dad even enjoyed it! (a little)

"Scooby, Dooby, Doo!"

Good job, Dad!

Natty and her preschool buddies.

I was in charge of the party and I think it went well with a Halloween Cake Walk, spider web and spooky craft necklaces, and decorating cookies.

The Vampire

All was fine and dandy until Celeste got dressed in her vampire costume complete with teeth and blood. Natty was so scared she almost refused to go trick-or-treating with us.

In fact, Natty and I walked on opposite sides of the street to stay as far away from the vampire as possible! Everytime Celeste would get into the car, out came the tears. We are still hearing all about it a week later!

Disco Diva Audrey

Need I say more? You go girl!!

Little Miss Sophia Spider

Vanessa, does this costume look familiar? You never know what you might find in the costume box...our own personal Halloween store. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Alisha and kids

2009-10-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

Alisha was in Seattle a couple weeks ago to stay goodbye to her Grandma Lydia before she passed away this last Sunday. We were so glad Alisha stayed with us so we could play with Sydnee, Kip and Kayla. I wish I had pictures of the girls' dance performance we enjoyed the night before they left. Watch out Disney Channel! Natty and Sydnee couldn't get enough of each other and EVERYBODY just wanted to hold Kip. Who could blame them? He's such a sweetie! It was great to head out for few hours shopping just Alisha and me on Saturday. It has been a long time since we've done that!

School Pictures

2009-10-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

This year I decided to forgo school pictures and put my new camera to work, taking my own pictures of the kids as they start a new school year. They were great guinea pigs! I have yet to enlarge and print them out for my frames. So, we'll see if they turnout ok. Thanks kiddos for being patient with your amatuer mommy photographer.

Family night outside the temple

2009-09-30T11:28:00.001-07:00

We took advantage of the last, warm, sunny evenings of Fall by going to the temple last Monday. I brought my camera in case we wanted to take a few pictures...but that ended up being the theme of our trip...photos at the temple. Some are a little crazy, some are a little cheezy, but all show how much fun we had!
The Seattle Temple has some beautiful bronze statues. We decided to see how close we could replicate them in real life!"...I love to see the Temple...I'm going there some day..."I can't take credit for any of these pictures...Tim did a great job behind the lens!

Go Green Geckos

2009-09-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Sophia tried soccer for the first time this Fall and is loving it. The season is almost over as quickly as it came. But, we have been enjoying her Tuesday the Thursday games. Go Green Geckos!

"Once in a lifetime"

2009-09-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night was incredible! Tim bought 2 tickets for us to celebrate our anniversary early and go to the Keith Urban concert at the Tacoma Dome. Keith Urban is probably my favorate musician. Tim ended up coming down with a stomach bug and couldn't go. So, Becky took his ticket and we enjoyed a girls night out! He gave a great concert...very cool, down to earth guy with an incredible voice that sounds even better in person! He played all over the Tacoma Dome...on stage, in the middle of the floor, and even in the crowd. He walked all through the ground floor. We were close enough that Becky actually reached out and touched him! (she called it "Keith Sweat!")

The opening act was Little Big Town and they also gave a rockin' performance to get things warmed up. They came back out on stage to sing with Keith half way through the concert.

Last Summer Hurrah!

2009-09-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

Our last camping trip of the summer was over to Spokane, WA. We enjoyed camping with nightly outdoor movie nights at the campground, back to school shopping and lake fun. Tim and and the kids made it a great birthday for me! Here a few highlights from the trip.Becky and Audrey tubing! Dad game them a good ride!

Grammy and Audrey during family dinner where we celebrated 3 birthdays (Aunt Dana, Lauren's friend,Colin and me)
Bella loved being near the lake, but not in the lake. We found out she can swim if she really had to!

Aunt Sandrine kayaking with Celeste. Here are some random car pictures...things get a little crazy after traveling too long!Becky trying to sleepNatty has no trouble sleeping!Sophia sleeping?...no way! Time to pose for the camera!Crossing the Gorge

distracted

2009-09-08T13:09:00.001-07:00

I've been a way for a bit...getting comfortable with my birthday present...my new camera, which I have been LOVING! Thank you, Tim! It inspired me to bet back into my hobby, take some more artistic shots, and start another blog just with my photography that I think is somewhat worthy of having a blog of it's own. http://jolierodriguezphotography.blogspot.com/

I'm even going to forgo the school pictures this year and do it myself. We'll see how that turns out! But, Becky has been asking where the end of the summer lake pictures are...so I better get back to blogging so she can snag them and put them on her MySpace and Facebook. Here a couple first shots with my new camera...

Natty is a sport for letting me use her as my photo guinea pig

Bella's grown a bit, she is now 7 mos. old

Camp Newman

2009-08-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

The middle of July, Audrey, Celeste, and Sophia joined their cousins, Elise and Margot for "Camp Newman" hosted by their Aunt Dana and Uncle Steven at the lake house near Spokane. Each day of the week was something new...cooking day, knitting day (where Gran came over to teach the girls how to knit), tubing day, etc. etc. They had so much fun, they can't wait for next year! Here are Elise and Audrey fishing with their matching bandanas.

Beading was a favorite activity. Here is Celeste showing off her handiwork.

At the end of the week, Oliver, Natty and I drove over to pick up the girls and bring them back to Seattle. We got to spend a few days and enjoyed the lake too! How did that kid in the middle get so big..poor Oliver, always surrounded by girls...it's his lot in life!

Sophia and Margot...this is one of the only times they weren't in the water!

Oliver and Natty hangin' out on the water.

Alisha's visit

2009-08-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but start with this sweet picture of Sydnee, our grandaughter, Alisha's daughter. She is such a sweetie! Alisha is so good at getting pictures taken of her kids, much better than I ever was or still am. Doesn't Sydnee look like her mom?! Alisha, Sydnee, and Kip (our newest grandchild) came to Seattle for a visit a few weeks ago from Idaho. They were in town to visit Alisha's grandmother and also spent a few days with us. I wish I had taken more pictures, but at least I got a few. We had a fun time hanging out, going to the Seattle Aquarium, and shopping at Ikea.

Aunt Natty with baby Kip...4 weeks old!

Natty, Sydnee and Kip. They played nonstop and everybody wanted to hold Kip. He must have felt like a football being handed off to everyone all day! We missed seeing Zeb, Katie, and Alisha's niece, Kayla. But, hopefully next time!

SWIMMING - THE END

2009-07-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

After all the fun of the trip...one of the favorate things we did was SWIMMING! Yes, that is Dad in the water...quick take a picture, you won't see this much...I don't think the girls remembered the last time Dad swam with them. Natty became quite the little swimmer this summer. Her fear of the water from last summer had left!Hang in the there Audrey! Don't drown!How strong is Dad??? Can he do it???

TAAAAA DAAAAA!!!

High Desert Museum Bend, OR

2009-07-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

During our stay in Sisters, we spent a lot of our time with Grandad and Grammy since they live so close in Redmond. One of the days we went to the High Desert Museum which was so much fun. HOT, but fun. We enjoyed the inside exhibits in the air conditioning a little more than being outside. But, the homestead exhibit outside was definitely worth the sweltering walk. Notice Becky is not in this picture. She opted to stay in the air conditioning.

The old Saw Mill. Several people dressed the part of homesteaders.

Daddy and Natty with the chickens....we do miss ours in Pennsylvania. Hopefully we'll be able to get more soon!

Whitewater on the McKenzie River

2009-07-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

After we left Crater lake, we headed for Sisters, OR. We LOVED getting back to some camping civilization...water, sewer, electricty, and even internet. You can't even call our kind of camping, "camping!" We enjoyed spending some time with Grandad and Grammy! They were so wonderful to watch the little ones for us so us "big kids" could do a little whitewater rafting. Audrey was happy to have graduated to "big kid" status. As for Becky and Audrey...this was definitely their favorite part of our vacation. I wish we had more pictures of our rafting trip, but we were too busy paddling and staying in the boat (ask Becky about her "near miss with death!") We are defintely doing this again...but next time...bigger rapids!

The Eighth Wonder of the World

2009-07-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

CRATER LAKE
THE BLUE ENIGMA

By Russell Andrews, Park Ranger

Blue enigma of ages, ringed with immutable rock,

Fiery cradle of mountains whose barren ridged mock

Man's puny and ceaseless endeavor, his straining and pigmy strife;

Let him look on the patience of ages and know the end of life.

Mighty forge of the Titans where mountains were welded and made,

Glaciers have cooled your seething, hemlocks reared their shade,

And now you mirror your cradle, your mountain-making done,

And now your inscrutable depths reflect the dwelling of the sun.

Now men stand safe on your lava brink with awe intaken breath

Lost in the contemplation of a mighty mountains' death.

Incredible! Breathtaking! Better than we'd ever imagined! I grew up in Oregon and never saw Crater Lake until now. Our one and a half day excursion taught us so much about Mt. Mazuma, the volcano that folded in on itself to form the lake 7,7000 years ago. We went the first few weeks that the park was open for the Summer. We learned we should have waited until August when the mosquito population dies down. We camped in the national park which didn't have any camp sites with electricity, water, or sewer. We weren't prepared for dry camping and had a fridge full of food, so we could only stay one night. The drive in Crater Lake National Park was gorgeous and trecherous! They had recently just cleared all the roads of snow to open the park...and it was July! It is only open for driving around the rim (33miles) July - October. They were doing some construction on the road shoulders while we were there. With good reason....check out the video below...Tim's knuckles seemed permantantly white after traveling this road with a 5o ft. camper in tow! Nana would have peed her pants on this trip! I almost did!

We all wanted to know...WHY IS CRATER LAKE SO BLUE?
Answer: The water is so blue because there is hardly anything else in it – just water. It’s not pure water, but it’s close. Water molecules with no sediments, algae, pesticides or pollution, will absorb all the colors of the spectrum except the blues. Those wavelengths will bounce back and make the water appear blue. The key is to have relatively pure water and lots of it. There has to be enough molecules to absorb all the other colors. (There are 4.6 trillion gallons of water in the lake, so it works really well.)

Everybody had their pictures overlooking the lake...

Dad

Mom

Rebecca

Audrey

Celeste

Sophia

Natalia

Our campsite was pretty dusty. Mix dirt and kids and you get FUN! Lety Natty tell you all about it!

Breakfast with Mr. Ed

2009-07-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our first stop was Madras, OR. The first moring, Dad and I spied hungry horses right next to the campground and quickly went to rouse the troops from their beauty sleep. They couldn't get up and out of the camper fast enough to get the chance to feed our neighbors in their PJ's. Sophia had just the breakfast Mr. Ed was looking for!This was Bella's first encounter with a horse, let alone her first time camping. She did great! She just wanted to know why Mr. Ed didn't want to hop the fence and play. After a while of sniffing and a few barks, Mr. Ed began moving his hind legs...feeling a little urge to kick. We decided it was time to keep walking. Natty and Bella...best friends!

Celeste has always been the horse lover in our house. What treat for her!

This picture turned out a little fuzzy, and Becky just LOVES the squinty look on her face. But, after a crazy day with the blown tire the night before...we were happy to have a good night's sleep and enjoy the horses the next morning.

Summer vacation to central Oregon/Crater Lake

2009-07-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

This will be the first of a few posts about our trip to central Oregon and Crater Lake. What a blast we had...literally! As you will see below we began our trip with a blown out camper tire on our way to our first stop. Luckily it happened about 30 miles from our first campground in Madras, Oregon, after we came off the mountain passes.

We were just riding along and all of the sudden the tire blew! Although it was quite frustrating and did a lot of damage, it couldn't have happened at a better time! We were able to pull right off the road in a turn out area. Within 5 minutes after we stopped a good samaritan came by and had the type of wrench and an extra jack we needed to put on the spare. Then, along came a hitchhiker to help too. When all was said and done, for repayment, the good samaritan only asked that we do something for 2 other people. With that, the hitchhiker and the good samaritan hopped in their car and drove off. And we did too. Do miracles still happen today? Oh yes they do!

Sylvia is now in the shop for a facelift after her dramatic travels. She sure made for good conversation at our next campgrounds. After the blow out we took her into the local tire store in Redmond, OR and they informed us that the tire blew because it was seperating. Upon further inspection of the other 3 tires, they told us they were all seperating! Not the expense we were planning on, but we replaced all the tires which let us sleep at night. Now we deal with the insurance and tire companies! Read on for more posts about our trip from here...

Vanessa is home!

2009-07-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

After looking through some old pictures, I found these and realized I didn't post about Vanessa's trip here! OOPS! This was back in May when Vanessa came and stayed with the kids so Tim and I could go to Puerto Rico. After we returned she spent a few extra days, and her friend, Laura also flew up for the weekend. We did the touristy thing around Seattle and showed them the city.Vanessa and Laura on Alki overlooking Elliot Bay.Can't go to Seattle and not stop at the Market! Tim came over to meet us at Ivars for a seafood lunch on the waterfront. Watch out, the "Ivars Divers" are upon us (aka Vanessa and Sophia).

Yes, another aquarium picture. Since we have an annual membership, we put it to good use when people come into town. It was so wonderful to see Vanessa...we just wish it was more often!

Family

2009-07-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, we celebrated Nani's 99th birthday. Before the party we met at a park and had a photographer take some pictures of Nani's posterity! We were still missing a few (Oliver, Vanessa, Josh, Alisha, Greg and Eric), but it was sure nice to capture these moments! Left to right (starting at the top): Becky, Tim, Me, niece Lauren, sister Dana, nephew Taylor, brother-in law-Steven, nephew Andrew, sister Trish, brother-in-law Clint, sister-in-law Sandrine, brother Carl, (middle row): Audrey, Celeste, Nani, my mom, Sophia, niece Margot, (bottom row): Natalia, neice Elise and niece Sacia.

Nani with her granddaughters. (oops, I guess there are a few boys! Sorry Taylor and Andrew :-)

Our family...we love you Nani!

Fall City Days Parade

2009-07-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

We decided to take part in our little town's parade this year. First Audrey, Celeste, Sophia, Natty and puppy Bella decorated their scooters and themselves Hawaiian style for the Kiddy Parade.

Becky made the cheerleading squad at school this year, so Tim volunteered his truck and trailer to take the team through the parade. Unfortunatley, Becky is on the other side of the trailer, so I didn't get her in the the picture. Go Mt. Si Wildcats!

Pappy and Nona

2009-07-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

After much thought, much deep deep thought, we've finally decided what we want to be called...by our grandchildren, that is. We went down to Orlando recently to meet our newest grandson, Aeden John Alexander Rodriguez. What a sweetheart! It felt a little strange to be grandparents when Aeden's aunt Natty is only 3. But, one look and we fell in love! Not only with Aeden, but with Giovanni who is 8, whom we got to spend some great quality time with! Josh and Mia are wonderful parents and it was so a great to spend a few days with them!Josh, Mia, Giovanni and AedenPappy with little Aeden at the hospital...just a day old!Nona and baby AedenWe were so lucky to be able to see Giovanni graduate from 2nd grade at his school. He received all sorts to awards...way to go Gio!The two Grandpas (Mia's father, Cedric and Tim) with GiovanniLet me tell you, this kid is on fire! Giovanni has a great spirit that we just loved. He is too smart for his own good! He beat me several times playing candyland and checkers while we shared a smoothie at a shop. He had fun with Pappy challenging him to see who was strongest. I think Pappy won that one...but not without a fight!3 GENERATIONS!

Josh drove us around showing us the area and his company's office. The 3 of us enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner out. It made us realize, too much time had passed since we've spent time together. Josh has definitley followed in his dad's footsteps and has a talent for bbq steaks! The evening before we left, Josh treated us to a great steak dinner...YUM!Mia and her mother, Queen

We couldn't forget Duke, the pitbull. What a loveable dog!

Daddy's birthday dance

2009-07-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

Last month, Dad turned ??. The girls performed a little dance just for him, all decked out in their baseball best...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

time to play catch up

2009-07-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

New summer, new summer song, "The Climb"... time to switch into summer mode. So we'll see how long the kids let me sleep in, how many parks we can hit in 2 months, and all the vacations in between. Until, then, time to catch up on the blog and we're we've been the last month...

Nani's 99th

2009-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is my grandmother, Edna K. Shaefers and she is my inspiration. She was born May 31, 1910. Last Friday we celebrated her 99th birthday! She is one amazing woman who has lived an incredible life thus far and always has a positive attitude. We celebrated her birthday at Perche No, her favorite Italian restaurant in Seattle, where they all know her by name. Nani and Gran (my mother, Jayne)

Nani had her own birthday concert given by her great-granddaughters, Audrey, Elise, and Margot. They were the hit of the restaurant! Nani and her great grandaughters (Audrey, Elise, Celeste, Margot, Natalia, and Sacia)The cousins got their own "private " table!
The girls LOVE their cousin, Taylor. They tried and tried to get him to open a helium balloon so they could talk like Mickey Mouse. "C'mon Taylor, where's your sense of adventure? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Taylor, Andrew and Lauren - more great grandchildren Nice look, Becky. It's so hard to get a teenager to just smile pretty. Aunt Sandrine and Aunt Trish, "say (parmesan) cheese" Daddy and Natty looking at Nani's pretty birthday cards The two youngest grandaughters (Sacia and Natty). They spent most of the evening playing on the stairs with the balloons and being happy just doing that.

Seattle Sounders FC

2009-06-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Tim knows just what he wants for his birthday...you can try and suprise him, but he always guesses his gift. This year he decided to treat himself and us and bought several tickets to the Mariner's baseball games this summer and two tickets to a Seattle Sounders FC soccer game. So far he's taken Becky, Audrey, and I to a Mariner's game. That leaves 2 more games for Celeste and Sophia. I was lucky enough to go to my first professional soccer game which was like nothing I had imagined. It was so different than any other professional sporting event I'd been to. I sort of felt like I was watching a Harry Potter's Quidich game (the fan attire of choice were scarves...even before the game started the recently retired Seattle Seahawks coach walked the red carpet to recieve his special award...a golden scarf.) But then it sort of felt like a college football game (rowdy fan section which chanted all sorts of special cheers only they could understand. Then, I heard a live band and sure enough, the Sounders have their own band...kind of strange.) But the food wasn't quite college hot dogs and popcorn. We enjoyed a great international buffet right before the game. Here's the band with the space needle looking kind of tiny in this shot.

What a fun time we had! The game was so fast moving and exciting...yellow cards, red cards. I left realizing I didn't know what half of the referee calls meant. Next time I'll bring my little portable AM radio so I can listen to the "play by play"...oh wait that's baseball :-)

Bushed Bambi

2009-06-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Look...Look closer...We found this fawn in the middle of our road, mom nowhere in sight. We tried to get it to move, but it was too tired. Tim figured it was trying to keep up with mom getting up a hill and just exhausted itself. After flinching at first, eventually Tim was able to pick it up and put it down in the grass. We saw mom waiting in the woods and after 30 min. or more, she finally went back over to her baby. We checked 15 min. later and they were gone. We saw the mom earlier in the week looking pregant, so we think the fawn was just a day or 2 old. So sweet!

Welcome Home!

2009-06-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add one last Puerto Rico picture. As we stepped off the plane, back home after a long day of planes and airports. We were greeted by a most wonderful brood of crazy children waiting for us a baggage claim. They were all dressed up with crazy hats, crazy clothes and one big sign which said, "The Geriatric Club welcomes Tim and Jolie". Tim took one look at that sight and quickly turned the other way, making sure everybody in the airport knew they didn't belong to him. But, that didn't work for long...they found him, hugged him and after that there was no use denying it. Gotta love our crazy daughters!!!

Puerto Rico 2009!!

2009-05-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

After catching up on mounds of laundry, jumping back into mom chauffer duties, and answereing the work call that didn't go away just because we did....we finally have a moment to blog about our incredible trip to Puerto Rico. Just Tim and I... the honeymoon we never had! Tim had a great year at work and was nominated to go to the Pitney Bowes (PB1) conference in Puerto Rico for a week of sun, fun, and relaxtion with a little bit of work tucked here and there, all expences paid! It was my first time to a tropical destination and it was everything I had imagined and more!First we said "adios" to the kiddos and left them in the care of their fun (and we hoped cabable), big sister, Vanessa! They had a great time with her and I think hardly missed us at all! When we left for the airport, I realized I had forgotton my camera, sunglasses, sunscreen, and cell phone! I didn't realize how attached I was to my pda (my brain) and felt like I literally left my brain at home. It turned out to be a good thing...I really unplugged and relaxed. It was all good until having no sunscreen, no way to tell time, and a day of hot sun got the best (or worst) of me...you'll see/read more about that later. Anyway...one of the most memorable things we did was go to El Yunque Caribbean National Forest. The sights, the sounds were incredible. The canopy was thick and so was the humidity...but that is what makes everything grow so big. The plant leaves were huge. Nestled inside were the little coqui frogs which seredaded us as we hiked among waterfalls. We didn't see many of these guys, but we heard them from the time we awoke each morning to their singing us to sleep. We stayed at El Conquistador Resort which was pretty amazing. The rooms were ok, but the views, the 7 pools, the waterpark, the beaches, and of course the pina coladas were

"tolerable" :-).
View of the resort from the ferry which took us from our room to Palomino Island in 8 min. where we spent a day, sunning (burning) and swimming among the tropical fish.As we were about to leave, I realized we didn't get any pics on the island. I dragged Tim over to the shore for a quick shot as the sky began to swirl and the palm trees began to sway (kind of violently too). There was this tiny little island across the water with just a few palm trees. I tried to get more of that in the pictures, but the weather and our disposable camera just weren't cooperating. Oh well...after a "click" of the camera, we ran for cover under a tiki hut, until the sun came out 5 minutes later. You wouldn't even know we had a rain/wind storm. As quickly as it came, it left, and we ventured back out to our loungers, ordered another pina colada and relaxed....(until the next weather burst came) After a few more, we decided to call it a day....running to the ferry for cover.You can't really see it here, but I got one heck of a sunburn. I didn't realize Puerto Rican sun and Seattle sun are quite different. After shedding a few layers of skin a week later, I'm back to myself with a little color to show for it. Lesson learned!!We spent much of our time with Tim's co worker, Kathy and her friend Tom. We joined them for a fabulous seafood dinner outside near the ferry dock. We also enjoyed our atv ride, wii party, and dancing with them. I think my shirt is the same color as my skin...ouch!Our last day, Saturday we went for a atv ride throught the forest. It was hot, it was stinky, but it was FUN, especially when you ride on the back with Tim at the wheel. It was really up to him what kind of ride we got. The line of quads was slow and steady. There were about 25 of us. But Tim just held back a little right before each puddle and gunned it. Woo Hoo!...so we got a little muddy, what's fun without a little mud, right?? Kind of hurt on the sunburn, but hey how often fo you get to ride quads in Puerto Rico?!There were several old dogs just laying around the ATV barns. Here is fido, thinking the bench is the best place for cool ventilation.We stopped for a little break on our ride next to a river. The guides took some colored rocks and mixed them with water to draw on the bigger boulders in beautiful reds and browns. Some people in our group really got into it and painted their faces with the stone paint. Our last night Jim Belushi and his band were the entertainment for the evening. The pictures are pretty fuzzy, but he was out in the crowd dancing with everyone. This was the 2nd night of live entertainment. Even though Tim resisted at first, I finally got him out on the dance floor. After a few songs, we couldn't sit him down! Oh, how I wish I had some pictures of that!

Part of PBMS (Pitney Bowes Management Services). We were with this group a few times during the week. Kathy and Tom, Loran and his wife, and Joe Gomez.

The next best thing

2009-04-18T23:50:00.001-07:00

Here we are in Seattle now and it's baseball season. Should we stay inside and pout, wondering what it would be like to watch the Yankees in their new stadium? What's the use in crying when we now have the Mariner's to watch!? I know, Tim, it's not the same as the Yankees. However, you told me you will be rooting for the Mariners as long as the Yanks aren't in town. (By the way, he already has tickets for that game!)

Tim must have a little Mariner fever and got tickets for several games this season. Last Wednesday we went to our first one! It was Audrey, Celeste, Sophia, and Natty's first time at Safeco field. In celebration, customer service gave us all sorts of free stuff...baseball cards, pennants, and even a t-shirt for Tim and I. Mine says, "#1 Dad" on the back. I guess they had a lot of left over size medium father's day shirts! The girls got hats so they will be ready for rest of the season when they get their daddy/daughter dates at the ballpark! It was a little chilly that night, and Sophia is sporting her double hat look.Go Mariners!

Nice tongue Becky!

My first baseball hat!

It was fun to celebrate the return of Ken Griffey Jr. to the Mariners. We also enjoyed having Tim's co-worker, Dimitri with us. What a great first game...2 home runs, 1 grand slam (Mariners 11, Angels 3).

Natty's birthday interview

2009-04-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

I know these videos can get a little boring...but it really gives a snapshot of Natty's life. I mean you're only 3 once, right?!