Weekend with the Grands

The kids enjoyed a weekend with their Grandparents Allstot at home while Bryan and I enjoyed a school conference in Bend. The kids were delighted to have their grandparents come stay and play! There were picnics, playtime in parks, car washes, special trips to Home Depot, lots of riding on the driveway's "hill", play with friends, and non-stop fun.Needless to say, there were meltdowns when boring
Mom and Dad came back home!

Shannon loves water in all its forms. While Grampa and Mitch washed the car, Shannon played in the subsequent puddles. Oh the joy!

Mitch did LOTS of washing. No doubt he was a big help!

Grampa took Mitch to Home Depot and they bought a bird house to build. First he watched the hammering . . .

and then he did some himself, complete with the tongue for balance!

Our street is frequently empty of traffic, making our driveway a great sloping racetrack for wheeled vehicles of all kinds.I foresee much of the summer spent standing watch in the center of the street!

Thanks for coming, Grampa and Grama!

A Baseball Family

We enjoyed a visit from the LaVines today! The cousins had a great time together, the baseball team won a pair of games in windy (but warmish) weather, and we got a kick out of all the small people running around.

This was as seated as we got. Usually there were fewer buns on the seats and more running around.

Go Huskies!

Where there's dirt, there are happy co-conspirators!

Hand-in-hand is a favorite method of travel lately.

Keeping tabs on her favorite ballplayer!

Cowans joined us for an early dinner of Chinese take-out: enough for the whole block!

Wiggly kids having dinner.

Sunny Afternoon

We had an almost-wind-free spring day here, which coincided with a birthday party for a friend at the park.

These two played so well together! Mitch helped Shannon on the slide, which she so clearly enjoyed!

They also loved running down the park's hill pellmell and then would walk back up to us, hand in hand.

After the party and the park play time, we decided to walk up Hermiston's butte. The view was lovely and Mitch was a good little hiker. Shannon got to ride up on her dad's shoulders.

Our Ever-Changing Yard

Our backyard has gone through many changes since we moved in almost 6 years ago. We have taken out apple, fig, and nectarine trees; pulled out a row of grapes; removed some overrun raspberries and replaced them with a patio; thinned the lilacs heavily; added a wood shed and generally played and planted in the extreme.

This past week we underwent another major change, which has removed some of our cherished privacy. The weedy trees along the back fence - mainly mulberry and fig - were in the power lines. As a result, the electric company sent some tree trimmers. In a moment of weakness, I gave them the green light to remove the offending trees. Those trees are last seen in the photo above.

We sought refuge in the neighbors' yard and watched the upheaval from a safe distance. Shannon was fascinated.

It's not everyday you watch an orange man climb a spindly tree with a chainsaw running by his side.

The little ones: Hannah and Shannon.

Mitch and Avery swinging and only partially caring about the tree felling. Harrison was all over and clearly escaped my camera.

When the men left, this is what remained. The tulips and poppies were in sore repair and the trees - once a messy but private sight barrier - are reduced to wood piles and sawdust. I have since planted a new crab apple tree and some more shrubs. Looking for a butterfly bush and then a good growing season. For now, it's a good thing we like our neighbors!