Visit to Tenille & Tanya's October 2009

Sam, Tara and I went to Paradise to visit with Tenille & Matt in their new home. (Tenille, Tara & Sam were all taking pics with their "fancy" cameras)

We went to the Johnny Appleseed Days just down the street from Matt & Tenille's house.

Tenille found this toilet seat that had fly fishing flies embedded in the plastic....too funny:)

Sam moved their water fountain from the middle of the lawn to this location in front of the house.

Matt just got home from work in his police stuff.

Tenille put tickets in a quilting club raffle at the Johnny Appleseed Days booth and she won 3 quilts!

We went to the mountains and it was very cold, so we found a fire pit that still had coals in it and made a well needed fire.
Tara, Tenille, Daisy dog and Sam (in the background messing with his camera:)
Tenille helping Tara to fly fish.

Sam, Tenille, Tara and Kathy on our mountain excursion.

After Sam & Tara left for Bako, Tenille & I had to put puzzles together at the park, of course!
Kathy and Toonybug at the park. Then I took a train to Albany, Oregon to visit with Tanya, Billy & Cole Terry.
Cole went with Tanya and I on a hike to the property behind their house in Corvallis, Oregon
Tanya made balloon airplanes for Cole's 2nd birthday party.
Cole on the deck outside (what a cutie pie:)
Cole loves to pour water over his head while in the bathtub(see the water coming down his face?)
They had Cole's birthday party at a pizza parlor
Cole getting ready to eat his pizza with mom, Tanya, helping him.
Time for the cake (he wouldn't blow out the candles, but he wanted the airplane on the cake)
Cole helped open a few presents, but then he wanted to play with them, so the rest of the kids at the party "helped" him by opening up the rest of the presents.


Tanya and two year old Cole:)

Cole got a new big boy bed that was made by Poppy Dave, his Grammie Terry's husband.

Sam and Jacob's Sprint Triathalon Sept. 19, 2009

Sam and Jacob did a Sprint Triathalon (Sam's first) at Lake Ming. It started at 8:30am and they did a 1/2 mile swim, a 12 mile bike and 3.5 mile run.
They are in the transition area before the race started.
Stretching out before the race (pretty studly:)
Jacob and Sam in their wet suits before the race getting their instructions (like the caps?)
Tara and Paige in the cheering section
Jacob finished the race in 1 hour 29 minutes and beat his goal, but overdid it and had to go to the hospital with heat stroke. He is fine now.
Sam right after the race was over cooling down. He finished the race in 1 hour 41 minutes.
Sam got third place in his age division! Yea Sam! The videos below are the start of the swim, Jacob finishing and Sam finishing. ( It's in reverse order)

Trip to Aunt Ordella's in Sparta, Wisconsin

I met up with my brother in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a trip down to Wisconsin to meet and visit with my Great Aunt Ordella (my grandpa's sister). The first place he took me was to the Mall of America, which he is pointing at, and it was Enormous!!!
When I got off the plane in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Greg took me to the Mall of America. Right in the middle of the mall is this huge amusement park. It also has four levels with 520 stores!
We entered Wisconsin just on the other side of the Mississippi River from Minnesota
Me, Ordella and Greg at her apartment in Sparta
Ordella in front of her old house in Sparta, WI
Greg, me, Aunt Ordella and her son, Kim
Me and Great Aunt Ordella (my grandfather's only living sibling (she'll be 94 in two weeks) I interviewed her about her life, and we had such a great time together, like we had known each other all of our lives!
We stayed two nights in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and we were right on the Mississippi River.
Greg's biggest thrill on this trip was to go to the Spam Museum....it was quite the place!
This is me at the Spam museum in Austin, MN:)
Found my great-grandparents' graves in Faribault, MN
Greg and I ate at the old train station/restaurant in Faribault, MN where my Grandpa grew up.
Found the park that was made where my grandfather grew up and worked at the mill that used to be there.
Greg and I found the mill pond where the King Mill was where our great-grandparents and grandfather lived and worked.
Gold Medal flour plant in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Gerg in foreground:)
My brother Greg and I at the airport before we went our separate ways.
Did a puzzle in the Denver airport on my five hour layover:) Thanks for the puzzle Aunt Ordella!

Shaver Lake Family Reunion August 2009 #2

Tara & Jacob's family in the cabin
Grandma Bulkeley & Sammy on the hike to the lake
Grandpa & Grandma Bulkeley:)
Brittany, Thad, Jacob, Paige and Andi on hike
Grandpa Sam and Sammy
Andi and Hannah
Andi, Savannah, Hannah & Uncle Thad
Jacob, Sammy, Nate, Kaylie, Savannah, Hannah & Andi w/their growing sponge animals.
Grandpa & Grandma Richards playing with Sammy
Sammy and Brittany at the lake
Jacob & Nate getting ready for the ride!

Shaver Lake Family Reunion August 2009

Grandpa Sam and Sammy
Hannah, Savannah, Kaylie and Nate
Jacob and Andi on the jet ski (she was scared at first, but then she wanted to go fast!)

Thad found an old dead fish and harrassed Andi with it (not Thad!)
Kaylie, Hannah, Tara, Andi, Paige and Savannah

Jacob reading to all the children
Sammy and Daddy Thad

Paige and Andi helping with the sand castle

Sam getting ready to ride with Grandpa Richards driving the jet ski!
Craft Day at the cabin

Savannah learned how to make beaded animals and was really good at it!
The kids had to go through the sunblock ritual each day before playing at the lake:)
Grandma and Grandpa at the lake watching everyone "play":)

Andi and Paige


Sammy and Brittany


Grandpa and Grandma Richards and Paige in the cabin

Tara and Paige on the jet ski. Tara was on the "pink" one all the time and had up to four kids on at once!

Tara on the rope swing

Sam and Thad at the lake (between jet ski trips:)

Savannah reading to Hannah and Nate

Grandpa Richards and Sammy

Paige and Andi coloring and Brittany in the background

Nighttime hair braiding with Tara and Hannah

The Krumm/McNeil clan getting ready to leave after a week at the cabin and the week before camping at Belnap at Camp Nelson.
The whole crew at the cabin at Shaver Lake

July Fun!

Tara and I went rafting down the Kern with a church group....fun!

Santa Barbara Trip(we rode bikes for two days and went 35 miles) Sam, Steve Hansen & Kathy

Kathy, Janet and Steve Hansen

Ate dinner at the Harbor Cafe right on the beach....beautiful night:)

Latest Lucky kitty pic.....chases and attacks EVERYTHING, even when it doesn't move!
(right now it is trying to chase the arrow on the computer screen)

Out to dinner at Black Angus with Patty and Ron Bulkeley and G&G Richards

the rest of the dinner party...Sam, Jacob and Tara Krumm, and Brittany and Thad Bulkeley

Tara scrapbooking by the pool

Thad and Sam working on the pond area (Sam's motto: if it is green or flowering, tear it out!

Thad and his daughter, Andi, warming up after a swim.

Thad and his son, Sammy

Made Paige and Andi a house out of a big box

Heads out of the big box:)

"Sleeping" inside the big box

Paige Princess and Andi Princess (check out the shoes:)

Kaylie's Baptism

Chair of honor:) Kaylie's big day!
? Grandpa Sam, Uncle Thad,Daddy Jacob,
Grandpa McNeil, Daddy Trenton, Great Grandpa Richards

Sam, Kathy, Jacob, Tara (Paige) Grandma Richard, Grandpa Richards
Savannah, Kaylie, Nate, Hannah & Andi


All the kids (I won't even try:)