The Lowers

Lower Road Trip 2010

2010-08-18T07:56:00.001-07:00

We went on a two week road trip to Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Estes Park (for a family reunion), The National Dinosaur Monument in UT and back home through Boise, ID. It was a wonderful trip!

I apologize about the length of this video. It was hard to capture such a fun and beautiful two week trip in less than 14 minutes. So, sit back with your beverage of choice and enjoy. :)

Our Crater Lake Trip

2009-07-05T17:06:00.001-07:00

Our first stop on the Lower road trip was this camp site on the way to Crater Lake. We drove to Bend and camped in the Cascade Lakes area. It was beautiful.

Ellis getting ready for the second leg of our journey to Crate Lake.

Here is our view approaching Crater Lake.

Wow - the beauty was breathtaking!

We had a nice hike around the lake. However, the misquotes were eating us alive!

We stayed two nights in the lodge. It was a beautiful old lodge.

This was our evening cocktail spot. Unfortunately, the misquotes loved it as well.

On our way back from Crater Lake we stopped at the cabin for the 4th of July weekend. It was so peaceful (not a single firework!).

Smores at night. YUM!

This is Kiley's little friend she found. Isn't he cute.

We went on a hike near the cabin to "Little Crater Lake". We thought this hike was fitting for this trip. It was really pretty. However, the misquotes were worse than at big Crater Lake.

Welcome Mei!

2009-05-31T09:37:00.001-07:00

Resa and Tim are in China picking up their daughter, Mei. This is their first day together. Looks like they were meant to be a family! We cannot wait till they get back into the US and we can get our hands on beautiful Mei!!

The Protectenator

2009-02-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

Ellis and Brock have been working on Ellis' science fair project today. She has named the invention "The Protectenator" This invention was inspired by an event that happened a couple of weeks ago. At school, someone was breaking into Ellis' lunchbox and eating part of her sandwich. This went on for a couple of days. While this was happening, Ellis was assigned a project to make an invention that had a power source, an on and off switch, and that WORKS! So, we decided to try to make a lunchbox alarm. Brock, with Ellis' assistance, built an alarm with an electric bell, wire and a battery.

Here is the alarm...

Here is Ellis & Kiley acting out the attempted sandwich theft...

and the Oscar goes to.........................

The Protectenator up close....

The Sky Blues

2009-01-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today we attended Ellis's 3rd grade class concert. They call themselves the Sky Blues. It was wonderful. Of course I cried (Kathleen, not Brock). Every year the third grade class puts on this performance. Ellis was front and center! Here are a couple of the songs they did.

Zoo Snooze

2008-12-16T07:15:00.001-08:00

Ellis spent the night at the zoo with her Girl Scout troop. (Mom did also :) We had so much fun. We got to go behind the scenes and see the vet hospital, the animal kitchen and a giraffe eye to eye!

The troop made treats for the sun bears.

We all slept on the floor in this conference room.

Here is the sun bear enjoying the treats the girls made.

Here is the newest addition to the zoo. The baby elephant is 3 months old. Soooo cute!!

Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree....

2008-12-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

It started to snow on our way to get a Christmas tree. The girls were so excited!

Jingle Bell Run

2008-12-07T10:44:00.001-08:00

Ellis ran her first road race today. She did the Jingle Bell Run. It was a 5K run.

Ellis warming up on the stairs.

Ellis was a little nervous before the run.

Ellis trained for the run with a great group called "Girls on the Run". What a wonderful program!

Ellis and her running buddy.

Ellis and her buddy approaching the finish line.

Ellis looking strong.

Ellis finished the race in 42 minutes. Way to go Ellis!!!

Yeah! They did it!!!

Mt. Hood

2008-12-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we met some friends up at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood to decorate a tree with bird friendly decorations, go sledding and do a snow dance. We have not had any snow yet this year and are really itching to go skiing. So, we are praying for SNOW!

As you can see, not much snow on the mountain. However, we had just enough to enjoying sledding.

We decorated this tree with cranberry and popcorn chains and pine cones coated with birdseed. Then we went into the lodge for hot cocoa. It was a beautiful day on the mountain (even without snow!)

Ellis and her friend Isabel.

Farewell to our Friends....

2008-11-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Clay and Zeba were such an important part of our family. We lost Clay at the end of the summer after he had lost the use of his back legs and his quality of life had deteriorated. We miss him terribly as did Zeba. I had taken to walking Zeba a lot more to ease her own loss. We enjoyed it but one day she could not make it around the block. We learned that she had cancer and was in a lot of pain and there was nothing that could be done. The veterinarian said that cancer gets a lot of old dogs because they are well taken care of and their bodies just give out. It has been many, many years since K and I have not had dogs. We miss them very much as they added a lot of fun, happiness and love to our family. We have all had a good cry (or two) and it has been a teachable moment about losing someone that is very dear to you in the circle of life. When we miss them a little too much, we just remember that they had long and happy lives.

2008-11-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Princess and the Native American

Brock and the girls carved the pumpkins this year.

Sarah Palin and her Security Guard.

Our princess had a long day and needed some help getting home from trick-or-treating.

80"s Day for Ellis

2008-10-28T17:18:00.001-07:00

Ellis has Spirit Week this week in school. Today was 80's day. Wow, that brought back some memories.

Here is Ellis and her two friends, Hannah and Kate.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch today. What great weather we had! It was sunny and 68. We usually have cold rainy weather this time of year. It was nice not to have to slop through the mud today.

A Weekend At the Cabin

2008-10-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

Brock and Ellis enjoying a peaceful afternoon on the deck of our new cabin.

The salmon were running. It was amazing to watch the huge salmon swim up the creek and jump over the rocks!

The cabin was cccccold when we arrived. It took a while for the wood burning stove to warm us.

The next day we went on a beautiful hike around Trillium Lake.

What a beautiful view of Mt. Hood reflected in Trillium Lake.

A bluejay joined us for lunch. He was big and not afraid of us at all.

We did another hike that ended at a beautiful waterfall. However, I forgot my camera on that hike. So, I just got a picture of the girls at the sign. Kiley was cold, so Brock gave her his coat.

Whidbey Island

2008-08-16T08:47:00.001-07:00

Last month we went to Whidbey Island with the Lower clan.

It was a beautiful ferry ride from north of Seattle.

The house was perfect. It was large enough for all of us and had a treehouse and swings.

The view was incredible!

We made friends with the cows and bulls.

This little guy was my favorite.

Ellis and Reed had a blast on the swings.

The cousins had so much fun hanging together.

The adults also had fun hanging together.

There were so many trails around the property.

We went for several beautiful hikes.

One day we hit the Loganberry Festival. It was COLD and RAINY!

However, we still had a great time.

Ellis, Reed and Emma entered a pie eating contest.

Ellis came in second (to the large guy on the right!).

We are so proud! :)

Morning snuggle with Nana.

The dads took the kids out for a ATV ride.

(Against the mom's pleadings)

Kiley giggled the entire ride.

Ellis also had a blast!

Or annual Lower photo. Another successful Lower trip....

Our Maryland Trip

2008-07-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Brock took us to the airport for our midnight redeye flight to Maryland.

The girls were a bit tired, but excited!

We started our trip off with a beautiful picnic on the West River with grandma. :)

Then the girls raided grandma's jewels!

The girls helped grandma keep up with her rasberry harvest.

Grandma and Ellis enjoyed several special nights out on the swing.

While Kiley caught fireflies.

Ellis filling Brock in on all of our fun adventures from the day.

The cousins playing pirate ship on grandma's hammock.

We had a great visit with GiGi and Mary Joe.

The girls swam every day at the pool on the West River.

Dad and Kathleen enjoyed a wonderful Kayak trip on the West River.

What is a trip to Maryland without feeding and riding the horses?

Kiley got to ride Munchy.

Munchy then became grumpy. So, Ellis rode Fire.

The girls had a fun tea party with their American Girl dolls.

We also visited friends on the Eastern Shore.

It was so great to see Terri!!

She gave Ellis some photography pointers.

We made a special trip to New York to visit the Noonans.

The kids, including one of the biggest kids (Bobby), played on the swings. :)

Of course, we had to make a trip the American Girl Doll store in the city.

I do not know who had more fun at the American Girl Doll store, Ellis & Kiley or Tonia?

The dolls got their hair done at the Salon.

Our last day.. :(

Ellis made cookies with grandma.

Grandpa took us to the airport for our long journey home.

We cannot wait till next year.....................

Bobby & Tonia's New surfboards

2008-07-10T11:06:00.001-07:00

Tonia's board. 7'10 Blue (22" wide)

Full length view of Tonia's board.

Bobby's board: 9'0 Shuler (22" wide). Shuler is a local shaper. This board is very light, but very durable. Nice board! :)

Full length view. (It was hard to get a full length, because it is so tall.)

The shaper signs all of his boards on the back.

Ellis's online Art Show

2008-05-31T10:07:00.001-07:00

Ellis had a wonderful year for art in second grade. Her teacher loves art AND she also had a special art teacher. So, Ellis got a double dose of art instruction. This is only some of her work. I could not post it all. The artist is off on a Girl Scout camp right now. So, I do not have a description for each piece. Maybe I can add that later. Enjoy..... :)

Daddy Daughter Dace

2008-05-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ellis had a Daddy Daughter Dance at her school. Cute couple!

Their "cool" look. :)

Practicing a few dance steps.

Off they go in their fancy ride.

While Daddy and Ellis were gone, Resa and I took Kiley out for a fun dinner.

Hippie Chick Half Marathon - May 10, 2008

2008-05-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Brock and the girls came to cheer us on.

Before the race. Resa and I were a little nervous. :)

Ellis helped me stretch.

Resa and I in the starting crowd, stretching (still nervous).

We made it!
Brock did not get a picture of me crossing the finish line because he was in the woods catching tree frogs with Ellis. :) However, Resa's blog has a picture of me finishing.

Kiley lost her first tooth!

2008-04-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

I just so happens that Kiley was at her friends having her FIRST sleepover. They were eating dinner and Kiley's tooth feel out. She was pretty scared, not being at home. So, I rushed over (with the camera). I gave her some hugs and joined them for dinner. Then, Kiley was fine and ready to resume her sleepover. The tooth fairy came the following night while Kiley was home in her own bed.

Happy Easter

2008-03-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

The girls were so excited they woke up at 5:30 am!
The Easter bunny left a trail of candy leading to the baskets.

As you can see, out of the window, it was too dark for our egg hunt.
We had to wait a couple of hours to search for eggs.

Hair Cut In Style

2008-03-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ellis had her first professional hair cut last week. We took her to Resa's friend's salon.
Jamie was great and the salon was very nice.

Here is a before picture.

Wildroot Salon

Ellis loved when Jamie washed her hair. However, she screams at me when I wash her hair. Maybe I can book Jamie to come over every evening for bath time! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

The girls woke up at the crack of dawn this morning. They were so excited for Valentine's day. Brock surprised us all and had a beautiful arrangement of flowers and gifts for all his ladies. :)

How fitting! My chocolates are in the shape of purses. The box says
"a girl can never have too many handbags". How true!

The girls were up so early they were able to create some clay creatures before school.

Kiley made the ladybug and Ellis made a bunny.

2008-01-21T21:36:00.001-08:00

We went up to the mountain (Mt. Hood) for our first ski trip of the year on New Years Day. It was a beautiful day. The girls were excited to go. UNTIL we reached the mountain and we heard "it's cold, my boots hurt, my legs are tired................."

Kiley did great! This was her first time really skiing (of course with Brock's help). Kiley said, "I like when we go fast!" She begged Brock to take her on the chair lift. It was a tough trip down for Brock. Kiley took a tumble and cried the rest of the way down.

Everyone's attitudes turned around after lunch and hot chocolate.

Kiley is FIVE!!

2008-01-21T21:15:00.001-08:00

Kiley had a great birthday. First she had a Fairy birthday party with her friends. They made fairy wands and wings and enjoyed cupcakes and presents. They had a Fairy good time!! :)

On the morning of Kiley's birthday she received breakfast in bed.
I think she was too excited to eat!

That evening we celebrated with Auntie Resa and Uncle Tim, at the local brew pub. I swear Kiley picked the place... OK... we may have put the idea in her head. :)

Then we came home for cupcakes (Uncle Timmy's fave!)

Uncle Timmy also seemed to enjoy the toys.

All in all, Kiley had a GREAT birthday!

Getting Ready for Christmas

2007-12-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

Grandma's Visit
Grandma came to visit the first week of December. We had a great time. We went to Breakfast with Santa, grandma also took the girls ice skating and shopping.

Our Christmas Tree
This year we went up to Mt. Hood to cut our own tree. It was so much fun! However, it is hard to tell what your tree will look like away from the forest. Our tree looked so full in the forest...However, once we got it home, it did not look so full. :)

The girls did a great job filling in the empty spots with decorations.

The Polar Express
We went on the Polar Express train to the North Pole. We saw Santa and he joined us for our ride back. Santa took the time to talk to all of the children and also gave everyone a bell.

The girls had their tickets punched, just like in the movie.

Ellis was so excited to meet Santa. Kiley was a little shy at first. However, once she saw how nice he was, she joined her sister on his lap. (It did not help that Kiley forgot her blankie!)

Halloween

2007-11-06T05:25:00.001-08:00

We had beautiful weather for Halloween night. Kiley went out for a while, but had more fun handing out candy with me. However, Ellis stayed out for a long time and met up with some of her new friends from her new school. The girls had a blast!

A Trip To The Pumpkin Patch

2007-11-06T05:08:00.000-08:00

We had great weather for the pumpkin patch. We went out to Sauvie Island.
The girls had fun on the cow tractor pull ride.We took a hay ride out to the patch.

The girls had the most fun on this hay pyramid.

This was the first year it was nice enough to carve our pumpkins outside.

Scary Soccer!!

2007-10-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

This week was our last week for soccer. The team got to practice in their costumes and play a game against the parents, who also were decked out in costume.

This picture is for Auntie Resa. :)

Ellis was so cute. Brock was a bit on the scary side!!

Ellis and her buddy Maya.

Coach Larry.

The Rose City Park Soccer Team.

The clown had a hard time controlling the ball with his huge feet.

2007-10-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ok - it has been too long since my last post. The start of the school year was a bit crazy. I have updated the blog with three new posts. Enjoy! :)

The Beach

2007-10-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the beach. That was our first time there in a long time. The weather was beautiful! We spent a lot of time on the beach. Brock and I even got to surf! :)

We found a very cool hike. There was a beautiful stream and falls.

We ate our picnic lunch under the falls.

Then hit Tillamook, on our way home, for an ice cream cone.

Astoria

2007-10-20T07:43:00.001-07:00

We went to Astoria to visit Nana & Papa. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. It was so much fun! It felt like a mini vacation. We spent most of our time in the pool.

This was our view from our room. Nice!

Ellis is a Brownie

2007-10-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ellis joined Brownies this fall and went on her first camp out last month. Ellis was very proud to get her first patch on her new vest!

I drove four crazy, LOUD girls to the camp.

They did crafts..

Played at the lake...

Told bedtime stories...

And hiked (in the rain)...

They were not so loud on the way home. I actually did not hear a word. :)

Hood to Coast 2007

2007-08-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

What a fun time!!! Resa, Tim and I did Hood to Coast with a bunch of friends from Nationwide Insurance. We reunited our old Nationwide team, The Asphalt Warriors. This was my first time running the race since before Ellis was born. Many members of our team have been running this race since 1989. Brock was one of the original members of the team in '89. Check out the web site I have linked on the right of the blog for more info about the race. I ran leg #3, 15, and 27. Resa ran #4, 16, and 28. Tim ran #2, 14, and 26.
Here is Tim, John and Ken getting into the groove at the starting line at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.

Resa, Tim and I before the race (when we could walk without pain).

Ken getting ready to lead the Asphalt Warriors as our first runner. He had a very tough leg straight down Mt. Hood. (Killer on the legs!)

I had the pleasure of handing off to my sis. I ran leg #3 and Resa ran leg #4. Here she is doing her long, 7 miler in the heat (but with a smile:).

This wonderful gang put together a fabulous Pasta feed the night before the race and took care of van 1 after our first legs. THANKS!!!!!

Resa handing off to Tim Dooley.

Resa taking care of her hubby, before his leg. Tim handed off to me. There were 3 Tims on our team. Tim Tyvand thought we should change our name to Three Tims and 9 other people. We vetoed that idea!

Many of the teams had funny names and entertainingly decorated vans, like this one...

Our van however, lacked some creativity, aside from the foot decorating the side mirror.

Ken did not have much time to sleep, because he was busy running and driving. However, we were able to catch his cat nap on film.

Here is our team supporting Tim Dooley as he crested the hardest hill on the course. Way to go TIM!!

Our reward at the end of the race. Van 1 enjoying pizza and beer at the coast.

More beer at the beach with the entire team, after Scott crossed the finish line.

These crazy guys, Don, Scott, and Tim went into the ocean to soak their tired legs.

We had such a great time we are already talking about Hood to Coast 2008.......

Sun River Trip

2007-08-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Right after Ellis' birthday, the girls and I drove to Sun River to visit some friends. We stayed with Ellis' best friend Francesca. Francesca has two sisters, Sasha (who is a little older than Kiley) and Lily who is 10. She also has one brother who is 2. The kids were so happy to be together. Molly (Francesca's mom) and I even had time to visit.
Everyone had a GREAT time!

We went biking, swimming, roller skating and toured the nature conservatory. We did not have time to see the horses and go for a pony ride or go rafting. Sun River is fantastic. There is so much to do, all year around. We'll just have to go back next summer. :)

The girls are looking at the frog they caught at the river.

Ellis and Francesca have been best friends since they were 2.

Kiley and Sasha have become very good friends also.

One night, Lily directed a show, High School Musical, starring: Ellis, Kiley, Sasha, and Francesca. Kiley was enjoying the spotlight. :)

Ellis' Birthday

2007-08-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

Ellis is now 7! I cannot believe how fast time flies! Ellis celebrated her birthday at Grant pool with her friends and family. The weather was looking very threatening. However, it turned out to be a beautiful day.

Another one of Brock's masterpieces. He recreated Grant pool in sugar.

Slugger up at the piñata.

Slugger Jr. up at bat.

Ellis and her new American Girl doll, Kaya, her horse Steps High, and her dog Tatlo.
A huge hit!

Great Gamboa Get Together!

2007-08-06T09:35:00.002-07:00

We had such a great Family get together at the end of July. Grandma & grandpa, Auntie Tonia, Uncle Bobby, and Liam came all the way out from the East coast. Marie joined us from LA. Grandma & grandpa rented a beautiful house right on the beach. The view was amazing! The kids really loved the big “cozie” tub, which also had an amazing view.

Unfortunately, I was having too much fun with the family I forgot to take pictures. Therefore, I only have a few photos from our trip. However, Grandpa was snapping away. So, I am sure he has captured many more great shots from our trip.

We all had a wonderful time visiting, surfing, hiking, playing and relaxing. This has become such a special time together and we are already looking forward to next year

K's Birthday Camping Trip

2007-07-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

I had a great birthday! Brock took off work Thursday and Friday. He and the girls served me breakfast in bed and then took me shopping for a SURFBOARD!
Then we packed up the VW and went to the Columbia River Gorge to camp. We stayed at a beautiful park, Becon Rock.
The girls helped Brock set up the tent.
Ellis helped me cook dinner.
Even the dogs had a good time,What a beatiful view!
Big news -- Ellis lost another tooth the last day of the trip. This makes 7 teeth gone.We found this very cool moth. It was huge, had a furry body and wild antennas that looked like feathers. Brock looked it up on the web and it is called a Antheraea polyphemus. Very interesting. :)

Kiley's first ballet class

2007-07-11T10:42:00.001-07:00

Kiley started ballet for the first time today. She loved it!

Sauvie Island Hike

2007-07-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to Sauvie Island to do a "small" hike with the girls. What we thought was a two mile hike turned out to be three plus miles. The girls were troopers. We saw had heard lots of cool birds.We had a picnic with a beautiful view of the water and lots of jumping fish.

Ellis took the picture below. What an eye. :)
What a goofball also. :)

A visit with the Lower's from Seattle

2007-07-11T10:07:00.001-07:00

Brent, Kathy, Emma and Reed came to visit. It was a short but fun filled visit. We went swimming then the next day had a picnic and played at Mt. Tabor.

Auntie Resa & the girls

2007-07-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

Auntie Resa baby-sat the girls while Brock and I went to the Chris Isaak concert. Everyone had a blast!

Trip to the beach

2007-07-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

We were really missing the beach. We had not been there in several months. So, when we got there, we did it all! We had beautiful weather. So, we played on the beach all day Saturday. We had lunch at the Pelican Pub and dinner at Doreyland Pizza. After that, we went to a music festival on the beach, then watched fireworks.
On Sunday, we did our Whaylen Island hike and had a picnic on the beach. Then we grilled up some fresh Dorey caught tuna for dinner - YUM!

The evening was so nice on the beach - no wind! We built a bonfire and roasted marshmallows to make smores. It was so peaceful and FUN!

Ellis & Kiley at swim lessons

2007-06-27T09:32:00.001-07:00

Kiley at the Zoo

2007-06-27T09:30:00.001-07:00

Ellis starts soccer camp this week.

2007-06-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Rose City Park Elementary

2007-06-27T09:13:00.001-07:00

We are sad to say goodbye to our beloved Rose City Park Elementary. Ellis with her friends Maya, Helen and Hanna.