Tour de NWX

UPDATE: H & M's group had 127 kids.
 
Our new neighborhood hosts a summer festival called Hullabaloo. One of the highlights is a "crit" or "criterium" race for both kids and adults. The kids crit is a short circle around Compass Park. Not knowing what to expect, we signed up all kids - A, K, H & M - to participate, as there were age categories, etc.

H&M getting ready to line up

H&M's age group (5 & under) had about 50 kids. A&K's group (6,7,8) included 106 kids! Holy cow!! Thanks to Kirsten keeping the bikes safe (Tacoma living makes people very proactive in locking their bikes up at all times), the kids did great. M pushed through the pack on training wheels, K overcame the slow speed appearance of her bike basket by speeding through the pack with A right behind. The prize for all participants? Ice Cream!!!

Pre-race Jitters

Lined up and ready to ride...

GO!!!

H hitting the final turn

A&K get their race faces on.

A sea of 6, 7, & 8 yr olds await the starting whistle.

Some serious racing going on here... (A #172, K #171)

Check out those smiles! K just made the shot on the left..

Finish line prizes...

"I'll do this again!" -Hayden

The triumphant racers enjoying the spoils of victory!!

Goody's Tour

There are so many things to do in Bend, sometimes it's hard to decide what to fit in! Goody's is a local candy store, well known for its homemade ice cream and hand made chocolates. They recently relocated to a larger factory and have now begun offering tours. For $2, it's a great tour (not too long, not too short) with plenty of samples and gives you a real appreciation for the quality and care that goes into their delicious treats. Oh yes, there is a large bulk jelly belly selection for those of us who like those sort of things. Anyone?

Volunteer Quality Control

Checking out the goodies at Goody's

This is Ricky, one of their two chocolate coating machines. The other one is named Lucy!

Watching ice cream being made.. then the samples arrived!

Yum... jelly bellies....

Carefully choosing the perfect mix.

Cousin Time!

Upon arriving at Grandma's house, A & K immediately retreated into the kids room and began planning Sparkle Club activities, Barbie adventures, and escape strategies from their brothers. H & M began chasing and wrestling each other, generally pleased to be away from their bossy sisters.

We are so blessed to have 3 (almost 4) cousins in close age to our kids. There's something about that security of being related that seems to allow them to play and fight and make up, then get right back into playing.

20 Tired mama fingers =

Happy little girls.

Kirsten & I tested our braiding skills on each others' daughters (much less complaining than the usual way). The end result was generously praised by both girls.

Mouse Breath

Typhoo has been enjoying the sun and being outdoors while I have been up at Nana&Papa's house for a few days. While I do outdoor projects, he strolls around, then disappears to find mice. In the past 4 days, he has brought in 9 mice! And he does bring them in... into the garage, eats them and leaves the intestines and tail for evidence. Actually, I haven't seen a tail in a while, so maybe he's just leaving the intestines.

The Fierce Hunter Returns

Did I mention that he also has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism? A daily pill (and subsequent wrestling with teeth, tongue, claws, fur and finger to get it down the hatch) appears to have helped. He was a lean 8 pounds and feels heavier now (you'd think so after all those mice). I think a solid 11 or 12 pounds would make him the perfect fat kitty.

High Desert Museum

Abby's favorite bobcat, Ochoco, lives at the High Desert Museum. In 1st grade, she did a report on bobcats and "adopted" Ochoco. Since then she has been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to visit him as his "new mother." Today was the day. Do I need to add that it was a glorious, sun-filled day? Probably not, but I did.

Home Tour - Unfinished

For those who have asked for pictures of the new place... here you go. Still a few more things to finish up, though.

Fireplace - still needs white stack tile


Side yard
More side yard (it's big for the neighborhood, trust me!)

Island - needs top on (it's a microwave)
Exterior
Guess who?! The room of PINK!!

If you visit us, this will be your shower.

Hayden's room!

Money Well Spent

Thanks to Grandpa Snack, Papa, and Jeff, the moving truck was packed in WA. We decided to hire some muscle to unload the truck in Bend and have declared that to be one of our better decisions.

On the Road

Monday morning, right on time (!!), we set off for Oregon. The crew included Abby (sound crew), Hayden (navigation), and Papa (pilot car and crew entertainment).

We like to Move It, Move It

Cue annoying music from Madagascar as we began the packing process and wondering how someone managed to sneak into our home and leave things, because we certainly couldn't have accumulated this much in the past year (since our last move).



I admitted defeat (and lost a bet to Jim) in underestimating the size of our stuff. A 17 ft trailer would not contain the Gullickson household. Thanks to Papa and his Kubota trailer, we were able to finish packing everything and clear out by a decent hour.