Well we know summer is going to be a pretty short here so we figured we had better get a few photos of the kids in the pool.  With it being so dry though it really needs to be hot out or you are going to get cold quickly once you get out of the water.  Madeleine was more in the a "water mood" this day and hammed it up for the camera, but Chase certainly had fun as well.

Maddy taking off by herself

And "paddling" back to the wall

Mindy & her babies - that aren't such babies anymore!
 

The alley behind the house has almost no traffic, is paved and only open at the ends - sounds like a perfect playground! 

Maddy checking out the flowers.

We picked up this tricycle for $4 at a garage sale we passed and the kids love it.  They can't reach the peddles yet but they have fun coasting downhill in the alley for 3-4 houses (with dad along side of course).

Chase is "mowing" his bubbles!

Chase checking out the flowers too.

And off he goes!

But he's not sure which way is home....

Madeleine just cruising along!

And wanting to push the bike herself.

Just when daddy thought we were heading inside they decided to pull out the wagon.

Our cute little girl

Our cute little boy

Hamming it up

With attitude

While Crater Lake to the south of us is much better known, it has a less known cousin to the north that is just as deserving of the acclaim.  Newberry Crater is about 40 miles from Bend and like Crater Lake is a collapsed volcano, however Newberry has been active as recently as 1300 years ago.  Today Newberry Crater is a National Monument and has plenty of camping in the caldera on two lakes and an overlook from the south rim. 

Last weekend we took the kids down to the crater and they got to "play" in the lake,  and walk through an obsidian flow.

The kids didn't hesitate walking right up to the water at East Lake.

Yup - shoes, socks jeans and all!

So we went from splashing to playing on the beach - which is mostly cinder.

My little cutie

Well we're back to splashing again.

And throwing handfuls of rocks in the water.

lots of rocks!

That isn't scowling - she and daddy are making faces at each other.

The obsidian flow from about 1300 years ago.  The front face is probably 80-90 feet high and just stops .

Obsidian and pumice flows which formed these shapes as they cooled.

Thin layers of pumice and obsidian - it's all glass anyway!

Obisidian is so cool - it really is glass and so smooth.

So last week we were heading downstairs and I decided to let Chase sit in the window in the stairwell.  Of course as soon as Madeleine saw him up there she had to have a seat as well.  Now every time we carry them downstairs they want to climb up to their seats.    

These two can be so cute when they want to!  Madeleine's hair is growing longer every day and gets a little unruly at times!

   
Chase stepped in while Madeleine was getting her photo shoot.  He had a dirty face but still looked pretty darn cute...

Maddy patiently waits her turn (and watches tv)

Investigating the camera:

Yup, that's Chase's hand pushing her out of the way:

Well we seem to be going through about 10 outfits a day for each of the kids so last week we decided to feed them lunch in just their diapers.  Apparently they mistook their yogurt for body lotion...

Don't forget your underarms!

Who me?   

So during the time we spent in San Diego, we made a trip to the Wild Animal Park.  It was hot and we didn't have a lot of time, but it was nice to see how much has changed since we were there last.  Obviously this was the kids first trip and they liked seeing the animals, but REALLY liked the water.  Enjoy!

The park has a petting zoo area with mostly deer which were very tame.

Chase loved getting close and petting the animals.  Maddy on the other hand screamed if she thought we were going to put her down or if she felt like she was getting too close the deer - go figure!

The one thing they both agreed on was the little water park.  It was hot enough that we didn't have to worry about them getting soaked, so the kids took full advantage.

Chase waving to Dad.

Ooops, Maddy figured it out but we lost Chase.

There we go!

Yes, there wasn't a dry spot on them.

We happened to catch them feeding the lions.  These were definitely the biggest kitty cats they have ever seen.

And the giraffes are the tallest. 

So, after a few weeks of traveling and then catching up I am finally back to begin updating pics of the kids. So in case you weren't paying attention, they turned 18 months on Sunday and are now officially kids, not babies.

So without further delay.........  here's Madeleine!

This is what happens when you give a chocolate covered pretzel to a toddler.
 

After they show how cute they are then the real mess begins.

Still playing!

 

Ok, even already go get cleaned up!

The problem with cleaning them up (and changing clothes) is that they have figured out how to get out of their diapers.

Chase is just being the good little boy in the background.

And then there's Maddy.

Does it get any cuter than this little girl?

The kids are really starting to play differently these days.  For instance, Madeleine has decided it would be much more fun to put the pails on her head.

Of course it isn't that easy to walk when you can't see.

So let's climb on the tricycle instead!

and promptly run into another toy and get stuck.....

But we sure had fun doing it!

my adorable little girl

and yes the bathing suit around her neck was her addition to her outfit.

See how many teeth I have - and you can't see the molars on the top that are in!

Another favorite game these days, Madeleine and Chase each have their window and they giggle and laugh at each other.

When Chase goes to peak around the corner, Madeleine tells him to get back to his window!

and then she goes to investigate why Chase isn't playing the game anymore.

my little poser for the camera

Both of their hair is really starting to get long - Maddy's just gets curlier, but Chase is starting to get a little mullet going in the back.  I'm not sure when we are going to break down and cut his hair though (Mindy says never )

Little Miss Inquisitive in the kitchen

So last week we had a large thunderstorm come through that started dropping tons of rain and hail.  The hail was probably about 1/4" in size and really began to accumulate.  The street in front of our house was a little river and we probably had an inch of hail on the ground at the house.  After the storm passed we decided to head to Costco which didn't turn out to be the best idea.  Being new to the area we had no idea streets would close due to flooding.  The main North-South street on the East side of town was closed, two of the main streets under the Parkway were closed, the Parkway itself was completely stopped and traffic was at a standstill all over town. 

What should have been a 15 minute trip turned into an hour to get to Costco.  After turning around many times, driving through 5 inches of slush, seeing people driving through 15-18" of water on side streets and circling back to the North side of town we eventually made our way to Costco.  Right before we arrived though we had a deer come out to the embankment on the side of the road and start to cross.  As we stopped to let her go by, she turned around and down the slope came the smallest fawn I have ever seen.  Those little stick legs were not great in the 3" of slush on the ground, but eventually both fawn and mom headed off down the hill on the other side of the road.

45 minutes later when we left Costco, the sun was shining and you couldn't tell there had been any hail at all!
 

 

The first weekend of June was Balloons Over Bend.  With sunrise balloon launches, a street fair through the Old Mill area and lots of people it was a fun time.  Saturday was too windy to launch in the morning (we slept in anyway!) so Saturday night they inflated a few balloons tethered to the ground.  I stopped down for a little bit after the kids went to sleep for the night a while there wasn't much going on I did take a few images.

Fun patterns in this balloon lit by the late evening sky.


The balloons lit by the burners with the Old Mill district in the background - love the blue sky!

On Sunday the weather was calm so since the kids were up at 6 am we decided we might as well head down to see what was going on.  These were balloons that had already launched as we were walking up.
 

We also were able to walk around the field where the balloons were inflating which was pretty neat to see.

Chase definitely was more alert than Madeleine and wanted to see what was going on.

He looks cute still in his pjs

Bye Bye balloons!


Mom & Maddy finally had to make sure Chase didn't wander into places he shouldn't be.

Balloons over downtown with Pilot Butte in the distance.


So when you have kids with their toys and crowd watching they are going to show off!  This balloon dropped down to the river and did a "touch & go" with the water.

Chase with the bunny

Balloons over the stacks in the Old Mill.


Madeleine didn't want to get out and walk but she was more than happy to wave goodbye to the balloons.

So to one up the other balloon, not only did this one touch the water, but they actually dropped the basket on the surface of the river and then "walked" it downstream for a hundred yards.

Since this was the most interesting thing going on at the moment they did draw a lot of interest.

Chase with his ears.

Maddy wasn't too sure about the ears at first, but they grew on her!

Madeleine saw a balloon that was doing something weird.


It was landing in the street!


Actually they just wanted to swap out people in the basket so they dropped low enough for friends to pull them to the side - although they did stop traffic for a few minutes.


Balloons playing near the river with a kayaker going by.


Great morning for a paddle!