Brian and Jackie

Thanksgiving

2012-02-12T22:00:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving dinner #1 - extended Donkin family. We only got a picture with Jackie's immediate family but there were about 40 other people not in this shot.

It's hard to tell but Will had to unbutton his pants a little to make room for all of that food.

Thanksgiving dinner #2 - Jackie's immediate family. Here's Bobby chilling at the kids table with Aurora.

Thanksgiving dinner #3 - Emmett family. We flew into Utah on Thanksgiving morning/afternoon and made it to the house just in time for the delicious feast. No snow on the ground called for some soccer action. My 9 year old cousins are getting pretty good. I can't remember the exact times but it was something like Michael vs Everyone else.

Family picture time. Notice Lily hiding Jack's smile.

Halloween

2012-02-12T21:44:00.003-07:00

We went and saw Body Worlds at OMSI back in October, although body really only cared for the kids play section afterwards. Can't blame him. He soaked through all of his clothes.

A few days before Halloween we took a trip out to Sauvie Island to check out the pumpkins and other festivities. Bobby liked jumping off the hay barrels.

Appears they both enjoyed the hay barrel ride out to the pumpkins.

I know that it is impossible to find a Mormon blog without a few pictures of kids sitting on pumpkins but they always turn out so adorable so you can't blame them.

Here is the group that decided it would be fun to do the corn maze. That was before we realized that we would be trekking through 2 inches of mud the whole time. I imagine corn mazes have become a lot easier since the coming of smart phones, especially when they have the map posted at the beginning. (See below)

Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, Abu, and Raja. Unlike the real Aladdin, I decided to wear a t-shirt under my vest.

2 month old Will in his candy coma

Last Pictures with Camera

2012-02-07T17:03:00.003-07:00

Here are the last pictures we have with my camera before Bobby turned it on, dropped it, and messed up the lens. How can you get upset at a smile like that though?

Or this one for that matter...

Not sure why they are rotated.

Yes, Will kicks it in a purple Bumbo.

Will's Baby Blessing Weekend

2012-02-07T16:44:00.003-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Emmett, as well as my sister Kristin, came out for Will's baby blessing weekend. BYU was in town that weekend playing Oregon State so we made the trip to Corvallis. My mom and sister opted to stay home and play with the kids.

Davey's long lost twin.

The gang.

Bobby's love for taking pictures is slowly dying.

October Beach Trip

2012-02-07T14:41:00.006-07:00

A few days before we left on on beach trip, I noticed Bobby lining up his gold fish on the ottoman.

Then he just started eating them with no hands. He's a fun kid.

This was one of the first things I did when I got to the beach house.

And it wouldn't be a beach trip without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory. October was about the time Bobby really started to enjoy the company of his cousins. It causes a lot of tension at times but he loves tagging along with all of the big kids.

Tired of sliding down the stairs on his stomach.

His turn to drive

Bobby had to get out of the house and take a trip to the water

I'm pretty sure you can still find sand in this sweatshirt, even though we have washed it numerous times.

Enough pictures, DAD

I went straight from work and forgot to pack shoes or sandals but I found some at the beach house!

I didn't move soon enough but I did get the picture of the sand in the air. Now it might be worth it but he got both me and camera well.

I moved this time before he could let go.

Will the wiggle worm next to his cousin RJ.

We drove down the coast on our way home and pulled over to have a little picnic.

We went to the Sea Lion Cave, the place where Sea Lions hang out... except for when we are there.

I guess this can fill up with hundreds of sea lions during the right season.

Bobby was ready to drive home after another great beach trip. I feel like that is all I have to blog about, beach and Utah trips, but I won't complain.

General Conference

2011-11-29T20:45:00.004-07:00

We took the YM/YW of our ward to General Conference in October and had an excellent trip. I wasn't super excited on the idea. It meant driving all day Friday, hanging around the conference center all day Saturday, and then more conference and driving on Sunday. It's about a 13 hour drive to my parents house and that is a long time to be stuffed in a car, just ask Jonathan shown below.

At least he had the snacks.

We hadn't even left the church before we had a flat tire. There was enough air to drive back home and fill it up but that didn't last long. About an hour into the drive the tire was done.

How many times do you think we had to tell Nathan to stop helping and get out of the highway?

Can you find Thomas?

We got the tire to a shop in Arlington, OR and this is what the girls did to keep themselves entertained.

The boys opted for the hacky sack. Timeless

We finally made it to my parent's house around 1:00 am. We had 15 youth staying over with 4 adult leaders. We didn't get too much sleep because we had to get up early and try to find tickets.

We waited in line for a little bit but then one of the other leaders came through with tickets for everyone. We had grabbed a lot of people's extra one or two tickets and he was able to get enough that way. I sat alone but at least we all got inside.

Here is some of the group after the 1st session. One of the girls, Laura, is not in this picture because we left her at my parent's house, home alone style. We gave her a bedroom on the main level since she graduated high school last summer and nobody remembered to grab her in the morning. She called us while we were on our way to see what was going on. Luckily the Rasmussen's were staying at my parents house as well and were able to bring her up for lunch.

Here are all the boys that went on the trip. About 15 minutes after this picture, Nathan took off and we couldn't find him for about an hour or so. I went in with the rest of the boys while two of the other leaders stayed out to try and find him. They ended up getting in about 15 minutes into the Priesthood session with 2nd row seats.

A little more hacky sack before we hit the road after the 1st session on Sunday. We opted to sleep in and watch it from my parent's basement. The boys found the soda machine my Dad had installed so I guess they were all up till 3:00 am drinking all of his Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this General Conference, in no particular order:

- "Perhaps the single greatest thing I learned from reading the Book of Mormon is that the voice of the Spirit comes as a feeling rather than a sound. You will learn, as I have learned, to "listen" for that voice that is felt rather than heard." - President Boyd K. Packer

- "Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text." - Elder Ian S. Ardern

- "President Monson's encouragement to look up is a metaphor for remembering Christ. As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His Atonement. It is that means where by we can be relieved of our anxieties, our burdens, and our suffering. It is the means whereby we can be forgiven and healed from the pain of our sins. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things." - Elder Carl B. Cook

There were a lot more talks that hit deep and that is why I love General Conference. It is essentially the same message over and over but every time I feel the truthfulness of what is being said. That makes it all worth it.

Hanging Around

2011-11-23T21:58:00.004-07:00

More family pictures during Bobby's obsession phase

William is smiling, it took him a little longer than Bobby but it's much appreciated

Bobby can say "iPod" now

Jackie wanted a picture in his new clothes and shoes. He looks so old here.

The remote dropped behind the couch and I gave a little grumble. It was then I remembered I had a little worker bee so I told Bobby to go and get it. He was excited at the assignment and squeezed perfectly between the couch and wall.

Dinner Party

2011-11-23T21:21:00.003-07:00

Charlie and Laura were kind enough to bring some dinner by for us and hang out for a bit. Jeri and Margie decided to join in on the fun.

Lorelai is a little hesitant around me.

Bobby likes showing off his toys and stuff but not a big fan of sharing yet.

Aurora enjoyed playing peek-a-boo upstairs

More Brotherly Love

2011-11-23T21:10:00.003-07:00

Jackie accuses me of taking more pictures of Bobby than Will, and I have to plead guilty. Part of the reason is that Bobby broke our camera a few weeks ago so we haven't had one to take pictures. But even before that I didn't take as many as I did of Bobby. It's busy with more kids!

Bobby was Blobby, but I'm not sure if we have a name for William yet. One big dude.

So glad that Bobby likes him. There really haven't been any jealousy issues.

It's crazy how old Bobby has gotten.

Bobby's Rash

2011-11-23T20:44:00.003-07:00

There aren't many things more difficult than not scratching your skin when you have rash. Try explaining that to 17 month old.

Bobby was pretty excited when I pointed out the Mickey Mouse on his leg. If you asked him where Mickey Mouse was for the next week he would point to his leg, even when it started to fade away.

Here he is showing Mommy after we got back from the hospital

After the rash started to go away, the last phase was this pink phase. If you touched his skin it would turn pink. He would always rub his eyes so it would get little pink rings.

Since my garden is very small and my harvest even smaller, I've thrown in this picture. My garden doesn't even get its own post because we didn't get much.

Birthday party

2011-11-23T20:22:00.002-07:00

Every year you get a birthday celebration for family home evening so here are a few pictures from that event. I went with the chicken schnitzel for dinner and for my dessert, I had to go with the fruit pizza. It can't be beat.

The kids were more than willing to help me open my presents.

We found Bobby sneaking a few early raspberries.

My loot. I got a Dick's Sporting Goods gift certificate so I got a few things with that.

This was the debut of Bobby's music video. I made it the night before and couldn't sleep because I was so excited after I made it. It was a big hit and all of the kids loved dancing around to it.

Bobby grabbing some of the leftover raspberries.

Will's Visitors

2011-11-23T20:03:00.004-07:00

About a week after he was born, my parents and Kristin made the trip out to Portland to see the little guy. Once you start adding more kids it's just a bonus. They had wanted to come out and see Bobby and now they had a great excuse to come and see him and Will.

This is what babies do all day, in case you don't know. It's only when you're trying to sleep that they wake up and make noise.

(Caption Contest: Enter a caption for this picture in the comments section)

It's hard looking at pool photos in November when you live in Portland

Bobby loves his grandmas

A little zealous with his hugs

Better

Oh Will, you're so funny.

Grandma bought these matching outfits.

Will Comes Home

2011-11-20T17:36:00.003-07:00

Bobby giving some love. We were so relieved when Bobby handled a new baby so well.

Ya, I got this mom, stop blocking the TV...

Bobby was imitating Mommy and Daddy at the same time.

Why are little girls always so much more interested in babies than boys are?

Will had some kid visitors

If he's like Bobby, it won't be long until he is dying to take a bath.

Ah, that's better

Bobby is really into the delayed photo option. Of course, he never waits for it to take before you runs up to set it again.

Welcome Will

2011-11-19T09:43:00.006-07:00

Have you heard that we've had another baby? It's true, almost 3 months ago. Will was born the evening of August 24th around 10 pm or so. That time is an estimate but I'm pretty sure of that date. Nobody really wants to hear about it, I'm sure you just want to get to the pictures anyway so here you go.

Well, I only got one photo pre-birth. I think that is because this whole process went so much faster this time. Instead of being at the hospital for about 30 hours before the baby came, we were only there for about 16 hours this time. Just about twice as fast. I was planning on taking all of my pictures in the final few hours but that came too soon. Actually, I'm pretty sure the reason I didn't take many photos is that Jackie didn't want me to take any. She forgot a hairbrush so pictures were pretty much banned.

We showed up at the hospital at 6:00 am for our appointment but found out they were not expecting us until 7:00 am. D'oh! We could have slept an entire extra hour, but who really wants a good nights sleep the day before a baby is born? It's not like you'll be up every few hours for the next couple of months.

We got there and took a nap. This time was so much more relaxed. Not only had we done all of this before, but we had done it last year for goodness sakes. We watched some TV after that and then took another nap. I honestly don't remember much except that I had 3 naps throughout the day. My body knew something was coming and I would want to be ready for it. People kept wanting updates throughout the day but I felt like there was never really an update. Umm, we're just hanging out, Jackie's body is very slowly getting ready to give birth.

I feel like it was around 4 pm and that the contractions were really kicking in so Jackie decided to get the epidural. It was like 15 minutes before they were supposed to come in and I feel asleep for my third little nap. I woke up about a half hour later and the epidural was in and everyone was making fun of me. Jackie wanted me to wake up so I could be there mentally when they stuck the big needle in her back. Anyways, the nurses were talking about how "rough" I had it.

A little later around dinner time, we were missing Bobby so we decided to call Jonnie to see if they could come over for a visit. They were doing something but they said they could be there in about 45 minutes. Jackie was only dilated to a five so we figured we had plenty of time. Well, that 45 minutes turned into about an hour and half so they showed up around 8:00 pm. Right when they got there, the heart rate of the baby dropped off of the chart and Jackie's was dropping as well. The nurses were scurrying around the room to figure out what was going on and I went out in the hall to stop everyone from coming in. Jackie had an oxygen mask on and she didn't want Bobby to see that. It turns out she was just on her back too long and was cutting off circulation. Once they sat her up a little bit, things returned to normal.

Bobby then came in and got to see Mommy. He gave her a hug on the bed and then he was interested in all of the new things in the room. It was just before Bobby came in that the nurses realized Jackie was dilated to a 10 so they started to prep everything. It was a short visit. The nurses pulled in the extra table that holds all 14 of the clamp/scissor looking tools. Why they need 14 different ones is a mystery to me.

I'll keep the remaining part pretty simple to avoid going into too many details. Jackie did one push before the Dr. got there and the nurse told her to stop. Our doctor then showed up soon thereafter and after about 20 minutes of pushing, William was born!

It was still just as amazing as the first birth. What a crazy experience.

Big guy: 10 pounds 7 ounces

Why do all of my kids have to sleep like this?

Cute kid

So chubby

Will's cousin that is about 5 weeks older.

Bobby missed Mommy quite a bit, and vice versa.

How many Donkin's can you fit in a little hospital room?

This was after he lost some weight.

Lorelai wanted to check out the new baby. She only got about 5 months in the limelight before the next grandchild was born.

Not sure if Bobby enjoyed seeing Mommy or eating her snacks more.

Last Photos pre-William

2011-09-25T20:33:00.002-06:00

We decided to take one last impromptu family photo the day before William was to come

I set the camera on a chair and then we took a couple of pictures. I think this is the first time Bobby realized what was going on with the timer. He became so intrigued with the camera again that...

...he wanted to take more once I thought we were finished and...

...he was going to bawl his head off if that is what it took.

I actually got a video of him right here crying so I could show it to him when he gets older. As I was filming, once he noticed, he swatted the camera out of my hand. He picks it up off the ground, all while filming his face perfectly. He then walks the camera over and sets it on the chair. This is actually when I realized he wanted more pictures. I turned the camera around while still filming and you can see Bobby climbing into Jackie's lap.

So, just to please Bobby...

...we took another one.

Later that night we went out for some dessert and if I wasn't going to give Bobby the camera...

...then he was going to hide from the camera.

Bobby loved his ice cream

I love how Bobby always tries to clean up his tray once he is finished.

Any chance that will continue over the years?

Pre Baby Photo Shoot

2011-09-03T21:57:00.002-06:00

Windy or fan blowing on the side?

So unsuspecting of a 10 pound baby in there.

No, that was not the same as the first picture. Similar though.

I have no idea how Will fit in there.

Les Mis

2011-09-02T15:31:00.002-06:00

The Keller Auditorium is across the street from my new office so it worked out great for our night on the town. Jackie came by after work so we could grab some dinner and then catch the touring group of Les Miserables. It is such a wonderful, timeless show.

As we were watching the show, I began to think about how my favorite songs have changed throughout the years and realized how much it correlates to my life. When I was young I liked Do You Hear the People Sing and Master of the House. The first one is aggressive and the second a silly, playful song. When I got older and more interested in girls, I loved listening to On My Own, most likely because I wanted Eponine to show that interested in me. Now, the song I look forward to the most is Bring Him Home. Something about a prayer for the safety of a boy that rings deep.

High Adventure

2011-09-02T15:12:00.002-06:00

I was super excited to get called to the Young Mens, especially right before summer time. I didn't know what the plan was but knew I would be expected to go to either scout camp or the high adventure trip. As tempting as spending a week at Boy Scout camp with a bunch of 12 and 13 year old boys was, I opted for the High Adventure trip.

On Monday we went rock climbing and wake boarding.

Showing the boys how it's done.

Is it me or are kids softer these days? When it came time to wakeboard, only two kids in the boat wanted to do it, and one wasn't able to because of his size 13 foot. Later on in the week when I went jumping off cliffs, again only a couple of the boys were interested.

We actually had an activity recently where we went boating and when we were trying to teach one of the boys how to get up on a wakeboard, he told us he already knew how, and that he has done it on Wii Resort a hundred times. Ya, he didn't get up.

Some of the boys did go tubing though.

On Tuesday we went horseback riding, and practiced our shotgun and bow and arrow skills. It was the first time I have ridden a horse since I rode the Anderson's horse about 15 years ago.

On Wednesday we made our way to the John Day river and spent the rest of the week floating down. It is known more for its small mouth bass fishing than it is for rapids so it wasn't too exciting. It was nice and lazy though with a few great places to cliff jump so I won't complain. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because it is a beautiful river.

I took this picture when we got back to our cars on Saturday afternoon as I caught the young men red handed. They were sneaking into the lunch before all of the boats got back so we could divvy it up fairly
.

July Utah Trip

2011-09-02T12:26:00.002-06:00

My parents wanted some Bobby time before Will came so they flew us out to visit for a few days in July. We spent a lot of time doing what we do in July, and that's watching the Tour de France. It's the perfect background piece in the summer. You don't really need to pay attention so you can sit around and talk about the race and other things.
We lost the battery charger for my camera so there a few a few months without any pictures. These all came from my Ipod so they're not the best quality.

Southwest flights were only about 2/3 full both ways so we got to take Bobby's car seat on the plane. Heavenly. What a difference that makes on a flight. Bobby was content in his seat pretty much the entire flight. As always, he was a hit with the flight attendants.

Summer Pool Time

2011-09-02T11:52:00.003-06:00

Bobby loves walking over to the pool. Unfortunately, there is no baby pool so I guess Bobby will just have to start with the big kids. We've had a few parties at the pool but it looks like I've only taken my camera once.

Loves to splash

Even when it gets in his face.

He also loves to sit in the chair and soak up the sun once he is done swimming.

I just found a few more pictures on Facebook

3 Year Anniversary

2011-07-06T01:21:00.003-06:00

We don't have any pictures of us on our anniversary but we do of cards from the restaurant. Jackie has always wanted to try out the melting pot so that is what we did. At our table they greeted us with this plate and a bottle of Martinelli's. I think we got charged $14 for the Martinelli's too.

Note to self: Get Jackie flowers more often

Oregon Epic Relay

2011-07-06T00:41:00.006-06:00

I somehow got tricked into doing one of those really long relays where you don't get any sleep over a 30 hour period. Here I am with half of the team, the group of people I would spend the next 30 straight hours with. I can't complain too much though because I'm glad I did it and I had some fun while doing so.

The race was from Portland to Eugene, in a very roundabout way. It was 178 miles and we had 12 people on our team. I ended up being assigned the longest total milage at 21 miles. I ran 5.5, then 7.6, and finally a 7.8.

Thomas and Robby enjoyed a little chess during the downtime.

Jackie was a volunteer at one of the exchanges so we got to kick it for a little bit.

As soon as we took this picture, I set my glasses in the truck and have not seen them since.

The handoff from Jeri.

I tried posting the picture that made look like I was running the fast but who am I kidding?

Hello sunburn on the right side of my body.

Douglas had too much energy.

Thomas getting in on the action.

Everyone after our first legs

Here is where we were supposed to sleep before our 2nd leg. Who can sleep from 7 to 9 pm?

The night run was painful. I was way too hot and should not have fun in my jacket. I did not like running with a headlamp either. I'm also just out of shape and my knees were killing me. Luckily there are no pictures from this part. I think my leg was from about 11:30 to 12:30.

The rest of the group ran until 5 am and I drove the truck the entire time so I got no sleep. Thomas was passed out in the bed and simply woke up 10 minutes before he had to run and was out within 10 minutes of finishing his run. I'm not even sure he was awake during his run.

Once we finished we drove around the OSU campus and then went on to the next vehicle exchange area. But not before we stopped at the only diner in Harrisburg, OR for a little breakfast. Robby is a vegan so you just feel bad eating meat and bread in front of him but I was so hungry at this point that I didn't really care.

Eventually, we got to the school and I got to sleep from 7:15 to 8:45, in the rain.

That's right, it rained during those 2 hours we had a solid break. It stopped once our team started running but started up again when it was my turn.

Here I am about a mile into my last leg of 7.8 miles. My left knee was not working at this point. Everytime it hit the pavement it was just pain. Walking felt fine, so I would walk and jog, walk and jog. An older gentleman passed me around this point so I followed behind him for a mile or so until I couldn't keep up because all I wanted to do was walk. I tried giving his team my bracelet so they could run my leg for me. Didn't work.

My team was waiting at mile 3 to get me some water. About 1/4 mile from the truck I started to sprint and magically that didn't hurt the knee very. As soon as I got to the truck, I finally got the knee loose and made the turn to start running into the wind. D'oh!

The heavy t-shirt felt like 20 pounds so I had to shed that. I actually felt pretty good and kept telling myself that I could do hard things. I even caught the old guy and when his support vehicle saw me, the pulled out of their parking spot and backtracked to see how their guy was doing. At the finish line they called me a hustler because when their team passed me, they thought I was a goner. They said they would never play pool with me.

I was so glad when I finished and knew I didn't have to run anymore. I put the only dry piece of clothes that I had, the free t-shirt, left on.

Here we are at the finish line, waiting for our last runner.

Here he comes!

Finishers! Second to last place of 39 groups!

Get me home

Bobby gets ready for Jedi School

2011-07-06T00:30:00.002-06:00

Reg officially adopted the boys and Jackie got to go down to the courthouse.

Listening to grandpa's tunes

Bobby loves the slide. He'll usually want to go around 20 times straight before you can distract him with something else...

...like woodchips.

He loves to throw and eat them.

Here's a picture of the house from the front that is really the side if you ask me. But that is our front door.

Bobby put on someone's t-shirt and he looked like a little Jedi.

Other June Fun

2011-07-06T00:22:00.003-06:00

What's different about this picture? Presenting, Bobby the Merman.

Jackie was changing him and got both legs on one side somehow.

He couldn't get too far.

We fixed the legs and took him over to Grandma's trampoline. It was finally dry enough to use. It seemed like the rain never stopped this year. Whenever it did stop is was never for very long.

We're trying to get Bobby to be soft with the babies. He is usually pretty good but then he always ruins it by slapping Lorelei in the face. He'll be really soft, kind of just petting here like a little puppy, and then he just snaps.

June Beach Trip

2011-07-06T00:02:00.005-06:00

Bobby was excited to be at the beach. You'll notice my car keys in his hand. Nothing is safe anymore. If you are positive that you put your chapstick on your night and that it can't be too far, you're wrong. It could be anywhere in the house, including Bobby's onesies. It's the worst when you find him trying to stick stuff down the vents.

Anyways, the bottom part of the beach house was open the first weekend in June so we decided to take one last beach trip before the baby comes. It was originally going to be just me and Jackie but Bobby is just too awesome to leave behind. We also wanted to give Jonnie a break since she watches Bobby a lot during the week.

Bobby the cow.

Bobby the farmer.

Margie and her old roommate Lacey also joined us for the fun.

As soon as you can get Bobby to look at the camera...

...you lose Jackie.

Bobby was super hesitant in the sand at first but he ended up loving it. Except for when he tried to wipe the sand out of his eye with his sandy hands. That was rough.

Getting serious about his sand building.

Too bright for Daddy...

Too bright for baby.

Bobby always wants to be somewhere else.

Long day at the beach.

Kickin' it.

While fighting falling asleep, the chair got the best of Bobby.

Reg and Kristin's Sealing

2011-07-05T23:45:00.002-06:00

A beautiful day to visit the Lord's temple.

Jackie showing off the beautiful belly.

The other side

Family picture time of everyone that was there for the sealing. I had to include the one with Max throwing the fit.

...and then one without Max throwing a fit.

Two big bellies

3 big bellies

Father and Son's Campout

2011-07-05T23:39:00.002-06:00

I took Bobby camping last month...sort of. We stayed in Hod's new camper so we got to enjoy the luxuries of pizza, movies, and being dry while at the camp out. Bobby slept in the big bed with grandpa so that was one less thing for me to worry about. I really didn't have to do too much with Thomas and Jonathan keeping him entertained.

Lot's of "brotherly love" going on during the trip. I'm glad Michael and I got along pretty well growing up.

Mother's Day

2011-07-05T23:31:00.003-06:00

This is in front of Jackie's mom's grave. I look forward to meeting her someday in the life hereafter.

Bobby, taking the van for a Sunday stroll.

My parents came out the weekend we moved but this is the only picture I took so I'll include it here, especially since it includes my Mother. Love you Mom!

Side note: One thing I didn't think about the new neighborhood was the traffic that it generates during Memorial weekend. We have two huge cemeteries just up the road and we got stuck in it trying to come home from church on Sunday afternoon. What usually is about a 45 second drive from the bottom of the hill took about 15 minutes.

Our New House

2011-06-26T16:34:00.008-06:00

Ok, so it's not necessarily a new house, but it's new to us! Yes, we bought a house and moved in the last day of April. It was quite the exciting time. Our very first house.

Everything happened so fast. It all started around Christmas when we found out that we would be having another baby. We knew we wanted to move out of our 2 bedroom apartment and with such cheap housing all around us, it just made sense. Our mortgage is only $200 more a month but we have two more rooms and 1,000 more square footage. Plus a garage, backyard, and a playground right past our backyard.

We looked around for a couple of months until we made the offer on this place. It was a bank owned property listed on a Friday (luckily I decided to check the latest listings right before I left work that day), we saw it on Saturday morning, made an offer, and had our offer accepted on Monday.

These pictures are taken during the very first week so I need to update them now that we've really moved in and started decorating but the second the house gets clean, Bobby destroys it again. He will literally follow you, untidying the things you just tidied.

So this is what the family room looked like from the dining room when we first bought it. Unfortunately, when the HOA turned the water on, they didn't check the house and the water spicket for the refrigerator was loose and just flooded the main level. We showed up at the house to check on it and as we walked in the front door, we were greeted by a rushing water down the hallway. It didn't accumulate much because it went down the vents and into the ground but it was still terrifying.

Bedroom downstairs that is considered the master bedroom. We're creating a master bedroom upstairs so we can be close to the boys. This room was soaked and we've replaced the carpet. It's a great guest room because you have your own bathroom so come on and visit!

We were not allowed to do anything to the house during the closing period so we had to wait about 4 weeks until we could lift up the floors and check out the damage from the flood.

The boards were warped so we knew we would have to replace the surface, but we were not sure about the chip board beneath it.

Ya, that would need to go. So gross.

Thomas and Jonathan enjoyed helping in the destruction... for about 2 minutes.

It was wet and very hard to pull up. We didn't get too far that night but luckily Hod went to Home Depot in the morning to grab some roof shingle stripper things and those worked like a charm.

Here's the room we're staying in right now. Bobby will most likely move in here once our new room is ready and then Will will probably move in with Bobby when baby #3 comes, in like several years.

We re-carpeted the entire house and painted it as well so we don't have that sweet color in there anymore.

The new baby's little room.

We have a nice, big open ceiling over the family room. Painting that was quite a chore.

This loft area is now gone. We've taken out that weird wall/ceiling thing, knocked out the wall on the left, and will use this space to build us a bathroom and laundry closet.

This will be the master bedroom soon.

That closet is gone and will be the entrance to our bathroom.

We enlisted a few people to come and help us rip up the floor. Thank you so much!

Once the wet wood was up, then began the tedious work of removing as many staples and nails as possible so the floor wouldn't be as creaky when we put it in. If we look delirious, it's because we were.

Here is that same area with the painted walls and new vinyl.

Up there you can see we knocked out the wall. And by "we" I mean Donkin Construction.

Check out my flagrant painting mistake on the ceiling. I was a little too zealous. Those wood panels have since been painted white to match the rest of the trim.

Well, I'm posting this late and it's tough because the house has changed so much. I promise to get newer pictures up soon.

Jackie's Bday Party

2011-06-12T17:21:00.002-06:00

Bobby loves sitting in Grandma's lap, especially when there are treats involved

You know you're a Mom when people give you outfits for your kids on your birthday

Bobby will let you put glasses on his face...for about 2 seconds

Jackie showing the cake some love

The Big Baby

Jackie at 5 months

Bobby's 1st Birthday

2011-04-10T23:25:00.005-06:00

We had to go with the Mickey Mouse Theme

Lot's of goodies

Jackie and Jonnie slaved over this cake for about 4 to 5 hours on Saturday afternoon while the men went to the priesthood session and dinner.

Douglas caught a chicken that was rooming around the streets

Picture with the Birthday Boy

About to go at his little cupcake

That's my boy

The black frosting stained anything it touched.

We also had a party on Monday night, the day after his birthday.

All the kids wanted to help touch the buttons on the little laptop.

His first lawnmower. I wonder if he'll be an ultimate lawnmower like his uncle Michael.

Can you tell a difference between my regular smile and my funny face smile? I take after my brother John.

His first swings of the bat

Chillin in the chair that his Grandma Lynne helped make awhile back. Jackie convinced her Grandma while we were in Phoenix to let her have it and her cousin April was nice enough to ship it up to us.

Spring Training!

2011-04-10T18:18:00.006-06:00

Bobby had never even been to Spring Training yet he was so happy as we rolled into the airport. Life's good when you're watching a baseball game in 80 degree sun and then hanging poolside afterwards. It took us awhile to make it to Phoenix but it was worth it!

Jackie used the layover time to kill some zombies with plants, or to kill green pigs with some angry little birds.

We were using Jeri's buddy passes on United so it wasn't the smoothest trip. We had to fly standby and it felt like just about everyone was trying to escape to the warm sun. Here is how we made it there.

6:55 am - arrive at the airport to check in
7:55 am - catch an open flight to San Francisco
10:00 am - arrive in SF and play Settlers of Catan with a random guy dropping off his siblings at the airport. This guy wasn't waiting for a flight or anything like that.
noon - Jeri's gets in
2:00 pm - catch a flight to LAX because the flights to Phoenix look full from SF
4:30 pm - miss the flight to Phoenix by one person. That results in a lot of the picture below.

5:00 pm to 10:00 pm - keep Bobby entertained in the airport. We ate at CPK and watched the Lakers vs Heat game. Talked about pulling a prank where we set Bobby in the middle of the walk way and then have Jeri come up and start asking people if they lost their baby. She was wearing her flight attendant uniform so it would have been perfect. We played a couple of rounds of Settlers.
10:30 pm - Take off on an open flight to Phoenix! We lose an hour so we don't land until about 12:40 local time. It may have taken us close to 18 hours but we were excited!

It was fun to meet Lizzie Johnson. She's 3 months older than Bobby.

I told Bobby to wave to Torii Hunter and he did.

I told Bobby to take a picture with Bobby Abreu and he did. This picture made the entire previous day worth everything. It was Bobby Abreu's birthday and he had no problem holding little Bobby.

When Lizzie hears a song she likes, she throws her hands in the air and keeps them still like she just don't care.

Bobby was exhausted from the sun and the game.

Wasn't too long until Lizzie was out as well.

We went to two games on that Friday. The night game was the Giants vs. the Padres and we meet up with Chris and Dana Bradshaw, although I don't have a single picture of them on my camera. I swear they were there though. Will Venable caught a fly ball for the third out on the warning track and I asked him to throw it up. Sure enough he did and Bobby got his first souvenir baseball. We've taught him to throw it and now he just throws everything he can get his hands on.

Saturday day game against the Indians. We were kicking it in the outfield lawn seats.

Bobby loves Jeri

On the way home it was more of this. Bobby crawled all over the airport and I didn't have the energy to try and stop him. I loved when people would walk by and talk about how cute he was. It was a little easier on the way home as we flew to San Fransisco, hung out with my buddies Sean and Ted during the layover, and then caught a flight to Portland and we were home by a little after 9:00 pm. Can't wait for next year.

All of February in One Post

2011-04-03T18:11:00.005-06:00

The first half of February was spent studying for the Series 9 and 10 tests that I took on February 14th and 15th. Happy Valentine's Day honey! Love you, I'm going to go study...I passed so it was worth it. We can celebrate each other everyday, not just on the 14th of February.

Here are some other things that happened:

Bobby likes taking naps in our bed on Saturdays. We walked in the room to find him like this.

Close one!

We also found him on my pillow one time and pretty much every time thereafter.

We let him out of the yellow ducky tub and let him take a bath like a real man. Errr wait, real men don't take baths, do they?

Lorelai was born the 26th of February. Laura and baby are recovering well. Should have 3 babies this year on the Donkin side of the family. Kristin Donkin is due in July and then Jackie is in August!

Bobby has started to like toys. Hopefully he doesn't become a toy hoarder and keep all the other kids from playing with them when he is not playing with them. We've been teaching him how to respond when we say "may I have it?" or "will you share with me?". He'll place the object in your hand for a couple of seconds but he won't let go. Oh, here you go Dad...psych!

He's also become a big fan of the fish tank at the Dullum's house. Hopefully you've been able to watch the video of him "kissing" it on Facebook.

He's also become very clingly lately. It doesn't take long until he's crawling at your feet, begging to have you pick him up.

Mommy always gives in.

Other January Fun

2011-04-03T18:00:00.003-06:00

After the beach house trip, the fun didn't stop. Here are some of the other things that happened.

I let bobby feed himself...

...and he was loving it...

...although this is where most of it ended up.

Jeri had a layover in Portland while she was on the job so we took a trip to visit her at the hotel and swim in the pool. Bobby hadn't been in the water for about 6 months so it was pretty much new to him again.

Here's Bobby, checking out the other babes at the pool.

Natural

In January, Bobby also started another hobby. It was opening the cupboards...

...and taking everything out.

January Beach House Trip

2011-03-26T18:43:00.004-06:00

The weekend after Jackie and Bobby went to California was the planned weekend for the beach house trip. The original excuse was to celebrate the end of all the licensing tests but since I didn't pass when I took them the week before, we used it as a weekend to clear the head before I got back into studying. It worked, I passed the tests in the middle of February and life has been good ever since.

I took the kayak out in the waves for a little bit. Enough to catch a couple of waves and then get thrown overboard. My kayak was carried all the way to the shore and I had to swim with the paddle to go and get it (very slow process). Even with the wetsuit it was a little chilly. An old man walked up the beach to see if I was OK. I guess he and his buddies were placing bets to see if I would make it out alive. Hahaha.

I told him I was OK but that I was a little chilly. "Well ya, it's the middle of JANUARY!!" was his response.

Bobby was excited to be at the beach house.

So were Zach and Allie.

Bobby and Samantha were stoked to share a nice weekend getaway...

...although Sam wasn't big on sharing her sippy cups.
It's so hard to remember to pack everything once you have a baby.

I love these two

The biggest waves I have seen at the beach house in my several trips there. I really need to get a surf board, or a kayak that won't fill up with water.

Ezra being Ezra.

Disneyland Adventures

2011-03-26T18:16:00.007-06:00

I've tried to get Jackie to post these pictures for two months since I didn't actually go on the trip but she keeps coming up with excuses. For some reason she is always too tired, too nauseous, or too busy with a demanding 11 month old (one year in two weeks!).

They took this trip back on Martin Luther King Day. Since Jackie can fly for free on United, thanks to Jeri, they left on Sunday afternoon, stayed with family in L.A., and then went to Disneyland the next day. It was sunny and in the high 70s while I stayed at home with the boys in the cold, Portland rain. Thomas had a few friends stay the night, whom I had assumed were allowed to do so, until Jonathan ratted him out when the parents got back.

Who's more excited to be there?

Not a big fan of hats, just like his Dad.

This is why Jackie really wanted to go

Lovin' it

No hands, keepin it real

Watching the Mickey Mouse show. Bobby is about to explode with excitement.

They all had a good trip and were glad that they decided to do it, even though it was a little last minute.

Cousin Photo Session

2011-01-30T23:13:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago Bobby went and hung out with his cousin Aurora and this is what ensued...

Both really excited to see each other

Bobby giving a what's up to the cameraman

Riding the horse AND shaking the rattle. That's my boy.

Oh what!? No hands?? What a show off.

Up to no good smirk

Kissing cousins

Super awesome bunk bed? Yes.

End of the Year

2011-01-30T22:58:00.003-07:00

I have a few odds and ends photos that I wanted to post. After Christmas, we wanted to take a picture with Bobby sitting in front of the tree and then it appears we developed the habit of putting Bobby in big cardboard boxes and taking pictures.

We stopped in at a store and the floor salesperson gave Bobby a balloon. He was lovin it.

Christmas in Utah

2011-01-23T21:54:00.010-07:00

We flew out to Salt Lake on the Sunday before Christmas to spend the next 8 days with my family. Bobby did well on the flight and continued to win over people both behind and in front of him on the plane. I love happy babies. Anyways, first order of business when we got to my parent's house was to check out the new bounce house in the basement.

Bobby enjoyed it at the beginning...

...and quickly fell in love.

Grandpa got in for some of the lounging action.

We drove up to Beaver early that week so we could ski the backside of the mountain to ourselves. We had great weather and it's always fun skiin the beav.

John showing me how it's done.

We got a decent storm but it was so warm and actually started raining towards the end so the snow didn't stay long. I did what I could for the snow hill in the back yard. Dad's plow sure helped out a lot.

As you can see, Bobby was a little tipsy

"I can't put my arms down!"

We had fun hanging out with Grandpa

and grandma.

Cousin Jack grew out of his shoes after a week so my brother gave them to Bobby. He has about 4 years to grow into them.

Jack rockin the shepherd outfit for the nativity at the Emmett Christmas party.

Bobby passed up the more prestigious role of baby Jesus for a shot to be one of the wise men.

Turns out the wise men included both wise women and children.

This is when Jack and Lily both realized that baby Jesus was being played by their little sister, Isabel.

Sometimes it's more entertaining to watch the 12 camera people recording the show.

Grandpa Emmett with the two newest additions.

Bobby giving Kristin some love.

Grandma wanted a turn.

Back to Grandpa.

Even Jack wanted a picture with the babies.

That night in Logan, Bobby slept in the closet at the Marriot.

We were supposed to fly home Monday morning at 7 am but once I heard almost everyone would be up skiing at Beaver, I changed our flights. I couldn't pass up a family ski day. Especially since it had been a few years since I was around.

The 11 o'clock lunch.

Raise your hand if you're special.

The whole gang. Umm, John, goggles up dude.

Bobby waiting for the flight.

Watching the Mickey Mouse clubhouse on Mommy's Ipod.

Zoo Lights and other updates

2011-01-23T21:13:00.005-07:00

Just in case you missed it, I grew a beard out in the beginning of December. Lasted about 3 weeks and it was time.

Now that Bobby is pretty mobile, it's funny to see where he ends up.

The weekend before Christmas we did our 2nd annual family trip to the Portland Zoo for the Zoo Lights Special. I didn't take any pictures of the "animals" this year so you'll have to go back a year if you want to see those. Bobby was bundled up and ready to go. He loves his Aunt Margie.

As well as his Grandpa Donkin

He was a little hesitant to ride the sheep for some reason.

He enjoyed the horse ride though.

After going to a few exhibits, the rest of the night was spent trying to get Jeri out of the computer.

I thought this stuff only happened in bad horror films.

Bobby was more than willing to try to get her out of there.

Since we were off to Utah the next day, we actually did our family gift exchange in the cafe.

Gifts got Bobby to smile (more).

After the gift exchange it was time to leave. We caught Rudolph just as he was about to leave.
It's funny that we never would have asked Rudolph for a picture with just me and Jackie, but since we have Bobby, it's acceptable to do all of the silly stuff.

We made Jonathan and Thomas take a picture with Rudolph, since they are still 8 and 11 in Jackie's eyes.

After Rudolph left, I told Margie to go up and stand there to see if anyone wanted a picture with her.

not many takers....

eventually Charlie volunteered, although he appears apprehensive.

That week Bobby created a habit of avoiding his car seat at all costs. It was nearly impossible to get the kid into it. He would arch his back like so, and refuse to get in there. Funny kid.

Family Pictures

2011-01-14T23:58:00.002-07:00

While the rest of Oregon sat in front of their TVs to see if Oregon State could pull off the upset against the University of Oregon, we took a few family pictures. Think Christmas card style, although we didn't actually send any out. Danelle is always so gracious to take pictures of us, we even have our own album on her Facebook page. So, if you're dying to see pictures of us, you know where to go. If you just need a few, hopefully these will suffice.

My favorite. Do you have one?

Nevermind, this is my favorite.

Yes, I did let the beard go for a couple of weeks. The moment Jackie thought I should start trimming it, I shaved it. It brought flashbacks of High School and my parents urging me to cut my hair.

Bobby Loves To...

2010-12-16T23:23:00.004-07:00

...play with Mommy's Ipod (using only one finger like her)

...play on Mommy's phone

...look at the Christmas tree, and try to rip it apart

...get dirrrrty

...bang the piano keys

...play in the clean laundry

...wear my hat, take it off, and chew on the brim

...grow teeth (he doesn't actually love this, unless he's crying tears of joy)

...make calls

He's a wonderful little dude.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T23:53:00.005-07:00

My first Thanksgiving breakfast feast with the Hatch family. As you can see in the picture above, it was quite the crowd. Having the super delicious, big breakfast meal on Thanksgiving is genius. Nobody has conflicts because it's early in the morning and this way you get to expand your stomach for the big meal later in the afternoon.

I taught the teenagers a lesson or two in our game of 21.

Blue steel? A new pose Bobby has been working on. I'm so glad we got it on film.

Bobby being Bobby

Sleepy doggy

Aurora is not a big fan of taking pictures, even with her obviously favorite uncle.

She had no problem jumping in on the dog pile.

Grandpa had to leave so I got to hold the sleeping baby. It was contagious.

After the morning with the Hatch family, it was on to the Donkin family party at the Zeller's house. I stole a few pictures from Lynda's facebook page at the Hatch party above. I was then trying to think about who might have pictures already posted from the Zeller party and then I realized that Lynda would have those as well. She is Jonnie's sister and she married Hod's brother so we get them at both parties. Sure enough she already had two different albums to choose from.

Bobby is already a big hit with the ladies.

The cool table

Lovin the orange rolls

Jackie showing off the pies, and her hand

Jackie's cousin Max

Jackie attempted the self portrait. Fail

Let's just have your Aunt take a picture of us.

After the parties it was time for the movie. Davey got us in to see Tangled in 3D. The picture below is Bobby watching the movie with his little 3D glasses on. It's hard to make it out but you can see his glasses and little forehead. He was definitely better than some of the kids in the theater, sleeping through a good portion.

Overall it was a great Thanksgiving. My first one out here with Jackie's family. We had great weather. It was a little cold but you can't complain when it is sunny. I missed the morning surf session with my brothers that we would have when we lived in California growing up but I really can't complain.

Some Pictures with Mommy

2010-11-28T18:21:00.003-07:00

After looking through our photo library, I realized most of the pictures with Bobby were taken with me. I guess Jackie is quicker to get out the camera and take a picture. She thinks anything we do together is just "so cute". Well, here are a few pictures of Jackie with Bobby.

He was laughing up a storm at Mommy

We got him the classic Xylophone from Fisher Price with a gift card that our apartment manager gave us when he was born. He loves it. Jackie was teaching him how to use it.

Still more focused on the camera

He played two notes before he decided it was time to go in his mouth.

We stayed at Jackie's parents house last weekend while they were in Hawaii. We made sure the boys didn't throw any parties while they were gone. We also helped make them dinner, like nachos and pizza. That's really about all we had for her little brothers, they're not interested in much else when it comes to food. Bobby liked the big king size tempurpedic bed.

The leather Ottoman at Target went on sale right before Thanksgiving so we finally decided to get it. Bobby was content in there for about 15 minutes.

Bath Tub Initiation

2010-11-28T16:11:00.003-07:00

Bobby got too big for his little infant bath tub tray thingy, so we moved him into the real man's bath tub. Although, I'm pretty sure real men don't take baths, because they're kind of gross.

We threw in the little rubber duckies and this is where they ended up.

The day after we bathed him in the big tub, someone at work told me about the little duck tub she got at Target. We decided to get it and slowly transition Bobby to the big tub.

He loved it from the get-go

Still with the little ducks in his mouth.

Halloween

2010-11-21T23:59:00.003-07:00

My first carved pumpkin in about 15 years.

Can you guess which one Charlie, the artist, carved?

Bobby liked the pumpkin goo. Messy.

Something about little babies sitting with pumpkins is so cute.

Bobby's Chewbacca outfit didn't arrive in time (bad storm in Wisconsin) so we went with plan B, the froggy.

He definitely loved the attention.

Weekend with Michael

2010-11-21T22:49:00.005-07:00

Michael came to town for Halloween weekend. It was a lot of fun for us to have him out here, especially since he was on his mission for the wedding and couldn't make it out for Bobby's baby blessing due to his ACL surgery. The sun was shining on his first day here so there was no real need to stand under the man's umbrella but what the heck.

I let Michael use my camera since he left his at our apartment. In the above picture Michael is trying to master the timer. He forgot to zoom out first though.

That's better

Michael walked straight up to some girls to ask for help with this shot.

The main reason of his trip was to come to the Sufjan Stevens concert with us. I was so happy when I found out that Sufjan would be touring out here I bought tickets right away. I told Michael about it and even though Sufjan would be in Salt Lake 3 days later, he decided it would be a good time to come out and visit us.

We had some time to kill before the concert so we went and got a bite to eat.

The Benson Bubblers. The drinking fountains downtown.

View from the balcony of all the hipsters walking in

On Saturday they sat in the rain to watch me play a couple of softball games. We won and lost. It also wouldn't be a Portland trip without going to Charlie's movie theater. Charlie was actually out of town but called ahead to let the other manager know we would be coming. We saw Matt Damon's movie, Hereafter, an interesting movie, but I'll stick with this version of the Plan of Salvation. After that it was back to the house to watch the end of one of the World Series games, and then to the church parking lot for the Trunk or Treat.

Michael came to my Sunday School class to meet the kids. It was a pretty typical, rowdy lesson with even a blow horn going off when I was writing something on the chalkboard. Is there any way that Bobby can skip being 13, 14, and 15 years old?

On Sunday afternoon we took a drive out to Multnomah Falls. Beautiful as always.

Jeri was in town for a day or two so she tagged along.

Mail Surprise

2010-11-10T22:02:00.002-07:00

So I got the above item in the mail the other day and I was pretty excited. I mean, $1.00 coupons are pretty sweet, who wouldn't be excited. I flipped it over to open it from the back...

...and it started to get a little fishy. Why is my coupon only something a woman would want? If only a woman would enjoy, why am I receiving this in the mail? I figured I might as well still check it out...

...and there you have it. I bet some of you probably guessed what was inside, especially the women.

More of Bobby

2010-11-10T21:35:00.003-07:00

Don't really have a title for this post because it is mostly just a few random photos we have taken at the house. It seems like we always remember to takes pictures on Sunday morning after we dress him for church. That is why we have so many pictures similar to the one below. He always has Mommy's cell phone for some reason too.

One of my favorite things to do with Bobby is make him laugh. If you do something funny and new he will usually let out a good chuckle. For some odd reason, I've noticed people have no problem repeating the exact same joke/funny face/sound when it comes to interacting with babies. Maybe it's because they'll usually laugh again. Can you imagine if a comedian repeated his joke right after telling the punch line? Anyways, Bobby will laugh hard the first time, and then a little less each time until about 6 times.

He has been loving the camera so we are both excited

A little bedtime story from Fortune.

Samantha's Birthday

2010-11-07T21:51:00.003-07:00

Bobby's girlfriend became a one year old a couple of weeks ago. Yes, Bobby is a little young, being only 7 months old but that won't stop any boy of mine.

Bobby watching on

Samantha didn't totally know what was going on but she sure was happy.

I wish I could have video taped the advice that Ezra gave to Bobby right before this picture. Bobby was touching the princess wrapping in the photo. Ezra took it away from him and told him that he shouldn't like the wrapping paper, because it was princess stuff and it was pink, and those are for girls. Ezra is always really sweet to Bobby.

Grandpa Emmett Loves Me

2010-10-24T23:19:00.006-06:00

Kind of a hard title to come up with. It's a true statement though, one beaten into my head since I was a little kid. My Grandpa Emmett passed away on September 27th with many from my family there for his last moments. We flew out that weekend for the funeral and it was good to be with family. I didn't take any pictures that weekend so all of the following are from my sister's camera.

She happened to take a picture of the guest list on the Portland temple page

The skis in the bouquet was a nice touch

He donated a lot of money to USU over the years

We piled snowflakes that the grandchildren made onto the coffin. Of course, the kind of snowflakes that come in a groomed, corduroy form, the way Grandpa would have wanted it.

Grandpa's site overlooks USU's Romney Stadium. I'm sure he enjoyed the Aggies wooping of the Cougars that day.

Bobby enjoyed the tease of riding in the car while not in his car seat. Someday.

It was an emotional weekend to say the least. I couldn't have asked for a better grandfather.

More September Fun

2010-10-06T17:15:00.003-06:00

Bobby got a high chair

We went to a surprise party for Allison

Bobby acted super cute

I bought Kirby's Avalanche on the wii and remembered my younger days. Bobby will sit in my lap and pretty much love whatever I'm doing/watching

Bobby wore his first tie, and pretty much ate it the whole time he was wearing it

Jackie remembers to sit him up while I take pictures and I think he looks so much better when he does.

I played in a Tuesday night softball league and we start another fall league this Saturday.

Bobby had his first piano lesson

It's a Birthday Party

2010-10-06T16:00:00.004-06:00

I celebrated my 26th birthday on September 13th. Meanwhile, my cousin Ben celebrated the birth of his baby girl.

Bobby was happy to see his old man with the camera

Jeri's birthday is the 14th so we had a combined birthday party for FHE

Jonnie made the most delicious fruit pizza/cookie treats. I wish my birthday was everyday. She made a big one that we all ate that night so I was able to save this for lunch the following day.

Bobby enjoyed having Jeri set up the paper towels...

... so he could knock them over.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-10-05T14:30:00.007-06:00

Labor Day weekend was a blast as we took advantage of the extended weekend and flew over to Utah. The trip was dual-purposed. One reason was to go for Isabel's baby blessing that was held that Sunday. The second was to have one last visit with my Grandpa. Yes, happy, yet sad, yet happy. Grandpa actually passed away last week but we feel very fortunate we were able to get out there and see him one last time. Before we left his house, he told me to take care of my beautiful family. I'm glad he was able to meet Bobby a couple of times.

Well, right before we left for Utah, Margie came by to say goodbye. She's going to school out in Hawaii and wouldn't be in Portland still by the time we got back.

Just like his Daddy, he enjoys the view in the mirror

Margie had fun putting him in the sink for a little photo session

On that Friday we went over to Midway to hang out with John's family and to check out Swiss Days, always good for a Navajo Taco. The number of grandkids equals the number of kids right now for my parents and yet the grandkids still get most of the love.

I walked around the shops for about 3 minutes until I was too hot and realized I wasn't really interested in what they had to offer so I went back to the shade to play with Bobby. He looks pretty good in those Wayfarers...

...as well as the backwards Angel's hat

After Swiss Days we went over to Park City to ride the Alpine Slide as well as the roller coaster. That roller coaster is amazing. So much fun because you are positive you are going to fly off of the track.

On Saturday we went up to Logan to hang out with Grandpa. I didn't get any pictures with him and Bobby so I'm disappointed now.

Bobby Effect: The inherent ability of a young baby to make "shotgun" be the last seat called in a moving vehicle.

Blessing day. That sun was way too bright, where are my glasses?

We have about 7 of these pictures so it was hard to just put up 2

On Labor Day we went into Provo to meet up with some of our friends. After that we went back to my parents house, packed up, and then met up with John and his family in Salt Lake for a little dinner at the mall.

Bobby and Lily raced down the escalator and it came down to a photo finish...

...with Lily just barely edging out the distracted Bobby.

Waiting for the plane, why not pick up a good book.

We got home just in time for Family Home Evening and this was the scene as soon as we got home. Bobby was gone for 4 days and was surely missed by his family out here.

Possible Engagement Photos?

2010-10-05T14:07:00.005-06:00

I don't remember exactly when these photos were taken but sometime in August, I believe. The first set comes from Heather while at a choir party one Sunday afternoon. After that we were inspired to get a little more photography session with the two betrothed babies. Bobby is in a very fun phase if you're able to entertain yourself, like I am. The puppet phase. He'll pretty much do whatever you want him to do and even better, he'll do it with a smile.

This one right above could be the engagement photo someday. Samantha is 6 months older but that shouldn't mean a thing for any boy of mine.

August Beach Trip

2010-09-27T16:34:00.005-06:00

This is one of the traditions I love the most. Maybe it's because it was during the August Beach Trip 2007 that I met the rest of Jackie's family, or maybe it's just because it's the beach, and I love the beach. That first trip was an eye opener as to what it would have been like to grow up in a family of 10 kids. It was madness but I survived and here I am now, lovin' it.

This was the first time I've been to the beach house with Reg so I was very excited. He's an adventurous guy and this is where we found ourselves within about 20 minutes of him arriving...

I bought the inflatable kayak because I wanted something to do at the beach house besides Phase 10 and it was the best purchase of the year so far. Reg and I had a good time out in the waves. He wore his sunglasses out there and had them on until a wave crashed down on him.

If the kayak is the purchase of the year, then this is the picture of the year. Thomas was excited to go kayaking so he got his wetsuit and life vest on, about 2 hours before we left the house. He killed time by playing Nintendo, but kept the gear on the entire time.

6 of us went kayaking on the 2nd day. Thomas rode with Reg while Jonathan played it safe and rode with Kristin.

We, of course, didn't have to rent but we also had the slower kayak.

When we got back to the house after this, Jackie and I took it out into the ocean. We were trying to catch waves until one of the waves caught us. I was trying to turn it around in time but didn't get much further and a parallel position to the breaking wave. It gobbled us up and flipped us over. We both came up and hit our heads on the kayak. The water was probably in the high 50s, low 60s so pretty cold, especially for Jackie who didn't have a very good wetsuit.

When I came up and looked at Jackie she had the look of death on her face. The combination of the cold water and being trapped under the kayak is not good. I calmed her down, swam to the kayak, and then we kind of floated in to where we could touch. That was enough for that day.

The following day we walked the kayak up the beach so we could try and make it to the twin rocks just about 500 meters (according to google maps) off the shore. The current was going south and we wanted to walk the kayak instead of trying to paddle that thing against the current. The plan worked like a charm and we were even able to find a little spot where we didn't have to fight many waves. We paddled around the rocks and decided to just let the current take us home.

A sea otter showed up about 10 feet from the kayak but Jackie missed it. As I was telling her about it, it popped up again, this time just about a paddle's length from our boat. It was awesome. He stuck his head out of the water and just stared at us for about 5 seconds. What are you idiots doing out here? He swam around us for a few minutes and then he went back to the rocks. We named him Rocky. We got back to the outside waves and decided to try and catch one. Well, we got too close into the shore again and a big wave crashed just before us. It flipped us like the day before although this time we were a little more prepared. I came up expecting the same look of death on Jackie's face but she was solid as a rock. She was swimming around gathering the paddles.

We got back into the kayak and then caught the best wave of the trip. We got to the top of the wave and then we finally shot down the face, both of us leaning back as far was we could with our hands in the air. I was sure she was going to come flying over me but when we caught the wave it was like dropping down a little 3 foot waterfall. Jackie knows now what it feels like to be "stoked".

Grandma and her grandkids

Margie likes to eat babies

Bobby is still working on this kissing thing.

He wants whatever you have in your hand

A trip through Tillamook wouldn't be right without stopping at the cheese factory

Bobby Eats Rice Cereal

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Bobby would watch us eat and then make the motions with his mouth so we decided to let him try some food. The Pediatrician said it's a good time to start when the baby makes the chewing motion while you eat.

He was a little confused and shocked at first, as you can see in video I posted on Facebook, but he kept reaching out for more.

Something stuck in his gums??