piano, birthdays and trees

      We've had a busier week then usual. McClane played a piano duet in Sacrament meeting for the first time and did a great job. His piano teacher was his duet partner and they played "I hope they call me on a Mission." The rehearsal was good but he did even better in Sacrament meeting, but of course I didn't record the actual performance (apparently that upsets some people).

McClane practicing with his piano teacher for Sacrament meeting.

      Carter celebrated his 16th birthday Monday and, aside from some hassle at the DMV, it was a great day and he and his truck are now legal to be on the road! He's also sporting some 'sweet' Pit Viper sunglasses so he's driving in style.

Pit Vipers are all the rage for this kid.

He's vibin'!

Licensed to Drive!

Jello cheesecake is a popular cake choice at our house.

     

      Greg took Wednesday off, rented a lift and worked his tail off all day cutting down these two messy, ugly trees. Thankfully all the older kids are home on Wednesday's so Carter and Brock were a big help and the majority of it got done before it got dark.

Bye, Bye messy trees!

      Mark is now 21 and ready to live it up with his new binoculars. He went on a motorcycle ride with his 'girl' friend Allie and they spent some fun times in Park City.

Happy 21st birthday for Mark. Binoculars for the win!

I love when a kid requests this yummy chocolate cake from Costco!

    And here's the after affects from the tree removal project. There's still a lot to do but you get the idea. Big change to our view and the look of the yard.

Definitely changes the view!

Big job, big change!

    So there's the busy week and all the grand highlights. So happy to have sunny and warmer days to enjoy the great outdoors. 

Prom and our latest 'criminal'

     Isaac made it to his senior prom and had a blast taking his neighbor and friend, Sydney. They had a fun day in Salt Lake, with a few other friends, exploring a cool museum and riding scooters around the city. Their dinner at Red Robin was a bit frustrating with poor/slow waitstaff but they still had fun and got back in time to dress up and head to the dance. 

There were more photos taken but I haven't gotten them yet so this is all I can share for now.

      Sunday evening our little dog, Smalls, decided to ditch our ice cream party and go on a little adventure and found himself in jail! We were sure he'd return on his own or a call would come in from a kind stranger to tell us he was at the park or another of his favorite hang outs but by Monday night we were getting a little more worried so Greg checked the local animal shelter and found the photo on the left and was pretty sure that was our missing pet but I wasn't so sure, it's clearly, or not so clearly, a lousy photo. Anyway, Greg went first thing Tuesday morning to see for himself, and I won't go into details because it will take too long, but it was a complete joke/hassle to bail him out and it wasn't cheap either! There's no doubt he was picked up so the animal shelter could make a few bucks because there was no good reason for them keeping him when his name and our phone number was clearly embroidered on his collar. Anyway, he's home now and I doubt he's learned his lesson but hopefully next time he sees a police vehicle of any kind he'll run!

The black around his mouth is what was throwing me off. The photo I took today definitely proves his fur is not that dark around his mouth.

    So aside from runaway pets and a fun prom date for Isaac, we've had a pretty low-key week. Greg and Carter are currently on a campout with the priest quorum and the rest of us are finding ways to stay entertained here at home. Next week is the big birthday week for a couple boys. Carter is turning 16 on Monday! And Mark is turning 21 on Friday! So we'll be partying pretty hard! Drivers license for one and legal to drink for the other. Ha ha (Sadly that's probably exactly what Mark has planned for his 21st birthday.) 

A few more vacation moments

     I realized I forgot a photo or two from our last few days in Oregon. 

Last full day on the beach and our last sunset.

Carter with the yummy stuffed french toast he requested from his Grandma Elaine.

This girl loved playing games with her Uncle Guy.

    And after a long 2 year wait, McClane finally got the long promised airplane ride he's been anticipating. He's a pretty chill kid but there's a sign or two in this video that prove he loved it! His reaction to zero gravity is priceless!

      Our week back from vacation has been very low key and no photo worthy moments. Tonight Isaac heads off to his senior prom with our neighbor Syd so stay tune next week for those photos.

Oregon Spring Break photo overload!

     Before leaving on our trip we had a quick check to see if Mark fits in Carter's Mazda. It's a tight fit so if Carter gets a few inches taller he can probably still drive the truck but it might be a bit uncomfortable if he gets to 6' 6".

Not a tall boy truck!

    So our Oregon trip started at G & G Baker's and lucky for Charlie, Grandma Elaine is also an Easter bunny helper so Charlie didn't get cheated out of an Easter bunny visit. 

Fun treats!

     Our Airbnb in Brookings, Oregon was great! The hot tub on the deck was a win, for sure, and being right on the Winchuck river was so cool and beautiful. I'll let the photos do their best to share our fun!

The house was pretty much what we expected. 

First day family photo. Very peaceful location.

Getting acclimated to our surroundings.

Gorgeous foliage around the house.

Dead end lane, so quiet and no traffic.

First day on the beach.

Couldn't have asked for better weather.

Carter

Um...awkward!

Carter approves.

A little hiking adventure.

Giant trees!

McClane's a champ, never complained, even with blisters on his feet.

Greg wouldn't let us miss a sunset.

 

Girl selfies!

Brock never tires of the water.

The only day Charlie had a complaint but overall she was a champ.

 

Loved Pistol beach.

A visit to see the seals in Gold Beach is always a must.

 Checking out Shore Acres.

A glimpse at Lighthouse Cape Arago.

Gorgeous flower gardens at Shore Acres.

Saw a couple cute bunnies.

Crissy Fields, right across the street from our Airbnb, our official sunset watching location.

A glimpse at some real Redwoods.

Skipping rocks at the Smith River. I stayed in the car, it was a little chilly.

Can't miss a visit to the Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City, CA.

Last family photo on the coast.

      We never tire of our visits to the Oregon coast! We would have loved having all the kids and grandbaby with us, but the 7 of us made some fun memories all the same. Until next time west coast!

       Now on to a couple fun days with the Baker grandparents before we have to head back to reality.

Projects and dreams coming true

      We finally got around to putting together our fun Kiwi projects that Grandpa Baker so generously sent our way. The spin art was awesome and Charlie has been enjoying herself thoroughly. Thankfully Isaac enjoyed the spin art project enough to do the second fun box, air cannon's, another success!

Isaac and Charlie were our project managers.

    Charlie got to sing in Sacrament meeting with her primary class and had this pretty new dress to boost her confidence.

Easter dress

    My new chair arrived and is awesome! Doing Isaac's taxes definitely paid off for both of us!

A reclining chair!

Air Cannon project.

 

A rare glimpse at the cat and dog's staring contest. Georgia's always ready to play but she has to wait to see what Sapphire is in the mood for. Cats are such diva's!

     And believe it or not, Carter is just weeks away from his 16th birthday and in preparation for his big day we helped him find this fun little 1994 Mazda B4000. He's about as happy as he's ever been in his life and the next few weeks are going to be torture! Now he can get a job and pay back his loan!

Oh to be a first time driver! FREEDOM!!!

      Remember when Carter was a tiny baby and Jackie was headed out on her mission!? Wasn't that just the other day? How do I already have 4 out of 7 kids driving? This 'time' thing is a trip!

    So that's the week's highlights and now we're in Winnemucca, NV and headed to Oregon tomorrow for our Spring break. Next week's post will most likely be a photo explosion. Can't wait!