Art Festival

Yesterday we went to the art festival in town.  It was such a fun experience for the whole family.  Richard and I had a great time visiting all the booths, Mr. M got to fly a model airplane, Lady K danced with her ballet class, Little L got to do some crafts with the other kids and J Man and Baby R got to pose as farmers (we told them not to smile but they just couldn't resist.)  

Fathers' Day

This year for Fathers' Day we headed up to Seattle again and spent the weekend with my family.  My brother David had a reception to celebrate his wedding.  It was a lot of fun to see so many friends and family that I haven't seen in a while.  I was taking pictures all night, but alas, not with my own camera so I will have to wait until my brother posts those picts to have a look at them.  

We stayed with my sister Annette this time and the kids had a blast.  We were "awesome parents" on Saturday and let the kids have their fill of video games and wii.  They will remember that day forever.  

We went to my father's grave again on Sunday morning and shared some thoughts and testimonies there.  That was a great experience.  It helped me to feel close to him again.  Later that morning my mom and nephew spoke in church.  Both great talks, both made me really ponder important things in my life, family, temple sealing, etc.  

After church we went to have dinner with family and got to visit with Laurie and Jay, Kevin and Janet, Grandpa Baughman and Jean and my mom, siblings and their kids.  It was great food (steak cooked by the master, Uncle Kevin) and great fun.  

After dinner we packed up my mom's dining set in our new little trailer and headed for home.  (This will be our last visit to my mom at her Seattle house.  She has moved to Utah to live with her mom.)  The drive home included only one unintended detour through downtown Portland and one stop at a rest stop...  

And what do Vances do at rest stops?  We race of course!!

Performances

This month all the kids had their individual performances for dance and gymnastics.  It started with Lady K's ballet performance at the college auditorium (across the street from our house.)  She danced beautifully to Rachmaninoff's rhapsody on a theme by Paganini.  We were so proud of her.  

Then, last week Mr. M and Little L had their gymnastics routines at the YMCA.  That was fun too.  We were impressed with all they have learned in such a short time. (I took a lot of video of them but no picts., oops!)

The next morning I did a short gymnastics program with the little guys that I coach, including J Man.  It was fun to have them show off their skills too.  We are so lucky to have so many great programs here.  

Wildlife Safari

One of our friends gave us some tickets to visit the Wildlife Safari.  It is like a zoo but safari style because most of the animals are allowed to roam free and some come pretty close to the car.  It was a great time for everyone.We saw every character from the Madagascar movies, including my personal favorite, King Julian.  

Maiden Voyage on the North Umpqua

A few weeks ago Richard finished the trailer project and the fun began.  We were able to tie the canoe on and haul it the 200 yards down the hill to the boat ramp for its first voyage upstream on the North Umpqua.  (This claim may not be entirely accurate as we have the canoe on loan from our friend Jean and aren't sure where she has taken it.)

Since our first trip in the canoe we have found that this is one of our absolute favorite pastimes as a family.  We take it out 2-3 times a week and have had friends come out and enjoy the time with us.  Mr. M is becoming an expert paddler.  His dad taught him the J stroke and he is pretty good at paddling and parking the boat now.  

This week we ventured as a family upstream farther than we have ever gone before and found the infamous banana island.  It is a small island on a section of the river where there are no houses in sight.  We have had a blast there riding the rapids the length of the island in and out of rafts, throwing rocks into the river, collecting shells and little creatures and picnicking.  I don't have any pictures of the island yet because we don't want to take the camera in the canoe (for obvious reasons.)  I will get some pictures from shore some time.  

So if you are looking for some high adventure come and visit us, it is in our backyard.

Last Day of School

Here are the kids on their last day of school.  They really enjoyed their teachers and we were impressed with all the progress that they made.

Installment Three of the Trailer Saga

This weekend Grandpa Baughman came again to help get the trailer put together.  He and Richard, with the help of some of the kids, drilled holes for the hardware.  Then, the kids and I painted all of the sides.  With the red bottom and black sides the kids claim it looks like Spiderman colors.  I will post more picts when we get all the hardware on and put together.  

Seattle

A few weeks ago we drove up to Seattle to watch Jody in her ballroom dance performance.  It was so much fun to watch Jody.  She has an edge in the latin dances that makes her stand out.  The concert was outstanding.  

We also got to spend time with Annette and her kids at one of her children's birthday parties.  This is a picture of the boy cousins playing Red Rover.

On our way out of town we went to my dad's grave.  My mom and I shared some memories and cried of course.  I love my dad.