This Week's Best Attempt At Wordless Wednesday...

This is the nest Kyndra sleeps in every night, can I tell you how crazy this would make me...


Kylee is somewhat of a wild women in the morning...


"Accidently" turned the jets on with bubbles in the tub...


Those of you who don't know Kylee's news... can you tell what is missing in this picture?

Eugene Pics...

Eugene Day Five and A Half / Six...

Simultaneously to me turning of the T.V. at around 10:15 Kylee started violently vomitting. This continued throughout the night with the last episode at 7:00 this morning. It was so sad. We went through LOTS of bedding. She is now on the floor in the last corner of her second comforter. I sort of rested diagnally across the two corners of her bed (second set of sheets) that she didn't throw up on. Poor Kyndra got it in the cheek on the first episode. No fever or incidents on the other end so I don't think it was food poisoning and it doesn't even seem like a flu... just a bad, bad tummy bug. Hoping our trip home is vomit free!!!

Can I tell you how glad I am that I get to leave all of this laundry behind!!!

Eugene Day Five...

~Last trip to a thrift store to get the first toy Kyndra had originally picked out... thank goodness "the dolphin" was still there. The girls and I spent maybe $40 dollars total and we acquired; 3 dresses, 5 skirts, 11 shirts, 1 pair of pants, 1 barely if at all used Crocs for 99 cents, 3 pairs of shorts, 2 purses to hold Polly Pockets, 1 Elmo lunch pail, 6 books including 3 Harry Potters, 1 box of flashcards, one play bus, and last but not least one lovely dolphin.
~Missed lunch in the park... well there was one burrito left, but both of my girls turned up their noses. We ate at McDonalds instead and got a couple more Polly Pockets out of the deal.
~An hour and a half in the wading pool waiting for tie dying to begin. I really wanted to help the parks and rec. girls. They could not get organized and were really anxious to call the kids over until they had everything in place.
~Finally tie dying with the "park girls". The girls had a blast and now they have the essential Eugene tie dyed shirts.
~Window shopping down town... I did enter Footwise, the Birkenstock store, and it took all I had not to purchase many pairs of shoes. They were having a garage sale and prices were amazing. This would have broken my strict shoe rules; two pairs of atheletic shoes a year, one pair of summer shoes, and one pair of black or brown(which ever is in rotation) shoes for school. I am due for running shoes and black work shoes, but none at the store fit the bill.
~Ice cream at A & W across from an area in the middle of downtown that was full of homeless youth. I had been calling them runaways, but one of the Eugene crime lab guys told Tony they are homeless youth (seventeen and under), which means their parents have not reported them missing... over 4000... that is daunting and so sad. I had a really heavy heart as I watched these kids who were being totally inappropriate, but they were amongst the only family they trust. I held my girls' hands extra tight as we walked past them... for a few reasons.
~Dinner at Something Something Fish Market or maybe Fisherman's Market. I don't remember the name, but I remember the yummy yummy food. It was fresh... like still alive in tanks. It was quite smelly. Thank goodness they also had outside seating available as well as spaghetti for the girls.
~Quick stop to look at a Jetta wagon... it's hard not to catch the station wagon fever down here... we walked away. We may actually pass the two year mark with a car.
~Another quick stop at REI... also a purchase free stop.
~Play at River Play Discovery Village... THE BEST PARK IN THE WORLD. I forgot my camera, but we are planning on spending all morning there tomorrow and I will capture the amazing fun to be had.

Tony is off studying for tomorrow's big test. He enjoyed class today... the theme was ballistics.

Girls did great with no naps and got over the fact that we missed the puppet show without fussing. Another great day!!! Tomorrow is the last and I still had two more activities on my list. I guess we'll have to come back next year. I am expecting a lot of sleep on the trip home tomorrow.

Eugene Day Four...

~We were slow movers this morning. We were supposed to get out the door by about 9:30to make it to the Children's Science Factory by 10:00 giving plenty of time in case we got lost. Well, we got really turned around... not lost I just missed about ten turns so I had to double back A LOT and we didn't get out the door until five after ten. No big deal... nobody was keeping track.
~Arrived at the factory by 10:30... played until noon. Lots and lots of fun... their current theme is sound and they had a scream chamber where kids could go in and scream as loud as they possibly could. The decibels of the screams are digitally measured and parents can see video feed from the inside of the chamber. Can I tell you how wonderful it is to see my children whose decibels match a snowmobile in a soundproof room room screaming, but I couldn't hear a thing. I need a scream chamber at my house (or at this moment while Kylee is screaming in time out for taking Kyndra's Mister Bear).
~Free lunch (corn dogs) for kids at another fun park with a wading pool. Kylee performed a dance for the audience of kids on the little platform in the middle of the pool. Kyndra loved the little merry go round and Kylee spent most of her time on the wobbly bridge.
~Much needed naps!!! following an episode in a toy store.
~Dinner at Track Town Pizza. We each got a mini pizza... mine was totally stinky: garlic, feta cheese, artichoke hearts, and spinach.
~Back to room 232 for a Jon and Kate marathon... I guess we have to have some sort of marathon in Eugene.
~Tony is back at class for after dark lessons using lasers. He said today was all about chemistry. He is getting nervous for his big test on Friday. He will have to do lots of studying tomorrow, which is our nine year anniversary.

Eugene Day Three...

Note on the mornings... I have yet to get Starbucks or the harder to resist Dutch Brothers Coffee in the parking lot. I just keep thinking one coffee is three thrift store treasures.

~Shopping, shopping, shopping, and more shopping. You can guess where the girls and I shopped. Tony got some new running shoes at Eugene Running Company... quite an experience in Track Town USA. We also went to Oregon River Sports to look at canoes. They carry a very very expensive brand a lot out of our league, but fun to look.
~Dinner at Steelhead Brewing Company... YUMMY!!! Our second outdoor dining experience in Eugene which is perfect for people watching extraodinaires like myself. Last night we ate in the Fifth Street Market area which provides quite interesting people watching. There were literally more people traveling past on bikes than in cars. We saw bike messengers, bike ice cream sales carts, bike taxis, and bike pizza delivery boys as well as a menagerie of styles of bikes. Tony was even enjoying the watching. We keep seeing these locally made folding bikes. We are going to take a tour of the production building on Friday before we leave, which is fitting because the bikes are called Next Friday (or is it Last Friday).
~And we finally made it to the hotel swimming pool... maybe just maybe the girls will quit asking??? Doubtful.

We are still really enjoying ourselves. Tony's training is challenging, but good... lots of geometry (angles and trajectories). He is the only police officer. All of the other students are C.S.I. types. I am totally and completely enjoying leaving a mess only to return to a nice clean room.

Eugene Day Two...

~Up really early to take Tony to the training facility.
~Yummy continental breakfast... minus the waffle bar that we were hoping for.
~Our first parks program activity... roving artist making clay pinch pots, free lunch for kids (hamburgers), and play in the wading pool.
~Naps for all
~Thrift store shopping
~Leftover dinner
~Last but not least... SPLASH!!! indoor aquatic park. We had so much fun. Children could ride on parents laps to go down the slide. Tony must have taken Kylee 20 times. Kyndra went by herself on the slide, but spent more time in the wave pool.
~Oh yeah and don't forget the oreo cookies in bed :)

Day one was still just as much fun as I had posted, but it had to disappear... most memorable was Mazzi's Italian Restaurant and when we first set eyes on our wonderful room.

Farewell...

Matt, Amy, Paul, Zorah, and Chloe packed up and continued on their trip to Utah before we woke up this morning. We are sad to see them go and wished we lived closer to each other. We are ever so grateful for their visit. Our short visit was full of smiles and laughter... besides lots of playing, playing, playing at the house we also went to Pioneer Park, the Aquatic Center, and watched The Bee Movie in the park. I can't even pick a highlight other than just seeing the kids together and how close they seem even though they don't get to be around each other often.

Just Imagine...

Beautiful pictures... captured memories of a wonderful day at Hilgard park picnicing and playing in the water with Taunya... Heartwarming pictures of Kylee walking hand in hand with Taunya and throwing the ball for Hunter... Kyndra playing in the mud and lazing in the sun.

Fun pictures of five cousins playing in the backyard pool... laughing and splashing... crawling and running... making trains on the slide and giggly pile ups at the bottom... enjoying Hermiston watermelons.

Just imagine because I accidently deleted 165 pictures of these summertime memories. I lost sleep over it... I shed a tear over it... I am completely beside myself. I have blogged it so I must move on however hard that may be.

Time to go make more memories!!!