Mommy and Daughter Photos

Lilly and I went to one of her friends birthday parties a few weeks ago. It was a very nice party and they had a photographer there! She snapped a few shots of Lilly and I. We may call her to take some family photos for us!

Catchin' Some Air!

This was Mac's day today...click on pictures to make them bigger-

Doesn't matter if he's on land or in water...the boy's got some tricks!

Go Mac Attack!

Gearing up for a Great Year!

We are now 3 weeks into Football Season...which means that school is right around the corner, YIKES! So much to do...

Mac is on the 5\6 grade team this year. Being that he is a 5th grader and some of the other players are 6th graders, he is one of the smallest boys on the team. His height is not too far behind some of them, but his weight...WOW, he is definitely small. I cringe every time he takes a good hit/tackle from some of those bigger boys. He is such a trooper. He gets right back up and is ready to give it a go- again and again and again...bless his heart. I told him if he keeps eating the way he does, he'll catch those boys next year!! He loves the game, is having fun, learning lots and has outstanding Coaches this year. We are excited and I am Team Mom...like I needed another "job" to keep up with (:
Below, he made an awesome catch...keep it up Mac Attack!

With summer winding down and fall sports kickin' into gear, I am simply trying to keep up and prep us all for back-to-school. It always seems to sneak up on me. I do have school supplies and clothes checked off my list, that's always a good start. Lilly is very excited about being a 1st grader and Mac is looking forward to 5th grade as well. I do fear that they might not be ready for Summer-to-School Transition that is about to take place in The Potter Home! This means bathing suits have faded, the sun is setting earlier and the final summer adventures are fast approaching...it also means much EARLIER bedtimes, letting go of our looser schedule that had room for more spontaneity and starting to plan for a lot more structure that our school year requires. Once we get back into our school groove, it will be fine. I just may need a few breathers before we reach the finish line...LOL
Both kids are looking forward to the Ice Cream Social coming up next week. This gives them a chance to mingle/catch up with friends, meet new friends and their teachers, check out the classrooms, etc. I have spent a few days helping out down at the school to get it all freshened up...it's looking great!
I am mentally prepping for the big schedule change. I become drill sergeant in the mornings to get everyone up, fed, dressed, teeth brushed, lunches/backpacks in hand and in the truck on time. I have a carpool schedule and cannot be late...if I am, it makes everyone else late! I will also definitely have to entertain Griff more...he is going to miss the kids terribly. He is not going to like them being gone all day, 5 days a week! After school pick-up/carpool is done- it will be a scramble to get homework done, dinner on the table and be on time for football practice. Throw in the fact that I am Vice President for our Parent Club at school, Co-Leader for Lilly's Girl Scout Troop, Team Mom for Football...ugh...I am already tired just typing this. I better take my mighty-woman vitamins everyday!
In all seriousness, it sounds like I am complaining- BUT I am NOT. I love every minute of it and would not have things any other way. I always remember to make time to hang-out with my Gal Pals (they are busy Momma's too!) and visit/relax. We all exchange funny stories and give each-other advice (:

We are going to have a great school year!

WIPEOUT!

We went to a WIPEOUT birthday party this past weekend. What a BLAST. The kids had so much fun navigating their way through an obstacle course competing for the fastest time. The big bonus was getting to see Hunter and Logan and all our other Canby Friends!!

The first obstacle was a mud pit...Lilly was getting coached by Mac on her way through it-
They had a few other obstacles after the mud pit (I didn't get pics) and then moved on to the hopping ball, where parents were spraying away with water guns...

Next it was onto the balance beam...parents were chucking water balloons at them in an attempt to knock them off balance!!

Next came the fire truck/ball pit obstacle. They had to crawl low to the ground and make it through all the balls...this proved to be more challenging for the taller kids!

Making a basket was a sign that you were almost done...


The Finish Line was a fast and final slide to the end!!!

Just when the kids thought it was over...Carmen brought out this huge pinata on steroids- It was gigantic. The kids were going nuts and could not wait to bash it open!!!

They all did a good job of thrashing on it, but Carmen had to provide a little bit of assistance.

Once Lilly had all her candy stashed safely, she decided that one of the cones from it made a great Princess hat...

Griff kept Pat and I running the ENTIRE time. (what's new) We had to take shifts to keep up with him. It was exhausting. The only time he sat (it was very short-lived) was for cake. He is going to do Pat and I in! He is simply too busy and too high energy for just one of us to handle (:

What a great party Robinson Family.
We miss living right across the street from you!
Happy 6th Birthday Hunter and Logan!

More Summer Fun...

Mmmmm....donuts!
Pat has made it a regular thing to bike down to Joe's Donuts every weekend a.m. with the kiddo's. They love it and can't wait to race back home and eat up their donuts. If we miss a donut- run, it does not go unnoticed.

Our summer is flying by. The weather has been yucky for the most part. Don't get me wrong, we have had some nice days here and there but they are very short lived. There are quite a few things we have yet to do- simply because the weather has basically sucked. We do make the best of the nice days and deal with the "UCK" days. I know the kids feel just a bit cheated out of a summer this year. It seems to be on their minds at the moment because school is fast approaching!!

On nice days we have tried to hit all of our favorite parks. I usually let the kids invite a friend or two along. One of our favorite parks is in Wilsonville next to the water fountains. They have some pretty cool play structures there. We discovered them a few years back when we lived in Canby. The kids love going there in the summer.

Cute Kids!!!!

Vietnam Memorial Dedication in Canby

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protester to burn the flag.
To all the brave men and women who have dedicated or given their lives
to protecting this country and it's freedoms:
Thank you.

On Saturday, it was our honor to be present at the dedication ceremony for the Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial. The community of Canby (where we use to live) has been working on raising funds for this memorial for 11 years!! What dedication to such an amazing and very necessary cause. We had purchased a brick in my Dad's honor about 3 or 4 years ago to help support the fund raising. It was just amazing and breath taking to see it all finally come together. The bronze statue was the last step to completing the beautiful memorial. The statue itself was $90,000. The statue has been named "A Hero's Prayer", depicting a wounded soldier carried by another soldier with a Vietnamese girl holding the wounded soldier's hand. It brought tears to my eyes and chills to my skin standing in front of it...just trying to take it all in.

Also at the memorial is Bell UH-1 "Huey" helicopter and a landing pad with a Red Cross Symbol.
Aloft on its pedestal, it is the most recognized helicopter type in the world. Thousands of lives were literally saved because of the dependability of the Huey and bravery of her crews. It stands as a humanitarian symbol that brought compassion and lifesaving during this time in our history.
The plaza is in the shape of an Asian character meaning "long life".

Across from the helicopter is a temple bell inscribed with "believe in peace" in Vietnamese.
The memorial also has a Blue Star memorial Marker, first erected in 1944 by the National Council of State Garden Clubs to honor those who served in the armed forces.

The ceremony was conducted by the Oregon National Guard with a jet and helicopter flyover, a 21 gun salute, music and speeches. Below is a Brigadier General.

This is my Dad's brick

Jim's special brick (Momma B's husband)
The wounded soldier in the bronze statue represents Jim's childhood friend, Warren E. Newton.
The artist used a photo of Warren that Jim gave him to do the soldier's face. Jim showed me a picture of Warren in a helicopter. The photo was taken just 3 hours before the helicopter went down and Warren did not survive.

The kids kneeling down by Grandpa Tex's special brick

There were a lot of people there. Definitely a lot of veterans there from all walks of life. I was looking/reading all their shirts, vests, patches, etc. It was very moving to see them there and know that I was standing next to TRUE American Hero's. I was wishing that my Dad was there to see it with us.

After the ceremony, families were welcome to explore military vehicles and talk with soldiers. It was a very moving ceremony! You could feel everyone contemplating it all and remembering those who have served and the many, many sacrifices that were made.

Truly an amazing memorial, made possible by many amazing people. We were truly humbled and honored to be a part of it. I want my kids to know how very blessed we all are to live how we do. I want them to know that it is all because of our SOLDIERS. It doesn't matter if you believe in War or No War...we all still owe them a heartfelt Thank You in the least!!!! Wars have taken place in the past and are CURRENTLY happening, so REMEMBER...there are SOLDIERS (past and present) that are risking their LIVES everyday to protect us all and keep us safe. May God Bless them All.
If you would like to support this memorial please visit- http://www.vietnameramemorial.org/
If you would like more info on supporting our troops please visit- http://thankasoldier.net/index.html
The "Thanks a Soldier" website is amazing...it will bring tears to your eyes.