Growin' Boys

Just a menagerie of pictures of the boys

Counting their pennies already.....(notice the sizes - Caleb is catching fast!)

Yummmmm, oatmeal....

First Day of Pre- School

On September 23rd, Ryan had his first of pre-school. He could not wait and packed his own lunch box and back pack. In fact, our lttle man was so excited about going to school, that as we were pulling into to the parking lot on his first day, his exact words were, "Uh, you're just dropping me off, right, Mom?" Yup, they grow up fast. (Meanwhile, Caleb, in true Caleb style, had a death grip on my arm just to make sure he was NOT going to be left there!). Anyway, Ryan LOVES preschool. He goes 3 days a week for an hour and a half. In Feb, that will increase to 3hours each day. He is learning lots and always comes home with great projects he has made. His favorite is show and tell, which apparently he is never at a loss of words for!

A day at the beach

Before summer flew by by completely, we decided to head to the beach for a beautiful day at Nye Beach in Newport (about 45 minutes from our house). The boys had a blast playing in the sand, making sand castles, squishing their toes in the wet sand, and exploring the tide pools. What a great day! BTW - there is only one picture of Ryan only because he wouldn't sit still long enough for more =)

Caleb's first emergancy

With September, came Caleb's first trip to Urgent Care. Ironically enough, depsite the crazy antics boys can get themselves into, this had absolutely nothing to do with big brother, Ryan, or with just being a boy. It was a Sunday, daddy was outside digging trenches, Ryan was upstairs, I was working around the house, and Caleb was in the living room. All of a sudden, just as I was passing through the entryway, I heard Caleb screaming. I look over and Caleb had tripped over a toy and fell square on the leg of the foose-ball table. He was face down on a pillow (conviently placed I might ad!). I ran over to him and turned him over. That's when I saw the blood. I banged on the window which John, being a smart guy, realized meant come quick, and ran back to scoop up Caleb. We got the bleeding stopped enough to travel and decided that he needed stitches. I volunteered to go since John made the last ER visit with Ryan last spring (root tone in the eye). We managed to make it to the Urgent Care, all while trying to keep Caleb from taking his afternoon nap - of course all head injuries seem to happen right at nap time! Anyway, to make a short story even longer, Caleb was a complete trooper at the Urgent Care. He was very calm, even when being wrapped like a mummy, and didn't start screaming until they stuck the needle straight in the wound to administer the anesthetic. The result were three stitches and a nice littlle scar on his forhead - the first of many I am sure!

Meet the Robinsons

In August we got the boys all dressed up and headed to Portland for the marriage of our close friends Joey and Bryan (Robinson). The boys weren't that keen on the ceremony part - of course, what boy (or man for that matter) is?! However, once they got to the recepton, the party animals came out!


All dressed up and lookng spiffy......












......well until the blackberry bushes that is!


















A rare glimpse of Caleb's social side













First ones to the dance floor!

Cascadia State Park

Towards the end of summer, we decided that we just HAD to go camping at least once this year. We had yet to experience an Oregon Camping trip and boy were we in for a treat! We decided to try Cascadia State Park about an hour and a half east of Corvallis. It was a bautiful campground surrounded by an old growth forrest. We went for a great hike to a waterfall and spent some quality time at the river where there was a great area for wading. The boys were fantastic! It was our first camping adventure with both of them (somehow we missed last summer). They had a great time helping daddy put the tent together and build the fire and they were way into camp food and s'mores. We are soooooo excited for camping trips to come =)

The Alpaca ( aka the Muppet) Farm

In August, the boys and I were invited to tag along with some other moms we know for a tour of a local Alpaca farm. It basically entailed about 20 kids being turned loose in a pasture full of mamas and babies. It was a bit crazy, but once we got away from the pushy ones, the boys had a great time feeding the goofy looking critters.

California, here we come!

In July, the Evans Crew, Shasta included, headed South to visit everyone back in California. While it was hard to leave the picture perfect summer weather of Corvallis for the ...well, not-so-perfect summer inferno of the Central Valley, we were excited to be back home for a while. After all, it wouldn't have been summer if we didn't have a little taste of 105+! We spent about 10 days traveling between Grama's in Merced and Nana and Papa's in Clovis. Here's a little taste of our travels:

On our way down to Merced, we stopped for a beautiful picnic lunch at the Crags National Park. Afterwards, we went for a nice stroll - one of Calebs' first hikes since finally getting this walking thing down.

Once in Merced, our visit began by attending the amazing wedding of our dear friends Leigh and Jan. It was a beautiful evening filled with old friends, dancing, and no kiddos. Of course the tricky part was keeping our little bun in the oven a secret as we hadn't told the grandparents yet!

As we traveled down to Clovis, our first stop was at our friends Brian and Cory's home with their 3 kids, Avery, Cole, and Quinten. The kids had a great afternoon together playing while the adults caught up on life.

One of the hi-lights of our visit to Nana and Papa's house was a trip to the Fresno Zoo. What an amazing day! Ryan had sch a great time searching for all of the animals in the habitats and Caleb enjoyed the view from the backpack. Here, the boys were able to reach into a pool and feel the sting rays as they swam by. What a neat experience!


Ryan and Caleb enjoy a chance to feed the Giraffe some mulberry leaves - check out that tongue!

















Another hi-light was a short riding lesson from Nana. While gets to ride mommy's horse, it was neat to be able to ride one of Nana's, also. It also brought back fond memories as I watched my mom teach Ryan just as she had taught me when I was his age.

Whew - Vacations sure can wear a man out!!! (Little did we know that Ryan didn't just fall asleep at breakfast - he actually had the stomach flu....as did the rest of us a few days later at Grama's)









At Grama's house, the boys had a great time exploring all the nooks and crannies of Grama's backyard. Caleb's favorite - squishy mud between the toes!

Check out them baby blues!







"Hey guys, let's order pizza!"

(Caleb and Ryan calling who knows who from the hotel room in Medford, OR)