Let it Snow!

Merry Christmas to All....

We had a white Christmas. The four of us had our usual family time, beginning with Ariel climbing into bed with us to wake us, next checking stockings and then opening presents. We had Belgian waffles on Ariel's new waffle maker.

We missed two church serves because of the snow. So we went to sacrament service Tuesday and listened to the missionary letters sharing spiritual experiences.

The snow.....

I know it might be a little corny, but I thought it could best express the level of the situation. The picture was taken Christmas day to show that the snow is here to stay. We did scrape the walk and driveway. here are pictures of our hummingbird and the squirrel paw in the snow on the fence.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Winter Blast 2008

Roland and Ariel take Max out for a walk. They make face plants in the snow on the car and then have some regrets. Then the weather gets worse.

We are experiencing cabin fever. Ariel's last week of school was cancelled. We made a hippo out of our car.

Icicles hung from our gutters. Max and Ariel like to crunch on them.

A fun visit. Max puts up with a lot.

We are having fun feeding all kinds of birds that I don't normally see at least for long periods of time. Even a squirrel was appreciative. My favorite is of course, the hummingbirds, which I never saw in the summer. They land on our down spout near the feeder. I'm ready for a non-white Christmas so we can gather safely with family and friends.

featuring Roland

Homecoming and spirit week

Ariel showed her spirit by dressing the part. Pj day, superhero--batman for seniors, and Crazy day!

Derek came here on leave from the Air Force and introduced us to Ester, his fiance. They are planning on a June wedding. Don't they make a cute couple?

Check out our new pet in our back yard.

Keith wanted a crocodile for his birthday. So his sister, Lynn, searched far and wide to send him one.

He lives in our backyard "moat."

Autumn 2008 back to school

Ariel went back to school the first part of September. She is taking a challenging load and working part time at the vet office having great experiences. She is in NHS and Link Crew(helping with incoming students and parent night).

She will also be in the Blue Crew (pep club).

Roland left officially to Start his sophmore year at Oregon State University. He is setting up an apartment on 8th Street. He bought a porshe and put in the last load before starting class tomorrow Sept. 29, 2008.

Cochruns visit from San Diego

We had a pleasant visit from Loren, Kelly and Ashton. They visited many relatives in Oregon. Great grandma Cochrun and Great grandma Jean Hoffman saw him for their first time; as well as great aunt Ellie.



We went to Murase Park in Wilsonville to beat the heat wave of 100+ degrees. We played so hard that Ashton fell asleep in Loren's arms in the fountain.
Kelly was shopping with Sarah.

After a walk and fun in the fountain, Ashton slipped into a deep sleep in Loren's arms. Singing himself to sleep.

Summer 2008

Ariel has been riding since she was eight years old. She started at Chris Bickford Stables. She has been jumping for almost one year at Brandy Creek Stables with Beka Berg. Horses and boys are her passion. She is drawn to animals and aspires to become a vet and she also plans to go to OSU after her senior year.

Ariel took Jake to Oneonta Gorge, but he did not enjoy wadding up the gorge as much as Ariel did.

Enjoy this video of her in action.

Roland is spending 6 weeks in San Diego at the Hill's Physical Therapy clinic, Rehab United. Last I heard, he was enjoying the experience, but missing Arielle.

I drove down with him and flew home. I enjoyed 5 days with Loren's family. Ashton is so cute and smart. Kelly and Loren are doing a great job raising him.

Ashton enjoyed playing in the sand until he got a mouthfull.

Sorry about the angle. I forget I can't turn it in video mode. We had fun!

Keith and I went to Katie Bowler's graduation from Seattle University. Here she is with him and his sisters. June 15, 2008