Cookie Monster and other cute pictures!

This is how I found Libby one morning. She had moved a chair from the kitchen table over to the counter and climbed up to get the cookies that Grandma sent for Valentine's day, then sat down to eat them...all with a great degree of stealth.



Libby getting ready to take Baby for a drive.


Look at my teeth!

Family visits!

February was a short, but busy month. Bill is one of nearly 30 first cousins on his mom's side of the family and several of their/our families live here in Portland. This month, we had two weekends of cousin gatherings. The first weekend, Bill's cousin Emily and her little boy, Mikey, were up to see her brother Brendan and his family, who live here in Portland.

Emily and Mikey visiting with Cousin Julie, who came up from Eugene to see them.

Emily, Abby, Libby, and Mikey going fishing.

Ella and Libby.

Baby Maddy...the newest addition to the second cousins. Libby LOVES her. Every time she sees Maddy, she starts screaming "Baby! Baby!"


Brendan's other sister, Allie, is also in Portland for a few months. Allie works for the national parks and is stationed in Sandy right now. Allie, Julie, and Ted.


Cousin Pam playing with the kids.

Julie, Allie, Pam, and Brendan.

Bill has two cousin Emilys...I know, maybe a little confusing, but true. Emily, Amy, and Baby Maddy.

Playing in Ella's kitchen.

Baby Maddy with Aunt Pam and Aunt Emily.

Weekend #2, Bill's cousin Kathy and her husband, Michael, came to visit her sisters, Pam, Emily, and Amy, who all live in Portland. Here is Cousin Kathy with Ella, Grammy Paula, Libby, and Aunt Martha.

Baby Maddy 2 weekends in a row! Maddy and her mom, Amy.

Rockstar Libby!

Jess and Ella.

Singing and dancing with Cousin Emily.

Singing with Grammy, Abby, Cousin Emily, and Cousin Pam.

Got my belts back!

The 5-point harnesses for the rally car expired in 2008, and now that it is back up and running, that was an issue that needed addressing.

I was able to send them back to the manufacturer to get re-webbed, saving us about $100 over buying entirely new belts.

The new ones are good until 2014.

Yard work.

This morning I got up early and cooked a big breakfast for the family in preparation for some serious yard work. The plan was to remove the three bushes from in front of the house in preparation for a rose bush transplant. We'll do that after our new windows are installed.

Since we weren't going to relocate the bushes from the front of the house, I decided that chain + Land Cruiser was the way to go. (Here is an old picture from when we first moved in.) If I didn't trim them three times a year, they would get out of control.

My audience!








After yarding out the three bushes, Kricket took the girls shopping and Mom and I proceeded to get most of the clippings into the yard debris can. All that's left are the root balls and some trunk.


The front of the house looks really open now.

Home Improvements...

Right after we moved in, I bought new faucets for both of our bathrooms. However, we ended up sticking them in a closet and forgetting about them for several months. This weekend, I saw them in the closet and talked Bill into changing them out.

Yay! New faucets.

Abby trying out the new faucet.


Libby helping Abby out with the new faucet. Libby wanted to keep playing with the new faucet and got a little upset when we told her no.

Home improvement project #2 had to do with the on-going issue with our friend the woodpecker. We had major problems with him last year (as you can see by the side of the house in this picture). Woody returned a couple of weekends ago. Bill went on-line and bought some netting that is supposed to keep the woodpeckers out. We will see if it works!

Bill and Mr. Bill getting ready to put the netting up.


Libby helping.



Libby got tired of helping and decided to walk around the block.


New bird-proof netting...maybe.