The Jessi James Gang: Bend

Showing posts with label Bend. Show all posts

Biker gang

We walked to the Pilot Butte State Park playground this afternoon. It was sunny, but there is still A LOT of snow on the playground. It was nice to get the bikes out for a bit.

We have had three snow days in a row. Today it wasn't actively snowing, but there's a lot of clean up to do and it is supposed to storm again tonight and tomorrow. Sierra has been a helper in shoveling. You can see my car is covered in the background of our picture and then uncovered after I've done a ton of shoveling in the driveway.

Lincoln and Meta have enjoyed playing together. Lots of legos and video games. And playing outside in the snow. They had lots of fun jumping off of the back deck into the fluffy snow and sliding on the huge pile made from shoveling off the deck.

Edit - we had 4 snow days this week. Lincoln only went to school on Friday. He will have a make up day at the end of the school year.

Skiing pilot Butte

Because he can while the snow is so deep.

Christmas Morning at 7:30 am - December 25, 2018

Lincoln woke up at 5 am and came into our room. Sierra also woke up to eat. They both fell back asleep and we got a little bit of a sleep in before all the excitement.

Last minute - December 24, 2018

I made ornaments for each of us this year. Meta and I picked up pinecones on our walk to school on Wednesday. Then I crocheted all the hats and scarves. I assembled the ornaments today (Monday) and we hung them on the tree. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

Santa's been here. Had his cookies and milk. Stuffed stockings, put out presents, fed carrots to the reindeer.

Lincoln told me that Rudolph is not a real reindeer. He's just a story. But he thinks the rest of the reindeer are enough to get Santa through the night. He's always been aware of "Santa Helpers" at different events. We've told him Santa is too busy to do everything and he needs helpers. Same with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

Paddle Parade - December 14, 2018

A local watersports shop sponsors a paddle parade each Christmastime. Folks decorate their kayaks / canoes / paddle boards / rafts / etc with lights and Christmas decor. Then, near sunset, they paddle along the Deschutes. We stood on a bridge called the "flag bridge" - a pedestrian bridge in the Old Mill District lined with flags - and waved at the boats. At least one Santa Claus waved back. We only stayed about 20 minutes because it was windy and rainy and cold. Lucky for us, Auntie Beth is game for lots of adventures.

Turkish Soaking Pool - December 12, 2018

Bend has a Soaking Pool at the Old St. Francis School McMenamins Hotel. We spent around an hour in the warm water. Lincoln had his life jacket and Meta brought a floatie penguin. The tile murals and stained glass were neat to look at. The kids loved the lion fountains. Auntie Beth came too.

Christmas Tree 🌲 hunting

From leaving the truck to returning with a tree, it took about an hour and a half. It snowed lightly the entire time and it got dark while we sawed down the tree. Lincoln and Meta loved playing in the snow and took turns helping James with the saw. Sierra was snuggled up in her fuzzy pink bear suit and she slept through most of the excitement.

We would have had more time to play in the snow, but it took too long to get ready to go after church. I packed enough food for a three day weekend rather than a half-an-hour drive. We parked just off the highway (toward Mt. Bachelor) on a forest service road that is currently closed to motorized vehicles. Then we tromped around in the woods looking at potential trees. Thank goodness for our tracks in the snow and the highway noise. In the darkness, I was pretty disoriented. Meta was tired of walking through the snow by the time we got back to the truck. There was some suncrust underneath fresh snow and it was tiring for short little legs.

We enjoyed peppermint hot chocolate and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while James secured the tree in the back of the truck. All the rest of the "emergency" food just drove back down the mountain with us again. Better prepared than not!

Infant massage - November 29, 2018

Aunt Sandy (Grandma's sister) is teaching us how to give Sierra massages. Today we learned how to massage her legs and her tummy. I think she likes it. Lincoln and Meta found dolls to practice on.

Happy Thanksgiving - November 22, 2018

I love how Lincoln went to the extra effort to make his turkey a head, feet and even a belly button. Meta insisted that our turkeys should have wings, but didn't get her wings glued on.

Dinner time! Sierra's excited. :smile:

Sierra fell asleep before dinner - can you be in a "turkey coma" an entire year before you ever try any turkey?

Meta decided she needed a FORK.

James made apple pie. So good.

Sierra's first summit - November 11, 2018

Pilot Butte

Announcement Photo - April 22, 2018

The Jessi James Gang is expecting a new baby for our crew. We needed a picture for our "Wanter Poster" pregnancy announcement, so our nice neighbor took a quick picture after church. The onesie that Meta is holding says, "Baby it's cold outside". It seemed like a good idea in February when I learned we were expecting our Little Tie-Breaker.

Family selfie - October 30, 2018

Just because. Hi!

Outdoor FHE - October 23, 2018

Mountain biking

Mountain biking - August 20, 2018

Lincoln's first mountain biking/trail riding adventure today at Phil's Trailhead. We forgot his helmet, so he's using mine. Linc really likes the bump tracks. We had a pretty good time even after he crashed. He's learning that sometimes fun things hurt. The painted bird is called the "Screaming Chicken". It's paint scheme changes every couple of weeks, I think.