Blackham Update ~ Portland (July 2006)

It’s been a while since our last Blackham update ~ we have seen everyone fairly recently however and hopefully got caught up then.

We did just get back from our annual trip to Portland, Oregon so I thought I would get down the activities of the past few days.

On Wednesday, most of the family took off in the car, with Uncle Clay and Aunt Olivia joining in. Clay and Gray took turns driving and they drove straight through the night, arriving early Thursday morning. From Utah, Courtney, Addie, Pam, Callahan, Colton and I hopped a plane for a quick 11/2 hour flight which was much easier on the babies ... and thus their mommies!

The big boys (Gray and Clay) had managed to get a little sleep after their arrival. Unfortunately, we brought the heat with us and the usually cool Portland was a blistering 100 degrees. Kolby and Jami had moved to a new, bigger house (better to house this annual Blackham gathering) and have a big backyard with huge trees. Even with the additional space and extra bathroom, Gray reserved a hotel for our family (which was a wonderful retreat because it had air conditioning and a swimming pool). We took the boys swimming that first day and they loved it ... except for Cooper of course, who doesn’t like the water.

Friday we went downtown to see cousin Maddie perform in a play ... acting is in the genes (her Daddy Kolby was an actor in high school and at Hale Theater). Then we went up to the beach, always a highlight of our trip. I was a little concerned about the heat, but it was actually much cooler there, and with our late start we missed the hottest hours of the day. The water was freezing, actually painful to stay in very long, but that didn’t stop the boys from playing in the ocean waves. Cooper was happy playing in the sand, and while Colton likes the warm pool water, the cold ocean was too much for him.  The bigger boys had a blast digging in the sand finding small crabs - they gathered probably 30-40 of them in a bucket before returning them to the wild. We also walked down to some tidepools where you could see starfish and sea anemones. We ate dinner at a little place famous for fish and chips, another annual Blackham tradition.

Saturday we had more water fun, going to a river (not the Columbia, but one right next to it). It was fairly shallow, and you could walk out and play. In one section the current was a little faster, but the Daddy’s took the kids (in their life jackets) and walked into the current until they were swept away a bit downstream, where they could get back to shore and walk back up to do it all over again. Even Pam, Jami and Olivia joined in the fun ... I hadn’t worn a swim suit or I think I would have tried it. It is definitely something we’ll do again, maybe bringing tubes and having some family drop others off further up the river for a long ride down.

Saturday was also a wedding anniversary for Gray and I. Fourteen years. We let the kids sleep at the cousins (first night away from the baby) and we got away alone for the night. The kids had been sleeping well but didn’t do too great that night, so poor Pam didn’t get a lot of sleep.

Another fun place we go is OMSI - a hands on science  museum for the kids. They always have lots of activities and learning tables. That is where we got our “Flubber” recipe we make (you can make it and play with it there).

We made good use of the pool at the hotel. It was so hot and the kids just really enjoy swimming (well, all except Cooper). The boys would probably go swimming everyday if we could. Ironically, Cooper wanted to get in his swimsuit and play in a little tiny pool in Kolby and Jami’s backyard.

Sunday night those in the suburban left, again driving all night long, arriving early Monday morning. Those of us on the plane left Monday morning and got home a few hours later.  Grayson was happy with me that I had managed to leave the house clean to come home to, but he topped that by emptying everything and putting it away, taking the car in for a wash and filling it up with gas. He also had a dozen roses to greet me upon my return.

Gray said the boys did really well on the drive there and back ... that the all nighter is a fast and easy way to make the trip (easy for him? Not sure on that! He has tired eyes today.) The DVD player in the suburban had some trouble, but luckily the kids were sleeping most of the way. To entertain Callahan on the plane I had downloaded a few videos on my Ipod ... he currently loves the Disney “High School Musical” production and has watched it over and over. We did order “Curious George” one night for the family in the hotel, but I think everyone fell asleep before it ended.

We discovered a nummy pancake house, just a stones throw from Kolby and Jami’s house (we actually walked there). The whole gang went for a late breakfast and nobody was really hungry again until the end of the day. It was so good, that Grayson and I went back for an anniversary breakfast just the two of us.

So that is the Blackham news. I’ll try to get back into the habit ... other news from the last few weeks

• Grayson’s job is going well. It is a little overwhelming as he isn’t really stepping into an existing position, but carving out a new job that wasn’t really there before. Previously he has always worked his way up, gaining friendship and respect from coworkers, and it is a harder to start at the top in at a management position. July has been so busy with holidays, scout camp, etc. that he hasn’t had a full week this month.
• I’ve started exercising and eating better ... and lost 30+ pounds.
• We’ve almost completed the work in the basement. Landon and Callahan now have their bedroom downstairs, Grayson has a den, and we have just a couple of things to finish for the bathroom.
• The boys are having a fun summer playing, playing, playing.
• Colton has two teeth on the bottom (yes, he has bitten his mommy!) and loves to eat rice cereal and veggies (all we’ve done so far). He can also sit up, is starting to get into crawling position ... it won’t be long now.