stuff & things

Merry Christmas 2009

As I turn the page on the wall calendar, I see a lonely December page hanging there beneath the thick stack of expended months straining the thumbtack to the point that it seems it might pop right out of the wall.  Looking back on all those pages, there are appointments and reminders, holidays and vacations, written in the squares that remind me of all the things we did during 2009.  For another year, the Fobert's of Milwaukie had a lot to be thankful for, and created many memorable moments.

Camden:  Camden is currently a fifth grader.  He recently completed a space travel project, so if you have any questions about rockets, satellites, space stations or the like, be sure to ask our new resident expert on the subject.  He earned his orange belt in Aikido last spring, and took some fencing lessons over the summer. Currently a Webelo II, he plans to follow in the steps of his Great Grandpa Lowe and become a boy scout later this winter.

Shelby:  Shelby is currently a senior. Shelby is a busy girl.  With National Honor Society, Key Club, volunteering at a physical therapy clinic, a member of a community young leadership team, track & field and cross country - all while managing a full International Baccalaureate Diploma schedule - how does she find time for it all?  You'll have to ask her, because she sure seems to do well at all of the various activities that she participates in.  She has been actively looking at colleges during 2009, and has already been accepted to four - Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, Pacific University, and University of the Pacific.  I'm sure it is needless to say that her parents are extremely proud of her.  EDIT 12/19/09:  Add two to the list of colleges - Shelby has now been accepted to Seattle University and Lewis & Clark.

Karen & Rod:  We're pretty boring, so we can keep this short.  Karen is still working at Lewis & Clark, her offical title now is "Grand Poobah and Exalted Master of the Financial Aid Kingdom" (or something like that; I can't remember for sure).  Rod is still enjoying teaching high skool Inglush.

Some pictures (click to make bigger):

Some short videos:

If you want to see more, just scroll on down!

The Christmas Season 2009

Camden and Karen making peanut brittle:

Shelby's new dress, made by G'ma F.:

Some time to kick back and read a good book or two:

Winter Wonderland holiday lights at PIR:

Decorating gingerbread houses & a gingerbread Christmas tree:

 
 

A Fobert Family Christmas Picture

Scout camping at Silver Creek Falls

November 14-15, 2009:

Yes, he knows he buttoned his shirt wrong.  No, he doesn't care.

The Webelos of Den 3

Hiking the falls with the "big boys" (boy scouts).

Taking a break!  Camden hiked about 5 miles this day!
 
 
 
 

Cross Country Dessert and Awards Night 2009

Ronnie, Shelby and Shelby

Nutty girls!

A picture with Coach Cauthers.
 
 
 

Halloween 2009

District Cross Country 2009

Yet another personal best for Shelby at the Three Rivers League District cross country meet at Clackamas Community College on October 28, 2009:

Where's Charlie?

You just never know where you're going to find Charlie sleeping:

Cross Country Meet... Or Mud Bath?!

Shelby has had a rough go of it this cross country season, battling both injury and illness.  Last Wednesday was the first meet of the season that she was able to run, and she ran so well that she beat her personal record.  Today, at the Concordia College meet, she sloshed through the mud and rain, along with a massive field of runners, to again shatter her personal record time.  Way to go Shelby!

 

(click on the small pictures if you want to see them bigger.)
 
 
 
 
 
 

Recycling is a good thing, right?!

Camden got into the recycling bin to stomp it down to make room for more cardboard, and I couldn't resist the photo-op...

Between a limb and a hard place?

We came home from our recent beach trip to find that a large limb (6" diameter at the base) had fallen from a tree near the house and slammed into the wall so hard it left a hole.

I can just hang a picture over that hole, right?!!!  Nope, it's gotta be fixed...

Hmmm, the new paint is shinier.  Time to repaint the whole house?

Labor Day (weekend) Beach Trip

Playing in the sand... 

Hey Look over there! 

And look over there too! 

We got lots of movies from the local video store that was going out of business.  This is all the movies we bought between the two families (not just ours):

Touring Colleges - Seattle

During a recent trip to Seattle, for the purpose of visiting some colleges, we were also able to do some sightseeing as well.  First, we went to the space needle, and took the elevators up to the 520 foot high observation deck.

 

Although the day was overcast and Mt. Rainier was obscured by clouds, the view from the top of the Space Needle is really spectacular.

Next, we went down to the famous Pike Place Market.  This stop on the journey included a pilgrimage to the original Starbucks coffee store.

 

The hallowed ground of the original Starbucks store was packed with other caffeine beverage worshipers, so apparently we weren't the only people called to this holy mecca of cream and sugar!

Next, we boarded a boat for a cruise out to Tillicum Village on Blake Island in Puget Sound.  On this island, a Native American style salmon dinner is served, and also a Native American dance show is performed.  This turned out to be a very fun trip, and I highly recommend it if you are ever in Seattle.

 

The next day we toured University of Puget Sound and Seattle University.  The previous week, Shelby had toured Pacific Lutheran University.  All three Washington schools got a thumbs up from Shelby.

Sunriver Trip 7/11/09

This day was the last full day of our Sunriver vacation. Much of this day was spent at the annual quilt show in Sisters, Oregon.  Practically every building in town is adorned with quilts for this one day each year. 

  Check out the guy in the background... Maybe it was something he ate.

 

Good times were had and great memories were created on this 2009 vacation to the high desert region of our great state of Oregon.  On 7/12 we loaded up and headed for home.  By the time we got home, the sky was completely overcast with dark clouds, and the temperature was about 65 degrees.  In just the time it took to get home, our time in the warm sun of the Oregon desert seemed like a distant memory.  All the more reason to look forward to our next family vacation adventure.

Sunriver Trip 7/10/09

On this day, we took a drive up to Mt. Bachelor.  We rode a chairlift up to have lunch on the mountain, then rode the chairlift back down.  Later in the evening we had a grilled hamburger dinner with visiting relatives who were staying at another house in Sunriver.

 

Sunriver trip - 7/9/09

Some highlights of this day of our vacation excursion include a trip to the park in Sunriver to give our dog some much-needed excercise.  Then, around 4:30, we headed south east for our dinner reservations at the Cowboy Dinner Tree restaurant, located near the small town of Silver Lake.  To add some adventure to the lengthy drive, we did some geocaching along the way, eventually finding four between Sunriver and the restaurant.

   Playing with the dog at the park in Sunriver.

  This is geocache number one along highway 31 on the way to Silver Lake.

 Not much traffic out here in the middle of nowhere on highway 31, so the girls decided to lay down in the road for no apparant reason!

  We threatened to leave the girls out there in the middle of nowhere, so they thought they'd try hitch-hiking back to civilization!

  The site of geocache number 2 of the day.

  Geocache #3 at the quilt shop in Silver Lake.

 A couple more pictures of the quilt shop at Silver Lake.

     Geocache #4 just a couple of miles from the Cowboy Dinner tree.

 Roping cattle at the Cowboy Dinner Tree.

  Riding the bull at the Cowboy Dinner Tree.

 A frostly beverage at the Cowboy Dinner Tree - Lemonade for Shelby; ice water for Sydney.

  The Cowboy Dinner Tree Restaurant.  No electricity out here, but they installed a solar panel on the roof at some point, so there are a few dim light bulbs inside as it starts to get dusk.  All cooking done the old fashioned way - an outdoor grill for the meat, and a wood-fired oven/cook top inside the kitchen for the baked potatoes, rolls, and soup.

That's a 30 ounce steak with baked potatoe.  If you order Chicken (Camden had the chicken) you get A WHOLE CHICKEN!

 Horsin' around at the Cowboy Dinner Tree. Time to head back to Sunriver.

Sunriver Trip - 7/8/09 (seven, eight, nine day!)

Another fun yet relaxing day at Sunriver.  Today's main activity was a visit to nearby Lava Lands at Lava Butte.  We hiked around the lava fields, and then drove to the top of Lava Butte to take in the view.  In the evening, during a drive around the Sunriver grounds, we were surprised to see a coyote out ambling around in a field.  We stopped and watched him for awhile and, seemingly equally curious about us, the coyote eventually came over to our van and then crossed right in front of us to the field on the other side of the road!

         

Sunriver Trip - 7/7/09 - Camden's 11th Birthday

Today was another great day in Sunriver, as well as being Camden's 11th birthday.  We took Camden to see the new Ice Age movie at the theater in Bend, had lunch at Red Robin, then came back to the Sunriver house for the dinner of his choosing - chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy.  We wrapped up the day with Grandma's homemade birthday cake and presents for Camden.

 

Sunriver trip - 7/6/09

We arrived at Sunriver in the late afternoon/evening of Sunday, 7/5/09, but didn't do much besides unpacking and checking out the house.  On Monday, we went to the pool, the kids tried out the rock climbing wall, and Camden helped G'ma make his birthday cake for the next day.

      

Fourth of July Beach Weekend

Once again, we travelled to Cannon Beach for the 4th of July holiday festivities.  The girls (Shelby and Sydney) opted to be in the parade this year on the tandem.  The girls decorated the bike in red, white and blue, and the rest of us helped decorate the cabin.  Camden enjoyed watching the parade and catching candy from people as the parade went by.

 

That's MISTER orange belt!

On June 30, Camden tested (and passed) for his orange belt in Aikido.  He did very well!

    

You want to do what?!?

In Robert Frost's poem Mending Wall is the line "Good fences make good neighbors."  I wonder, though, what does a good fencer make?  Just a couple of weeks ago, Camden announced that he wanted to learn fencing (i.e the kind with swords, not the kind that outlines property boundaries).  As luck would have it, a fencing camp was announced at Shelby's school, so she brought home the information, and we got Camden all signed up.  This week fencing camp has begun, and Camden seems to be really enjoying it so far.

 

  

The class is being held in the local grange hall, and the pictures are coming out a bit dark.  Camden is the one with the light blue stripe running down the length of his pant leg.  The teacher is an Olympic fencing coach, and he also has some young but highly skilled nationally ranked fencers assisting with the camp.  It is very exciting to watch all these youngsters waving real metal swords around all at the same time!

Beach weekend - June 19-21, 2009 (continued from below)

Sorry, these are a little out of order - I posted some pictures from this weekend's beach trip a few posts down from this one.  Here are some more pictures of our beach trip over Father's Day weekend, which included the Seaside Muscle Beach Car Show, and spending time with friends:  (click small pictures to make them bigger.  If you want to see more car pictures from the weekend, be sure to check out the Cougar blog at www.lattemom.typepad.com/cougar)

  In case you're wondering... that's chocolate covered BACON!

 

Friends

 Charlie and Seiza curl up for a nap together.

Memorial Weekend 2009 - Cannon Beach

 The obligatory Haystack Rock photo.

This is Jeapordy.  I'll take "Things That Start With a B" for 500:  What is Beach... Book... Biscuit... Barbie?

Friends help keep each other warm when the wind is cold on the beach.

 Playing in the sand.

  Seiza loves the beach!

Our girl.

Camden & the Violin

Beach weekend - June 19-21, 2009

Dinner at Doogers in Cannon Beach on 6/20/09.  Shelby and Camden ordered steamer clams.  Yum!

 

 

 

Has anyone seen the cat?

Our cat Charlie finds the most interesting places to take a cat nap:

 

Yes, that is Charlie sleeping inside the washing machine!

Bidding a fond farewell to Julia

I was going through some pictures tonight on the computer, and noticed we had never posted any pictures of our farewell dinner for Julia at The Claimjumper (click each small picture to make them larger):

Karen & Julia

 That's a big sandwich!

Camden & Rod on the left.  Shelby, Karen & Julia on the right.

Julia is now back home in the Ukraine.  Hope to see her again someday!

Sojourner Field Day - last day of school 2008-09 year:

Balloon animals and face painting:

 

Bubbles:

 

Slip N Slide:

 

  

Signing yearbooks:

 

 

 

Even Forrester (the class dog) signs yearbooks!

  

Gma's birthday

After Camden's flag football game on Sunday, we came back to our house to celebrate Grandma's birthday (a couple days early):

Camden stirring the cake batter on Saturday evening:

 

Shelby prepares the candles:

 

G'ma:

 

Dessert is served!

Sojourner Swim Week

Usually Camden's school (yep, the WHOLE SCHOOL) goes to the Clackamas Aquatic Center for a week of swimming lessons each morning during the week right before Christmas vacation.  The weather forced the cancellation of that plan this year however, so they finally got the opportunity to make it up this week instead.  Here are some pictures from Wednesday morning at the pool:  (click each one to make them bigger.)

 

Learning CPR and lifesaving techniques.

 

Water aerobics

 

That's a lot of kids doing water aerobics!

  

Body surfing in the wave pool.

Whittler on the Roof

Camden just loves to get up on the roof, any chance he gets.  Whether I need to get out the ladder to clean gutters, or in this case sweep off the roof, Camden just can't wait to get up there too.  This time, and I swear this was his idea, he wanted to get up on the roof and use his new pocket knife.  I just couldn't resist snapping a picture or two of our "Whittler on the Roof."

 

A Much-Anticipated Evening for Taylor Swift Fans

The night of the Taylor Swift concert finally arrived, and Shelby and Sydney spent so long getting ready for the concert you would have thought it was prom night... oh wait, it was!  But these girls have their priorities in order:

 

 

 

Working Boy

Camden has been developing his entreprenurial nature, and is always looking for ways to make money to support his lego obsession.

 

District Track Meet

 

  

Springtime!

 

  

 

Flag Football - Game 2

Camden's team, the Crazy 8's (they are team #8 in the league, in case you are wondering how the boys came up with their name) had a win today!

 

Go Camden!

 

 

Take your dad to school day!

Every day starts with vigorous aerobic exercise in morning opening.  That's the principal up there leading the action.  Imagine if you could harness the energy in this room full of kids - power a large city (or country?) I would bet!

 

Working in the garden:

 

Sharing a particularly good part in the story with a friend.

 

Explaining stingrays (his research project) to visiting kindergartners and first graders:

 

And, also to to one of his teachers:

Fleet Footed Fobert!

Shelby has been battling injuries this track season, but finally got to run in a meet on Wednesday, April 22.  She competed in the 800 meters and the 4x400 relay.

  

Easter 2009

Shelby:

 

Camden & his buddy Christian:

  

The Grandmas and Shelby:

 

The Grandpas:

 

Easter Baskets in the morning:

 

Looking for eggs! (video):