Church Helpers

All 3 kids now have duties to perform during the Sunday afternoon service at Grace Lutheran. Tor was trained to do the candlelighting at the beginning of the service (and snuff the flames at the end).

The girls continue to do the offering:

Kids & Jobs

 

The kids have been doing lots of jobs at Granny & Papa's this summer to earn some extra $. Here Tor is helping Dad load timber rounds to split later. He has also done lawn jobs with Jillian and Bridget for Grannie. The yard is looking so much better although there is still lots to do.

Swimming with Kenny and Rory

Tor jumped in the Mark Morris swimming pool with Kenny and Rory, and Aunt Julie and Cousin Cale, for some water fun. Kenny loves the water, while Rory is not so sure. Tor entertained the girls the whole time.

Farewell, Boss Hogg

The Ford Expedition finally ran out of gas. We've had it for the past 14 years, after receiving it as a gift from Uncle Richard. It served us well, shuttling kids everywhere, hauling construction materials, and teaching Jillian how to drive. It made it to 280k mile, but the cost for realignment, new tires, etc. ended up being too much. Rather than send it to the junk yard, we donated it to Wishes for Wheels, who came and hauled it away.

Baby Shower No. 3

Baby Grant is on the way, and we celebrated at Cale and Erika's with a shower. The kids stayed busy entertaining Kenny and Rory, and we're not sure who was more tired afterwards. This pic was the best we could do of all 5 kids (photos do not come easy):

Here's Rory letting Bridget know that she wants to fly:

We were thrilled when Kenny wanted to play the Sleeping Game in her room, and Rory joined in ... though it only lasted a few minutes.

Afterwards, we joined more family at Alan and Vera's house to celebrate cousin James' graduation and entry into the teaching world. A special treat was that someone brought 3 bags of Dick's cheeseburgers from Seattle! (Tor is holding one in the pic):

3-Sport Athlete

One of Monticello Middle School's new traditions is to honor the 3-Sport Athletes, and Bridget was one of them, participating in volleyball, basketball and track. A poster was made for her and hung up on the halls of the school:

School End Awards

[Late Post] On the last day at Monticello Middle School, Bridget and Tor participated in the end-of-year awards. Bridget was given the Social Studies Award, the English Award, and the 3-Sport Athlete Award. Here she is with classmate, teammate and friend Hailey:

Tor was given the All-Around Excellence Award, the Orchestra Participation, and the September Student of the Month. Here's Tor and with his buddies:

Winter Woolies Buckle

Bridget and Handsome received their buckle for winning the CCEHC 2025 Winter Woolies 14-18 Division High Point.

Clue

Our board game for the evening was Clue (one of Mom's favorites). Bridget won this time around:

We wrapped up the evening with make-your-own pizzas and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Baseball + Volleyball

We played a 3-inning game of baseball with a wiffle bat and tennis ball. Teams were Jillian & Bridget vs. Tor & Mom, with Dad as all-time pitcher. It came down to the last outs, and Bridget knocked in the winning run to finish 8-7. This pic shows Tor warming up:

The kids played volleyball for only a couple minutes (go figure):

... before heading to the water to hit the tennis ball a little more:

Cliff Jumping

It finally cleared up a bit in the afternoon, so we packed up quick and headed to the beach. We crossed "Poop River" to get to the cliffs. Tor and Jillian went for the highest point, but Bridget had to be persuaded to jump off a tiny cliff down low:

Quick Bike Ride

Slow start to the morning ... we didn't get out the door until noon. Our first order of business was to bike our way to the library, where we hung out for a short time.

Lectric Bike

Papa Bob brought his Lectric Bike to the beach cabin, and the kids all gave it a ride. They couldn't believe how fast it could go (20+ mph), so it was a bit of an adrenaline rush.

Tor wanted to keep riding it, so he and Dad went for a cruise down the street. So many bunnies everywhere!

Working for Dinner

The kids made quick work of unloading the firewood from the trailer. Jillian and Tor had loaded it in Castle Rock (to make room in the shed for Papa Bob's new ATV).

Card Games

Jillian has learned a bunch of card games, so she taught Bridget and Tor how to play them:

Perfect Beach Weather

For us, that means sunny, warm and no wind. We got all 3 today, so we stayed for a couple hours.

A first for us: we found a dead dolphin on the beach. We initially thought it was another sea lion (seen those before), but looking closely showed it to really be a dolphin (or porpoise, whatever is around here).

The kids raced once, and it was obviously no contest with Jillian still being in track shape:

Tor took over a driftwood fort that someone else had built, and added onto it:

Chilled Arrival

It looked sunny and warm from inside the car on the way to the beach, but once we got there and stepped outside, it was cold. The kids headed immediately for the space heater, reading books, catching up on their cell phones, and bottle flipping:

Father's Day

It was BBQ hamburgers and lots of other good food in Castle Rock for Father's Day. Little Kenny greeted the dads (and everyone else) with a "Happy Father's Day", while Ro-Ro hugged Tor. The kids kept the girls busy running around outside, keeping them out of the water until the very end.

We went to Omelette's and More with Papa Ken, Bev and Auntie Greta (but alas, no pics). It was super busy, but the kids loved their biscuits and gravy, as usual.

Student of the Month

Somehow, this got missed at the start of the school year, and we just found this picture in the student newspaper while cleaning out Tor's backpack. He won the Student of the Month for September 2024:

We also found this poster, that Tor said the teachers had made and put up in the Monticello hallway:

Car Wash

Jillian spent the morning working at a youth group car wash at Grace Lutheran Church, raising funds for her (and Bridget's) trip to New Orleans in July for the National Lutheran Youth Convention.

Tor helped out, too, by holding the signs.

Adam's Grad Party

We joined Adam and the Peterson family at Applebee's to celebrate his graduation from STEPS.

End-of-School Ice Cream

Finishing the last day of the school year seemed like a good reason to get some ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. (Bridget couldn't make it - she was going to a horse show with Mom)

It's now official: Jillian is a senior at RA Long High School, Bridget is a freshman at RA Long High School, and Tor is a 7th grader at Monticello Middle School.

Track Awards

Jillian received the Coaches Award from her RA Long Track coaches at the awards ceremony yesterday. She also earned a varsity letter, the Scholar Athlete Achievement Award (for a 4.0 GPA) and the Outstanding Scholastic Award (team GPA of 3.5+).

Keegan's B-day Weekend

Tor and several other kids joined school friend and basketball teammate Keegan to celebrate his birthday in Ocean Park at his parents' lot just north of the beach cabin.

In Astoria on the way to the beach, they stopped at a Goonies-themed store to get this pic:

They stayed the night on Friday and Saturday, and found lots to do, including going to the beach and forming a "tribe", signified by marking their faces with charcoal from an old fire:

One of the kids had a cool phone camera filter that produced this pic:

They spent Saturday touring Long Beach and playing video games and Lazer tag at Funland, and riding go-karts. They also ride bikes around town, and Tor showed his friends the beach cabin, and waved at the porch camera:

They had a great time:

... and they were exhausted when they got home: