Holy Cow Cooper is 14!

We don't know how it happened, but Cooper is 14!  We celebrated his birthday primarily on Sunday, the day after.  On Saturday, his actual birhtday he had a couple of friends over and we took them to see the movie Catching Fire--which was pretty awesome and a good book to movie translation.  The boys liked it quite a bit!

 As you can see Oma (and Opa) came over to celebrate it.  I included this first picture because of the face Spencer is making in the background.  It looks like the candle is on the pie (butterscotch of course because that's the new birthday favorite for all the boys), it's actually on a cupcake next to the pie.

 Included this picture because Cooper's face is, well Cooper.  He is always making goofy faces.

 Cooper wanted a soccer jersey so that is what we got him.  Buffon is a goalie just like Coop. Back view.

 Front view.  Can you believe how big he is!  I am amazed every day at how grown up he is.  He is still my happy-go-lucky boy and so fun to have around.  He makes us laugh all the time and brings alot of joy to our family.  Dennis says he's the best "mistake" he ever made!  We love him so much and are so lucky to have him in our family!

So this last picture of this awesome Minestrone soup that we have started making.  I love it!  We have it almost every week.  It is soooo yummy.  It's primarily veggies with some beans thrown in for protein.  It makes this huge batch so then I have soup to take to work for lunch every day.  Love it.

Goalie Man!

All three of the boys have played soccer since they were about 6 years old.  Tucker played a little in high school and Spencer gave it up in middle school for running (good decision for him.  Cooper has also followed in his brother's footsteps with soccer.  When he was really little (back when the kids clumped around the ball like a hoard of bees) he loved to play goalie and was pretty good at it.

When he started playing for his second team he mostly played defense and was not put in as goalie for a few years.  (I don't think the coach realized he was a goalie).  Then about 3 years ago the coach started playing his as goalie and I sent him to a few goalie camps during the summer and spring break.  And next thing you know, we had a real goalie in the family!

 I have not been to alot of his games this year (because they have been on Sunday*) and I keep forgetting to have Dennis take the camera.  These pictures are courtesy of one of the other players' mom.  As you can see, he is willing to sacrifice himself for a save.

He hopes to try out for the Ballard team next year.  His coach says he is one of the best goalies in the league we are in (some of the opposing players he goes to school with have also said the same) and is encouraging him to tryout.    He does a great job and is fun to watch.

*Lest you think I let him off the hook for church he had to go to one of the other wards and his dad took him and went to sacrament meeting--so it actually had an added bonus.  Though Sunday games are done for the season and we are in the playoffs now so we will have to think of some other reason for Dennis to come to church.  :-)

Fall 2013

 Thought it was about time I did a new post.  Every year Dennis likes to go over to eastern Washington at least once to go hunting with his good friend Bill Guido.  This year was no exception.  After spending a couple Saturdays at hunter safety Cooper was able to go as well.  This first picture is a little weird because the camera was on the ground, but it has Bill in it so that's nice.

 Tucker got 2 1/2 birds and Cooper got 1 1/2 (they each shot at the same bird and Dennis said he couldn't tell who actually got it so they each got a 1/2).  The hunting dog is named Sandy (Bill as three now but one of them is pretty old and no longer hunts and the other is brand new so is a dog-in-training).

Tucker was talking about the hunting trip to some friends at college and some lady overheard him.  After class she came up to him and said, "You know you are a murderer don't you?"  I also mentioned it at church to someone and she got all concerned and later came up to me to make sure the ate what they hunted.  Crazy.   A different mindset for sure.

Bittersweet, but this is Spencer's last year in Cross Country (at least for high school--who knows if he will join a group in college or not).  After spending most of last year injured, he was hoping to beat his fastest time from last year.

 I made a point to attend several of his meets this year.  These next pictures of from my favorite one.  September 28, the Bellevue Invitational.  It was raining the proverbial cats & dogs (with some rats thrown in).  On the way over to the east side I had my wipers going full blast and still could barely see--actually sometimes I really couldn't.  It was kind of scary.  At the meet which was in Lake Sammamish State Park there was standing water everywhere up over your ankles!  It was crazy.  So here is a few shots from that meet because it was so crazy.  It shows that nothing stops a cross country race!

I included this next picture because I really like the kid running next to Spencer.  His name is Sean and despite the full beard, he is just a senior like Spencer.  Spencer took his senior pictures and they were hilarious, original and unique--just like him.  He sported the full beard the whole season until the very last meet.

I included this next picture because…well look at the caption below the picture.

The Four Horsemen 

 So every team has some type of chant or yell they do before the race starts.  Ballard's team gets in a big circle and links arms.  The team captains (one of which was Spencer this year) get in the middle and start the chant.  "To the boats..to the boats…to the boats….a bunch of other stuff" and then a big roar.  Don't ask me what "To the boats" means I have no idea and neither do any of the kids on the team, because I have asked.

And yes, the really itty, bitty kid in their circle is in high school.  He is shorter than some of our 6th graders at the middle school.  He looks like he is about a 3rd grader--but he is one of the faster boys on the team--he beat Spencer a few times this season!  

Sadly Spencer didn't beat his fastest time ever from last year (18:34) but he came close at 18:37 which is pretty smokin' for 3.2 miles I'd say.  A good finish to his XC career at Ballard.

Summer 2013

So we did do a few other things this summer besides going to Puerto Rico.  We hiked up Rattlesnake Ridge in Snoqualmie Pass with our friends the Roches'.  They get props for making the hike even after realizing they had left their baby backpack at home and therefore had to carry baby Zora all the way up.

 It was only 2 miles up so it wasn't too awful, but still carrying a baby all that way is not easy.  Apologies to Steph who would totally hate that I published this picture of her!

 Our ward had a campout in July and Spencer, Cooper and I went.  It was in a big meadow next to a river somewhere north of here.  This was a swing that the little kids who came later had lots of fun with.  This is Spencer & Cooper warming it up so they could push the little kids later--they were very popular with all the little kids.

 Spencer tried out his golfing skills in the meadow because some friends brought wiffle golf balls.  Needless to say there is a reason he has not taken up golf with us!

 The annual Vaden family camping trip to Alturas was also awesome.  The kids loved the opportunity to ride the four wheelers.

 The Archie McPhee assortment of false teeth that were given out as "prizes" were a big hit with everyone who got a set.  Including Spencer.

 And Truman also sporting some groovy glasses which I think were also purchased at Archie McPhees.

 Desi & Spencer are definitely related as you can see here.  The family resemblance is uncanny.

 Here's Dennis sporting the shade hat that I got as a prize.

 Cooper and Truman giving some love.

 Zen doodling was enjoyed by many.  Including Sarah.

 Bryleigh made here Vaden family debut.

 Payton was one of my personal favorites cuz she would let me cuddle with her!

 James doing some doodling of his own.

 Leah got into doodling as well.

 Little Vaden was mobile this year.

 The line-up to take the small fourwheeler out was evercircling.

 Randy had the tough job of monitoring the four wheeler line.  I don't think he actually had to move from the chair too often.

 Cooper looks forward to going out on the four wheelers every year and especially enjoys it now that he can go out on his own.

 Last adventure of the summer is beach camping at Twin Harbors State park near "always sunny" (not) Westport, WA.  This year Cooper invited his friend Jack along.  They had a great time and spent alot of time in the water.  We got lucky this year and had pretty decent weather both Friday and Saturday afternoon.

 Tucker was able to come with us this year, but I don't think he even dipped his toes in the water.  He did enjoy sitting at the beach though.

 Actually the whole Chandler clan made it this year (except Dwight & Kathy) who gave up on camping about three years ago.  It was fun to have all the Chandler cousins together.  They have a great time together.

 The Chandler cousins also bring along friends.  Heidi (left, next to Spencer) has been twice and Kailey (in black next to Emma) has been five or six times and is considered one of the family now.

 Heidi was a good sport and let the gang bury her in true Ursula style.  It was a great weekend and a fun cap to the summer.

Puerto Rico from Spencer's Point of View

As promised, here are some of Spencer's pictures of our trip.  In no particular order.  This first picture is the local beach we went to on Father's Day.  It was quite the happening place that day.  Needless to say, we were extremely outnumbered by the locals.  It was awesome.

 This little guy was walking down the street with his bicycle "train" made of recycled things.  We went passed him twice and stopped the 2nd time to get a picture because it was just so cute.

 I think this is a park bench in the square where the very orange church from my pictures of Fajardo.

 All the houses/businesses were extremely colorful.  Nothing like you would see here in Seattle.  It was really quite pretty.

 This little guy was at the visitor's center for the rain forest.  Tucker & Cooper actually had to sing with him "sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar...." it was very cute.

 An interesting angle on one of the trees in the rain forest (I just love his eye for different shots!)

 One of the little falls on our rain forest hike.

 View from our balcony.

 Sign in the rain forest.  I don't think these were the falls we actually walked to, but maybe they were.  I really don't remember.  (This is when I first started to get sick so things were a little fuzzy in my brain.)

 This is a tower that was in the rain forest.  If it was leaning it could almost be Pisa. Ha ha.  We did clime to the top of it though.

 View from the top of the tower.

 More colorful houses.  These are in old San Juan which is the original Spanish settlement part of San Juan.  You'd see a really nice building right next to one that was completely crappy.  Some of them were actually just "fronts" you could see actual trees & stuff growing inside them (those were usually for sale).

 Tucker at the fort.

 Dennis & I looking out from one of the observation places at the fort.  Lovin that old lady neck I am developing.

 At the fort.  I don't actually look as bad as I was feeling I don't think!  Blue on blue on blue.

 Coop & Spencer at the beach on the last day (they day we all go sunburned a little).  It really was kind of hazy that day.  All the days were pretty hazy.  No clear, blue sky the whole time we were there.  But that was okay, I think it may have made it a little cooler.

 I think this is the tower of the church that was in the graveyard where I took the picture of the boys on the stairs.

 Spencer took alot of pictures of doors and windows.  I am only showing one of them.  Again, love the colors.

 This was actually a street in Old San Juan, not a park or side of a house.  It was this beautiful blue color.

This may or may not have been from the church where Ponce de Leon was buried. 

 This is from the fort, but I put it in because I think it is a really interesting shot of the stone work around the door (once again Spencer's eye for things amazes me).

 This is a beach in San Juan.  It was more ocean like with actual waves than either of the two beaches we actually went to with swimsuits.  We went to this one after our day in San Juan so we did not have suits and were pretty tired.  We just walked on it a bit.

This is a close up up of the same iguana that I took the picture of.  This guy did not move one bit for seeming to be quite precariously perched.  We were shooting this straight down the wall.

 I have no idea where this is from.  Somewhere in Old San Juan I presume.  Maybe I saw it maybe I didn't who knows.

 This passage to the observation tower really was as narrow as it looks in this photo.  Only one person at a time could go through it.  You could definitely not pass another person in it even if you were model thin.

One of the headstones in the graveyard at the forts.

In the rain forest (I think)

So there you have it.  It was a pretty amazing trip really.  I have started saving again for our next family adventure.  If we all can go again great but if not, we did have one last grand adventure!