Sorry!

Hey everyone,

Apparently, as I checked my wordpress site this morning, there were some questionable photos under on the Flickr widget. First, I have no control over the photos that are posted there, they are random from other people’s sites. Second, I removed the flickr widget this morning because of the nature of the photos that were posted on my blog… I do not want to encourage anyone to view inappropriate content, nor do I want inappropriate content to be linked to me personally. The only reason the flickr widget is there is to showcase interesting photos that others have taken…. because I love photography so much, and I enjoy looking at other people’s work on the web, it helps me to think more creatively when I am taking photos myself. Third, I would like to apologize if anyone was offended by what was posted there… It was certainly not my intention to in any way offend or lead astray any visitors to my wordpress site. Again, I am sorry!

I did however add a new feature…. a map… If you would like you can save locations on the map and comment on them.

Thanks for your understanding!

The things that kids say….

Funny things Maddie says….

When she’s scared…. “I’m scary, Mommy”

When she loves her brother (not very often) (said while rubbing his head) “Awww, he’s so sweet! Aww, he’s so cute!” (funny, its the same thing she says to Riley, my brother’s Jack Russel terrier)

When asked if her feet are cold….”yep dem are”

When excited about crossing the Willamette River (bridge into Salem) (In a very loud yelling voice, until someone pays attention to her) “Yook guys, the ribber, the ribber!!”

When confirming something we asked her about “yes sir-ee you” (adapted from my mom saying “yes sir-ee bob”)

When asked by a stranger in the grocery store “what’s your name?” she replies “My Maddie-poo” (what her grampa nick-named her)

While in the grocery cart at Costco with Grammy, calling Grampa…(in the loud yelling voice) “Grampa-poo, where are you Grampa-poo!?”

From the grocery cart, at the checkout, she spies something she loves to eat, in the little old man’s cart who is in front of us…. (in the very loud yelling voice) “YOU GOT CORNS? DAT SO NUMMY, MMMMM…. NUMMY….. MOMMY, HIM GOT CORNS!!!!!!!” (referring to the frozen mini corn on the cob that the man just put on the belt)

Funny things Emma says…

Grammy “Oh, Emma, here’s a picture of your dad… look at that, he has hair.”

Emma “Oh my gosh, its a good thing he got rid of that…!”

Recently while playing the songs she is learning on the recorder at school…. “Hey Mom, have you ever heard Beethoven’s 9th inning?” (referring Beethoven’s 9th Symphony)

Funny things Taylor says…..

While driving to Mount Hood to go sledding, after getting close enough to see the grandeur of the mountain… and the snow covering it… (in a barely can contain myself giggly, excited voice, and big eyes) “This is gonna be so AWESOME!” (both Tim and I looked at each other and laughing..Tim says….That’s 6 year old boy code for “we are going all the way to the top to sled down the side of the mountain”)

While trying to sneak up on Maddie under the covers while she is laying on my bed, Maddie jumped on him…. he said “help me! I’m being tortured by a crazy woman!”

These are just SOME of the funny things my kids say…. they come up with things ALL the time, but these are some of the most recent. Enjoy a good laugh at their expense…..!

The Names of Jesus

A friend of mine in Michigan sent me a book for my birthday called ‘Praying the names of Jesus’ by Ann Spangler. I have enjoyed the first chapter so far…where the first name of Jesus is ‘Immanuel’ or translated, means ‘with us is God’. Ann goes on in the first chapter

“When our sins made it impossible for us to come to him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sins’s disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God’s love is. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor. For Jesus is still Immanuel–He is still ‘God with us’.”

Once again, the Lord is reminding me ever so gently… ‘I am here, I am with you, I loved you so much I came to live with you, be near you, live in you.’ What a way to begin Holy Week, by remembering the baby God sent to save the world.

Salem

Since we moved to Oregon, we have visited Salem (Oregon’s capitol) about 3 times a week. Salem has a shopping mall, Target, Walmart grocery store, Costco, the kids’ Doctor is there and there is generally more to do than the small town we live in. Where we live, in Monmouth is approximately 15 miles from downtown Salem. So we go there often. But, even though we pass the Capitol Building every time we go, we have never actually gotten out of the car and walked the park around the capitol, until today. Emma has been studying Oregon Trail history in her 3rd grade class. I believe the first part of the year from September to December was devoted to the Oregon Trail, anyway, she learned so much about the pioneers who traveled the Oregon trail including Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea. In the process of Emma learning about the Oregon Trail, she also learned about the state of Oregon. The state symbols, flags, birds, animals, etc. etc. I have always been fascinated about how people would take it on themselves (years ago) to just decide that they would just set off to explore new places during a time when walking, wagons and travel by horse was the only way. What is it that sets the will of men to find adventure and compels them to explore and discover new ways and things and people and places? You and I both know that this heart for exploration and knowledge was given to us by God…but still it is amazing!! Anyway, back to Salem, as we drive into town on highway 22, coming down the hill, you can see blazing in the sun, the landmark sitting high atop the State Capitol building, the Golden Pioneer. From the Salem city website, we find these facts about the golden guy with the axe: High atop the Oregon Capitol, the Golden Pioneer statue has surveyed Salem since 1938. The statue stands nearly 22′ in height, upon a marble base 23′ feet tall. The bronze sculpture is clad in gold leaf. This periodically needs refurbishing as the elements wear the whisper-thin sheets of 23 K gold. On April 25, 1935 the Oregon Capitol built in 1873 was destroyed by a fire that started in the basement. The design for a new Capitol was a result of a nationwide competition. This design, by architects Francis Keally and George Jacoby from the New York firm of Trowbridge and Livington, was unanimously selected. At the top of the 4-story building of modern Greek architecture, is a bronze statue. A gold leaf exterior was chosen for it’s reflective qualities. This work has become known to Oregonians as the “Golden Pioneer”, but this singular sculpture standing 22 feet tall was officially named the “Oregon Pioneer” by its creator, artist Ulric H. Ellerhusen. The Oregon Pioneer weighs eight and a half tons. Ellerhusen created the Oregon Pioneer in his New Jersey studio. The sculptor had a large studio door built so the work could be rolled outside and he would be able to see firsthand how it looked in the sunlight. The Oregon Pioneer was shipped in 1938 through the Panama Canal then came to Salem on a railroad car and was brought to the Capitol on a flatbed truck. The Golden Pioneer and the new Capitol were dedicated in 1938. The base for the statue is faced with white Vermont marble, the same material used to construct the Capitol. The Oregon Pioneer is enameled with gold leaf. It was re-gilded in 1958, and in 1984 by Portland gilders John Edwards and Roy Darby. The year 2000 gilding was headed by Pete McKearnan and Lee Littlewood of Portland. They were trained by Edwards and Darby. SOURCE: Oregon Blue Book & Capitol Staff
The photos in the slideshow are of the Capitol building, the Golden Pioneer and the Capitol Plaza Park, where there are flags from each state flown, as well as other sculptures that were donated to the state as gifts, or dedicated to the state in memorial. (No, the cute kids weren’t donated, they were just moving statues on loan)