Sun River Trip

Right after Ellis' birthday, the girls and I drove to Sun River to visit some friends. We stayed with Ellis' best friend Francesca. Francesca has two sisters, Sasha (who is a little older than Kiley) and Lily who is 10. She also has one brother who is 2. The kids were so happy to be together. Molly (Francesca's mom) and I even had time to visit.
Everyone had a GREAT time!

We went biking, swimming, roller skating and toured the nature conservatory. We did not have time to see the horses and go for a pony ride or go rafting. Sun River is fantastic. There is so much to do, all year around. We'll just have to go back next summer. :)

The girls are looking at the frog they caught at the river.

Ellis and Francesca have been best friends since they were 2.

Kiley and Sasha have become very good friends also.

One night, Lily directed a show, High School Musical, starring: Ellis, Kiley, Sasha, and Francesca. Kiley was enjoying the spotlight. :)

Ellis' Birthday

Ellis is now 7! I cannot believe how fast time flies! Ellis celebrated her birthday at Grant pool with her friends and family. The weather was looking very threatening. However, it turned out to be a beautiful day.

Another one of Brock's masterpieces. He recreated Grant pool in sugar.

Slugger up at the piñata.

Slugger Jr. up at bat.

Ellis and her new American Girl doll, Kaya, her horse Steps High, and her dog Tatlo.
A huge hit!

Great Gamboa Get Together!

We had such a great Family get together at the end of July. Grandma & grandpa, Auntie Tonia, Uncle Bobby, and Liam came all the way out from the East coast. Marie joined us from LA. Grandma & grandpa rented a beautiful house right on the beach. The view was amazing! The kids really loved the big “cozie” tub, which also had an amazing view.

Unfortunately, I was having too much fun with the family I forgot to take pictures. Therefore, I only have a few photos from our trip. However, Grandpa was snapping away. So, I am sure he has captured many more great shots from our trip.

We all had a wonderful time visiting, surfing, hiking, playing and relaxing. This has become such a special time together and we are already looking forward to next year

K's Birthday Camping Trip

I had a great birthday! Brock took off work Thursday and Friday. He and the girls served me breakfast in bed and then took me shopping for a SURFBOARD!
Then we packed up the VW and went to the Columbia River Gorge to camp. We stayed at a beautiful park, Becon Rock.
The girls helped Brock set up the tent.
Ellis helped me cook dinner.
Even the dogs had a good time,What a beatiful view!
Big news -- Ellis lost another tooth the last day of the trip. This makes 7 teeth gone.We found this very cool moth. It was huge, had a furry body and wild antennas that looked like feathers. Brock looked it up on the web and it is called a Antheraea polyphemus. Very interesting. :)

Kiley's first ballet class

Kiley started ballet for the first time today. She loved it!

Sauvie Island Hike

On Sunday we went to Sauvie Island to do a "small" hike with the girls. What we thought was a two mile hike turned out to be three plus miles. The girls were troopers. We saw had heard lots of cool birds.We had a picnic with a beautiful view of the water and lots of jumping fish.


Ellis took the picture below. What an eye. :)
What a goofball also. :)

A visit with the Lower's from Seattle

Brent, Kathy, Emma and Reed came to visit. It was a short but fun filled visit. We went swimming then the next day had a picnic and played at Mt. Tabor.