Ninja Boys

You know you are in the right place, when this kind of behavior, is not only welcome but encouraged ! ! ! ! !

Lions and Tigers and Porcupines OH MY!

On Sunday we ventured, to the waterfront in downtown Portland, where we discovered, there was a Carnival, complete with wild animals, rides and causeway games. The boys were jump up and down excited.

We started with a trip to see the Exotic animals.





Bumper cars were up next, Mitch was tall enough to drive and Kin just tall enough to be a passenger. Unfortunately, the angle the ride attendant viewed Kin at for the Ferris Wheel, was a little short, and she would not let me ride. He handled himself brilliantly and took many a photo of dad and brother.




We hit the causeway, where the boys raked in the prizes .. eventually I became the pack mule for all ...

Life REALLY is Good

Once in Vancouver, Washington the fun took off! We were greeted at the hotel entrance by Fergus (who had been patiently waiting for us). The boys quickly vanished in to the hotel, exploring, running, shooting, chasing ... And when they weren't moving at the speed of light, they were crowded around a screen, TOGETHER.




There was pool fun to be had by all. Daddy invented the infamous Pool Noodle Hat. (perhaps inspired by the jube jube brain melding hat).




We danced, to Amy Steinberg's music! Which was awesome! There were plenty of glo sticks to go around, as can be seen by the lovely Effie Model here.



There was tons of time for cuddles, conquests and curiosity!





Fabulous speakers and fantastic footwear!




And there were intense moments combined with creative pursuits.

Trekking to Life is Good

Our first big long road trip, as a family, took us all the way to Vancouver Washington for the Life is Good Conference. We were stoked, to cross the border and hang out for FIVE days with fellow unschoolers. Step one, pimp up the Van so the boys had endless access to video games and movies, for most of the ride they looked like this.




As co pilot, I spent a big chunk of my time, taking pictures out a moving vehicle. My main subject matter was road signs, who knew they would be so different.





They other laughable co-pilot moment, was my sheer shock at how much longer a mile was then a kilometer. I spent some time thinking we were much closer to our destinations then we actually were. All in all, the boys were troopers, Puck drove and handled in coming tech calls with finesse and well .. I took pictures of images speeding past the window.

Here's how Makinley handled the last 20 miles.

Movies in the hood

Here are Mitch and Kin working with our neighbor Brian and his son Taylor to put together a movie. There were many scenes afterwards and hopefully one day a completed film, consider this a trailer :)

Inspired by friends

The boys spent about 24 hours with Fergus and Effie and came home with a whole new collection of ideas, inspirations and projects.

1) Ben 10, such a big hit we had to purchase Ben 10 watches before heading back home



2) Wooden swords are way better then plastic ones, can you make us some?

























3) Questing and adventuring are best done in a wooded area, where the likelihood of being spotted is minimal.










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Bubble Heads

The boys have rediscovered the delight of combining the bath jets with bubble baths!











Rarely seen footage of two young boys actually in full PJ's with slippers on .. most nights it is a fall in to bed, in whatever costume was last worn .. exhausted from a long day of play




And here are young photographers, photographing their favorite subjects!