And Yet, Another First for Miss Adalin

Carnival rides. The first picture below is not the best shot, but look closely at how excited she was about her first-ever carnival ride. Breath held, head held still with a scowl upon it... She didn't like it at all. Then she warmed up! She absolutely loved the rides after this first encounter. I think she is hilarious.
The farris wheel was the highlight. Adalin loved being up high and every time she came near the bottom where she could see Adam and I, she let out a wild scream of excitement. It was a fun evening at the carnival. Afterwards, instead of waiting 'till 10pm to see fireworks, we went to Kroger to get some ice cream and had cones at our house.

Adalin's First Haircut

I have been trying to get Adalin to let me give her a hair trim for months. She was born with a tuft of hair on the very top of her head that never fell out. The sides were the last section to fill in, so by age 3 1/2, the back of her hair was a good 2-3 inches longer than the front and sides. I was outside cutting Adam's hair and my mom was in the house with the girls, telling Adalin that she should get a haircut too. Earlier that day she had once again refused to let me trim it up and I once again chose my battles wisely and agreed that another day would be fine. Somehow, my mom did the trick and Adalin was convinced that a haircut would be the best thing in the world. So I chopped 3 inches off the back and about 1 inch or less from the front to give this result:

Doesn't she look beautiful? Her ponytails look well manicured and her hair looks so cute when it's worn down plain.
As with any other new endeavor we try, she was very hesitant at first but loves the outcome in the end. Whenever I try to get her to do something she has never tried before, sometimes she utterly refuses, other times drags her feet and she almost always loves her new-found hobby, activity or pastime. It's a funny, very girly type thing that she does. She is still talking with pride about how she got a haircut and is growing up so much. And yes, we saved the golden locks of her first haircut for her to keep forever in the bottom of her sock drawer.

First Day of Preschool

3 other moms and I are doing a preschool thingy this year with the Teach Me Mommy series. I am really glad to see her love this set up as much as she does. She is always excited to go and is a natural in a school setting. I really wish that she would have been born a lousy 3 months earlier so she could go to a formal preschool this year and then on to kindergarten next year. She is very smart (knows all her letters and their sounds, how to write some of them, sounds out simple words, counts to 29...) But you know, what can you do? Maybe once she is in public school, we will try to jump her up a grade. I just don't think that she is going to need 2 more full years before she starts kindergarten. What do you do?
She is growing up so much. She really looks more like a little preschooler this year. We went to Target and bought her a Hello Kitty backpack and school supplies. She thrives on special, specifically intended-for-her type things. She was very excited, as you can tell from the pics.

Raspberry Picking

There couldn't have been a more perfect day for this, 70's and abundant sun. It was our first time raspberry picking and we all loved it! Kira, as usual, played in the dirt (and ate berries) while Adalin and I picked the berries. The berries were amazingly delicious right off the bush and in the crisp and cobbler that I made the days following. Notice the berry juice in the tip of Kira's nose! We will go back I think when more berries ripen in a few weeks!

The Kite Runner

It made me cry, think about life and the complex trials of others. I wouldn't normally post on my blog about a movie I watched, but this movie really triggered something inside of me that reminds me of the love that exists between good friends, sacrifices people have made for freedom, abuse of other countries' government and what being a good person really means. I would recommend it highly, though there are 2 or 3 parts of the movie that are a little disturbing and sad; just keep in mind that those kinds of things really happen in the country of interest. Definitely worth your time to watch.

John's House

One of our favorite places to visit is John & Julie's house in Soda Springs, ID. Adam usually gets to go to John's clinic, which he absolutely loves and I get to hang out with my awesome nieces and nephews. Adalin and Kira had such fun there with horses (note Adalin's happy-excited face below as she rode them), chickens and peacocks to look after, not to mention tubing down their river, jumping on the trampoline and playing on their play gym. We felt like home there still even after being away for 2 years. Thanks guys for such a great visit!

The Mole, Wart & Rock Removal Team

My brother-in-law, John, who is an MD practicing in Soda Springs, ID invited us to his clinic one Sunday evening to get our moles burned off! He actually asked me a week or so before our visit to his home if I would like him to remove my mole. Shocked a little at him asking this I almost jumped out of my chair with excitement that in just a few short weeks I could be rid of this life-long bump beneath my nose.
So the visit to ID came and I was a little nervous. Would it hurt? Did I really want it removed? I remember when I was little, the mole started to surface and my mom asked me if I wanted it taken off. She and I agreed that it added a bit of character so we decided to keep it. I wish I hadn't so this opportunity was just perfect. And yes, it did hurt. Not the actual mole-removal, but the shots hurt like heck. I was a big girl though and decided that while I was there, I might as well get 4 other moles burned off too.
I am SO grateful to have had the chance I had to get my moles taken off. That sounds weird. The mole beneath my nose, which Adalin called my "beep," has really bothered me the last few years and I thought that it would be a long time from now that we could afford to have it removed. It was kind of a blessing, you know?! So, THANK YOU JOHN!!
He also removed a little rock that was embedded in Adam's eyelid as a result of being hit in the eye with a peice of wood while working in someone's house. Adam had this blueish spot on his eyelid for over 6 months and it was a little gross. So I "scrubbed in" to help Dr. Franson with the mini procedure. John also removed some of his wife's moles, a niece's pair of moles and a nephew's wart. It was a very fun little Franson clinic night.

Strawberry Hill State Park, OR

AKA: The Beach! Not quite the beaches of Southern California in Mid-July... you know, crowded, blistering hot, lifeguards...
This beach was quiet and secluded, with rocks big and small, cool sand, frigid water and 55 degree temps, sea lions resting on an island rock, starfish galore... This is an Oregon beach.
Going in the water makes your entire body shiver, your feet cramp up and all you want is a warm, dry towel. A few very daring (and quite silly) family members actually got in the water. I mean in. Like 2 went underwater, another 5 or so up to their shoulders (in their clothes). Crazy. I only got in up to my knees because Adam made me! Then I turned around and sat on my rock again!
Like every reunion, the Franson foot-races took place, this time right here on the beach. Adam won the guys' race and Natalie, my little niece in the pink shirt and gray shorts below (who is darn fast) , took the girls'. Good jobs guys.
I love the pic below of Adalin flying her first kite. She loved it! Kira, as usual played in the sand. That little girl could play in dirt of sand for a living. When the tide was coming in, the waves reached Kira sitting in the sand, she freaked out and crawled frantically up shore. It was funny. She didn't think she had time to stand up and run.

The Oldest, Largest, Coolest Tree I Have Ever Seen!

We hiked a mile or so near Cape Perpetua, OR to see this 500 year-old tree. It was purely amazing! It is 15 feet in diameter, which gives it a ~40 foot circumference!
You know how much has happened since the year 1500? Let me give you a run-down:
Hernan Cortes invaded Mexico, completing his conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519), the Puritan Pilgrims arrive in the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock, Cape Cod (1620), the American, French & Industrial Revolutions took place (1700's), the LDS church was restored (1830, now the 4th largest denomination on earth with over 13 million members), the Olympic games were revived in Athens (1896), Vaccines were developed for Polio, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and the first airplane was flown (1903)... You get the point.
This thing was HUGE and such a wonder to look upon! It has lived through so much history! It apparently grew off of the dead bark of an existing fallen tree, took root in the ground while the "mother" tree rotted away. That is why there is a void beneath! It was so fun for the girls to play in the "cave." One of my favs of the trip!

Adalin was being such a winkie here!

To put the enormity of the tree into persepective for you...

Cape Perpetua Hike

Can you say beautiful? The Franson crew all took a hike up Cape Perpetua. The view of the ocean from the top was breath-taking!

OK, so notice the mole next to my nose. It has always been there, you have probably seen it before...

stay tuned for what became of the mole over our vacation! :)

DAVE who is ENGAGED now!

A funny sign we saw at the campground near the mountain. Adam is collecting funny sign pictures... more to come.