Henrikson Family

Princess Emilia turns 3!

2010-10-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

For Emilia's birthday we had a few princesses over to celebrate. We had a stylist on hand ;-) to give princess updo's, we decorated crowns and we had a royal cake walk. And of course the bouncy castle...

Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes!

Summer 2010

2010-08-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

Summer was full of activity!

Fair!

Scandinavian Festival!

Swim Lessons...Gavin is a fish...Emi won't put her face in the water.

Michael Jackson night at the Em's baseball game. I out moonwalked "Mi-Koo Jackson" the impersonator...yes that is my new claim to fame.

Mmmmm.....

Disneyland 2010

2010-07-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to be able to go to Disneyland during a trip to California for Ammon's high school reunion. The kids had an amazing time and have yet to stop asking to go back.

Gavin staged a mutiny and took over the ship.

We call him Captain Gavin Longbeard now.

Everyone is a kid at Disneyland.

Evil Queen's ROCK.

I've never seen my kids enjoy themselves more!

4th of July 2010 on the Boat

2010-07-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July we went out on the boat with Noni & Papa. You can just guage the kids maturity by the changes in their behaviour on the boat. Last year the kids could barely last an hour before the meltdown wiggles hit them. This year its like a whole hour and a half...

Grandpa Ram, Maryanne & Wren

2010-06-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Ram, Maryanne & Wren drove up for a visit. We met them on the coast and had lunch at Mo's. We walked the open market, wandered along the shoreline and hiked Sweet Creek Falls. We swam at the pool, rode bikes by the river and took in the sites to be seen in Eugene. Thanks for visiting. Eugene is a fun place when guests come to play!

Father Son Campouts 2010

2010-06-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Gavin & Ammon took off for two father son camp outs at the Coast. I loved hearing the stories upon their return. Gavin would tell me of adventures with bats, giant trees and playing with the waves. Ammon would share his heroic moments in subterfuge during the greased watermelon throw down. Then I would see the pictures of my child up too late at night, climbing to the tops of trees, and running freely around fire pits with his father encouraging every wild activity.

I love my boys!

Preschool End of Year Party

2010-06-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

The preschool end of the year party was a blast!

Puddles made an appearance and of course Gavin, Emilia and Puddles go way back.

There was a petting zoo.

Which means my 4-year old son got to hold an alligator.

For some of my dearestf riends this will trigger an amusing memory of MY college experiences...for my newer friends please feel free to ask...

But what is a 4-year old boy to do with an alligator?

Chase his sister with it.

Obviously.

Warning this one hurt!!

2010-06-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

On June 5th, 2010 Gavin received his first stitches.
Strangely enough, he received this injury in a rather innocent way. I had returned home and he was excited to see me, so he ran down the hallway and accidentally slipped on some newspaper and his chin hit the floor. That's it. We quickly deduced that this was beyond the healing qualities of a kiss and a band-aid and rushed our boy out to get stitches. He was a zen ninja master "I eat pain for breakfast"-I on the other hand fainted from the idea of my son in so much pain. He is perfectly okay now-"chicks dig scars".

Sunbeam

2010-05-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Carissa Hambelton.

"I have to share this little story about how cute kids are!...During Primary today we had a member of the Bishopric-Brother Dunne-come in and give a short lesson about how prophets wrote the Book of Mormon. This is the conversation that happened between Brother Dunne and one of our Sunbeams-Gavin.
Brother Dunne-"Who wrote the Book of Mormon?"
Gavin-"Joseph Smith"
Brother Dunne-"That's right! And how did he write it?"
Gavin-"With CRAYONS!!"
It was the cutest thing ever! The answer Brother Dunne was looking for was that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon with the help of the Holy Ghost, but kids are so sweet and come up with the best answers sometimes. I love teaching these kids!!"

Thanks Carissa & John! We sure appreciate you for teaching our little guy!!!

Work Hard

2010-05-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

A while ago Gavin got his heart set on getting "Woody's Remote Control Car" from Toy Story. We'd been through the toy store and he was very specific. It had to be the big one with the remote control. The thing is RC car is a pretty expensive toy and we'd just finished spoiling this little guy for Christmas and his birthday. So we created the "job chart". Gavin was given some responsibilities around the house that he could do and earn money for accomplishing. Things like: clearing the table, washing the windows, picking up his toys, practicing his letters, weeding the yard with dad, feeding the dogs, washing the car, dusting and walking the dogs.
Well it turns out our little guy is quite the helper! I could not believe his perseverance and determination. His favorite job was walking the dogs (which was actually a family walk to the park). As you can see from the pictures of the job chart we are pretty stingy and he really had to work hard to earn enough money for his little car!
We also used this opportunity to teach Gavin about what a great blessing it is to be able to work and how we express our appreciation for all that Heavenly Father gives us by paying tithing. The concept was just so natural to this little guy who thanks Heavenly Father for every little joy in his life every night.

He was SO excited.

Yup, paid in quarters, dimes, nickels & pennies.

(It wasn't busy and they were great sports about it at the toy store.)

I love the look of accomplishment in his face.
Congratulations Gavin.

Tulip Festival

2010-04-10T09:26:00.001-07:00

Tulips are my favorite flower, so this might have been a bit more for my enjoyment than for anyone else. When I was a small child I had a neighbor that had carefully planted rows of beautiful red tulips. I vividly remember being inexplicably drawn towards them because they looked like candy. Then I ungraciously decapitated them to make petal boats to float blades of grass down the gutter stream. My poor horrified mom marched me up to my neighbor's front doorstep and made me apologize. This is my first recall of an (at the time) insincere apology. I loved her tulips and couldn't have felt more entitled to my own personal enjoyment of them. I can't say there is anything else in the world that makes me feel such exclusive satisfaction than tulips becuase when I see tulips...I think of candy.

Took the kids to the Tulip Festival just past Woodburn and they had a great time.

The kids were pretty enchanted by all of the beautiful flowers.

OR the kids had a blast stomping through the biggest mud field they've ever encountered in their entire lives...perhaps the mud was more appealing...

April Fool's Day 2010

2010-04-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Knock knock!

Who's there?

Banana!

Banana who?

Banana Noodle!

HA HA HA HA HA!

Yes, jokes with kids ages 4 & 2 are as good as they get. For April Fool's Day we had silly dinner.

We wore funny hats, we ate with silly utensils, we had salad out of our cups and drank applesauce through straws.

Pretty silly.

Easter Egg Hunt 2010

2010-03-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Our church Easter Party was a breakfast at Alton Baker Park. The kids made Easter Bunny hats. There was a Christ centered nature walk. We played relay games, croquet, pin the tail on the bunny and of course there was an Easter Egg Hunt. Gavin & Emilia helped play Easter Bunny and hid eggs with me. So when you watch the video clip and hear Emilia's excitement at finding Easter eggs you can giggle like we do because...she hid them...
I'm a big fan of silly hats for special events...and apparently so is Gavin.

You cannot plan for a day like this in March in Eugene. We were VERY fortunate to have blue sky and sunshine.

Candy...what candy?

I love this little video. Hope you do too!

Duck Baseball 2010

2010-03-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Caught a Duck Baseball Game at PK park and had a blast!! We are frequently informed that Miss Emi is the cutest thing to be found.
Can't argue with them.

The Hot Dog that fed the team.

The kids loved the binoculars...kind of unnecessary from where we were sitting but don't tell them that.

Emi caught a ball! Or at least picked it up off the ground first.

Then a guy in our section caught a ball and gave it to Gavin! After the game Gavin & Emi ran the bases.

Beach & Buggy

2010-03-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

The weather in Eugene was beautiful so we took off for the coast. Only to be rained on. We sure love our rain...we travel to make sure we don't miss it. While there we went on a dune buggy ride along the beach. The kids loved the adventure!
Safety first. Because nothing says safety like car seats and helmets...

Gavin's view of the ocean.

I apologize for the following clip-I didn't even really know I was recording it-so the angle is wonky-but the content is priceless.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

For St. Patrick's Day we had green milk in our cereal, we ate green pesto pasta with green peas for dinner and we ate green popcorn for a snack. Emi wore her green tutu, Gavin wore green all week. Gavin is very aware that it is March and we wear green in March. Gavin's preschool had a cute St. Patrick's Day party! By the way do you know who St. Patrick is? I had to look it up because I realized he probably didn't chase the snakes out of Ireland and I needed to beef up on my history for when my kids ask silly questions...I'm just going to leave the question hanging...
Silly preschool song about catching a leprechaun.

Parachute with the leprechaun.

The smile that says I caught a leprechaun...

Mac Court

2010-03-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Our little family went to the last men's basketball game played at Mac Court. I have fond memories of the rumbling enthusiasm that is Mac Court but am delighted to see the Duck's future at Matt Court-for more than just a couple of reasons...
One can only hope that we will no longer ponder our demise if fire were to spread through the rickety building with it's maze of stairways...

We may never worry again about the strange open windows at child height on the 3rd story...with a little push on the lead based paint shutter he'd be meeting parking lot...

The knees of our neighbors may never again dig into our backs.

No more contemplating if my child could or would climb through that strange opening and if the crowd below will catch him.

Our knees may never again dig into the backs of others...kind of sad...

I'm glad my kids were able to experience the excitement that has been Mac Court...even if those experiences were near death experiences.

Reptiles!

2010-03-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Took the kids to a reptile show! They were very brave and I was very impressed. We learned what different reptiles like to eat, what kind of temperatures they like and how they feel. She found the pink snake. It was her favorite.

Tortisimo!

Chaos Continues

2010-03-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

What is with my kids and apples?

We were fortunate to find these rotting specimens before late stage decomposition.
Laundry+Shampoo='s Lots of Suds!

Example of failing mommy brain:

Mixing chocolate cupcakes.

Phone rings.

Maybe my kids won't touch them this time...

Gavin: "Mom there is a sandbox on our floor."

Mom: "Did you find sand in a shoe or something?"

Gavin: "No. This is a HUGE mess."

Mom runs into room to find...

Mom: "We're late. This mess will have to wait because I don't have the patience to clean up a mess like that and be late. It'll make me crazy."

Right-Like I'm not already there!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Gavin's 4th Birthday!

2010-01-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Gavin's 4th birthday!
We played pin the eye patch on the pirate.

All of the kids received swords for swashbuckling.

Captain Ammon lead the treasure hunt.

X did indeed mark the spot!

Treasure!!

Gavin knocked it out of the park!

Singing Happy Birthday!

Bouncy Castle, Obstacle Course, FUN, FUN, FUN!!

Pirate Wenches-Which I hold in the highest regard!

Happy Birthday Gavin!

Sunday Mornings

2010-01-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

Try as I might I don't get to church on time as often as I'd like.

Watching Mommy put on her make-up was far too interesting.

Last Sunday we were late because it took Emi a while to put on her pretties.

Sidewalk chalk is still my favorite medium for indoor destruction.

Cleans up like a dream.

Dad Day-Preschool

2010-01-26T21:25:00.001-08:00

Gavin's class had a "Doughnuts for Dads" party!

Dads were honored with doughnuts, fishing, foam monster creations, and building blocks. When Ammon picks Gavin up from school he takes an hour to play on the playground with Gavin and his friends. They run around playing hide and seek, tag, swinging and climbing. When Ammon shows up at the school the kids literally cheer "YEAH!! IT'S GAVIN'S DAD!!!"

Happy New Year!

2010-01-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

Our New Year's Eve was a Blast!

We had a lazer tag battle with a couple of friends to ring in the New Year.

Chrissy was strangely speedy, Sam was fairly stealth, Dan was a master hider and Lori...fell down some stairs. Good friends and good times! Welome 2010!!

Christmas!!

2009-12-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

Our little Christmas traditions are making the holidays a very special time for our family.

Christmas Eve we decorated cookies for Santa.

We sprinkled reindeer food on the front lawn.

Milk and cookies set out for Santa!

Christmas Morning starts with reading scriptures.

The Christmas haul.

Letter from Santa

Emi got a couple more ponies for Christmas and promptly rushed off to find her other ponies to make introductions.

Gavin and his "Claw" Light Saber.

Emilia with her princesses.

Gavin with his remote control robot.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Christmas In Zarahemla

2009-12-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

This year our ward had a different idea for the church Christmas party.

There was a presentation acted out portraying prophets from the Book of Mormon and their prophecy's and experiences with the birth of Christ.

Nephi's Vision

And the Lord said unto me: "Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh."

"And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!"

"And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father."

1 Nephi 11: 18-21

We believe that the birth of Jesus Christ was foretold by the ancient prophets in the American continents and that the signs of his birth were seen there.

We believe that there were followers who had faith in the words of the prophets and awaited the arrival of their Savior.
We've recently been called to the activities committee and helped with the setup for the event. Ammon made one fierce warrior.

I got to make the costumes for the event and had a lot of fun with the assignment.

(Thanks to Chrissy who actually did most of the sewing!!)

Gavin loved running around as a little warrior.

The spear was a big hit amoungst his friends.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

Gavin & Emilia have been especially good this year. They are kind to each other, kind to their parents and kind to their friends. This year Gavin would like a Light Saber for Christmas and Emilia would like a Care Bear.

Thank you,

The Henrikson Family

Pictures with Santa don't always go as planned and when I say I take 100 pictures for every good one you see I'm not exaggerating.

Merry Christmas!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

I was prepared to let Emilia be the "bumblebee". But when she was presented with the princess dress alternative there was really NO looking back. She was ALL about being a pretty princess. Gavin decided to be the Transformer Bumblebee. Emi got the "Trick or Treat" concept down early and has since tried it out just about everywhere we've been and I would not recommend trying to seperate Emilia from her Jack-O-Lantern trick-or-treat bucket...unless you would like to lose an appendage or suffer from permanent hearing damage from high decibel shrieking. (Don't worry I took it away from her lollypop-drool-sticky fingers and I hid it after she passed out in a sugar induced coma...) I'm starting to remember why Gavin asked Santa for a Jack-O-Lantern last Christmas. We were fortunate in getting to lots of early Halloween activities: pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, preschool, parties...because when the big day arrived the Henrikson family was out of commission. We had planned on going to the Duck game and trunk or treating but I came down with a bug on Thursday. Now if this is the infamous H1N1 swine flu we are doing exceptionally well thus far. However I have self enforced a quarantine just to be safe and thus we officially MISSED HALLOWEEN!Princess Emilia!

The Horse belongs to Woody and the sword belongs to a pirate...Boys.

Gavin's Vampire Jack-O-Lantern

Emi's Transformer Jack-O-Lantern

Dr. Seuss Halloween!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Another Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-31T23:53:00.001-07:00

We can't seem to get enough of going to pumpkin patches in October. Johnson's has the BEST hayride in town kind of like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We were fortunate to be able to go together as a family and I had a lot of fun taking pictures of the kids playing around the farm.
Getting ready for the adventure!

Not sure what Preschool fashion magazine this belongs to, but if you know please drop me a line.

Gavin? What Gavin? I see no Gavin?

She was SO focused on taking the pumpkins to the cart, she would have picked up every pumpkin and marched them to the trailer. Yes this applies to cleaning up her room also and no she is not for hire.

Corn Flags!

I Love Oregon!

Meet Mr. Rooster. He thought he was in charge around here.

Mr. Rooster meet Emi.

Where are you going Mr. Rooster?

Not so tough are you?

Super Hero Training Camp.

Preschool Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2009-10-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Gavin's preschool had a field trip to the pumpkin patch.
Handsome friend you have there.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands...

hmm...we'll get back to you on that hand clapping thing...

Gavin's pumpkin.

I bet we do this again soon...

Monsters

2009-10-15T13:02:00.001-07:00

We made monster finger puppets with our play group.

Detering Orchard 2009

2009-10-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the month with a trip to Detering Orchards Apple Daze festivities!

Great music.

Let's dance!

You said you knew how to drive!?!

Conversation in the car...

2009-10-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Jen: “Gavin what do you want to do when you grow up?”
Gavin: “I want to cook the food and ride the skateboard.”
Jen: “Do you want to be a chef?”
Gavin: “Yes, a chef, and a fire fighter.”
Jen: “That sounds like a pretty good idea. Anything else you want to do when you grow up?”
Gavin: “Pass the sacrament and grow a beard.”
Jen: “When you grow up you can pass the sacrament and grow a beard. I like those ideas.”
Gavin: “I’ll sell houses too. Like Daddy, and Nonni, and Pappa.”
Jen: “Can you tell me about selling houses?”
Gavin: “You help people. I’ll sell that one over there.”
Jen: “The one by the freeway?”
Gavin: “Yes.”
Jen: “You’ll have to be very good at selling houses.”
Gavin: “I will be.”

Halloween Discussions

2009-10-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

Jen: " Emilia what do you want to be for Halloween?"

Emilia: "Bumblebee!"

Awww! Isn't that sweet!

My beautiful little princess wants to be a bumblebee.

I can just imagine it!

What? That isn't what you had in mind Emilia?

You wanted something with deelybob antenna?

More sparkles perhaps?

Prettier wings?

No...Just what did you have in mind?

OH! Well that is pretty cool too.

You win this time...

2009-09-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

So the other day I took the kids to the swimming pool. We were there less than an hour when Gavin started rummaging through my bag for snacks. I told him that we had JUST had lunch so I didn’t have any snacks in my bag. He continued to forage and then appeared to give up. Gavin started wandering towards the restrooms and from the distance I caught the glimpse of Mr. Alexander Hamilton in his grasp. Yes, in his foraging he’d found a ten dollar bill in my wallet and decided to resolve the lack of snacks issue at the shack of snacks. He ordered a slushee which he shared with Emi and a hot dog for his dear friend Payton. I’ll be locking up the cash and keeping a close eye on this little guy, I promise.

First Day of School

2009-09-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to preschool to meet Gavin's teacher, to find his cubby, and see where he sits. I have rather mixed feeling about this big step in Gavin's life. I have always enjoyed the time I've been able to spend with him and I know I'm going to miss having my little guy around. I'm glad it is only for a few hours a week at this point, I know he's going to thrive... *sigh* it's just hard on me. I couldn't be prouder of him. I know he is smart, confident, and outgoing.

Look out world...Here Comes GAVIN!

His seat.

His cubby.

Today was his official first day of school!

They had a teddy bear picnic so Gavin got to bring his friend Monkey.

Dropping Gavin off at preschool went great, he didn't look back...he bounded through the doors with all of that crazy Henrikson confidence and quickly started playing with the other kids. Miss Emilia had an epic fit. There is something terribly unfair about leaving a big brother in a place that looks like SO much fun. "WHERE'S MY GABBIN!!" "NOOOOO!! I WANT MY GABBIN!!" pretty rough. Emi kept me distracted enough to keep me from my own sobbing goodbyes. I'm looking forward to being able to spend this one on one time with Emilia. I'm not as much fun as a big brother but I'm hoping Emi will give me a chance.

Gavin with his teacher Mrs. Robert.

"I like school.

I went on a treasure hunt for honey with my friends.

I ate teddy bear cookies.

I used the potty.

Look at my teddy bear hat!"

-Gavin

Labor Day Hike

2009-09-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

We climbed Mt. Pisgah with the Cragun Family.
Emi & Noah found a couple of Sherpas along the way...pretty convenient.

The Cragun Family

The Boys

Em & Me

(palindrome...anyone ever think that the word palindrome should be a palindrome...)

Great company, great adventure.

Fan Day-2009

2009-09-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for DUCK season!
Krystal and her husband Will are Gavin & Emilia's Nursery Leaders.
Awe! Aren't they cute?
Will & Krystal are exceptionally kind to our kids.
We couldn't ask for nicer leaders for our kids. Will is a team captain this year and an awesome defensive end, he's on the Ted Hendrick's watch list for top defensive linemen for the nation...Will is also amazingly modest so you have to look up cool things about him because you won't hear it from him.
What do you think Teague? Freshman? Tight end, right? Gonna see any field time?
We're kind of rookies ourselves, have any suggestions?

Hey Diante...can I ask you something?

How come wide receivers aren't very wide?

This autograph concept is giving me a GREAT idea...

Lokombo! Kalmani! Littlejohn! Turner!

Take notes on this play I just came up with...

Put me down!! I've got to put this play into action!

Oh! This looks like fun!

They get to yell and they don't go to timeout?

GO DUCKS!!

This yelling thing is awesome sign me up!

Unless the Ducks need a receiver...

At last an opportunity to try my brilliant play idea...

Excuse me miss, may I please have your autograph?

(That's right guys...I told you it was good!!)

Ah, the elusive smile that only shows upon the arrival of a spectacular balloon hat.

Another successful FAN DAY!

Eugene Train Station

2009-09-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

On August 21, 2009 we took the kids to the Eugene train station to see the morning train depart. Gavin was pretty excited to go see the train, he insisted on wearing his train conductor hat and on bringing his train whistle. Emilia's favorite song right now is about a choo choo train and she delighted in singing her choo choo train song for all that would listen. The conductors were great, they let the kids take a look inside the train. As the train left Gavin & Emilia insisted that we too should be on a train on our way to PortLAND (as they pronounced it).

Emilia showing off her choo choo train toy.

Gavin blowing his train whistle.

Sitting in the dining car.

Bye, bye choo choo train...

Scandinavian Festival

2009-08-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Scandinavian Festival is something I look forward to every year because I like running into people, I love little kiosks that sell gemstone art, I get a kick out of accordion music…and there’s the food. I enjoy a cream puff once a year and I take that time very seriously. Ammon’s grandfather Otto came here from Sweden so he’s rather obliging of my yearly cream puff ritual that somehow circles around a moment to celebrate our Scandinavian heritage.

Look they have Vikings at my Cream Puff Festival!!

That is disgusting...someone should tell his mother...

Great Grandma & Grandpa Miller

2009-08-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to have a visit from Great Grandma & Grandpa Miller the first week of August. They came with us to swim lessons and cheered the kids on as they blew bubbles and practiced their big kicks and big arms. Gavin & Emilia invited Grandma and Grandpa over to our house to play. Grandma and Grandpa were great sports getting down on the floor and blasting the castles with fiery balls from the cannons of the pirate ship. We all went and picked blueberries, Grandpa went through and found all of the biggest blueberries and managed to fill his basket up first. Gavin & Emilia of course munched through the activity. We went to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon where they need larger obstructions to keep toddlers from priceless exhibits. In the Status & Authority of Imperial China exhibit Miss Emilia Rae made some serious progress towards a Qing Dynasty throne that made her mommy’s tummy somersault. We were more at peace with the modern art bench we were allowed to sit on & in the beautiful courtyard where wiggles & touching were more welcomed. Grandma sang with my kids which just touches my heart because one of my favorite parts about seeing my Grandma is always hearing her sing and feeling in awe of the vast collection of songs she seems to effortlessly keep in her repertoire. Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star & ABC’s never sounded so sweet. We love you Grandma and Grandpa! Thanks for coming over to play.

Henrikson Family Reunion 2009

2009-08-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

We brought Laser Tag to the Henrikson Family Reunion this year which went surprisingly well for a gathering with that many competitive types. You had to hear them discussing strategy-these guys know how to plan a battle. Long after the kids were in bed, we were visiting around the campfire and it got pretty dark, we could hear rustling and footsteps of something approaching. Flashlights filled the air and landed accusingly on the silhouette of Gavin suited up in Laser Tag gear, blaster in hand, tiptoeing outside of our cabin. He was on his way to do battle with “bad guys and bears.” Someone was having fun camping with his family.

3 cousins and 1 uncle ='s a 4 story masterpiece.

Swampthing!!! or SKYLAR!!!

Subway Caves.

River Festival

2009-08-28T15:08:00.001-07:00

July 24th, 2009 we went to the city's River Festival. Great activities and excellent people watching. The most interesting moment happened as we were walking in. There was a group of rough characters hanging out around the perimeter of the festivities, Ammon gave me a 2 second heads up "Gavin is going to approach THAT guy." Before me was a man who had spent quite a bit of effort to look like the kind of man your mother did not want you hanging out with. He had large tattoos covering his body, piercings in odd places, long hair, long beard, funny mustache and a bandana covering the top of his head. This man had lost his left arm in a motorcycle accident…so my son walks right on up to him and starts up a conversation “Hi Captain Hook! I’m Gavin.” Yes, there in place of his left hand was a rather large hook. Clearly this man did not realize how cool this would make him with the three year olds. Gavin proceeded to ask him of the whereabouts of Peter Pan & Tinkerbell. You could just hear this man’s thoughts “I am one scary guy, what the heck are you two thinking?” As he looks confusedly from the overly confident toddler to the rather idiotic parents who don’t know how to graciously exit the situation without offending an opposing gang. Captain Hook laughed, shook “hands” with Gavin and announced to his band of surrounding “pirates” that Gavin was one tough little dude. Gavin told Captain Hook he’d see him later in Neverland… I did not get a picture because I was too scared to think that 4th dimensionally.

Ammon & Gavin suiting up to ride kayaks at the River Festival.

My boys taking the river by storm!

Emi did not like the look of where this was going.

Maybe next year she'll be able to see over her lifevest.

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

Emilia celebrated her 2nd birthday!
Princess Emilia greeting her guests.

Emi loves The Little Einsteins!

Daddy sure knows how to entertain.

She sang "Happy Day tooo youu!"

The bouncy castle gave us a bit of trouble...but we still had fun.

Happy Birthday Little Princess!

We Love YOU!!

Now Reporting Live from Eugene!

2009-07-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

News Anchor Matt Templeman was kind enough to give us a tour of the KMTR TV Station.
Have to admit seeing my kids next to that many important looking buttons made me a bit anxious...

The Green Screen was pretty cool!

Pay no attention to the disembodied blonde head and alien arm hovering over Eugene...

KMTR's after naptime news crew!

News Anchors Carter, Emilia & Jessie.

Weatherman Gavin and Sports with Holland!

Now to Emilia with her breaking story on toddler social injustices.

Gavin's weather report "Cloudy."

Goodnight, and Goodluck.

Berry Picking!

2009-07-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Took the kids berry picking. Blueberries, raspberries, & marionberries. Yum!
Gavin & Emilia were excellent berry pickers.

However I don't believe any of the berries they picked ended up in the baskets...

Berry Crisps, Berry Muffins, Berry Pies!

4th of July

2009-07-08T09:11:00.001-07:00

On the 4th of July I ran the Butte to Butte, a 10 k with a bit of a hill...
Ammon brought the kids to meet me at the finish line.

Lisa, Rachel, Jen, Emilia, Mom.

Gavin ran through the finish line with me!!

Noni, Gavin, Papa, Emi.

Proud finishers-Wendy, Kelly, Dad, Mom, Tugaw, Gavin, Rachel, Me, Lisa, Heather.

Miss Emilia on the 4th of July.

Had to include this...I tend to think I don't take enough pictures of Gavin at events like these. He was playing "Monster" in the Ball Pit with his buddies Tyler, Jared & Kyle. I was interupting the game by trying to take a couple of pictures...you can see how pleased Gavin is with my intrusion...."Mom! Shut the door! The MONSTER will get OUT!!"

Emi the Tiger waiting to pounce.

Traditional 4th of July Sombrero.

Happy 4th of July!!

Spencer's Butte

2009-06-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

We hiked up Spencer's Butte with some of our friends.
Sherrilyn, Andrew, Isaac, Chrissy, Holland, Gavin, Jen, Emilia, & Shamrock.

Quite the trek but we prevailed!!

Emilia on top of the world!!

Proud Daddy tickling some cute tummies.

Under normal circumstances this would be the end of the adventure....

Can't you just feel the trouble coming...

Meet our Rabid Little Woodland Friend...

Meet Ammon psuedonym...Disease Infested Squirrel Whisperer

Rabid Little Woodland Friend getting TOO close to MY SON!!!

Is anyone else out there extremely afraid of furry tailed rodents?

Just me?

Thanks...

My heebie jeebies are off the charts right now...

See!! It ended in disaster!!

Just like that time the squirrels attacked that bratty little girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory....wait a minute?!?

Delta Sand & Gravel

2009-06-19T15:43:00.001-07:00

We went on a tour at Delta Sand & Gravel.

BIG machines+deep pits+lots of rocks ='s Kid Paradise.
Our guide Gordon was kind enough to let the kids climb on the Digger.

The BIG CAT.

The tips of the claws cost about $750 a piece and they have to replace them every couple of weeks. When they are working at night the claws glow red from the heat caused by the friction against the rocks.

I love the juxtapositioning of the little girl in a seersucker dress playing with rocks in a gravel pit.

Gavin & Caleb climbing the Gravel Mountain.

We learned that Delta Sand & Gravel participates in extensive restoration projects.

This pond supports bass, geese & blue herons.

We were really surprised by all of the wildlife that seemed to habitate so harmoniously with the work being done at the gravel pit.

Geese tracks.

Turkey Vulture.

Turtle.

Waterfall. (Groundwater from the nearby river.)

Our guide was a geologist and informed us that the gray layer of rock is ash from volcanic activity about 300,000 years ago. Cool.

We had an awesome experience!!

Ammon's Birthday

2009-06-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Father Son Campout

2009-06-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ammon & Gavin went with my dad to the Father Son Campout. Gavin was pretty excited to put up a tent and sleep in sleeping bags. They roasted marshmallows, had water fights and Gavin consumed his weight in watermelon. The highlight was going fishing. Gavin caught two fish!! He won a prize for catching the smallest fish...or for being the smallest fisherman. Looks like lots of fun was had and a lot of manly bonding took place.

Puppies & Kitties & Bunnies. Oh My.

2009-06-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

We went to Greenhill Humane Society and visited the available pets there.
Ruby the Bunny.

Feeding treats to the Puppy Dogs.

Hanging out in the Cattery.

The little one that Gavin fell in love with.

The kids had a great time learning about pets.

Fire Station

2009-06-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

May 22nd, 2009 we made a trip to the Coburg Fire Station.

The kids got to play with everything!

Gavin was really excited about getting to drive the firetruck.

The firefighters told Gavin he can come back anytime!

Guess what Gavin wants to be when he grows up...

Emi seems ready for anything!

Fun Outside.

2009-06-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hiking the trails at Armitage Park.

Gavin's Smile.

Fun at Saturday Market.

Tie Dye is a way of life in Eugene.

Not sure he should be driving....but if he says so.

Ammon Wake Surfing.

Jen Wake Surfing.

Gavin smiling.

Looks like we're going to have some fun this summer!!

They win.

2009-06-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

It has been a very interesting couple of weeks! Ammon & I were asked to speak in church a couple of weeks ago. I get really nervous so I spent a lot of time preparing for my talk. My children object to me paying attention to something other than themselves. Obviously destruction and chaos commenced... I didn't get pictures of the episode were my kids opened a bunch of yogurt containers so that they could lick the lids. I also missed documenting the throwing of dog food at the windows and the pages torn out of a picture book.

Couldn't find their jammies...didn't think to look in the bathtub.

We've seen this before. My poor apple supply never stands a chance.

They were feeding goldfish crackers to the army of toys in their bedroom.

I honestly wish I knew how this happened. I loved this dress *sniff*.

Tore apart my bathroom looking for my wedding ring. Frazzled and frustrated I took a chance and asked Gavin where Mommy's pretty ring was. Gavin's response "It's my treasure."

Looks harmless enough right?

Didn't see that coming. Sidewalk chalk cleans up very easily.

Trip to the Zoo

2009-05-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

Props to the random stranger that took this...it might be one of our best family pictures to date.

Bears have claws and sharp teeth, they are not to be underestimated.

This nice Bear sent Emilia into a growling frenzy. Gavin was kind enough to point out the Bear's sharp teeth and claws to every stranger that passed by. No, he did not mean his mother...

Emi & Gavin howled with all their hearts but could not get this Wolf to howl back.

Ammon feeding Gavin to a Polar Bear.

Emi running for her life from the crazed Polar Bear.

Anyone else feel that the surrounding exhibits are sometimes more entertaining than the sleepy animals?

This is a MANDRILL-not to be mistaken for a baboon, which was brought to my attention rather pointedly by a more than annoyed college student wielding a clipboard. With similar arrogance I now shove the Wikipedia reference in your faces.

The Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is a primate of the Cercopithecidae (Old-world monkeys) family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the Drill. Both the Mandrill and the Drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined that they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus. The Mandrill is the world's largest species of monkey. The word mandrill means "man-ape" according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
(Still looks a heck of a lot like a baboon to me....)

Emi & Audrey looking like lunch to the surrounding fishes.

Orangatan

Elephants are Gavin's favorite animal today.

"Elephants are big and gray.

They have a long trunk."

-Gavin

Gavin & Emi do fantastic Elephant impressions, you should ask to see them.

We are huge fans of great displays. Especially if we get to climb on them...

Allen's Swamp Monkey

I'm not all that clear on what makes them Allen's but they are apparently his.

(wikipedia confirmed this...)

The Snake display is WAY more animated than the live snakes at the zoo...

We are pretty big fans of Crocodiles at the Henrikson household.

They are always chasing us during our pirate ship adventures.

Daddy: "What does a Crocodile say?"

Gavin: "Tick Tock, Tick Tock."

Not sure why we go to the zoo to see the monkeys...

Giraffe trying to give two pretty girls a kiss.

(Thank you plexiglass!)

Zebra

"Zebras are from Africa."

-Gavin

Hippopotamus

Hungry, Hungry Hippo.

3 minutes into the car ride home.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago Ammon gave me a tree for Mother's Day. It is located just outside my kitchen window and like my kids, I am surprised by it's growth. Unlike my kids it is always still and always calming to look at. Unless the kids are shaking it, then I am not so calm.... But I digress. This Mother's day I am the proud recipient of a garden stone created with love by the kids with a little help from their daddy.

Unfortunate Hair Cut

2009-05-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Gavin,

Sorry for buzzing off all of your hair while I was bored on Friday. Please forgive your mommy she didn't know what she was doing (at all). Your daddy is partially to blame for having left the clippers within mommy's reach. Fortunately, you are incredibly handsome and can rock your new summer hair-do. Oh, and lucky us-your hair WILL grow back. But as your newly exposed scalp is adjusting to the the light of day and you are feeling unnecessarily chilled all over your freshly shaved head-please, please, please know that your mommy is very, very, very sorry.
Love,
Mommy

Sunshine

2009-04-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

The sunshine is out and so are we!! Above you see Gavin and Emi giving each other loves-not sure how hugs turned into bonkin' noggins but it has become an expression of sibling affection.

Classic Gavin-can't get him to stay still long enough-he is suspended in mid air. I believe the sunshine has brought out Gavin's great smile!!

Emilia looking precious as usual.

Now I could try and explain the next one...but I think you get the picture.

Peter Pan

2009-04-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Took the kids to see the The Eugene Ballet Company's free Lobby performance of Peter Pan. Gavin and Emilia were absolutely enchanted.

Gavin and Emi came home and promptly went to work battling the crocodiles and pirates in our living room. They also spent a considerable amount of time seeing if they could jump as high as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.

It was just a little hike!

2009-04-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I took the kids over to Armitage park. We hiked around the short trail they have behind the dog park, then we threw sticks in the river. Hiking with two small children and throwing things in the river can take a long time. When we got back to our car just before dusk I was greeted by a scene that kind of looked like this...

Some exceptionally kind gentlemen had seen a young (their words not mine) mom with two small kids enter the trails and not return. They were becoming increasingly worried for our safety. They were forming some kind of posse. They were going to spread out and find us. The best part...there were no horses, but this gracious group was sporting a SEGWAY-

Nice to know that there are still people looking out for each other...and that they have AWESOME transportation. Thank you!!

Easter

2009-04-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

I would like to draw your attention to a time honored tradition brought forth from my maternal ancestors. Emilia has inherently honored this tradition without prompting, it is in her blood, she feels a natural instinct and acts upon it. She has taken the chocolate bunny of her brother and has eaten it's ears.
When we ask Gavin to smile, this is the face we get. He is in training to become a pirate. Honestly, can't you just hear him going "ARGH!".

Emilia was less than pleased when I bit the head off of her pink peeps marshmallow chick. You did read the part about it being an instinct...it is almost like I can't help it.

We gave Emi the peep so she would be happy for the pictures. Instead all we have are pictures of her staring at the confectionary abomination.

I was given the simple assignment of making rolls. I decided to cheat and use frozen store bought dough. I followed the directions. They did not double in size, they converged together to create behemoth pans of dough. When I called my mom to tell her the rolls were threatening a coup de tat she informed me that rolls can collapse. I gently approached the rolls and commenced negotiating a truce. Apparently it was too late, they had suffered enough and thus felt the need to make me look really silly. They fell. So instead of bringing delicious rolls to Easter Dinner, I brought edible "flats". Sorry Mom.

Emi, looking precious as usual. Her cheeks might still be full of candy.

Gavin, smiling again.

Hope you all had a Happy & Memorable Easter!

-The Henrikson Family

My Kids Are Still Winning

2009-04-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share some recent pictures just incase anyone thought I'd gotten the situation underhand and mistakenly perceived that I'd regained some kind of control over here.

I've checked, she gets adequate air supply from in there.

Technically not our tree...

List of accomplishments for the day included: Rewound Paper Towel Roll. Anyone else knock that one off the "To Do" List?

The answer to your question is: No, I do not give my baby half gallons of ice cream and say "go to it" her brother on the other hand, apparently has no qualms about dishing out the goods.

Climb Every Mountain

2009-04-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

It sounds more ambitious than it actually was. Jenni Cragun and her boys Caleb & Noah joined us as we trekked up Mt. Pisgah. We didn't get far...didn't exactly summit...but the kids got nice and dirty and tired. If only I'd thought of making coordinating outfits out of curtains it would have been perfect.

STOP

2009-03-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Question: Who gets traffic violations while visiting teaching?

Answer: That would be Jennifer Henrikson, law breaker extraordinaire.

I should have posted this sooner because it probably could have served as some kind of warning, but I was temporarily ashamed of my criminal behavior.

I apparently failed to come to a screeching, full and complete stop at the corner of Kinsrow & Commons. I was casually chatting with my dear visiting teaching companion about the hand of the Lord in my life and how I am watched over and blessed, when I see flashing lights and the intimidating motorcycle of Officer Lobuter in my rear view mirror. It is a good thing Officer Lobuter stomped out this visiting teaching joy ride before it got seriously out of hand.

I'm a true supporter and appreciator of law enforcement and fortunately grew up with a lead foot father who raised me to believe that traffic tickets are like a tax lottery. I'm proud to pay my tax. It took sometime but I believe I can see a message somewhere between the thick irony-I need to STOP and take the time to appreciate the blessings in my life...I need to STOP and make sure I'm not just going through the motions when I visit teach...and maybe sometimes, I need to just STOP.

Kids Driving Mom Crazy

2009-02-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

My children have a capacity for destruction that should be researched and harnessed into some kind of weapon. I've started documenting the chaos so as to maintain my sense of humor and perhaps to chart the deterioration of my own sanity.

Here we find a typical scene after the mom takes a shower... she returns to find that the child she thought she had carefully dressed in the morning has taken offense to his clothing and shunned them in protest.

When caught misbehaving it is important for the young to maintain a look of incredulity that an adult would find fault with the actions of the young.

The use of food as a form of protest is a common yet very effective tool in the battle.

Be sure that while the adult is distracted by another task to maximize the opportunity for destruction!!

Incase you are wondering, extra eggs make cookies fluffier, like cake.

Phone calls are prime for taking advantage of the resources the adult has left out.

I wondered for a week and a half where my spoons had gone. Was able to get the littler one to reveal the secret stash by giving her a granola bar.

Here we see the sibling duo collaborating to take one bite out of each of the apples in the fruit basket so as to eradicate the food supply.

Love them, they keep life interesting!!! But if I get that look that says I may lose my mind at any moment...I'll hope you'll understand.

Red Fish, Blue Fish

2009-01-15T15:00:00.001-08:00

Gavin & Emilia are now the proud owners of a shark tank. Fortunately the pet store was fresh out of sharks. Gavin & Emilia named their own fish-and the results are "Red Fish & Blue Fish". We were so lucky to see Grandma & Grandpa Taylor over the holidays!!

Don't Laugh

2009-01-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

So I'm kind of a Gymboree fan and I love the bows that come with the lines. This cute little ladybug line-flitter flutter- failed to come with coordinating bows. So I made my own bows and I am ridiculously proud of myself. (Because I honestly lack crafty skills.) Poor Emilia, she is in for some silly bows in the future if I keep this up.

Family Pictures-photos taken by Jackie Hall

2009-01-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

Polar Express 2008

2008-11-22T00:47:00.000-08:00

We drove to Hood River Oregon, with Noni and Papa, and caught a ride on the Polar Express. Gavin has been a fan of the movie ALL YEAR. He chatted the whole way up about how we were going to go see the MAGIC TRAIN. When we stopped in Woodburn to put the kids jammies on, Gavin had a mild meltdown. Papa was able to decipher for us, Gavin thought we were trying to put him to bed and that he wasn't going to see the MAGIC TRAIN. Assurances made, jammies on, and off we went. The MAGIC TRAIN did not disappoint. Gavin & Emilia could not have been more enchanted by the experience. Emilia was very proud of her ticket and figured out how to say the word ticket for the occasion. Conductor, hot chocolate, cookies, chefs, story readings, music playing, north pole, elves, singing, SANTA, bells.

Go Ducks 2008

2008-11-22T00:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween 2008

2008-11-22T00:26:00.000-08:00

Emilia & Gavin

2007-09-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Gavin 2006

2007-01-28T23:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

2006-11-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

Cali Trip

2006-10-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

DUCKS

2006-09-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Duck Season Begins!!

Visiting Family

2006-08-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

He's Got My Smile!

2006-07-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here comes Gavin!

2006-05-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Gavin Getting Around...

Easter Pictures

2006-04-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Gavin's First Easter!

2006-03-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Pictures from Gavin's Blessing

2006-03-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

Gavin Randal Henrikson was blessed on Sunday March, 5th 2006 by his daddy Ammon. Those who were apart of the blessing circle were: Grandpa Randal Whipple, Grandpa Gary Taylor, Great Grandpa Ellsworth Moon, Great Grandpa Buddy Miller, Mike Furgason, Rick Gamez, Trace Stanley, Scott Leatham and Ric Ferguson.

Family that came out for the blessing: Great Grandma & Grandpa Miller, Great Grandma & Grandpa Moon, Grandma & Grandpa Taylor and Aunt Heidi Balderee.

Gavin is very lucky to have so many people that love him!!

Rock & Roll

2006-03-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

Our boy Gavin looking particularly handsome!

Gavin is learning to roll, Ammon is learning to catch wiggling babies and I am learning how to worry. If anyone has any ideas on how to super glue a helmet onto a child's head for life I'm all ears. Is it just boys in general who are missing that part of the brain that indicates the numerous ways that things could go wrong? Ammon was watching the baby when Gavin decided to start rolling-off the desk-into Ammon's awaiting lap. Fortunately for Gavin he seeems to have inherited his father's brilliant resilliance and appears to be mostly indestructible. Though, I don't intend to test his limitations anytime soon-is it possible to pad the floors of your entire home?

Gavin slept through the night!! Now if only I could stay asleep; I kept trying to feed the baby and he just kept ignoring me. I doubt that its a trend yet, but its nice to have a glimpse of things to come.

Do bomb squads respond to dirty diaper calls? I have no idea how to safely contain some of these explosions. Plastic bag pants are just so hard to find. I'm researching the option of installing a detoxification center off the patio-I'm thinking James Bond-Dr. No-Radiation Removal-A conveyer belt with varying degrees of fire hose intensity based on the level of contamination...That should do it.

New Beginnings

2006-03-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Ammon has spent the last month reluctantly closing the skatepark. The city shut us down just before Christmas and then the city went on vacation and demanded thousands of dollars for us to re-open, which we could have paid...had we been OPEN...with the loss of revenue from being closed we ended up too far behind on rent and other expenses. We see this as a tremendous opportunity to do things better the next time around. In the meantime we are now both pursuing real estate and putting our skatepark visions on the backburner for now.

Lucky us, with the closing of this chapter in our lives comes the exciting beginning of our adventures as parents! You hear it all the time and it is a tad cliche but nothing prepares you for the awesomeness (as in "to inspire awe"-not totally tubular) of being a mom! Gavin is growing SO fast. He's just over a month old and he's already in his 3-6 month clothes. He's started smiling when I blow raspberries on his tummy, I cannot wait until he laughs!