Pizza Night Fun!

Our pizza place just came up with a fantastic idea, a pizza kit you can buy for kids to build themselves.  Amelia was very excited to get one.  Everything you need comes inside the box, Amelia chose ham and cheese for her topping.  Here's what you do:

First spread the tomato sauce on the pizza base, being careful not to go to the very outside of the pizza.

Next sprinkle generous amounts of cheese over the sauce, using your fingers of course.

Don't leave any cheese in the container, we don't want to waste it now... 

Oh forgot one step, make sure your hands are clean before you start...

Use your ham to make a pretty design on top of the cheese, this is our attempt at a flower.

Once it's all done, place pizza back into the box so that your mum can take a photo of the uncooked masterpiece.

Place in a preheated oven at 425 degrees and watch it like a hawk as it turns golden brown and the cheese begins to bubble.

Pull out of the oven after about 10 - 12 minutes and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

Get special permission to eat it in front of the TV, just like dad does.

Give a thumbs up if it's a tasty pizza.

Clean up any crumbs from your mouth. 

That's all there is too it, pretty easy don't you think and so much fun!
Who knows, maybe Amelia will be a chef when she grows up.

Getting Hosed at Summerfest 2012

With the arrival of Summer, it was time for our town to celebrate with Summerfest 2012.  Although there are lots of things to do including a small parade, vendors, and a few carnival rides and such, our family's favourite event takes place on Friday night outside the fire station.  In the past, they have had cart races where the carts were propelled by the water shooting out of the hoses, this year however, was different and perhaps even more fun.  The aim of the game was to blast a yellow ball that hung in the middle of a wire, from two sides.  Two teams of fire fighters competed to propel the ball to the opposite side of the wire and whoever moved the ball to the opposite end of the wire from where they were standing was the winner.

Amelia was a little shy at first and hid behind her pet pig, a gift that her English cousin Hannah gave to her a couple of years ago.

The firefighters huddled together before taking their places on opposite sides...

and then...blast off, each team fired water at the yellow ball, it really is amazing to see the power of those hoses, and it was so interesting to watch the fire brigade supporting each other and working together.

 

 

 

 

Amelia soon warmed up and enjoyed watching the competition.

 

 

Now look at the photo below, is it cheating for one team to distract the other by blasting the leading firefighter instead of the ball?  Nah, it just added more excitement and giggles from the crowd.

After a while our girl got down from the wall and decided to get a front row seat on the curb.

We got quite wet, she loved it!

Before long she was cheering and asking the firefighters to blast the water in our direction.

 

We had a wonderful evening, the weather was perfect and we even enjoyed a hot dog and can of pop from the fire station.  It's times like these that I really enjoy living in a small town.  It was nice to be out in the sun, laughing together and seeing many of our friends out doing the same thing too, we really do have a great community!

Summer Picnic 2012

With the beginning of Summer, it was time for my work's second annual family picnic.  We just happened to pick one of the most glorious days for this fun event.  

Each year, Wendy-Lou (below) and I do all of the planning, shopping and collecting of funds (from our wonderful and generous managers) for this great few hours of fun and socializing.  It's nice to meet all of the family members of those who I work with.

My boss, Darren, was happy to help with the grilling again this year, he was particularly excited to use his new Oregon Ducks barbecue tools. 

I love watching the bugs on the flowers.

Just a few steps away from our covered picnic area, is the river, it was the perfect day for a paddle.  Here's Tom and his two adorable boys, watching some of the other children swim.

Amelia of course was excited to "skip" rocks...

...and when I say rocks, I mean the biggest she could find!

 

Now isn't that a beautiful sight?  Ah Oregon!

 

 

 

Eventually the leggings came off so that Amelia could really enjoy a good paddle by the water's edge. 

 

 

After the rocks, she got a  hold of this huge stick.

 

It truly was four hours of pure family fun and relaxation, we had a good turn out and I think all that attended had a great time.  I can't wait to plan next years picnic.

What are you doing this summertime?

A Rare Treat!

About a month ago Matthew and I had the good fortune of having a whole day and night to ourselves.  After dropping off our sweet girl with her adopted Grandma Judy and Grandpa Gordon Matthew whisked me away for a surprise lunch.  I was so excited when we pulled up outside a bunch of food carts in downtown Portland, I was particularly excited about one food cart, the Frying Scotsman, Fish and Chips.  Matthew's mum had called a few weeks earlier to tell us about it after she saw it on the Food Network. 

After ordering our haddock and chips and drenching them in malt vinegar (yum), Matthew and I walked across the street where we sat on a bench and enjoyed the fantastic weather.  I have to say, they were the best fish and chips I've  had since being in America and I will definitely go back.

After lunch, we decided to go to the pictures, where we saw The Avengers.  It was a great movie, funny I didn't know if I was going to like it since it's about super hero's but I loved it.

Afterwards we went to the shopping mall and then headed home.  On the way we stopped for dinner, the restaurant just happened to be close to the Portland Temple, and since there was a photo I'd been wanting to take at the temple, Matthew drove up to it.  Below is one of the pictures I took, I love how the tree branches frame the temple, and I'm happy to say it turned out exactly how I wanted.

 

We had a fantastic day together, it's a rare thing for us to be able to spend quality time together, just the two of us.  Don't get me wrong, I missed tucking Amelia in at bedtime, but I also think it's important that Matthew and I have time to connect from time to time.

I can't wait for our next date!