Family of 5ersons

Annual Christmas Party 08'

2008-12-20T23:34:00.000-08:00

Civil War 09' - Victory!

2008-12-01T23:24:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in Seattle 08'

2008-11-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in Seattle was great! So fun to see family we never get to see, and they food was all unbelievable. We all had a great time...even though it was the 1st road trip with all 3. The kiddos favorite part was definitely being able sit on Mark's boat...next Tay's hoping to drive.

Halloween 08'

2008-11-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

Kiddos

2008-10-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

Fall Family Photos

2008-10-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Mexican Paradise!

2008-10-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to go on an amazing vacation to Puerto Vallarta & Sayulita, Mexico with 6 other friends & no kiddos! After months of back & forth planning between all of us and some big "ins" with one of the couples we were with, we were able to stay at an unbelievable 9000 sf home in a gated subdivision just north of Puerto Vallarta. It was really an amazing time and so nice to be carefree for a week in what was truly paradise.
We spent the week relaxing in the infinity pool, eating awesome authentic Mexican food, body surfing in Sayulita & Punta de Mita, shopping in the smaller towns, sea kayaking, surfing, eating more amzing food, swimming, & sight seeing in Puerto Vallarta and the smaller towns nearby. The last night we enjoyed a major thunder & lighting show which actually took the power out just as our home cooked feast was ready to eat. One of the housekeepers treated us to an endless amount of freshly prepared food & we were still able to enjoy it by candlelight.
It was the perfect trip and we had such a great time with the Wallenius's, Wallace's & Nickerson's! Let's do it again!

Central Oregon with the fam!

2008-08-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

The 5ersons went to Sunriver & Caldera Springs Resort! This was the 1st overnight vacation with the whole crew and we managed to fit everything in the car somehow! It's amazing what you have to bring with 3 lil' ones. The car was literally packed to the ceiling and there was even more strapped to the top of the car.

We had a great time once we got there and they were all so excited! We didn't attempt to take all the kids out bike riding, but we had lots of fun on walks and at the Sunriver park. Shelly & I especially enjoyed relaxing in the evenings in the hot tub. It was definitely a much needed get away.

Everytime an airplane would fly over the house while we were there he'd run to the window or outside and yell & point at it, so the last day we actually made it to the Sunriver airport and the manager gave us all a tour and Tay & Kay got to sit in one of the small planes. Ray meanwhile was sleeping...she actually

We were able to finally make use of the lodge and pool area at Caldera Springs and this was definitely the kiddos favorite part. It's an awesome pool, with shallow kid areas, water guns, and a lava rock tube slide.

Fun at the Fair!

2008-08-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

The Family of 5ersons made it to the fair. Kayla even went on her 1st roller coaster and was a little nervous at first, but had a lot of fun! She even wanted to go on the Swings that twirl around and had a great time. Taylor wasn't so sure about the rides, but had fun "driving" a truck and going on the Swings and Merry-go-Round.

Tay loves his lil Sis

2008-08-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Summer time

2008-07-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Rayana & Daddy

2008-07-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Rayana bath time.

2008-07-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

My latest book

2008-07-16T22:10:00.001-07:00

I recently self-published a book of my abstract photography. You can preview the 1st few pages at Blurb.com. I've had a lot of fun making these & I'll be making more when I have time.

Tay & his truck

2008-07-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Kayla's been busy riding her new bike, so Tay's been all about his trucks lately. He doesn't stop moving...ever. He's definitely trying his best to keep us constantly alert of his presence by either yelling or just trying to tackle or wrestle anyone of the "5ersons" near him.

K's 1st Bike.

2008-07-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

(Princess) Kayla's 4!

2008-07-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

So Kayla requested a "Princess/Sticker Party" all her girlfriends dressed up in their finest dresses and they all got to do crafts and play with stickers. She had a blast!

Aquarium!

2008-07-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

The kiddos had been really wanting to go, and I have to say I wasn't to excited, as the last time I was there I didn't really pay much attention to stuff. We had a great time though and made it through with all 5 kids...we were w/the Langenbergs also. Even baby Rayana enjoyed the trip, but she's always smiling so it's hard to say if she was just trying to be nice.

Fireworks!

2008-07-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mom & Kayla enjoying the firework show in Waldport.

4th of July!

2008-07-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

We all had such a fun time at our annual 4th of July coast trip! The Langenbergs all came again and it was definitely a full house! There were 5 lil ones and 6 of us larger people. The weather was perfect as usual and the fireworks were fun to watch as Kayla, and her friends Olivia & Natalie all went down to the beach to stay up late and watch the show!

Rayana's so tiny...and so cute!

2008-06-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

Kayla Graduates...pre-pre school

2008-06-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

That's right, she's going places. I had no idea there were graduations for a 3 year old. It was pretty cute though. She really enjoyed her teacher Mrs. Elaina and will miss the friends she made there like little Abby.

OMSI

2008-06-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....so we decided to take the kids up to OMSI in Portland. There's lots of things for little ones to do, not to mention that there were Dinosaurs there. So we invited 2 couples to come along with us with their kids. With all of us it ended up being 14 people! 8 Kids...definitely exhausting, but we made it back with all the same kids so I'd say it was a success.

Coast Trip!

2008-05-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

The sun came out...we'll kind of, and it was Mother's Day so we made a quick trip to the beach for a few hours with the kiddos. You can see from the outfits, it was a little cold and windy after all, but we had a fun time. For the record Rayana's 1st trip to the beach involved mostly sleeping.

Pool Fun!

2008-05-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

Kayla & Taylor had they're friends Solomon & Aden over for a BBQ/Pool Party.

The sun came out!

2008-05-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Finally the sun decided to come out for some record highs,
so Taylor and Kayla had fun in there new little pool!

Kayla's Ballet Recital

2008-05-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

Kayla had her 1st ballet recital with her friends Lucy & McKenna. They were so cute and she was obviously excited that she "had" to wear makeup and get all dressed up! They'd been practicing for months, so it was fun to finally see what they'd been working on. It was quite the event, as she performed twice the 1st weekend, and then 2 more times at nursing homes in town.

Rayana Marie

2008-04-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here's my attempt at an artsy shot of tiny baby Rayana.

Tay Tay...my lil man

2008-04-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

He stole my hat and ran around wearing it and cracking up. He's getting so big. Moments later he proceeded to stand on the arm of the couch and free fall face forward...just before walking around in Kayla's princess shoes and carrying her pink purse. Hmmm, I immediately grabbed a football and tried to play catch. Ha!

Announcement

2008-04-10T09:27:00.001-07:00

I've recently been slightly addicted to Photoshop and came up w/a design for Rayana's announcement. Seriously...how sweet is she? Pretty much melts our hearts. Everyone should be getting one in the mail soon!

The loves of our lives...

2008-04-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

Rayana arrives!

2008-04-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

Baby Rayana was born at 3:46 on April 2nd, 2008. As a guy, I'd just say she was born healthy & beautiful, but I'm sure all the girls also wanna know that she was 6lbs 12oz, and 20 1/4 inches tall. She is truly amazing and life wouldn't be the same without her...already! She is definitely a snuggler and it's hard to put her down because she's so content in mommy & daddy's arms.

Kayla is loving being a big sister and is helping with everything...especially picking out Rayana's outfit each day!Taylor is more in the "who is this", and "why are they still here" stage, but I'm sure he'll be blowing her kisses soon enough.

Shelly (super mom) is doing well, even with the lack of sleep.

That's it for now, but we'll be posting many new pics of the family soon enough!

My Lil Man.

2008-03-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to go outside with Taylor for a while and take some photos while the sun was out. He took his little football and had so much fun throwing it...or at least trying...and then running after it down the street. He's not an easy one to get pictures of, & I think I got as much of a workout just trying to stay in front of him and take a few shots. He's shown some promising moves, I'm thinking he'll be an Oregon Duck in no time...now he just needs a b-ball hoop!

Published!

2008-03-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

Some of you know, but quite a few may not know, I have somewhat of a passion for photography alongside my obvious design addiction. Recently I was excited to learn that the above photo (on the right), "disymmetry", was published in issue 14 of JPG Magazine...they even sent me money! It's a photography magazine created from user submitted photos on their website. It's in the latest issue and supposedly it can be found at Borders or Barnes & Noble. My photo was chosen out of almost 11,000 others. It's a shot I took in Las Vegas, while leaning out over our balcony at the MGM Signature Towers. This is a link to the actual photo at JPG Magazine online: disymmetry

Getting ready for our lil girl!

2008-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! 1st of all, I still can't believe we're going to be a family of 5, but it's going to be reality soon enough. Shelly's more than ready right now, and swears the doctors have the wrong due date (April 12th). We're getting excited to see who baby Rayana's (our lil girl's name) gonna look like, and if she'll have Taylor's wild energy or Kayla's more mellow personality.

Kayla was a big help today and decided on her own, to organize and hang all of Rayana's clothes. She's been helping a lot around the house and can't wait to be a big sister!

We've been trying to get Rayana's area of our room ready and just need a few more things. We're also trying to figure out among other things how to get 3 young kids from here to there. We literally can't fit 3 car seats across in Shell's car, so we're gonna be looking for a new one...no we're not gonna get a mini-van...maybe a Hummer...lol! We also need a double stroller and are amazed at the 50+ different options and seating configurations they've come up with in the new strollers. Maybe I'll just carry all of them if they can't walk.

That's it for now!

Once again...

2008-03-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Moving again? Sounds a little crazy after being in our current home for less than a year, but we've purchased a lot for our next adventure. We're really excited though and the plan is to be in the new home by the summer of 2009. I'm probably more excited than Shelly, because this will be my 1st "Tour Home". Meaning I'll be placing it on the 2009 Home Builders Tour of Homes to publicize my company and continue to get more involved in other design/build projects.

It's in East Eugene and around the corner from Hendrick's Park & legendary Pre's Rock. This is a photo of the lot from the street. I'll definitely post progress when we get started in September/October of this year!

Orlando!

2008-02-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

I just got back from Orlando for the IBS (International Builder Show), which is the largest residential builder trade show in the world. I know it's doesn't sound like fun to most, but it was like Disneyland for me. It showcases the latest in building products from fireplaces to lighting to kitchen appliances.

I was looking forward to the sunny Orlando weather as I had been checking the forecast for about 3 weeks before I left and it had been in the 80's. Of course when I got there it was cloudy & the next day it rained. It continued to escalate from there as the next night there was an extreme storm warning for a "Tornado Watch" in the area. It ended up missing Orlando, but the next night there was a bizzarre "frost & freezing" warning for the area also. Luckily, the weather got better from there and it was in the 80's the last day I was there, but I just had to laugh as I heard it was dry & somewhat sunny back home!

It was definitely weird missing my Birthday and Valentines Day, but I learned a lot and I've got so many more design ideas I want to create, I'll have to build 100 homes! Shelly was amazing for letting me go as she had to take care of both the kids (who ended getting really sick), while she was sick & 7 months pregnant. I love her!

Dan Cooper, a friend of mine, and another builder in town kept me company for the trip and we had a good time at the show and made it to Universal Studios twice and some kind of event every night. His wife also surprised us with tickets to the Denver Nuggets vs Orlando Magic game & Shelly surprised me by calling in reservations to NBA City restaurant at Universal Studios for my B-Day.

It was the longest I'd ever been away from my family, but I'm thankful I was able to go and look forward to next year and going with Shell!

Snowed in!

2008-01-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

An unexpected snow day! Recently we got hit with a large amount of snow, which turned out to be a little bit of an adventure. Shell & had left the kids & the grandparents for the weekend and were on our way to pick them back up the day it had snowed. To make a long story short, we managed to get 3 trucks/SUV's stuck in the snow within about 30 minutes! It took a bunch of shoveling, and a tractor to clear enough snow to get them all out. After my dad & I finished that, Shell & I decided to just stay the night as it wasn't going to be real easy getting back up the drive and back home.

It ended up being a beautiful day and clearing up a bit, so Shell, my dad & I went on a hike. I took the tree photo just below my parents house as we were finishing the hike. It was a nice break not having to do anything and slow down for a day.

What a Blessing!

2008-01-09T20:41:00.001-08:00

Recently we were blessed to be able to host 2 of the children (Patience & Debra) from the African Children's Choir. You've most likely seen or heard of the choir as this group of children has been touring for the past year around the US and most recently in Eugene. Their songs & dancing are full of passion and although they don't have much, they have amazing joy! They stayed with us for 3 nights and had 1 more quick stop, before returning to Uganda. A new group of children is touring now so watch for them.

They were amazing children & so polite. They greeted us with hugs, and always called us "uncle & auntie". Kayla had so much fun playing with them & letting them borrow her princess dresses. On the last night, the other helpers and us took the whole group to pizza and the wave pool and they had a great time there. We'll never forget their smiles and we'd jump at the chance to host them again!

Ready For 2008!

2008-01-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

Another year's gone by and we're excited about the new adventures & events coming in 2008! We've been so blessed with 2 healthy children, Kayla & Taylor & we're getting more excited to welcome our new little girl into the world in April! Kayla can't wait for her little sister to play "princess" with her. Tay & I will soon be out numbered!

A lot of you know my passion is in design & I'm excited this year to be able to start a few new projects. I've been working hard on some new home designs & will be breaking ground on the 1st of those this spring. I'll also be entering my 7th year in Real Estate...wow is that even possible? I'm looking forward to a busy spring market!

Shelly's been very successful with her Arbonne business and has enjoyed meeting so many new friends and becoming closer with many others. It's been a blessing for us and has opened many new doors for Shelly. She's been able to support her families recent mission trip to Africa, and has been able to bless many other families with the income she's making.

2007 also allowed us to travel a little, to Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, the Oregon Coast & Sunriver. The kids came along for some of the trips and we had a lot of fun with them. We also had a lot of fun getting away with just our friends for some of the trips!