Over the years we have picked and eaten many yummy berries this time of year, but never before with seven hungry teenagers in the house.   Ronda took the children to a u-pick strawberry field just a couple days ago.  They came home with 134 pounds of luscious berries that melted away like a snowdrift in May.  We polished off the last of them with shortcake tonight.   If you are counting on your fingers to figure out how we have seven teenagers, I'll help.  In addition to our own five teenagers (Caleb, Taylor, Hannah, Ian and Sierra) we have our Chinese exchange student Tracey and her cousin Kelly for the summer.   

Our first 80-degree day of the summer was last Tuesday and we headed to Vancouver Lake.  Here's a few pictures.

Taylor turned fifteen, passed the Oregon Dept of Motor Vehicles exam and obtained his long yearned for Learner's Permit.  Since then he has volunteered to drive us to Hannah's summer league basketball games and anywhere else we want to go.  The phrase "Can I drive?" seems poised on his lips, instantly uttered if we mention going somewhere.  Write and tell us your new-driver stories.  Love,  Art

Bethani, Sierra and Ronda are driving to Walla Walla today.  They will help Grandpa Grover move to a new house, then Bethani will  head north for a summer at Camp Mivoden in north Idaho.  

Several months ago Sierra and Hannah were discussing employment opportunities with their Dad.  "The job market looks none to good this summer" intoned their father.  "I don't think you should spend time applying for jobs.  You should figure out how to create your own job instead."   Acting on this advice, Sierra has organized a summer sports camp for children ages 4 to 13.    If you are between the ages of 4 and 13, or know someone who is, you should check out their camp.  Here's a link to the brochure.

Last Wednesday evening Taylor graduated from 8th grade, and the next day was his 15th birthday.    Here's photos.

To help us celebrate the start of summer, Elissa and baby Mossen flew up from Loma Linda last Tuesday.  David had to stay home and study for finals.  We've had more fun than should be legal playing with 8 month old Mossen.

Five year old Aunt Rylee especially enjoyed playing with Mossen.  Yesterday Rylee asked big sister Elissa;  "If you have never been a mommy before, how do you know how to be a good mommy?"  "That's a good question" replied Elissa.  "You ask your own mommy, and you do the best you can."  "I know you are doing the best you can." nodded Rylee.  "You wash your hands a lot."

Love,  Art

I uploaded a 102 pictures of Sierra's graduation at Portland Adventist Academy yesterday.  If you attended, there's a good chance you will find yourself somewhere in these snapshots.  Enjoy as many or as few as you have time for.

Five-year old Rylee likes words and numbers.  We don't usually start teaching our children to read at her age, but she decided she wanted to learn, got out the little red "Bob" books herself.  We were shocked when she pulled us down to the couch and read to us.   We aren't exactly sure where she picked up the numbers one through ten in Spanish, but last night she was reciting them over and over as we drove along in the car.    Says Mom;  "Art, listen to Rylee saying her numbers."  Art {listening, then trying not to drive off the road in mirth).   Rylee;  "Uno Dos Taco Quatro Cinco Seis Siete Ocho Nueve Diez"

Love,  Art

Sierra graduates from Portland Adventist Academy next Sunday.  Here is a link to her graduation invitation.  

Sierra’s High School Accomplishments include a 3.99GPA and Female Athlete of the Year award.  

Her Spring Break trip to Ethiopia this year had a very big impact on Sierra's life.  Here's a link to the letter she wrote thanking supporters who contributed to her trip.

Taylor graduates from 8th grade at TVJA the following Wednesday.  Here is a link to his graduation invitation.

Taylor's accomplishments include growing to 6 feet 1 inches tall and the new habit of peering down at his Dad and smirking "Hi Shorty!"    The braces are coming off his teeth just in time for graduation.  He has also made big improvements on piano this year.  Here's a 2 min video of his latest recital.

After supper last week 11-year old Theron took a dive off his bicycle.  He led with his chin.  A medical friend was visiting us and examined the wound;  "Too deep for a butterfly bandage, he really needs stitches."    Dad and Theron set off for the emergency room at 9PM.   After the obligatory three hour wait, Theron got excellent medical care.  The three stitches came out yesterday and he is healing up nicely.  During the long emergency room wait Theron and I had some good visits.  We discussed the big lady in the wheelchair with broken-down ankles,  and the kid with a badly swollen thumb.  Theron decided his blood-dripping chin wasn't such a big deal after all.

Teenagers ran the house tonight while Ronda and I enjoyed a Romantic Evening Out.  I spared no expense on the food and entertainment because she is worth it.  The bill for the evening came to more than three hundred dollars.  There was soft music playing and an endless variety of exotic and American foods to choose from.    We took in a movie down the street, then drove slowly home, relaxed and deep in conversation.   {Translation to reality:  We bought two cart-loads of groceries at Winco, then drove to Costco and walked by the big-screen TV's on our way to buy another cart-load of food.}

Bethani and Hannah arrived home from Honduras late Thursday night.  Since then they have been decompressing and we've been catching up on their many good stories.    Yesterday we headed out to the Columbia Gorge for a lovely spring afternoon hike.  We took an easy trail to Wahclella Falls.  On the way back out the children were playing on the big volcanic boulders along the river.  15-year old Taylor decided he wanted some adventure.   Without saying anything to anyone, he climbed around to the back side of a large rock beside the rushing river.  Ronda and I were visiting with friends up on the trail and didn't see him disappear behind the rock.   A few minutes later Hannah looked down and exclaimed;  "Who is that weird man down there in the water?"  We laughed because the "weird man" turned out to be Taylor, all wet, sitting on the edge of the river.  We called to him but with the loud rushing river he didn't hear us.   He just sat, slumped over and not moving.  Then someone saw blood, and Sierra scrambled down to him.  It was then we learned terrifying story:  Taylor had been climbing around the rock on a ledge overhanging the river.  A rock beneath his feet dislodged and he fell into the river.  "For a second, I thought - oh no, I'm going to get all wet and cold.  Then the next second I thought, oh no, I'm gonna die."  Taylor estimated he spent about 10 seconds submerged with a fierce current hurling him down a waterfall and around a corner.   "It was so cold and so fast and a lot deeper than it looked."    It was a rather sobering experience for this young man.  Here's a link to some photos.   He had no serious injuries, just cuts, bruises, and a good-sized egg on his forehead.

Later his father reviewed the sequence of events with Taylor.  We talked about the various mistakes that led to this near tragedy.  "Well Taylor, what did you learn from this experience?"  "I dunno.. maybe to think before doing stuff..."   Sounds like the right lesson to me.  Love,  Art

After a busy week we savor Friday night and the peace it brings.  Ronda flew to Loma Linda last weekend to be with Elissa, David and especially baby Mossen.  Here's some pictures and here's a 1 minute video she took of our first grandson, who is most certainly the Cutest and Smartest Grandson in History.   Just be thankful this bragging grandpa is only sending you links.  After all, if we were meeting face-to-face, you might be trapped looking at the baby pictures I shoved under your nose.

The other exciting news from our week was the return visit from our friends VJ and Pierrette Balasingam and their seven boys.  They spent the month of April in Hawaii and spent a day with us on their way back home to Montreal.  We heard their island adventure stories and played capture-the-flag in the yard.

I'll end this note with a description of our typical Friday night waffle supper.   I mixed the batter - 10 cups of Krustez.  Ronda made a big pot of rhubarb and strawberry sauce, and Caleb whipped a bowl of cream.  Ronda pulled out 3 electric waffle irons, plugged them in and started cooking to get a few plates ahead.  After the blessing was said, the lazy-suzan started spinning and waffles disappeared just as fast as they came out of the irons.

Write and tell us what you had for supper.  Love,  Art

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."