HAPPY DOUBLE BIRTHDAY!

WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE TWO DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS IN OUR FAMILY! THE FIRST IS MR. CHRISTOPHER ON THE 17TH AND NOT EVEN A WEEK LATER IS MISS CALI ON THE 21ST.

THIS YEAR CHRISTOPHER CELEBRATED HIS 32ND AND CALI HER 1ST . WE HAD A DOUBLE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE TWO OF THEM.

MY BEST FRIEND SUNI HELPED TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES, AND WE KEPT IT SIMPLE WITH JUST FAMILY. ALL IN ALL, I THINK THE TWO OF THE ENJOYED THEIR BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION. UNFORTUNATELY I SUCK AT TAKING PICTURES--ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE TURNED OUT BLURRY! ANYWAYS HERE'S WHAT I GOT. ENJOY!

BIRTHDAY MORNING BREAKFAST. SHE LOVES CHOCOLATE!

1/2 OF HER PARTY OUTFIT. I LOVE HAVING A GIRL!

THE CAKE

THE BIRTHDAY PEOPLE

OREGON-- OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME

OKAY SO IT'D HAD BEEN AN ENTIRE YEAR SINCE I HAD BEEN BACK TO OREGON WITH THE KIDS, AND CHRISTOPHER AND I HAD NOT BEEN BACK THERE TOGETHER SINCE WE MOVED FROM THERE IN 2005! PATHETIC I KNOW. HERE IS A LITTLE INSIGHT ON SOME OF OUR ADVENTURES WE HAD WHILE VISITING OREGON THIS LAST NOVEMBER.

WHAT WOULD A TRIP TO OREGON BE WITHOUT VISITING MY OL' STOMPIN' GROUNDS OF P-TOWN. I TOOK THE BOYS ON A TOUR OF MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL, AND CHRISTOPHER AND I VISITED OUR OLD HOMES--THE HOUSE I GREW UP IN AND HIS MISSIONARY APARTMENT (WHICH WAS JUST A BLOCK AWAY--CRAZY I KNOW). IT WAS SO SAD TO GO BACK THERE. NOT THAT I LIVED IN A PALACE OR ANYTHING, BUT WE KEPT THAT HOUSE SO MUCH NICER THAN WHAT IT IS NOW.

CHRISTOPHER IN FRONT OF THE OL' MISSIONARY APARTMENT.

THIS IS WERE HE PROPOSED TO ME ALMOST 10 YEARS AGO!

ME IN FRONT OF MY CHILDHOOD HOME--HOPING NO ONE IS LOOKING OUT THERE WINDOW TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE HECK SOMEONE IS TAKING A PICTURE IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE!

WE ALSO TOOK A TRIP TO NEWPORT. I LOVE THE OREGON COAST. WE VISITED THE AQUARIUM THERE. I THINK OUR FAVORITE PART OF THAT WAS WALKING THROUGH THE SHARK TUNNEL. WHEN WE WERE THROUGH WE HAD TO STOP AND HAVE LUNCH AT THE FAMOUS MO'S LOCATED RIGHT ON THE BAY FRONT. WE HAD YUMMY CLAM CHOWDER IN BREAD BOWLS--DEVINE! AFTER LUNCH THE BOYS HAD A LOT OF FUN SELECTING THEIR FAVORITE SALT WATER TAFFY FROM THE CANDY STORE ACROSS THE STREET.

SHARK TUNNEL AT OREGON COAST AQUARIUM

THE FAM IN NEWPORT--BURR!!

COBY PETTING SHARKS!

KEENAN IN THE MOUTH OF SOME DINOSAUR SHARK
I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF!

OUR FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT WHEN WE LIVED THERE IS HENDRICKS PARK. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. I HAVE SO MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF TIMES WE SPENT TOGETHER THERE AS A FAMILY. JUST BEFORE YOU GET TO THE PARK IS "PRES' ROCK". THIS IS AN AMAZING SPOT TO VISIT. I ALWAYS FIND IT FASCINATING WHAT PEOPLE LEAVE THERE AS A TRIBUTE TO HIM. I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER BEEN TO EUGENE AND NOT MADE A STOP THERE.

HAPPY BOYS AT HENDRICKS PARK

ME AND THE BOYO'S AT PRES' ROCK

PLAQUE AT PRES ROCK

THE BOYS IN FRONT OF PRES' ROCK.

CHRISTOPHER TELLING THE BOYS ALL ABOUT STEVE PREFONTAINE

SOME OTHER HIGHLIGHTS REGRETFULLY NOT PICTURED WERE DREAM PIZZA AT THE HALES AND WOODSTOCK'S PIZZA WITH THE OTHER HALES. YUM! SERIOUSLY YOU HAVEN'T TASTED PIZZA TILL YOU'VE HAD PIZZA FROM OREGON'S BEST!

OH YEAH AND THE CIVIL WAR WHERE ARE DUCKS POUNDED THE BEAVERS!

YEAH, GO DUCKS!
UNTIL NEXT TIME. GOOD TIMES :)

THANKSGIVING TRIP TO OREGON

THIS YEAR WE FINALLY DID IT! WE SPENT A HOLIDAY WITH MY FAMILY IN OREGON. FOR WHATEVER REASON WE'VE ONLY SPENT A TOTAL OF TWO THANKSGIVINGS & ZERO CHRISTMAS'S WITH MY SIDE OF THE FAMILY!

IT WAS GREAT SEEING EVERYONE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIKE FOREVER WE PRETTY MUCH HAD EVERYONE WAS THERE. MY BABY BROTHER JUSTIN JUST GOT BACK FROM IRAQ, AND I EVEN GOT TO MEET HIS FIANCE . IT'S CRAZY BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY THAT EVEN THOUGH I'M WITH THEM, WHEN IT'S OVER I DON'T ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE I'VE SEEN ANY OF THEM. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE FAMILY PHOTO (WHICH KEENAN SOME HOW DODGED--SNEAKING UPSTAIRS DURING ALL OF THE ARRANGING) THERE ARE A LOT OF US. I THINK THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 40 PEOPLE AT OUR THANKSGIVING FEAST. WHEN WE GET TOGETHER IT'S CRAZY! EVEN THOUGH I HATE THAT IT'S ALL A BLUR WHEN IT'S OVER, I LOVE THAT MY FAMILY MAKES ME LAUGH. THEY'RE THE BEST.

THE WHOLE FAMILY

(MINUS KEENAN WHO SNUCK UPSTAIRS--STINKER :) & ADAM'S WIFE MS. JAMIE)

HALE COUSINS

(THIS IS THE ONLY ONE I GOT WITH EVERYONE LOOKING!)

MY SISTERS

CRAZY BROTHERS

THE HALE 11