Bucket List

I am 28 years old and I actually feel like I have accomplished quite a bit in my life, so far.  Since I have had kids, however, I have felt less driven and a little lost.  Brent, being the amazing husband that he is, suggested sitting down and creating a bucket list to help us stay focused on our goals and dreams.  One for places to go and one for accomplishments.  Right now it is on our fridge but it should probably be somewhere a little more permanent. So I now present

The Brent and Mallory Bucket List 

Version I

(Please note: These lists do not include things we have
already done, just what we still hope to do)

         Places

1. Antartica
2. Petra, Jordan
3. Amazon River
4. China
5. Spain and Portugal
6. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
7. South Africa
8. Bagan, Myanmar
9. Easter Island
10. Machu Picchu
11. Egypt
12. Scotland
13. Fiji
14. Plitvice National Park, Croatia
15. Alaska
16. New York City, NY
17. Caribbean
18. Iceland (rural loactions)
19. New Orleans, LA
20. Yosemite National Park
21. Redwood Forest in CA
22. Moscow, Russia
23. India
24. Venice, Italy
25. Istanbul, Turkey
26. Chicago, IL
27. Israel
28. Yellowstone National Park
29. Germany
30. Hawaii
31. New Zealand
32. Paris, France
33. Harry Potter World

        Accomplishments

1. Donate Blood
2. Zip Lining
3. Write a Book (The Wee Wonk and the Bear)
4. Hike the Nakasendo Trail in Japan
5. Sky Dive
6. Go on a Cruise
7. Masters
8. Publish a Photo
9. Buy a $100 pair of Jeans
10. Drive from Coast to Coast
11. (Just don't worry about this one)
12. Go on a Backpacking trip
13. Ride Jet Skis
14. See the Northern Lights
15. Stay in a Tree House Hotel
16. Go on a Spontaneous Vacation
17. Spend a full day in a spa
18. Go Sailing
19. Stay in a Hotel over the water
20. Swim with Sharks
21. Ride a Camel
22. Go on a Safari
23. Eat a $250 meal
24. See a Wild Bear
25. Surprise Brent with a vacation
26. Go to an NFL and NBA Game
27. Get a Henna Tattoo
28. Learn to Surf
29. Meet an indigenous tribe
30. Have a progressive dinner
31. Go to the the Olympics
32. Learn to play the piano
33. Go to all Seven Continents

Oregon Trip: Fourth of July

Fourth of July in Oregon.  The weather is perfect, the scenery is perfect and a large group of anxious kids is perfect.  Harper had no idea what was going to happen, but she wanted a front row seat.

 It was the entire Forsberg Clan and the Steffy's were also able to make an appearance.

 I was trying to get London to sleep, so I didn't really see the show.  Each child received a firework and were able to help light it when it was their turn.

 After the show it was sparkler time!  Harper wasn't quite sure.

 Do you see the line of kids waiting to play with some fire?  No fear here!

 Once London was asleep I got some time to play. 

 She wasn't super sure what to do with it.

 But with a little guidance I think Harper enjoyed the experience.

Fourth of July is fun but it makes me wish it got darker earlier.  By the time everything was finished it was well past 10 pm which means bedtime was a total bust!

Oregon Trip: Fishing

After a busy few days at the beach we were happy to be back in Oregon City.  On Saturday morning we went fishing (at a stocked fishing pool).

Harper is Brent's mini me.  She would go with him anywhere.

She was also more than willing to help him fish.

London wasn't quite as interested as Harper.

The fish WERE NOT biting.  We could see them everywhere, but they couldn't care less about the food we were offering. 

I gave it a try... with the same result.

Harper eventually lost interest and opted for Grandma time instead.

After a while, London got the boot and Harper took over the relaxing car seat.  This is how we commune with nature apparently.

 Two long hours and NO bites, we were all a little discouraged.

We went home empty handed.  They need to start stocking the ponds with the dumb fish who will eat anything...  It was a sad day in fishing land. 

Seaside: Beach Time

After a busy morning at the board walk it was time to hit the beach.

Braden was digging a huge hole...

Harper was filling a huge hole. 

I'm not really sure who won this battle, but I think the clueless two year old may have taken it

She is just so much fun!

Blake and the kids built a huge sand castle, but everyone was in charge of digging the moat with ocean access.  Harper was happy to help.

I told you everyone had to help, which meant Brent was helping as well.

Look at Parker!  He is 7 weeks older than London.  I think London saw him sitting up and decided she wanted in, so she started sitting up.  Thank goodness she can't see him crawl!

Grandma and Grandpa with Jack Jack and London on a gorgeous Oregon Beach.

Austin was happy to help Braden in digging his hole.  Such a fun duo.

Toren and Audrey enjoying the weather.

Could there be a happier baby?  I love London, but I wish she would take after her cousin a little more!

Playing on the beach with one of my favorites.

Here you have the three cutest babies in the world.  Jack Jack was 10 months old, Parker was 7 months and London was 5 months old in this picture.  They are going to be such great friends!

London is the only one who can't sit up on her own, and now she is the only one who isn't crawling.  They all grew up really fast in my mind.

Hunter was just exhausted, so he slept a lot of the time.  He is so peaceful here.

Brody enjoying the surf.  He is so loving it is ridiculous!  If you want to feel like a special person, just talk to Brody for a while.

There are only a few things as amazing as beach time with the family.  After a few hours it was time to head back for dinner and s'mores!  

Portland Oregon: Brent's Photography

For Fourth of July weekend we went to Oregon. My parents rented a house in Seaside for a couple days before.  The house was really close to Ecola State Park, which meant Brent left one evening to get some photos.

The boy started taking photos four years ago and I have to say he is getting pretty good.  This is a raw shot of a light house.  I personally love the composition of it.

He has always had an eye, but lately Brent has been working on his editing abilities.  This is a different picture, but you can tell that he has enhanced the colors and contrasts.  This would be a fun one to blow up and use as a statement wall in our house... but which one?!

I'm so grateful that Brent has a hobby he really really enjoys (I could maybe be okay with one less hobby, but oh well).  He has a great talent in finding some really special moments to capture!

Feel free to check out his blog at brentsfavoritephotos.blogspot.com