First Family Photo Session

Simon did a great job at this photo shoot. I was more worried about him than the two month baby or the two year old. Thank you Aunt Katie!!!

More Harrisburg

Fall Pictures

We went to take pictures of the kids in Harrisburg before going to the pumpkin patch. It's really difficult to get two little kids to sit still and smile at the same time. After about ten minutes Simon was tired of taking pictures. Somehow he's the one that got tired when he's not in the pictures or taking them. We went to the pumpkin patch for about a half an hour before Simon started whining and needed to go home. Sometimes I think Simon is helping to prepare me for what life will be like if we have any more kids.

My Backyard Babies

Solomon and Ezra watch their Aunt Katie dance around the backyard in this picture. Katie called Solomon to see if she could come and play at his park. He was so excited. They jumped on the trampoline, swung on the swings, sang songs, danced, read books, etc. It was the night of his dreams. Ezra and I sat on the blanket and watched it all. Ezra and Solomon are so blessed to have such a wonderful Aunt Katie.

Best Buddies

Solomon and Gage enjoying a cold popsicle on a hot summer day. Doesn't it MELT your heart?

Sand Lake

Mimi taught Solomon how to make a sand lake. Now it's an every day occurrence. The sucker he has in his mouth he found in the sand from the day before. Life is great as a two year old.

The Puppies Are Here!!!

The Schultz' dog, Misika had seven puppies. Solomon has been so excited to visit "Sika" and her babies. It wasn't until we were on our way out the door that he was ready to hold them.

Depoe Bay

As we drove out of Springfield I began to dread the ride up to Depoe Bay. Solomon is not a pleasant car rider to put it nicely. As I merged onto the I-5 exit I looked back and Solomon was fast asleep. He slept the entire ride there. Once we arrived we went swimming, ate dinner and had movie night (Fox and the Hound). The next morning we went for a walk into town where we had hot chocolate. Solomon got to see a few pirate statues that he wasn't so sure about. After we got back to the condo we ate breakfast and quickly headed off to the beach. Solomon had been anticipating the beach for the past month. His sand box at home paled in comparison to a beach full of sand. We dressed in jeans and sweatshirts but soon regretted it. The sun was warm and believe it or not the wind was nonexistent. Solomon of course wanted to go in the water. His clothes slowly started to peel off. He made new friends who wanted to share his sand toys. The big boys were making a dam. Solomon tried to join in. He throwing the rocks in the ocean was his job. Mimi burried him in the sand up to his neck. How do you rinse a sandy little boy off? Let him run naked in the ocean for a couple of seconds I guess. After the beach Solomon and Papa took a nap while the rest of us took advantage of the bargains at the outlet stores. Before our long trip home we had pizza and took one last dip in the pool. I left late in the evening so Solomon could fall asleep on the way home. Instead of sleeping Solomon talked and sang my ear off the entire way. Poor little guy didn't get to sleep until 11:15. I guess he didn't want a perfect day to come to an end.

Wild Cow Fifari

"Mommy, can we please go to Wild Cow Fifari today?" Seemed to be the commonly asked question when Solomon woke up each morning. One Monday morning Mimi and I decided it was time to visit the animals again. We braved the amazing long drive to Winston, Oregon with a two and a half year old talking the entire way there. Out of all the wildlife in the park, the cows with horns are by far Solomon's favorite. He tried to milk a cow of his own. As you can see, it took a lot of concentration.


Mimi paid for us to go on a train ride. We saw Blippo the Hippo eating his lunch. He came right up to our car where the trainer was throwing him heads of lettuce. He would catch them in his mouth and chomp them up with one swift smack of his jaws. As we were stopped looking at the animals an emu poked his head in our window. Solomon was laughing hysterically. We had such a fun day. We got ice cream on the way home and stopped by Bella Bella's house in Drain.

Smile for Mommy

It's supposed to be super nice this week. I went to take pictures of Josie and Jolie at the train station and decided to take Solomon and Ezra along. Once again Solomon and Ezra have trouble smiling for the camera at the same time. Oh Well! I guess I have years to make it work.

Ezra's Bling

One little screech marked a milestone in Ezra's life. She got her ears pierced at two months old. Now she won't be mistaken as a boy. I think she looks adorable but I am bias.

Summer's Finally Here

The first BBQ at the Bernatz house was a eagerly awaited. Solomon had gotten a sand box, trampoline and a play structure and was going stir crazy with the rain. He couldn't wait to have his best friends Gabby and Gage come over and play with him. The Ropers and the Keelers joined us to eat the steelhead Simon caught last week. After dinner we enjoyed smore's. Bryce roasted the mallows while Emily Prepared the graham cracker and Hersey's bar. We all devoured them but Gage savored every last bite of his. We can't wait to have more BBQ's this summer.

Mommy, can I hold Ezra?

Solomon is learning to be such a good big brother. He is always asking to hold, kiss, hug, ride, stand on, roll over or swing his little sister. She has been rolled off the couch by him and almost pulled out of the swing. He is still working on being gentle with her. Here they are sitting on the couch watching Sesame Street. He kept asking her, "Do you like Sesame Street Ezra?" When she wouldn't respond he kept asking the question louder and louder.

The Life Cycle

My mom (Mimi) was doing my maternity leave in my second grade class. Our last unit is on bugs and butterflies. Solomon got to take a caterpillar home and watch it got through metamorphisis. He came running to me yelling "Mommy, my crysilis has hatched! He wiggled out!" We then took him outside to let him fly away. I wanted to take pictures of Solomon with his butterfly, of course.

Family Picture Night

We went to take pictures at the Springfield Rail Road Tracks. It was a fun night. We went out to dinner with them afterward at Red Robin for Emily's birthday.

One Big Happy Family

Simon hated this picture so I had to take it off the heading of the blog. I think it is a fun summer family picture.

Sibblings

Don't pictures always turn out the way you want! We stopped by Tom's to pick something up so I thought I would take a couple pictures of Solomon and Ezra together. Of course either one would cooperate. Ezra was crying, Solomon was making silly faces and this is the kind of picture we left with, not to mention two fussy kids.

I'm a Cowboy Baby

Solomon got to ride a horse named Lucas. When we got there we fed it an apple. Lucas gobbled the apple right out of Solomon's hand. Solomon went around the corral about four times. He had a blast. On our way back to camp Katie and I stopped for a couple of pictures.

Pool Side

It was so relaxing hanging out by the pool. Ezra went in a pool for the first time. Solomon enjoyed eating his dad's ice cream. The rest of us just enjoyed the sun.

Family Camp

Ezra liked to layout on her towel with her mom and Aunt Katie. Doesn't every girl like to layout?


Solomon loved splashing in the pool. He can float on his own with his life jacket. He was pretty proud of that.

Legos

Solomon loves building castles with as many flags as possible. He got his new legos for birthday.

Aunt Katie

Ezra loves her Aunt Katie. She seems to always be content with her. Doesn't she look so big in this picture? The last five weeks has flown by.

Brett's Graduation

Solomon told Brett, "Happy Gwaduwation Bwett. Good job. I am pwoud of you." It was really cute because he came up with that all on his own.

Second Cousins

Garren and Ryker moved to Bend a couple years ago. Solomon misses his second cousins. He loves to play with them when they come to Springfield. Ryker and Solomon are only five weeks apart. It is going to be fun to see them grow up.

Solomon's 2nd Birthday

Solomon had a "Ball Party" for his second birthday. He loved being able to play with all his favorite people in one place. He is still singing "Happy Birthday to Solomon" a month after his birthday. Thank you to everyone who came and made Solomon's special day magical. He is a lucky boy to have so many people who love him.

Gone Fishing

Solomon wanted to go fishing with Gabby in his daddy's boat for his birthday. It was his first time out on the boat. Bryce was the only one who caught a fish. After fishing Gabby and Solomon joined Gage in feeding the ducks. To end the day we all went to feeding the fish in the pond. Solomon had a great 2nd Birthday.

Mmmmm!

Solomon loves helping his mom. We borrowed a cube of butter from Mimi to make sugar cookies. Solomon wanted to eat the butter because he couldn't wait for the cookies. As we were making the cookies I went to get a pair of scissors to cut open the cookie mix. When I turned around Solomon had eaten a handful of butter. After putting in the mix, I went to get out the mixer. I then turned around to see Solomon grab a handful of mix and put it in his mouth. Not all of it made it into his mouth. 3/4th of the mix ended up on is shirt, pants and floor. Next, Solomon scarfed down the cookie dough off the beaters. He was full by the time the cookies came out of the oven.

Our little ballerina

Ezra wore this to church on Sunday. Jenna Clayton bought it for her. I thought she looked so cute. I am excited to play dress up with her when she gets older. I guess I am already playing dress up with her. She just had her 3 week check up. She weighs 9lbs. 3oz.. Ezra's getting to be a chunky little girl.

BIG HORSEY

If you have talked to Solomon in the last month or so I'm sure you have heard about "Big Horsey." Big Horsey lives at the Roper's house. Solomon is in heaven when riding him. While Solomon was playing at the Roper's house Big Horsey fell over. It was devastating for Solomon. Don't worry, Emily saved the day and picked Big Horsey up. Here is a picture of Solomon, Gabby and Gage riding Big Horsey. Their smiles tell you how much Big Horsey is loved.

Easter Cookies

Solomon decorated cookies with his friends Gabby and Gage Roper. The frosting seemed to disappear before it made it on the cookies. Solomon loved to decorate with blue and green frosting. Gabby nicely shared her sprinkles with Solomon. Gage seemed to enjoy watching the event. It is fun to see our kids grow up together.

Meet Ezra Kate Bernatz

Ezra was born on April 1, 2010. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces. She was 21 inches long. Ezra is a very easy going baby. We love her so much and are glad she is finally here. What a wonderful gift from God.

Fast as a Cheetah

Solomon asked me if he could have "whiskors" like a cheetah. Then he ran around around the house saying "I'm fast like a cheetah!"

Wildlife Safari

What a nice day to go to Wildlife Safari. The animals were all out and moving around as we drove by. Solomon loved being able to sit in the front seat with his head out the window. Gabby and him yelled hello to the tigers and giraffes. Gage and Solomon drove the car in the front while Gabby stood out the sunroof wearing her princess glasses. We got to see tons of animals. I'm sure Solomon will be talking about this day for weeks to come.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Solomon's best friends Gabby and Gage invited him to a Valentine's Day party. He was so excited. He tried to put on his Halloween costume because I think he thought it was a costume party. He said good bye to all his stuffed animals and told them he got to go to a Valentime party. The party was so much fun. They made butterflies, sorted candy hearts and went on a heart scavenger hunt around the house.

Happy New Year!

We had the chance to go to Sun River over New Years weekend. It snowed the entire weekend. Solomon loved the snow but came down with a cold. He couldn't go out into the snow as much as he would have liked. His snow suit was a little snug. It was a super relaxing weekend and great chance to hangout with family.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

We had such a wonderful Christmas. Solomon is now old enough to understand Christmas. He is really into basketball and received six basketball hoop sets, a rocking horse, a tee ball set, a new table and chairs and much, much more. He bowled for the first time and made Christmas cookies with Mimi.

Harrisburg

Harrisburg is a great place to take pictures. Solomon had fun throwing rocks down by the river.

Pumpkin Patch

Solomon loved "Apple Days" at Detering Farms. There was a live band, free apples and apple cider, apple pie and ice cream and a every kid got to take home a free pumpkin. Solomon had so much fun. we can't wait to go back next year.