Hoopfest 2008

The family, along with 200,000 other people, spent the weekend sweating in Spokane and watching Hoopfest. Spokane puts on the largest 3 on 3 basketball tournament in the world every June. This year there were about 6,400 teams, taking up a large part of the downtown area. The temperature on Saturday was in the mid to low 90's. Add in the aforementioned 200,000 people and the heat radiating off the buildings and blacktop...and it was hot. The boys and their friends had a lot of fun though.

Sunday was even hotter than Saturday, but the boys were kind enough to be eliminated from the tournament Saturday night so we didn't have to go through it again on Sunday. They just played in the pool most of the day. The temperature on the way home reached 107!

Friday night the kids played with glow sticks. Here's Carson and Liam getting crazy

Saturday morning before the first game

Colton wondering when will it be time to go back to the pool

Alexis blowing by the defense

Mariah shooting a jumpshot with Kobe watching

Kobe playing some defense

Christopher shooting a jump shot

I like this picture. Jamie caught the ball right when it hit the pavement.

Jason going up for a lay in.

And Kobe's highlight of the day, playing in the park with Henry. We were excited to get to visit with Peter and Amber Friday night and Saturday afternoon. They brought Henry home from Liberia last winter and we were able to meet them back in February. Kobe and Henry looked very cute sitting by the river. I ran and got the camera to take a picture. Before I could snap a shot a duck flew over and got Kobe so he's getting up to run back to Amber for a baby wipe.

You'll have to check out their blog. They are just starting up an organization to buy handmade goods from Liberia and sell them in the US to help provide Liberians with work and an income. Business has been slow to return to Liberia, and the most recent unemployment numbers I've seen are around 85%. Hopefully they will post more details soon!

Bat Caves

So I'm a little ashamed to admit I've lived in Whatcom County for 33 years and have never gone to the bat caves on Blanchard Mountain. In fact I don't think I've done any hiking on Blanchard or it's sister Chuckanut Mountain. So Jamie and I decided to load the boys up and head out for a day hike. We picked up Megan and Mariah to go with us, since they are staying with us (along with Morgan)starting tonight for the next week while the rest of the Perrys are at at Tuba City, Arizona on the youth group mission trip.

Everyone did pretty well on the 3 mile hike up to the caves. Colton insisted on wearing his Shaun Alexander jersey and was complaining about half way up that he had nothing to wipe the sweat off his face. Christopher, the kind brother he is, let Colton carry his sweatshirt the rest of the way and use it as a mop.

The bat caves were formed by a jumble of house sized boulders that have created a huge talus slope below the Oyster Dome rock wall. There were about 6 spelunkers climbing through the caves when we arrived. We made our way through a couple of the caves, but if we go again we'll have to bring better equipment for exploring. Right before we left Kobe finally spotted a couple bats. Supposedly the Townsend's Big-Eared bats that inhabit the caves are fairly rare. The boys were a bit disappointed we couldn't take them home with us.

There is a great view of the San Juan Islands as you gain elevation.


Resting along the trail

Some cool roots on the way up.

Everyone in one of the caves.


The Oyster Dome in the back ground. This picture gives you a good idea of the size of some of the rocks that have come off the dome.

Here's the only two bats we actually saw. You can see a small brown faced bat looking at you in the middle of the crevis. There's another black bat that's out of focus near the bottom of the picture.

More Nets

The boys, with help from the neighbors, have been out the last three days selling lemonade. After their success on Sunday they were back at it Monday afternoon and again today. All told now they have raised $225.47!! That's enough to buy about 32 mosquito nets, protecting 128 orphans! The boys have been having a friendly competition with the McElheny kids and other kids participating in this months Kids LAKE fundraiser. It was very exciting to see the kids so enthusiastically waving their signs and trying to draw in clients. Here are a few pictures of the afternoon and one video.

Mosquito Nets

So today is the nicest day we've had in a month.  The thermostat actually hit 70.  We were on our way home from our Father's Day lunch at mom and dad's house when the boys asked if we could stop by the store to get some lemonade.  They wanted to make a stand to sell lemonade (and water and pop) to raise money for the Kids LAKE project this month to raise money for mosquito nets for orphanages in Liberia.  They raised $81.73 in about 2 hours!  That's enough to buy about 11 mosquito nets, which will protect about 4 children per net.  They have plans to run the stand again later this week.  After all, they didn't want Brandi's kids to out-raise them.  But the boys had excuses: 1) Brandi's kids are younger, and beat them in the cuteness factor 2) They live in Orlando "which is a huge city and we only live in Everson, which is tiny" and 3) It is hotter in Florida.  So watch out McElheny kids!

We didn't get down to take pictures until they were picking up.  Here's Kobe, Christopher and one of the many helpers they had.

One of the friends showing off the lemonade.

More of the friends helping out.

The past week has been a series of one end of the year school event after another.  I tried to sort through over 350 pictures to find the best.  But first, some pictures from last weekend. 

Everyone else got to shoot the potato gun, so Cali wanted a turn

and she was pretty proud of herself

and onto the school events.  The next few are from the elementary school's field day.

Colton and friends eating lunch

it doesn't have any of our kids, but I had to post it.

Kobe insisted Jamie take this picture

Maybe brain freeze was involved?

The 5th graders got to have a water balloon fight at the end of the day. 

Onto the Middle School end of the year event at Everson's City Park

They had a fun inflatable that strapped the kids to a bungee cord to see who could get the velcro marker the furthest down the line.

Princess Tyson

I have no idea...

a good warrior face on the bungee game

and back to the Elementary School for the 5th grade moving on ceremony

first though, Jamie took a picture of Colton's 3rd grade class

Kobe's class singing a song

They played baby pictures of the 5th graders as they announced their names.  This is the one Kobe picked.

And a unsuspecting picture of Megan and Christopher with Jamie looking on with disapproval.