The other side of the hill...

Wow, the view up here is pretty good. OK So I'm officially 40 years old today. I don't feel it but apparently the calendar and my birth certificate say it is so. I remember when my dad turned 40 and I thought he was really old, guess I was wrong. Kristi and the kids surprised me with a little scavenger hunt this morning along with my favorite breakfast, Eggs Benadict.

At the end of my scavenger hunt was a trip to Puerto Vallarta for Kristi and I in February. Not a bad little Birthday present I'd say. Mom and dad are giving up their condo for a week and worse then that they are going to come up and watch the kids. Thats a double whammy! Anyway, thanks.

Kristi also worked it out so I don't have to work tonight. Thanks Kristi Mo for staying late for me, she is always so thoughtful. I'll have to get her back, I mean work a shift for her sometime. OK so I'm off to party like its 1999, or 2008 whatever it is. Merry Christmas to everyone.

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

We are in the grips of a winter freeze. The kids are out of school today because we have a couple of inches of snow. The worst part is underneath that snow is a thick layer of ice making it treacherous to drive. Kristi is also off work because all of her patients cancelled. I wish my work would be closed...for some reason that doesn't happen. Hmmmmm

Anyway, the past few weeks have been getting back into the swing of work after vacation. Although the past few days have been cool with the cold weather. Not cool like cold but cool like it is fun to have snow on the ground. The dog may not think so. He is so hyper that when we try to bring him in the house he just goes nuts so back outside he goes.

I would like to mention that two police officers were killed in Woodburn this week and it bothers me in the sense that stuff like this is just senseless. They were killed by a bomb that was left at a bank. Another officer is still in critical condition and was very badly injured. Both of the officers have children and with the holidays approaching it breaks my heart that they will not be with their families. I know it is an unfortunate reality of what I happen to do for a living but nonetheless it is still difficult for me to understand why stuff like this happens. I pray for their families that God will help them understand this as I cannot.

We went to the Howrey's last night for a Christmas party and had such a great time. Phil and Suzanne were such great hosts. We had not been out to the compound yet but boy is it a great piece of property. Phil had games and prizes for the kids and then pulled a carriage around with a Deere. John Deere that is. The kids loved it (So did Kristi and I) and the Turkey dinner was awesome also. Thanks Phil and Suzanne it was such a great time.

I've Officially Lost My Mind...

I signed up to do the Ironman Arizona next November 22, 2009. I watched the race last week and just felt like it was something I wanted to challenge myself to do. My mid life crisis. I will actually turn 40 soon, within the next 10 years I mean, and have always said I would do one at some point. The way it works out is to get into a race you actually have to be at the race site to sign up because they fill up within a matter of hours. I was there and thought why not so I asked Kristi for permission and she said yes. So I have 359 days until I swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles one after the other. I'm already feeling the pressure. If you want to go for a bike ride, swim, or a run let me know I need the training. I will also be doing 3 half ironman races one in California one in Boise and one in Lake Stevens, Washington to prepare for the big one. I know I'm crazy so feel free to tell me but I already know. Encouragement and support would be greatly appreciated along the way. If you want to come to the race it is a great time and very motivational and we have plenty of room in the big van... the more the merrier. Thanks to Kristi and the kids for allowing me to go crazy....

Back from Arizona!!!

We made it back on Monday night and had a great trip. We spent the first five days with Kristi's parents in Sun City West. We had a hotel room with a heated pool so the kids swam alot and played with their cousins Austin and Jordan. The kids hadn't seen their cousins in almost 4 years so it was good to get together with them.

Grandpa Faris, me and the boys went to a Winter league baseball game with is made up of minor league players and that was fun. The boys got about 30 autographs so hopefully one of them will make it big. We went to the Heard museum and learned about the southwest Native Americans. It was a little much for the littlier kids but there were different activities for them to do. We also got to eat some deep fried Okra which is a favorite for Kristi and I.

One day we went to Cabelas and were able to see all of the stuffed animals. It was quit a deal if you haven't been to one I would suggest it. There were hundreds of stuffed animals like bear, elk, polar bears, snakes, goats, lions, zebra....the list goes on. They also have fish tanks with trout, catfish, bass, etc.

We spent the last five days in Gilbert with my folks. Grandpa heated the pool so again the kids swam a bunch. It was in the mid to high 80's the entire week which was great. Kristi went to the women of faith conference with my mom on Friday and Saturday. I took Kody and Kailin to a run in Surpise where they both ran a 5k and I ran a 10k. Grandpa also went and Margie met us there and ran with Kailin. Margie was a lifesaver because Kristi forgot about the conference when we signed up to do the run and had it not been for Margie Kailin wouldn't have been able to do it.

We all survived the run and had a good time. We just swam a bunch for the 5 days but mostly relaxed. The last Sunday I went down and watched the Ironman Arizona in Tempe. I took Kody at 0630 to watch the swim start. 2200 people alll swimming in the lake at once was quit a sight. Kody and I had breakfast at the Waffle House, which is my favorite breakfast greasy spoon on earth. They don't have them in Oregon so I happened to find a way to go there 3 times for waffles and hashbrowns with cheese, onions and ham, mmm mmm good.

Kody and I went back and got the rest of the family and went back and watched some more. The poeple have 17 hours to finish it so we watched for a while and went to lunch. The swim is 2.4 miles, the bike is 112 miles and the run is 26.2 miles. The pro triathletes finish in about 8 hours and 15 minutes while others took the entire 17 hours.

Kristi and I came back at about 8pm and stayed until midnight when it was over. It was like a huge party but nobody was drunk. The music was blaring and people were just going crazy cheering on the finishers and they seemed to appreciate it. We had a great time and were very glad we got to see it.

Anyway, we had a great trip but it is nice to be home. Nothing beats home!!!

Gone to Arizona

We are off to see the grandparents. We leave Friday for Arizona for 10 days. We are all looking forward to a little warm weather. It has been raining off and on for a few days so nice weather will be a nice treat.

We haven't really been up to much for the past month or so. Kristi's grandma passed away a couple of weeks ago so we made a trip to Nampa, Idaho for the funeral. We were able to visit with Kristi's family before and after the funeral. Kristi's grandma was in her mid 90's so she lived a good life and we all should be as lucky as her. Nonetheless her passing away is still a bummer. We were fortunate enough to have her come and stay at the house last year so we have some good memories of her being here.

After Kristi's parents left back for Arizona we went into Boise and visited my Aunt Pam. We went to lunch with her and then went a visited with Grandma Kantola for a couple of hours. Grandma Kantola is in a care facility in Boise and seemed to be doing good. We enjoyed hanging out with her and her memory is still really sharp. She hadn't met Kirik yet so it was good to introduce them.

Her hearing isn't the greatest so when we would ask her questions she would answer something totally unrelated and kids would giggle. So grandma did provide a little entertainment for the kids. We miss having her so close to us like when we lived in Portland and she was just a block away. We wish we were closer so we could have her just hang out with us and see the grandkids more often.

Anyway, no major problems with the motorhome on the trip which isn't always the case. The front heater was acting goofy so there were some issues but it wouldn't be a road trip without something going wrong. You pretty much add $500 to any trip to fix the problems once you get home.

If you notice we have no pictures from Boise then you are right. Somehow we managed to lose the digital camera. So all of our pics with Kristi's family, the funeral and our visit with grandma are gonzo. We have gotten a new one so hopefully the arizona trip pics will be posted when we get back.

Gone Camping...

Last weekend we went on a camping trip to Foster Lake. We went with the Stanger's who we have know mostly through Kody and their son Matt. Kody and Matt play football together and have been in school together for a while. They also have a boy named Marcus and a girl, Peyton. Marcus is Kaleb's age so they hit it off pretty well also. Peyton is younger than any of our kids but they love playing with her. She is a little fireball and is always going.

The lake is really low so we didn't go in the lake at all. The kids did take a rubber raft in the pond in the middle of the campground. We fished a bunch but didn't catch much. Kody caught a little bluegill and then threw it back, at least that is what he claims.

The Stanger's, Craig and Tiffany, also have a motorhome so we had been trying to plan a trip with them for most of the summer but it just never seemed to work out so we finally got it in after school started. The littlier kids didn't have school on Friday so we went from Thursday to Sunday. As it does sometimes it rained for a good part of the camping trip but we still had a ball in the motorhomes.

Tiffany made some great Apple Cobbler which didn't last long and we mostly ate a bunch of good food and junk food. Probably wasn't the best training for my upcoming half marathon, but oh well. We are planning on doing more trips in the future, hopefully sooner than later.

Football and Soccer

The fall means sports. Kody is doing 7th grade Football at Talmadge Middle School and Kaleb is playing soccer for Central Youth Sports. This is Kody's second year of football and Kaleb's first time to play soccer.

So far Kody has played almost every position on the field at one time or another except maybe offensive line. He has really taken off and seems to have figured out that if he hits the other guy harder that it hurts him less. In the past few games he has really gone after the ball carriers. He is also playing running back and had over 50 yards rushing on just 5 or 6 rushes in his second to last game.

Last game he played what would be the equivalent to midde linebacker and had a bunch of tackles. His best play though was one where he just got crushed but got back up and still made the tackle. I was really proud of him because he could have just laid there and thought about how he just got crushed but he didn't. Most of all he is having fun and seems to be enjoying it. He is walking around right now with a huge black eye that he got 3 games ago, but it is about the size of a softball on his left cheek/eye. Kind of a Badge of Courage I think. Mind you, Kody is only about 91 pounds so he isn't the biggest guy on the field, by far, but he makes up for it with effort.

Kaleb is also enjoying soccer. Mostly a social time but he also likes to run around on the field and try to kick the ball. He played goalie here last game and did really well. He knows alot of the kids on his team and practices turn into screw around sessions from what I can tell, but they try to mix some soccer in when they can.

I'm not sure my girls are going to be into sports but who knows, there is still lots of time. I really think Kennedy has the personality to play linebacker or something where you have to be mean. Ask Koda, she thrashes him every now and then.

Kirik Goes to Pre-School

Kirik started preschool last week. So now we have three days a week where we have no kids at home for two and a half hours. Can you believe it??? I thought the day would never come. We had decided to hold Kirik back from preschool this year and put him in next year but the preschool called and they had an extra space which is unheard of. We talked about it and we decided to have him do the 4's class this year and repeat it again the next year.

He is still pretty small compared to the others and not sure how he is going to do socially. Although there area usually as many kids at the house as there are at the preschool at any given time, but it's a litte different without mom and dad around. His first day was last Wednesday and it seemed to go really well. When we told Kirik he was going to go to preschool this year he immediately wanted to call Miss Diana his teacher to tell her he is a big boy now.

All of the kids have gone to the Monmouth Independence Cooperative Preschool (MICP) so it is kind of a tradition. Miss Diana has taught all of the kids and all of her kids go on to do really well so it is a great start for them. Kody's best friends are still the kids he went to preschool with as they form a pretty tight bond and probably will be life long friends.

Today I picked Kirik up and Miss Diana said Kirik had punched a boy in the eye for not looking at him. Which seemed like as good a reason as any to punch someone in the eye. Sounds like something all of the rest of the kids did at one time or another. So we'll see how he does. He is pretty smart so I don't worry about that part but it is just being so much smaller and behind due to the orphanage.

Check out his pics from his first day as a bona fide big boy.

Birthdays and Back to School

Grandma was here so Kirik and Grandma celebrated their birthdays together. Grandma turned ?? and Kirik turned 4. Hint, if you look closely at the picture with the cake it will give her age away. Kirik got a vacuum cleaner for his bday and grandpa made some comment about needing to give that to grandma...not sure what that was all about but grandpa wanted to sleep on the couch that night. Just kidding!

Grandma and Grandpa passed through on their way up to take care of the boat. The kids all started back to school last week. It all seemed to go good. You almost have to be a admin person to figure out when they are coming or going. Kennedy is doing half days in the a.m.'s and her bus comes home around noon. The other kids all get home around 3pm except on Mondays where they get out an hour early. Kody is doing football so he doesn't get home until around 5:45pm so he is gone most of the day.

Yesterday a boy got off of the bus with Kennedy and announced he was coming to our house. I didn't even know who he was. I thought wow this is starting early...however, it turns out he is coming over to play on Wednesday but not Monday.

Lastly, we went up to Portland this weekend so I could run a 10k race. It was called Pints to Pasta. It was a neat course that started on Swan Island and then went to the Old Spaghetti factory in John's landing. We just found a parking lot to park in and camped right there. Kody's friend Brendon went with us also.

Last Chance Summer Bash

The kids start school tomorrow!!!! So we decided to go up to Portland for the weekend with another family from the big city of Monmouth. We went with the Moore's. Kenny, Charissa, Jordan and Mariah Moore. Kody played basketball with Jordan and Kenny was Kody's coach. We all went to the Embassy Suites at the airport and on Sunday took the Max in to Portland and watched all of the freaks, I mean Portlanders, in the downtown area.

We went to the Saturday market and walked around a bit and then to Pioneer Square. We ate lunch at one of our favorite Greek Restaurants called the Greek Cuisina, if you've ever been downtown in has a huge purple octopus on the building. We all tried different types of Greek foods like spanikopita, gyro's, grape leaves, etc. It was a good lunch and the vanilla bean cheesecake and strawberry shortcake was a good way to end the meal.

The kids actually got to pet a Bengal Leopard at Pioneer Square. Some guy buys exotic cats and keeps em' for pets and he just happened to have one on a leash. It wasn't much bigger than a domestic cat but you could tell it was a little more substance in terms of muscle and killer power.

We left the kids in the room on Saturday night with some food and movies/tv and the adults had a nice dinner in the restaurant at the hotel. Which was nice. Anway, we had a good time and did some swimming and just relaxing before school starts.

Kennedy is starting kindergarten tomorrow so it is a big day for her, and mom. We'll have pictures of the big event. The other kids are actually all starting new schools also. Kody will be at the middle school and Kaleb and Kailin are now going to Ash Creek so it's new schools for everyone. The districts were all rezoned which is why the younger kids are going to a new school.

Kirik will still be home hangin' with mom and dad. We are holding him back one year before starting him in pre-school. We think that will benefit him in the long run. The Russian Rocket still only weighs about 35 pounds so he could use some more growing before he starts, plus some more time to develop will be good for him. He is bummed out about it but he'll get over it.

We'll post some school pics when we get em. Hope you all had a good summer and are ready for fall and winter. Do they have seasons in Scotland? I guess my brother will be able to tell me here in a bit.

At the Beach Again...

Hello Everyone

We are at the beach again and as I am blogging we have a view of the waves crashing on the beach. Before I start off I want to say Hi to Jef, who is my Favorite Sgt. at work. Apparently he is getting much enjoyment out of our blog so I thought I just give him a big howdy. He is the best boss in the world, even after La Conga... Actually Jef and I played football at Portland State University way back when and I followed him to the Corvallis Police Department after the Marine Corps.

Some friends of Kristi's from High School suprised us and said they were going to be over at the beach for a week so I was able to get the night off work and we came over to hang out with them for a couple days. They are Brian and Heather McKarcher from Lewiston, Id. They have three kids Cade, Ava, and Logan all under 6. We went to the beach this a.m. and the kids got soaked in the waves. It's funny cuz its about 100 degrees at home and just 50 miles away it is about 65-70 here.

Kristi took the kids to the Polk County fair last week and got to pet the pigs, cows, etc. Kody did another football camp at Central High School, which is the local H.S. They won some games at the Hoop Jam last weekend also so that was an improvement from the last tournament. We also got Kody signed up for school.

Kirik turns 4 on the 19th. We were thinking about waiting for my folks to get here for the BD party but not sure when they are coming so we are planning a party for a weekend coming up here. He wants a truck for his bday, so that should be easy enough. Tune in soon.

Bye Bye Jef tell ReAnne and the kids hi!

Lifes A Beach

We went to Waldport this weekend in the motorhome for something to do. We stayed at the KOA campground which was pretty small but we had fun anyway. We biked a bit, played on the beach, and kept track of the puppy. Mommy and Kirik even sang Karaoke. We got the motorhome recarpeted and it didn't turn out so well. We took it back tonight for try number 2 so we'll see how that turns out.

Kody is playing in another 3 on 3 tournament this next weekend called Hoop Jam. Hopefully they'll do better this time around then the last tournament. Kailin and Kaleb are in day camp all week at Ms. Diana's. Ms. Diana is the pre-school teacher all of the kids have had so far. She lives on a small farm in the country and the kids do different things like arts and crafts etc. She also has a swimming pool.

It was 90 degrees today and is supposed to be 93 tomorrow. Sorry to our relatives in Australia who are in winter time. Your time will come. We actually met several people from Australia while camping at the beach. They are from Perth, which she said is in Western Australia. They are on a 6 week tour of the states and they seem to be getting around well. It was fun talking to them. She said she wouldn't dare drive here because she would get in a wreck since they drive on the wrong side of the street.

Kody has full braces on now and Kirik is completely potty trained. It took about 2 weeks once his bowel issues were healed. Still don't know why but we aren't asking any questions he is healed and that is all that matters.

Koda is a handfull as he wants to bite everything and everyone. Just as I was typing this we avoided a distaster. Kristi took the lid off of the hamster cage and the cat was in there for dinner. Kailin yelled at Kennedy to get the cat out of the room and Kennedy melted down. She jumped on the bed with her pillow and started crying. Not so good under pressure, oh well. Hammy the Hamster survived to tell the tale so that the important part.

Meet Koda!!!

Well, change of plans. Mommy and daddy decided to get a different doggy. It was partly a financial decision and partly that our house just isn't ready for a 230 pound dog. So we went to a Labrador Retriever breeder and now we have a new member to the K Krew, "KODA." We met the parents and they seemed very nice and had a good tempermant which is most important to us. He took right to the kids, although he is fairly mellow. Check out his pics!! Momma is getting better but still can't go half the day with some pain meds. She is not a big nap taker and she is having to take a nap everyday so her body is still working hard to heal itself. She goes back to work on Monday so hopefully she will be good to go by then. I think I am going to take the kids camping on Saturday so she can have at least one day with peace and quiet and nothing to do so she can rest and relax, like she can really do that. But that is the plan anyway. The breeder I bought the pups from said, "Do you have relatives in Montana?" I said I don't know but if it's the same last name then we most likely do. He said he has a cousin named Julie Kantola that lives in Montana but is married and has a different last name. So who knows maybe we are related somehow. It's a small world. I might even have relatives in Ireland, who knows??? Maybe even a brother I didn't know about, until I was born.

Momma is down for the Day!!!

Well, it finally hit her. She kept saying she couldn't believe how good she felt for the first two days and then today came. She did get sick but only once so that isn't too bad. She has slept most of the day and pretty much just is waking up to take her pain medication. I won't say I told her so, but....

The mom in her just wouldn't let her lay down and do nothing for the past two days. So today her body made her sit down. She has been exhausted all day but is still being a trooper. Everytime she wakes up she asks somebody to come over for a hug and a kiss. Kind of like a drunk person except she isn't being loud and obnoxious...yet.

The kids are doing pretty good, we have been keeping them pretty busy. We had a couple friends over this afternoon which kept them busy for a bit. What another couple people for lunch when your already cooking for 7? Anyway, today was the last day of swim lessons and football camp is over.

Hopefully momma will be back up and at it tomorrow. Smelly Ellie, That is our kitty, is enjoying having mommy down. She finds her wherever she is at and parks it on her. So at least the kitty likes Kristi not feeling well.

We are back Home!!!

Kristi's surgery went well this morning. We were there about a total of 4 hours with recovery time and all. She came to and was feeling pretty good. I think she felt a little too good because she was ready to get dressed and to go home right away. The anesthetic and pain meds in her IV we not allowing her to feel any pain. THank GOD she has not had any nausea so far. The Dr. gave her some medication for it in her IV and also a prescription so no nausea which is GREAT news!!! We are just gonna hang out around the house today. A friend of ours is bringing dinner for us tonight and another tomorrow night so that is nice. Please keep her and the kids in your thoughts. Too much DAD time might wear on all of them.

Kody is in football camp at Willametter University all week and the rest are still in swimming lessons. Kody is playing in a 3 on 3 basketball tournament with friends from school this weekend. It is called the Salem Hoopla. I'll let you know how they do. Last tournament they were in they won but this one is much larger so I'm sure there will be more competition.

We continue to pray for Jeff, Kim and Kendall that everything is going well in Ireland. That is a long way from home and while it is probably fun we just pray that things are going well and they can get settled in. For those of you who don't know who Jeff, Kim and Kendall are they are my brother, sister-in-law and niece. Jeff took a job in Dublin Ireland and has been there a little over two weeks now. From their blog is sounds like it has been an adventure. My experience has been that those things are the things you look back on in life and just laugh and smile. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. At least that is what I kept telling myself through Marine Corps boot camp.

Kristi Goes Under the Knife

Kristi is having surgery on Wednesday to have her tonsils removed. Her Doc says she needs somebody to Kristi sit her for 2 weeks so I am off work for the next two weeks. She is very sensitive to narcotics so the pain meds and anesthesia will probably cause her to get very sick. Pray she doesn't. The GOOD news is Kirik's stool is now normal. It is no less than a MIRACLE. About 4-5 days ago he just started having normal bowel movements and has been in underwear every since. Almost two years of loose stool and it is better in one day. We have had him using some herbal remedies so it may have worked. He hasn't had an accident all week so he is on his way to being fully potty trained. WE have really been frustrated with this whole things so we are very thankful. Kody's baseball team made the final tournament and then proceeded to get beat 10-2 so they were done in a hurry. He had fun and learned a lot. Even though it was his first year he really picked it up quick and became one of the better players, even if I am a little biased. We'll let you know how the surgery goes. We are planning a couple of camping trips in the next month or so. The rest of the kids are still in swimming lessons and are picking it up quickly.

Blog Time

Hello we are the Kantola's. Greg, Kristi, Kody, Kailin, Kaleb, Kennedy, and Kirik. The K Krew is because all of the K's. They kids want dad to change his name to Kraig. Probably not gonna happen. Anyway, it is summer time in Oregon and we are enjoying the great weather. We thought we'd start a blog so people can keep up with us if they choose to. Kody and Kaleb are just getting done with baseball. Kailin, Kaleb, Kennedy and Kirik are all in swimming lessons. Kailin's teacher said she needs to be on the swim team, she swims like a fish. We are getting a puppy. Since we don't like to do anything half way we are getting a Mastiff. Yes a Mastiff. It should be ready to come home on August 12. Pics of the mom and dad are next to this post. Dad is about 230 and mom is about 180. SO pup should be pretty tiny. Anyway, look forward to keeping everyone up on whats going on with us.