Visiting Clackamas

When the basketball schedule came out (Clackamas Colton) I saw that there were three games at Clackamas the weekend after Christmas. I wanted to visit and check out Colton's apartment and area in person, and getting three games seemed like the best time to plan for, to cheer him on in person and get some video. Gray was on board, and I suggested taking Cooper (who had the week off work anyway) and Keaton (who hadn't used much of his PTO). Then we figured we'd see if Landon and Cal&Kate wanted to join. Kate decided to stay home with Vera, but everyone else was on board. Grayson booked the flights, found a place to stay, typed up an itinerary ...

In the week before Christmas ... Keaton wasn't feeling well. After a few days he bounced back. Then it struck Cooper. If the thermometer was reading right, he hit 105° and yes, tested positive for Covid. Then Gray said "I'm feeling poorly" ... both missed the Westra Christmas Eve party. Christmas was low key with just the family. Gray and Coop were both feeling better and the trip was going on as planned. Except the morning we were to leave, I got sick. I didn't feel like I could spend the day traveling and sadly decided to sit the trip out. It was now a BlackhamBOYS activity, with me vacationing vicariously.

Originally, we were all flying out together, but Colton had a practice and had to be back earlier, so he had flown out at 8:00 in the morning. The rest of the crew was scheduled to fly out at 5:15. The flight was delayed almost an hour, but they made it to Portland. With one less person, it actually made the travel a bit easier, as the rental car could fit five people (maybe not comfortably, but they fit). As they went to check into their VRBO ... Gray realized he'd been ghosted. No responses from the host.  Luckily, they were able to find three rooms at a hotel that wasn't too far. That was Thursday (Dec26).

No game on Friday (games were Saturday, Sunday and Monday) but Colton still had practice in the afternoon. The gang got together for breakfast, Colton joining the crew. After eating, Colton gave the family a tour of the college campus and gym. The boys humored their father, going to Benchmade (a knife store. Gray likes knives. A lot) and then dinner out at Oswego Grill. 

Up next? Salt & Straw, an ice cream shop Gray and Keaton had visited when they dropped Colton off in August. As the trip had been coming up, Keaton had said "I'm SO excited to go to Oregon... I'm going to eat so much ice cream!" And they did.  They went to Salt & Straw four times...

Cal and Keaton tended to stick to a favorite flavor - salted caramel. Gray was a little more adventurous (olive oil ice cream anyone?) and liked to take advantage of the free taste samples. Of course Salt&Straw was dessert. There was lots of eating out for meals. Here's a peek ...

The group had McDonalds a few times. Breakfast at various locals to try pancakes, eggs benedict and hashbrowns. For more meals; Oswego Grill,  Din Tai Fung,  Bamboo Sushi, more than once ... the Green Machine rolls were a hit. 

The hotel worked out (and was about half what the VRBO cost was) ... A Safeway and McDonalds next door. A gym ... both Gray and Coop hit the treadmill there. Cal and Keaton shared a room, Landon and Cooper shared a room, and Gray had his own. 

No central location to hang out, so they'd just pick a room and gather there to watch a show together, or to play their nightly game of The Great Dalmuti. 

Originally part of the plan was to go visit Kolby and Jami at their new house in Portland. But with the recent sickness, that got shifted to another time (they had just barely moved in too, hadn't really unpacked and settled yet). 

The gang hit Ground Control, and old school arcade instead. 

Oh course the REAL reason for the trip, was to cheer Colton on in his tournament!

The Clackamas Holiday tournament ... Clackamas played Green River on Saturday, Walla Walla on Sunday (you can see the BlackhamBoys in the stands a few times here, and Clackamas got the win!), and Edmonds on Monday.  The games were livestreamed, so I was at home watching, and sharing texts with the crew.

The guys were good about keeping me updated on everything. Pictures and texts, and even write-ups of how things were going. Grayson had an itinerary that he added his personal thoughts/memories to (see it here), and both Cal and Keaton wrote up their memories of the trip. It's so fun to get the different perspectives, see what mentioned (or not) by each person, and to hear their unique voices!

On Tuesday (Dec31) it was time to return home ... sans Colton.

Some pictures of the travel along the way ... the flight into Portland, stuffing into the rental car, the Delta SkyClub on the return trip home. Wrapping up 2024 and welcoming in the new year. 

Blackhams at Bear Lake

 

Grayson's work buddy has a cabin at Bear Lake, and Gray has been a few times. It had been offered to our family to use, and so we took him up on it! The cabin was lovely. Five bedrooms, huge kitchen and family rooms on the main floor and basement. Fully stocked. It's a "Scentsy" cabin ... little aromatic pots and diffusers in every room. Scentsy is the family business for the cabin owners. 

The five West Jordan Blackhams (Gray, Jen, Landon, Cooper, Colton) headed out on Thursday, July 27 taking Gray's truck. We didn't drag down the waverunners, because the cabin had a set there. The first night we hit a local joint for some fast food and Friday morning, hit Crepes and Coffee for breakfast.  Cal and Kate came up Friday, and Keaton was up a little later that day. I don't think we got a full family picture with EVERYONE. We went out for pizza,, then had a friendly game of Blackjack (there had been a $20 buy-in). We crossed the Utah/Idaho border several times. The cabin was up a long and windy unpaved road, so it was always a bit of a trek getting in and out. We didn't actually end up making it to the beach (other than a drive-by to take a look).  

... as part of the POA, there was a restaurant (called Coopers), golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts and pickleball courts. The tennis courts had a basketball hoop on them. Unfortunately, we never got to try them out. They had been doing some work and we were told "tomorrow" Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday morning before heading home, we hit some pickleball courts in Garden City and got a little pickle-play in. 

Summer at Bear Lake is BUSY! We were okay getting food Thursday and early Friday, but later that day, things were getting really backed up. The first pizza place we tried we were told a 4:00 order would be ready at 6:00. Attempting to order out on Saturday, we were told take out orders weren't even being accepted. We had supplies for a full breakfast that we probably wouldn't have time for Sunday morning, so Saturday night was "breakfast for dinner" and it was great. Cal, Kate & Keaton hit Crepes and Coffee Saturday morning, it was busy!

Here's a little live action from the Blackham's at Bear Lake ...  

https://youtu.be/pXxArmY6nso

Jen wrote up some little memory tidbits afterward ... "pretty nice" cabin, windy rocky road, lots of pillows, late dinner, together in one bed, pickleball courts available "tomorrow", Crepes and Coffee ... 3 classicos, NorthBeach drive-by, naptime, early dinner, pizza ordered at 4:00 ready by 6:00, umbrella shade, LOTS of pizza, buy a basketball but ... closed until tomorrow, Colton in the trunk, Stranger Than Fiction, family Blackjack - Keaton's strategies, no pillow for Keaton, Saturday setbacks ... no beach for the Blackhams, no basketball/pickleball/still closed, take a walk/incline! Scooter and e-bike ... Some Blackhams swim. Pesto Alfredo? no takeout orders accepted anyway, breakfast for dinner, Bye Cal&K8, Keaton gets a bed .. and a pillow. Jen takes a bath, Hercules, lots of Pogo, little nudge/snore, early morning sunshine, pickleball, PokemonGo, time to go ... cabin cleanup and hit the road for home.

Reflecting on the weekend while playing ping pong with Cooper, additional memories ... Cooper needing to hit his 10k (has had a streak daily for 2023) going up and down the stairs in the cabin. Coop and Landon watching Interstellar. Lots of "The Office" on as the portable hard drive hooked up. The boys were happy to see an Xbox. A little PacMan game there too. Dalmuti ... Coop and Landon tried some two-person games. After Cal&Kate left Saturday, Coop was a little worried they still had the pickleball bag in their car. Stolen Pepsi. Coop reading "Woodsrunner" (and Mom did too). 

Wiffleball

 

The 4th of July was on a Tuesday, and the guys had the day off work. We decided we'd get an extra edition of pickleball in ... but apparently we weren't the only ones with that thought. The eight courts at Constitution Park were completely packed, as were the ones at Ron Woods. The baseball diamond however, was available, and Landon had been wanting to try some wiffleball ...

We were missing Cal&Kate, and while Gray had joined us for the pickleball attempt, he had since jogged home, getting in his workout for the day. So I filmed the four Blackham Brothers as they got some wiffle in ... hitting the ball, catching, stealing bases. Landon and Cooper both ended up with some skinned knees, but there was a lot of laughter, as often happens when these guys hang out together. 

https://youtu.be/wr5TlgeF4v0

9-Square in the Air (Blackham Style)

 

Have you heard of 9-Square (in the Air)? It's similar to four-square, where you bop a ball from square to square, but instead of the squares being painted on pavement, these squares are above your head, framed from PVP pipe. There is an official website and sets can be purchased (well, they are backordered as of this posting) but they are pricy! $700. Keaton decided he wanted to make his own. It really IS just PVC pipe and the correct connectors (he found those on Amazon). He went with a sturdier size (1.5 inch) too. It still added up to $250, but he said the hardest part was picking up the pipe from the store and getting it home. A few hours of cutting pipe to the correct length, and he was good to go. Did you know that with the addition of two daughters-in-law ... there are NINE Blackhams in the bunch? We even got Gray to play (grudgingly). Perfect for play.

    

On a different day ... had to stop and snap a photo.

All five Blackham boys in chronological order (the center is the #1 spot)

Next up ... Westra Father's Day party!

As Keaton got quite a bit of feedback (how did you do it, was it hard, how much did it cost, where do you find the supplies) I had him write up a little "how-to" if you wanted to do it on your own.  So here you go!

Get the PVC sticks at Lowe’s or Home Depot. They come in 10’ sticks (you will need 28 total, maybe grab an extra in case you cut something incorrectly). You’re going to trim the pipe (I used a sawzall, buy a chop saw would work too) to 7’ for the vertical legs (you need 16 of these) and 4 1/2’ for the top connectors (you need 24 of these). (Height and width are pretty standard but you can adjust how you’d like. 5’ height is preferable for children under 10.)

Home Depot and Lowe’s most likely do not carry any of the connectors because they may not be frequently used in construction or other places, so I got mine from Amazon. Make sure the fittings match the PVC Pipe size (I used 1 1/2”) and note that some of the connectors are sold in sets, while others are sold individually.

• 4 3 way PVC fittings for the corners.
• 8 4 ways for the sides.
• 4 5 ways for the middle square.

I found the ball  at Walmart for $2. 

Setting up the game is pretty straight forward but does take some time. It's good to have a ladder and hammer. I start with the middle square and 5 way fittings so we can move it to its desired location. Then you start adding on leg by leg to the middle square. I do the corners last. It’s important that you have the center square where you want it because once the whole thing is built, it isn't going anywhere.

You may want to prepare a carry bag for all of the fittings (I don’t glue any of them on to play so that it can be stored easier and it works just fine). To store and transport the pipe, I wrapped the 7’ sticks together with a bungee on both sides and did the same for the 4 1/2’ sticks.

Blackham Boy Ball Bopping

This will be backdated to September 2017

I bought the inflatable dinosaur this year ... but that wasn't the only inflatable the boys had fun with. These bop balls weren't anything I went looking for, I just happened upon them at Smiths (the regular grocery store no less, not even the bigger store). They were $10 each. I got two. I didn't know if the boys would be interested, or if they'd last. The boys were interested, and they lasted long enough for that price. I don't know if they would have made it through a winter storage anyway. Summer fun!

The Blackham brothers bopped each other, and Cooper and his friend McKay had a fun inflatable day (enjoying both the balls and the dinosaur). Here's a little video ...

Blogger Foreshadowing ... a second round of balls appear in 2019!

Water Bottles and the Blackham Bunch

Disposable water bottles ... there is a bit of a debate about them (the waste create by the plastic, etc.) but they do have their place ... and not ONLY for drinking!

2016 became known as the year for water bottle flipping! It was everywhere! All the time! Crazy! Driving people crazy with the flying bottles and the THUNK, THUNK, THUNK as the kids tried to flip the bottle and have it land (on the base, or even trickier, to "cap" it on the top). 

More water bottle flipping fun ...

A video posted by JenB (@jenblackham) on Sep 17, 2016 at 11:22am PDT

I posted my first "flipping" feature in August, and had several mom's chime in that this phenomenon was happening in their homes too. Then the kids try to get tricky... 

Double stacked!

He was pretty impressed with himself!

That's not the only unusual activity we do with water bottles though ...

More fun with bottled water at the Blackham home!

A video posted by JenB (@jenblackham) on Aug 12, 2016 at 4:50pm PDT

We'd seen instructional videos on YouTube about how to "instafreeze" your water. We attempted to follow the steps to no avail. We couldn't get it to work. Then, we accidentally accomplished it after putting some water bottles into the freezer section of our mini fridge. The temperature there isn't nearly as consistent as a regular freezer. Sometimes the bottles freeze completely, sometimes they stay liquid (but very cold) ... and when they do, we can do the "instafreeze" easily. When the water is exactly the right temp, a tap to the side causes it to form a soft freeze. It's about the consistency of an icee. It's so cool to see the water change to ice, after a simple tap to the side of the bottle.  If you put that ice in a bowl, and pour the water over it ... it freezes right before your eyes. Pretty cool, huh!  They boys then sprinkle a powdered drink mix over the ice to turn it into an icee treat to eat.

Like I said at the start, we understand the debate and try to use refillable bottles whenever possible. I've been thrilled with my BIG pink water bottle. It always has enough ice and water to get me through class ... and I get an arm workout carrying it in. We have many of the refillable Gatorade sport bottles the boys use for their basketball games, and several of the "mister" refillable bottles too.

... and that is my Bottled Water Blog post ;)

Seeing Shows ... Movies and More

Dad hit the theaters with the kidlets a few times in 2015. Mom wasn't in much of a movie mood (preferring to wait until DVD/Streaming, when she can watch with subtitles, and to watch while working out ... she did go see StarWarDs at Desert Star AND the actual Star Wars movie though). Love that Gray thought to grab some pictures with the posters a few times! It caught the progression of boys attending too. Just two at Pitch Perfect 2 (Colton remembers that the theater was empty, only one other small set of people), three boys at Pixals, and four at AntMan. Ironically, these three summer hits would be rented and watched again during the Vegas Trip at the end of the year. 

At the end of the year, the new Star Wars. The Force Awakens, was being released. A family friend rented out a theater for a 9:00 showing. Past my bedtime, but Gray took the boys (Coop admits to falling asleep during it). I thought I remember seeing pictures from that (Star Wars memorabilia all around) but I couldn't find them. A little earlier, we'd gone to Desert Star to see the spoof "Star WarDs" and it was pretty funny. Singing "Yoda Wants Me for a Jedi" to the tune of "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam". After Gray and the guys had their premier Star Wars movie experience, Keaton got invited to go again with friends, and then went a third time, and we went as a family (didn't get a picture). 

Other movies released in 2015 that Jen eventually watched (some several years later, while walking on the treadmill or elliptical) are The Martian, Room, Creed, Cinderella, McFarland USA, Child44, Age of Adeline, Everest, Bridge of Spies, The Big Short, Concussion and a few more ...

On a small TV note, Coop really got into "The Voice" season 9, and Callahan watched all the seasons of "One Tree Hill".

Pineview and Park City

In addition to our hikes and and trip to Lagoon, 

we had a couple other fun family activities - Pineview and Park City. 

We actually only had ONE family trip to Pineview this season. It was in August, right before school started back up. Gray and the boys did go a couple other times, and Gray went a few times with co-workers ... but it wasn't a big waverunner summer. This was partly because of Gray's trip to Europe (which took up a couple prime summer weekends) and the fact that we didn't have Landon around ....

We also had some FAMILY FUN in Park City ...

We went up the last weekend in August. School had started, "summer" was over, but it was the best time to fit it in (giving Callahan enough notice to get work off, and it was a bit of a birthday celebration for Cooper and Keaton). We went up and stayed in a nice condo, with a back door that was right by the pool/hot tub ...

We had some memorable meals (a mouse in the house at one restaurant, overpriced breakfast, and a new family favorite, Windy Ridge! But the real reason for the trip was to hit the activities there in Park City. We got a day pass ($$$) for everyone and hit the Alpine Slide, Alpine Coaster, jumping, climbing, mini golf and a tram to the top of the mountain ... Gray enjoyed his new selfie stick! ;)

here's a video clip of some bouncing boys ...

Cal and Keaton jumping around... #backflippingblackhams

A video posted by JenB (@jenblackham) on Aug 29, 2015 at 7:01pm PDT

... and some cute coaster captures!

It was a great getaway. Gray had taken Keaton and Colton up to Park City a little earlier in the summer (July) to a Psicoblock competition. Crazy climbing over a pool of water (for when they fall!) While it was the middle of summer, it was a little cool up the mountains, especially when the sun went down.

Those were our Park City and Pineview adventures for 2015!

Let's Lagoon!

I can't remember when we hit Lagoon last ... it's been several years since we went as a family. We remedied that situation this year and went one weekend in August.  We got to the park before it opened, and they let people in, to a point. We lined up closest to the new "Cannibal" ride, and as soon as they actually opened and let people through, that's where Colton, Keaton, Callahan and Amanda (Cal's girlfriend) went. Cooper didn't want to try it, and I wasn't up for waiting in line (still 30+ even getting there right off the bat) ... so Daddy, Cooper and I hit a few rides.

Grayson has been a little woozy on twirly rides for as long as I can remember (his favorite is the Rocket) ... but this time I noticed I wasn't handling them that well either. I guess I'm getting old. We did hook back up with the gang, and went on several rides together too. Amanda talked Callahan into going on a water ride, and they both got soaked!

With Cannibal and Wicked getting media attention .... the lines on the Colossus weren't bad at all. We went on that one a few times, often walking right on. Cooper took some convincing the first time around, but afterward he said it was one of his favorites. We didn't get a ton of pictures, and almost forgot to grab a family photo (we were out in the parking lot) ... here's a few more from the day.

This was actually the second time around for Keaton and Colton. They had gone earlier in the summer with Aunt Olivia and cousin Aiden. Here's a few photos from that trip (thanks Livi!)

Livi and Aiden got season passes and hit the park multiple times this summer. For us though ... I think once (or twice for the couple of kids) was plenty. But I'm glad we got out and made some memories this summer.

Sign and Shoot

 

August 10, 2015. We were up Lehi way ... Traverse Mountain. We'd stopped in to see my brother Derek. My parents had been pushing all the kids to set up some security documents, trust/will, etc. As Derek had already done it for himself, he offered to help out for those of us who were struggling to get started. He had all the papers drawn up and had a notary come out to the house for the signatures to finalize everything. Shane and Alicia came out to take advantage of the in-house notary. The evening included Papa Murphy pizza ... make life decisions and partay! You can check out the parallel post on the Westra blog for more insight into what went into the signing and stuff. 

While we were already up that way, we decided to check out Cabelas. It was right there. We wandered the store and looked at all the animals. The aquarium was cool, and we got some free samples of fudge. Then there was the little shooting range ... 

This reminded me of the similar set-up at Lagoon. You'd put in quarters or tickets, and then shoot the targets (back in the olden days my brothers would sometimes see if they could use a mirror to redirect sunlight to set off the different bullseyes as they were activated by a flash of light). It was a fun evening out for the family.

Getting Jazzed

Throwback Thursday Post ... I'll be backdating this to March.

For the most part, our family is pretty happy just watching the Jazz games on television (I know I am! I like to avoid the crowds and chaos and just stick to the comfort of home ... and the commentary helps me out too!). But as the boys generally play in the Junior Jazz basketball season, and that includes a couple tickets to a game ... we generally make at least one trip downtown each season, to the nosebleed seats!  This year for the first time ever, the rec center offered extra tickets for families to purchase, which was so nice. As long as Grayson is making the effort to take one kid, he might as well take a few! I bought extra tickets for the other kids, and they had a fun night.

My brother Scott has slightly nicer seats, in a suite with their work. He invited our family up for a game. A very different experience than the Junior Jazz seats! The suite was sweet! Food was provided, comfortable seating, even a private bathroom. And the dessert bar ... yum! If you click on the picture above and enlarge it, you can see some of the treats!

I even overcame my anxiety and attended with the family!

Thanks Scott!

And the Jazz won both times we went to the games!

Blackham Boys and BB Guns

As I mentioned in a previous post ... Cooper was not particularly excited to go to scout camp in the summer (Summer Scouts). But one of the good things that came from that, was a renewed interest in shooting BB guns. If you call that a good thing I guess. I like any activity that gets the boys outside, requires some skill, and builds the family dynamics. Generally, Dad and brothers would all come out with Cooper to shoot in the backyard.

 Our targets of choice? Cans of soda pop. 

Shaken of course ... that makes them even more fun!

... Colton shoots ...

A video posted by JenB (@jenblackham) on Jul 19, 2014 at 7:36pm PDT

Oh the carnage! I mean ..."can-age"
... and Cooper cleaning it all up!

Once, as we pulled out some soda to use, I accidentally included a can of v-8 tomato juice. When it was shot... it looked like a crime scene! The red juice all over looked like blood! Gross!  I picked up some little plastic army guys, and Cooper would try shooting them too. I mean ... they do have guns! Poor little green guys without heads all over the backyard. 

A Family That Plays Together

A while back, I was thumbing through a catalog when I saw an "instant up" badminton set advertised. We'd purchased a cheap net set before, but it was such a struggle to set up, that it never got used and we didn't even bother to store it (off to goodwill). In the catalog, this one was $100. A bit pricey. I checked on Amazon and found it there for $70 (also checking on the reviews, fairly positive). Still unsure whether it would be worth the investment, I waited. I then noticed it on sale at the local Big 5 for $50, and I had a 10% off coupon as well. I decided to buy. 

It sat unopened in the house for well over a month, maybe two. The boys just didn't show much interest. Then a couple Saturdays ago, the conditions were perfect. A cool evening. Sun behind the clouds. Most important ... the internet was out *Ü*. We set up the net and it was an instant hit. 

I'd forgotten how simple and fun badminton is. It took a little bit for the younger boys to master, but they now love it, especially Cooper. He's my badminton boy. He and I have been playing almost every day! While the net IS easy up, it takes a little bit to take down (I think ours is sticking), some of the sections are sticking a bit. Coop and I generally play without the net. We just stretch the hose across the lawn (to divide the sides) and just bop the birdie back and forth. When we're up for a serious game (like this past Sunday when the grandparents came over) we went ahead and got the net back out. 

In addition to badminton, it's a good setup for volleyball. Instead of a standard volleyball, I had picked up an inflatable beach ball. It's a little easier for the younger kidlets.

 I can't tell you how much fun it is to see all my boys playing together like this!

Makes a mommy happy!

This was absolutely worth the $50 investment for me! Spending time playing and being active with the kids, seeing them interact with each other. I am always on the lookout for good "active family fun" alternatives and this definitely fit the bill. Ironically, I think it's also helped with Cooper's weather phobia somewhat! On a cloudy day, we can play ... otherwise we have to wait until the early evening when the sun has set enough that it isn't in our eyes. He's even stayed out playing in a light drizzle ... until the lightening in the distance drove him back inside.

Planet Play

I'd heard about Planet Play, a new "fun" place located in the VH Factory Outlet in Draper. I'd even bought a "deal" for them before, but didn't end up making it in before they expired.  I did go ahead and jump on the "Pass of all Passes" deal (it was $29, but you got a $20 giftcard back, so it ended up just $9), and Planet Play is one of the places on the pass. I'd redeemed my passes online back in February, and JUST got them. But it was in time to take advantage of the off-track time with the kids. Callahan had gone to work with Daddy for "Job Shadow" day, and got back in time to join us as well.

We played a round of miniature golf. They had these cute cutouts along the way. Callahan ... what big ears you have!  It wasn't a super challenging course, but the price was right and it was nice and cool and uncrowded. 

Then there was mini-BOWLING. I'd never seen mini-bowling before, but it was really cute. Small lanes and pins, and small balls (no holes, but they were heavy ... think shotput). I think all the boys enjoyed that activity.

We tried the go-carts next ... it had a height limit, so Colton had to drive with me (he was quite disappointed in that, but I don't think he would have reached the pedals). Cooper barely made the height requirement (and probably wouldn't with a haircut) but he did NOT want to try, even just as a passenger with me. He just watched. Callahan and Keaton had a few races.

I really didn't want to shell out any more money for arcade games (as they are not included on the pass) but the kids pulled the pouty faces and I caved. If you are planning on arcade games, you can get double credit on Tuesdays. The kids played some games, got some tickets and redeemed them for prizes. They weren't super impressed with the prizes (no treats, just toys).

There was also laser tag, and the boys played a game of that. I really need to get in there and try that with them. There was a little observation area and a video display, so it was fun to watch them too. There is also a buffet, but we didn't splurge on that today but probably will in the future. I do think we'll go back while we have our annual pass. It would be a fun place to take a date.