Ruddick Family Records

Parade!

Every year we try to make it to the Eugene Celebration Parade if we are in town for it. It's a fun tradition--my parents have been enjoying the Eugene Celebration every year since moving to Eugene in 1989! This year we met up with the Henry family, their friends, Carolyn & Jesse, and my parents. (Thanks Williams' for saving seats for us!!)

Finn enjoying his not-so-hot chocolate (:

It's not your typical parade by any means, but it's always entertaining. (:

The Slug Queen

Ronan & Cedar playing together-- too bad my camera strap got in the pic :(

The Henry Fam

Ronan, Griffin, and Finley's favorite part was definitely the Star Wars guys!

Most of our group:

Someone in the parade handed a star balloon to Griffin and he was very excited about it! We tied it to his backpack and you could tell he felt pretty proud walking to the car with it like that.

Ems Game

We took the boys to their first Eugene Emeralds baseball game on Friday, August 27th. Josh's work was hosting a BBQ there, so we thought it would be a fun thing to do as a family! At first it seemed like we weren't going to make it past the 3rd inning (because the boys were already getting antsy), but then some of Josh's co-workers sat at our table and provided enough of a "change" to keep the boys' interest. We had some good conversations and the game started getting a little more exciting, which definitely helped. (: Ronan and I spent a good amount of time walking around to the various concession stands looking for "good deals". I'm glad we stuck around to the end of the game because we got to see the game-winning home run...and also the firework show they do on Friday nights is pretty amazing!!

Fun at the Fair

On Sunday, August 22nd, we went to the Lane County Fair after church. My mom came with us, which was a lot of fun! My dad unfortunately had to work that day, and my sisters and their families were out of town that weekend. It was fun for our boys (well, all of us) to have a special day with Memaw! We also got to meet up for lunch with Josh's parents and his sister, Amy, and her family.

Yummy fair food (:

me and my mom

After I took this picture I realized that Emma was peeking out from the stroller just perfectly to capture everyone in the group! Good job, Emma! (:

Ronan and Griffin were excited to go on the rides, and seemed content with only going on a few! (: Griffin was so much more brave on the rides this year as compared to last year.

Getting ready to ride a "big" roller coaster:

This one actually scared Ronan a little because it was really loud and had a good-sized dip. Griffin was all smiles and even raised his hands up when he saw other kids doing that. (:

Their favorite ride:

Memaw let them each choose a treat, and of course they chose cotton candy! (:

Next we walked through the barns and saw the animals.

As we were getting ready to leave, Joan Jett started playing!

We stayed and listened to a few songs. (: It was funny...Ronan recognized one of the songs (Bad Reputation) because it's on Shrek. (:

This picture was taken a few days before. My parents had just gotten home from a trip to Hawaii and brought over souveniers for us! The ukulele was something my dad bought as his souvenier (: but he let the kids try it out.

BBQ on the Farm

August 17th~ Our moms group at church met a few times during the summer and the last event was a barbecue at the Schar's house! Ann made her amazing bbq chicken and all the moms brought side dishes and desserts. We encouraged everyone who made tie-dyed shirts at our previous event to wear them that day so we could see how they all turned out. It was fun seeing all the different color combinations and designs!

Ronan, Cade, & Griffin

Griffin had fun on the cool horse swing.

The kids always love watching the chickens!

Ronan, Tyler, & Asher

Becca & Jincy

Such a colorful group!
(Griffin, Ethan, Hadley, Ellie, Emma, Sadie, Jumi, Marcus, Josie, Jincy, Ramsey, Bodey, Ann, Tyler, Becca, Ronan, Cohen, & Macey)

Cute Cousins: Griffin & Ethan

Griffin with his Chase cousins (:

The kiddie pool was a big hit!

Camping continued...

In the morning on Sunday, August 15th, we slowly started packing and taking down our tent. The boys rode bikes while we cleaned up and got ready to head home. We had such a fun weekend--I'm so glad we were able to go! Camping was definitely a highlight of our summer and something I know the boys will really remember!