The summer is coming to an end. In fact, I sit here on Friday at 5pm, Labor Day weekend in front of me, and I cannot believe 1. The summer is over and 2. All of the awesome stuff we got to do this summer.
June:
We finished up baseball season and the school year on June 13th, it was both girls first year in Softball and that kept us VERY busy. Lily had a great coach who gushed on and on about each kid, including mine at her team party, leaving me feeling so grateful for coaches and this one in particular. A wiffle ball game of parents vs kids ended with LOTS of super fun laughs and some really good new friends. On the first weekend after school we celebrated Father's Day, and then the kids and I headed out of town to visit my college roommate in Spokane. We went to Riverfront park and Silverwood amusement park, but perhaps the biggest highlight for me was just spending a week with my kiddos together with Robin spending a week with her kiddos, doing life together for a few days. As soon as we arrived home, ran in the twilight run (girls got 1st and 2nd in their age group for the 5K), then bright and early went to the airport the next morning because Grandma & Grandpa Herman and cousin Tyler came for 2 weeks! Bryson went to a VBS camp the first week, and the kids had an amazing time together. They went to Multnomah Falls, OMSI, berry picking, and to lots of parks in there area. We did our best to show Tyler a fun Oregon summer experience. Addie had her "tag" Hot Wheels birthday party with some school friends and their families at Cook Park. We got to celebrate Addie's 7th birthday together before they flew home on the red eye.
July:
We spend fourth of July weekend at home for the first time in years, watched fireworks at THS and went to a local small town parade. It was fun, but nothing compared to Shake the Lake, we definitely don't want to miss the 4th at Wallowa Lake again anytime soon. We received news of a great opportunity and made the decision to put our house on the market because a friend is selling her house in a location that would be perfect for us, she's giving us first dibs. We did some minor stuff in the yard and around the house to get ready to go on the market, and then headed to the Blue Mountains for the Blanchet family reunion at Red Bridge state park. The weather was perfect this year and the kids had so much fun with their cousins. They have developed a super close relationship with my cousin Grace's boys, Colton and Caleb, and they were inseparable all weekend. Camping keeps getting to be more fun as the kids get older. It's still a lot of work, but nothing like it has been for the past 9 years! Four of the Herman's headed home, and Lily went to Joseph for two weeks with my mom. Addie and Bryson had VBS camp while Lily went to Chief Joseph Summer Camp and spent a bunch of time with my friends and their kids. I loved it for her! I loved it for me, I went to CJSS when I was a kid and have great memories there, it was so nice to see Lily get a slice of memories of Joseph in the summer. We had one weekend at home, while our house went on the market, so we stayed out quite a bit. We went to see Planes 2, had a BBQ with the Ornelas Family, and rode bikes at Summerlake Park. On Tuesday night we packed up to drive to Joseph. This would be our kids first time at Chief Joseph Days, and of course we could not WAIT to see Lily. As soon as we pulled up at about 11pm, she dove into the car to hug us all. Reunited and it feels so good!
We went to the Rodeo, played at the lake, the kids were in the Kiddie Parade (got second place as Cat in the Hat and Things 1-2 come to CJD), we had my 20 year HS reunion at Vali's, watched the grand parade, had my 20 year HS reunion at the Joseph City Park with families, and more fun at the Lake. We drove home on Sunday tired and happy. No rest though, the girls started soccer camp first thing on Monday morning!
August:
The first weekend of August Lawrence got a job offer (he had been looking since May for something with more opportunity), and this was a VERY happy way to kick off the month. We stayed home that weekend and IT WAS SO NICE to have a weekend at home. We found time for a BBQ with our friends the Smith's, which we had been trying to schedule since school got out. We shopped for Bryson's wedding outfit and a few school clothes, then we went to the Tualatin Crawfish festival and ran into some new good friends on accident, which was awesome. Then Addie and Lawrence got to go to the Thorns (Portland's professional women's soccer) game, after I got my first church going in all summer! The kids had 4 straight days of swim lessons from my friend Kim, and it did wonders for each of them. Addie gained so much confidence and they were all putting their face in the water effortlessly (something that has been a challenge). Enough of this relaxing stuff, Lawrence had his last day of work on August 8, took off half day, and we were off to go camping. We were supposed to go camping with the Ornelas Family at RAAB campground, but they had a family medical emergency, so at the last minute we changed plans and went to Swift Forest campground in Washington near Mt. St. Helens with our newish friends the Schlichting Family (they have kids Addie and Bryson's ages and she was my postpartum nurse with Bryson!). Lawrence borrowed kayaks from a friend and we LOVED this campground and the lake, it was so nice. Lily paddle boarded on a piece of wood for a long time, it was so much fun. Bryson and their little boy Paul got to be good friends and they just had so much fun. On Sunday we packed up and stopped in Hood River to pick up a few forgotten items (somehow we messed up on packing for this long trip) and we got lunch at the Brewery there and then headed over Mount Hood to Central Oregon and Lake Billy Chinook at Cove Palisades State park. It was so incredible. The weather wasn't great, too hot, too rainy, too much lightning, but somehow we just had the time of our lives. We met new friends at the campground across from us, and the dad was from New Jersey, so instant connection, we had a great time with them. Wednesday we headed back to Portland so we could pick up Julia from Germany at the airport. What a beautiful reunion it was. Time for another quick and long overdue BBQ with the Jordan family (Addie's BFF). No rest though because it was time to head down to Mount Angel for the weekend for NannyJenny and Tim's wedding! #burtonhanneganwedding The girls were both flower girls and Bryson was the ring bearer and they all looked adorable and did great. The wedding was at Vanderbeck Valley Farms and the location was to die for. Really amazing amenities but not so fancy pants, really comfortable and great. Jenny and Tim looked incredible and happy, such a beautiful bride and all of their wedding party were also fun and great to be around. We all danced and sweated our pants off and it was a fun family night for all. The next day was our anniversary and we celebrated by back to school shopping and watching the Glockenspiel. Monday, Lawrence started a new job, and that week we juggled cars, and got used to him working 2 + hrs later than he ever has, which was an adjustment for us all, and our dinnertime/sports schedules! We all found time for the ALS challenge, and donated to alsa.org after dumping big buckets of ice water on our 5 heads. The next weekend it was time for Hood to Coast. Thursday night we met our team and decorated our vans, and then Friday, time to run. More stressful packing, but once we got on the road to pick up the rest of our group, all was well. I was proud of how everyone on our team ran, including myself. I was nervous and wasn't sure how I would do. My longest training run was 5 miles, and my shortest of the three legs was 4.55 miles. But I did it. I ran at sunset, I ran in the dark, I ran 6.24 miles, then 4.55 miles, then 5.24 miles. I supported my team, I had no sleep, I had fun doing it all with my husband. We stayed one extra night at the beach, sort of to celebrate our 12 year anniversary the week before. We came home to another week of work, swim lessons, and BACK TO SCHOOL night. Labor day weekend was super relaxed, we had pancakes for dinner as a request for by Julia for her last night, an EARLY morning goodbye on Saturday, then a day of family fun. Lawr and I went to a tailgate party hosted by friends of ours that was sold at the PSO auction to benefit the school and it was so nice getting to know/reconnecting with a bunch of parents who have kids in both our girls classes. Josh and Shawna took our kiddos for the night and we enjoyed our first night alone at our house since the night before Addie was born! We returned the favor and had a fun Sunday with our kids + the Powers kids at Alpenrose. Monday we had some house showings and went to "no playground park". You know, since there was no soccer practice on Labor day, might as well go play some soccer.
One more ice cream sandwich and backyard water fight and we were showered and in bed.
Back to school tomorrow.
What was your favorite part of summer? Everything!
Showing posts with label I heart summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I heart summer. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2014
Sunday, June 30, 2013
A great summer 2013 - Adventure # 1 - Tour de Arizona and the Grand Canyon with the Shaws
A few days after school ended we headed to Arizona to see our friends the Shaw Family.
Getting to Arizona was a little crazy, as we flew in 2 groups to save money, Addie and Lawrence flew standby. It was a stressful 8 hrs but when all was said and done, we all arrived within a half hour of each other. We swam in the pool for a while and then headed over to our friends, Ben and Michelle's house for dinner. It so happened that some Portland friends were in Phoenix also, so all of us ate well, drank, talked, laughed. Twas a great first night of vacation.
Father's Day was awesome, we loaded up 8 friends in the Honda Pilot, first stop was a creek on the way to Sedona. We played in the water, fished for crawfish with bacon, and swung on a rope swing into the river. What an experience it was for us to play in the water and be refreshed but never cold. That night we headed to Sedona where Meg's dad lives. As we rounded the corner and saw the mountains surrounding Sedona, it took our breath away. And Meg's dad's house was right at the bottom. Amazing. We had fun, BBQed, laughed and laughed and laughed, and all slept on air mattresses slumber party style. It was a fantastic day. (Inside joke, it turns out that the plumbing in Sedona and Joseph are very similar)
The next morning after a yummy breakfast at the world famous Coffee Pot, we were off to the Grand Canyon.
It was beyond our expectations! Truly! As we came up to it, walking along the path, my breath caught in my throat and I felt tears in my eyes. It was bigger and more awesome than I expected and I was simply in awe.
We hiked around, the kids were not as impressed as we expected. People told us this might happen, but we were all, no not our kids, they are very in to science and they are sure to love it. They knew all about it, we'd checked out every book in the library. But they were looking for something more like the mountain in Sedona. The vastness made it hard for them to see or imagine. We took exactly one million pictures. The ones we've seen hundreds of times. The ones that do not do it justice. On the way out, the photo hating dads looped around out of the way, stopped, and unbuckled kids out of the third row just so I could get the picture I said I wanted earlier in the day of my family with the Grand Canyon National Park sign. People, these are the little big things that make me feel loved. I had already given up and wasn't planning to ask once we got the car loaded with children.
We drove back through Flagstaff and stopped their for dinner. OZ talked his way out of speeding ticket by accidentally passing on his military ID along with his driver's license. All five kids were sleeping. All five kids woke up. But no ticket, so we considered it a win, and it was almost time for dinner anyway.
We passed route 66 and Lawrence made Addie think we were in Radiator Springs. She pointed out Flo's, and Meg convinced them all to climb up on a sign. It was a high point for Addie for sure, so we were glad to have stopped.
The next day the boys went Golfing. Meg and I played with the kids in the pool and relaxed. We must have done other stuff, but I can't remember what two months later. We did marvel at how glad we were that we did all of our traveling at the beginning of the week. How great 4 kids did in the packed to the brim car, and how much our families loved each other. That night we jumped in the pool after golf and went to dinner at Oregano's. We walked home, and Ben showed Lily dates and other plants along the way. The kids were enamored. We loved walking in the dark and in the heat, full and tipsy. I honestly felt a little high on life, but the yummy frozen drinks at dinner didn't hurt I'm sure.
The following two days, OZ had to work. We went to the Hamilton Aquatic Center both days. The kids loved it and it was like $11 for our whole family to get in. There was something for everyone, easy enough for Taylor Poppy and big water slides for Lily (and me!).
Thursday Meg made us a big Salmon dinner and we enjoyed a relaxing evening at home, playing Catan.
Friday we walked to Tempe town lake and Bryson got in a fight with a Cactus. The kids had matching outfits so it made for some adorable group photos. We had a great dinner out in downtown Tempe and a nice stroll. Another evening of warmth and walking. The night ended with an evening swim which was on Lily's must do list
Saturday was going home day. Boo. We decided to go for an early morning hike up A mountain. We came home and jumped in the pool and headed to the airport. Lawrence and Addie were hoping for similar luck, getting bumped from their flight. But no luck, all was easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Honorable mentions: Playing Trains, Cheating at Catan, Being spotted by Mike's elk scope, My kids discovered their love for Gatorade,
Getting to Arizona was a little crazy, as we flew in 2 groups to save money, Addie and Lawrence flew standby. It was a stressful 8 hrs but when all was said and done, we all arrived within a half hour of each other. We swam in the pool for a while and then headed over to our friends, Ben and Michelle's house for dinner. It so happened that some Portland friends were in Phoenix also, so all of us ate well, drank, talked, laughed. Twas a great first night of vacation.
Father's Day was awesome, we loaded up 8 friends in the Honda Pilot, first stop was a creek on the way to Sedona. We played in the water, fished for crawfish with bacon, and swung on a rope swing into the river. What an experience it was for us to play in the water and be refreshed but never cold. That night we headed to Sedona where Meg's dad lives. As we rounded the corner and saw the mountains surrounding Sedona, it took our breath away. And Meg's dad's house was right at the bottom. Amazing. We had fun, BBQed, laughed and laughed and laughed, and all slept on air mattresses slumber party style. It was a fantastic day. (Inside joke, it turns out that the plumbing in Sedona and Joseph are very similar)
The next morning after a yummy breakfast at the world famous Coffee Pot, we were off to the Grand Canyon.
It was beyond our expectations! Truly! As we came up to it, walking along the path, my breath caught in my throat and I felt tears in my eyes. It was bigger and more awesome than I expected and I was simply in awe.
We hiked around, the kids were not as impressed as we expected. People told us this might happen, but we were all, no not our kids, they are very in to science and they are sure to love it. They knew all about it, we'd checked out every book in the library. But they were looking for something more like the mountain in Sedona. The vastness made it hard for them to see or imagine. We took exactly one million pictures. The ones we've seen hundreds of times. The ones that do not do it justice. On the way out, the photo hating dads looped around out of the way, stopped, and unbuckled kids out of the third row just so I could get the picture I said I wanted earlier in the day of my family with the Grand Canyon National Park sign. People, these are the little big things that make me feel loved. I had already given up and wasn't planning to ask once we got the car loaded with children.
We drove back through Flagstaff and stopped their for dinner. OZ talked his way out of speeding ticket by accidentally passing on his military ID along with his driver's license. All five kids were sleeping. All five kids woke up. But no ticket, so we considered it a win, and it was almost time for dinner anyway.
We passed route 66 and Lawrence made Addie think we were in Radiator Springs. She pointed out Flo's, and Meg convinced them all to climb up on a sign. It was a high point for Addie for sure, so we were glad to have stopped.
The next day the boys went Golfing. Meg and I played with the kids in the pool and relaxed. We must have done other stuff, but I can't remember what two months later. We did marvel at how glad we were that we did all of our traveling at the beginning of the week. How great 4 kids did in the packed to the brim car, and how much our families loved each other. That night we jumped in the pool after golf and went to dinner at Oregano's. We walked home, and Ben showed Lily dates and other plants along the way. The kids were enamored. We loved walking in the dark and in the heat, full and tipsy. I honestly felt a little high on life, but the yummy frozen drinks at dinner didn't hurt I'm sure.
The following two days, OZ had to work. We went to the Hamilton Aquatic Center both days. The kids loved it and it was like $11 for our whole family to get in. There was something for everyone, easy enough for Taylor Poppy and big water slides for Lily (and me!).
Thursday Meg made us a big Salmon dinner and we enjoyed a relaxing evening at home, playing Catan.
Friday we walked to Tempe town lake and Bryson got in a fight with a Cactus. The kids had matching outfits so it made for some adorable group photos. We had a great dinner out in downtown Tempe and a nice stroll. Another evening of warmth and walking. The night ended with an evening swim which was on Lily's must do list
Saturday was going home day. Boo. We decided to go for an early morning hike up A mountain. We came home and jumped in the pool and headed to the airport. Lawrence and Addie were hoping for similar luck, getting bumped from their flight. But no luck, all was easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Honorable mentions: Playing Trains, Cheating at Catan, Being spotted by Mike's elk scope, My kids discovered their love for Gatorade,
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Hello, friend - It's been a while
So maybe I'm kind of glad that I didn't blog every sad day of the last 6 months, but I know I missed recording a bunch of the happy stuff too. I've been alone, mostly. Just me and my family. I've exchanged some emails with friends, and a couple of quick conversations, but mostly I've been isolated, and work has been my "me" time. Being lonely makes a girl do a whole lot of thinking and praying. Friends say things to me like, "Oh, Jenny, I wish I'd known, I wish you'd called me", but the truth is, I don't and haven't even felt like talking about it. And that's part of why I stopped blogging. I didn't feel like writing about the way our (read my) life was going day in and day out.
I am so grateful to our moms, my brother, and to the few friends who I did stay in touch with over the past few months. For those that didn't put the pressure on me to be more or do more than I could. For those that sent me encouraging emails and gchats about how I could make it through. On Feb 1st I started exercising again. I started with the 30 day shred in 35 days, and then I've kept up with this unlikely group of 7 on a private blog, what started at a group of about 20, quickly dwindled, all from various walks of life, the 7 of us write in each day to say that we did or did not exercise, and set our weekly goals, talk about how much water we drank, you know, exciting stuff. Through all of this, exercise and daily endorphins (along with the daily encouragement of those 7 amazing inspiring ladies) have got me through. The last month, I haven't met the goals I've set for myself, but I have run two 5Ks and I am still working out about 4 times a week. It's good. I have to let good be enough. Lawrence is a super dad. I am so thankful to him for doing so much for the kids and the house when I've been absent or useless. I'm also to blessed to have our AuPair, Julia, who loves the kids so unconditionally, they miss me when I work long days, but I never ever have to worry about them, because they know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, they are loved. So loved!
Lawrence coached Lily's T-ball team, and last night was the last game. We had a party after and he passed out trophies. I was so proud of my man, as I watched him get his photo with each beaming kid, and listened to their parents thank him profusely (the way I do for both of the girls' teachers). Sometimes it is important that I stop and look at him for who he is and thank my lucky stars that he wanted to marry me.
I'm so acutely aware of how much I appreciate the way my regular happy brain works. I won't take for granted my positive outlook and my ability to power through ever again. Because not having that sucks.
June 1st.
It was a date that was out there, waiting for me, like a life preserver, like if I can just get to June 1st, I'll be okay. But it was So.Far.Away. I had a (one of many) meltdown on Feb 15th, and thought that June 1st might never come. But now it is only a week away. The bulk of the audit at work is over, and the sun occasionally has been showing it's sweet face. I have a few days at the beach planned in a few weeks with my family. My baby is almost 1.5 and my girls are about to graduate from their first year at their new schools. They are all so big and so beautiful. It's a new season.
And I'm so ready for it.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
It's Independence Day
We had a great time in Joseph for the 4th of July. We celebrated Addie's birthday, went to the top of the mountain where we got married, went to the flea market, sang Karaoke and had many tasty beverages with our friends. Here are my patriotic little beauties! They had so much fun dressing in their red, white, and blue. 
Sabine and the kids after the parade and two full bags of candy were thrown at Wallowa's annual "Old Time Parade"!
Sabine, Adde, Lucy, Bailee, Lily, Lawrence waiting for the parade to start
Bryson happily watching the parade
Bean-Bean and Bryson
Two of my great friends from high school, Jocelyn and Jeremy, + their families and mine. Gotta love my mom for always wanting to get the group shot!
This picture of the four girls made the front page of the local paper. Woo hoo!
My little dare devil and her tiny yet surprisingly muscular legs!
Bean Bean and the kids!
Sweet Lily
Sabine and the kids after the parade and two full bags of candy were thrown at Wallowa's annual "Old Time Parade"!
Sabine, Adde, Lucy, Bailee, Lily, Lawrence waiting for the parade to start
Bryson happily watching the parade
Bean-Bean and Bryson
Two of my great friends from high school, Jocelyn and Jeremy, + their families and mine. Gotta love my mom for always wanting to get the group shot! 
This picture of the four girls made the front page of the local paper. Woo hoo!
My little dare devil and her tiny yet surprisingly muscular legs!
Bean Bean and the kids!
Sweet LilyAfter the parade we went to our friend's house for a BBQ. It was so fun, this kids did sparklers and we really enjoyed it. We didn't get any photos of us at Wallowa Lake at Jocelyn's house watching the fireworks. BUT It was awesome. Addie didn't nap that day, so she was falling apart at 7pm. My mom offered to stay home with her and Bryson, so Lily, Sabine, Lawrence and I headed up to the lake to watch the fireworks and see our friends.
I don't have a photo from this year's fireworks, but here is a picture that my photographer friend Joe Whittle took last year.
The fireworks reflecting off the lake, creating a sillouhette of the mountans, listening to the boom echo through the valley is pretty incredible. Especially when you are surrounded by good friends, cuddled up under a blanket with your best guy and your first born (who falls asleep in your arms right before the finale!)
To see more of Joe's work check out one of his two blogs
Joe whittle photography
Winding light adventures
I don't have a photo from this year's fireworks, but here is a picture that my photographer friend Joe Whittle took last year.
The fireworks reflecting off the lake, creating a sillouhette of the mountans, listening to the boom echo through the valley is pretty incredible. Especially when you are surrounded by good friends, cuddled up under a blanket with your best guy and your first born (who falls asleep in your arms right before the finale!)
To see more of Joe's work check out one of his two blogsJoe whittle photography
Winding light adventures
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Beach Camping
Since this wasn't a Father's Day or a weekend that we want to go down in the history books, I wanted to write about the weekend before, an awesome weekend. We went camping at Nehalem Bay State Park on the Oregon Coast with ALL THREE KIDS. I like to say it that way, ALL THREE KIDS, because it felt like such an accomplishment, and it is, meeting all those little needs and attempting to enjoy ourselves and create memories for the kids is hard. But we did it.
Sometimes as a parent, you feel superhuman. Of course you also sometimes feel supertired or superimpatient. But there are the times when you do stuff that you are like, "WOW. We did it." "And we did it with three kids". ALL THREE KIDS. And we had fun. We'll sort of. In a really hard work sort of way! After packing up the entire car for the second time in 3 days, we pulled away exhausted at 9:30 in the morning, having been up since 4amish due to squawking birds, I said exactly that. "Well, that was fun." "Sort of". Camping fun has taken on a whole new meaning. It's not just sitting around the camp fire, drinking beer, talking leisurely walks exploring, and roasting hot dogs any more. It is 19 hrs of MADNESS and 5 hrs of broken sleep per day.
I remember camping as a kid, and it is such a highlight. And I really needed that uninterrupted time of fun with my family. A break from the world and the chores of the house to just be with Lawrence and the kids. And they had so much fun. No bedtimes or eating healthy. Getting dirty and a little sun kissed. Playing in the sand. Running in feety pjs and rain boots. Meeting kids at the playground, new "friends" whose names they never got and whom they will never see again. All the fun and no structure is a lot of work for mommy and daddy who used to camp to sit and do nothing. :)
Nehalem Bay on the Oregon Coast is one of our favorite State Park campgrounds. The ground is soft and sandy, the ocean is in ear shot, but it is just over some sand dunes, so you are protected from some of the wind. It's clean and nice, and we just love it there. The last time we went Lily was about 20 months old or so, so it was time to go back. Our friends Josh and Shawna and their little girl, Rachel, came too (not to mention their 24 week old bun in the oven!).
When we arrived, we started setting up camp. It felt awesome and I kept thinking, 'why wasn't I sure if we could do this, it was going perfectly'. The site was right next to a play ground, and while I planned it that way, I couldn't have imagined a better location or a nicer play structure. After about an hour Addie had an accident in her panties, #2. What a mess, just when we got that cleaned up, we discovered that Bryson was up to his neck in #2, literally up to his neck. Gross. So we took about an hour break to clean them both up, wash our hands a bazillion times and throw out some clothing, wash car seat covers, toys, bibs, etc. It was everywhere. Just when he was all cleaned up we had him standing there naked, and he smiled at Lawrence and peed all over the back of the truck and almost all over Lawrence. Lawrence just said to me, "Look at this guy!" as we watch the stream of pee splatter all over, we both fell over laughing, which made him laugh, and us laugh more.
The first night, sleeping went rather well, the second night Bryson had a really hard time falling asleep and you could hear him crying through the entire campground. I started to feel stressed and overwhelmed like, why did we do this? But finally Lawrence got him settled and when I went back into the tent, Bryson was asleep on daddy's chest. Lawrence was lying side ways across the air mattress with his shoes still on, sleeping on his back. Somehow he'd managed to get Addie and Bryson both asleep that way. We were all exhausted from our day of sun and sand - and eating and drinking lots of junk.
Here are a bunch of random pictures from the weekend. At the bottom there is a link to the whole snapfish album. I don't have the time to get them all in order to tell a story, and I don't really think that is necessary! :)
Bryson waking up from his nap in the Ergo. It was so loud with the waves and the windy, I only knew he was awake by the sounds of raspberries being blown into my neck!
Going Potty upon arrival. Unfortunately only a few minutes later, an accident followed. That's our giant tent (and Lawrence's early Father's Day gift) in the back.
After having a blow out up to his neck, he decided to pee on daddy's bumper while getting cleaned up. Yeah, he was pretty pleased with himself. At this point we'd been at the campsite for 30 minutes and already thrown away clothes from 2 kids due to, "Ugh, way to gross to clean with cold water alone!"
Me, my girl Shawna, Bryson napping, Fat Tire in a Can. Proof that we did spend some time together too!
It was just what we all needed. Everyone, including mommy - not including daddy, slept for the entire 2 hr drive home. We arrived home around 11:30am on Sunday and then had the rest of the day to enjoy in the Sun at home. If you don't live in Portland, you might not know, but it's been rather stingy with the sun so far this summer. Looks like that is about to change. Fingers crossed! :)
One more camping trip planned this summer, also on the beach to a State Park we've never been to, a little closer to home. That sounds just about right to me. I'm glad we have that, but kind of glad that's it. The girls absolutely love camping and sleeping in their sleeping bags on air mattresses. Bryson loves being outside so much that he could just look around at the sky and the trees all day. Lawrence and I love doing all of this for our kids.
And a lot for ourselves too.
Sometimes as a parent, you feel superhuman. Of course you also sometimes feel supertired or superimpatient. But there are the times when you do stuff that you are like, "WOW. We did it." "And we did it with three kids". ALL THREE KIDS. And we had fun. We'll sort of. In a really hard work sort of way! After packing up the entire car for the second time in 3 days, we pulled away exhausted at 9:30 in the morning, having been up since 4amish due to squawking birds, I said exactly that. "Well, that was fun." "Sort of". Camping fun has taken on a whole new meaning. It's not just sitting around the camp fire, drinking beer, talking leisurely walks exploring, and roasting hot dogs any more. It is 19 hrs of MADNESS and 5 hrs of broken sleep per day.
I remember camping as a kid, and it is such a highlight. And I really needed that uninterrupted time of fun with my family. A break from the world and the chores of the house to just be with Lawrence and the kids. And they had so much fun. No bedtimes or eating healthy. Getting dirty and a little sun kissed. Playing in the sand. Running in feety pjs and rain boots. Meeting kids at the playground, new "friends" whose names they never got and whom they will never see again. All the fun and no structure is a lot of work for mommy and daddy who used to camp to sit and do nothing. :)
Nehalem Bay on the Oregon Coast is one of our favorite State Park campgrounds. The ground is soft and sandy, the ocean is in ear shot, but it is just over some sand dunes, so you are protected from some of the wind. It's clean and nice, and we just love it there. The last time we went Lily was about 20 months old or so, so it was time to go back. Our friends Josh and Shawna and their little girl, Rachel, came too (not to mention their 24 week old bun in the oven!).
When we arrived, we started setting up camp. It felt awesome and I kept thinking, 'why wasn't I sure if we could do this, it was going perfectly'. The site was right next to a play ground, and while I planned it that way, I couldn't have imagined a better location or a nicer play structure. After about an hour Addie had an accident in her panties, #2. What a mess, just when we got that cleaned up, we discovered that Bryson was up to his neck in #2, literally up to his neck. Gross. So we took about an hour break to clean them both up, wash our hands a bazillion times and throw out some clothing, wash car seat covers, toys, bibs, etc. It was everywhere. Just when he was all cleaned up we had him standing there naked, and he smiled at Lawrence and peed all over the back of the truck and almost all over Lawrence. Lawrence just said to me, "Look at this guy!" as we watch the stream of pee splatter all over, we both fell over laughing, which made him laugh, and us laugh more.
The first night, sleeping went rather well, the second night Bryson had a really hard time falling asleep and you could hear him crying through the entire campground. I started to feel stressed and overwhelmed like, why did we do this? But finally Lawrence got him settled and when I went back into the tent, Bryson was asleep on daddy's chest. Lawrence was lying side ways across the air mattress with his shoes still on, sleeping on his back. Somehow he'd managed to get Addie and Bryson both asleep that way. We were all exhausted from our day of sun and sand - and eating and drinking lots of junk.
Here are a bunch of random pictures from the weekend. At the bottom there is a link to the whole snapfish album. I don't have the time to get them all in order to tell a story, and I don't really think that is necessary! :)
Bryson waking up from his nap in the Ergo. It was so loud with the waves and the windy, I only knew he was awake by the sounds of raspberries being blown into my neck!
Going Potty upon arrival. Unfortunately only a few minutes later, an accident followed. That's our giant tent (and Lawrence's early Father's Day gift) in the back.
After having a blow out up to his neck, he decided to pee on daddy's bumper while getting cleaned up. Yeah, he was pretty pleased with himself. At this point we'd been at the campsite for 30 minutes and already thrown away clothes from 2 kids due to, "Ugh, way to gross to clean with cold water alone!"
Me, my girl Shawna, Bryson napping, Fat Tire in a Can. Proof that we did spend some time together too!
It was just what we all needed. Everyone, including mommy - not including daddy, slept for the entire 2 hr drive home. We arrived home around 11:30am on Sunday and then had the rest of the day to enjoy in the Sun at home. If you don't live in Portland, you might not know, but it's been rather stingy with the sun so far this summer. Looks like that is about to change. Fingers crossed! :)
One more camping trip planned this summer, also on the beach to a State Park we've never been to, a little closer to home. That sounds just about right to me. I'm glad we have that, but kind of glad that's it. The girls absolutely love camping and sleeping in their sleeping bags on air mattresses. Bryson loves being outside so much that he could just look around at the sky and the trees all day. Lawrence and I love doing all of this for our kids.
And a lot for ourselves too.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Catching up on August
Day 8 -
So 7 blogs in 7 days motivated me, it did, and even though, I'm not going to commit to any more days, I'm proud to say that this is day 8 in a row of blogging! :) As I looked back over August, it is sparse, and while each of these photos could be a post on their own, that's not happening so I chose a few of my favorites to share the month of August that I didn't already share in the sad 8 posts that I did write. Oh the freeing feeling of being almost caught up on something!
Barney and Addie at Chuck E. Cheese
Clifford and Addie at Chuck E Cheese. Clifford is Addie's favorite, both of the girls love him. We just found out that he will be coming to our children's museum from Oct - Feb, and both girls are so excited.
Pink Day with Katy - This was her last day.
Silly Katy and Addie
Lily harvesting her tomatoes from the "miracle" tomato plant. I got this in my office for Earth day and it has been spilled and replanted, and broken more times that I can count, yet it has continued to produce tomatoes. Luckily Sabine likes tomatoes because no one else in the family eats them unless they are cooked.
Katy and Lily fun fun fun
I NEVER want to let her go!
Lily at her last ballet class
Sabine and Addie watching Lily's last ballet class
More last ballet
The girls dancing at music in the park in West Linn. These dresses were SO awesome to wear to a crowded event like this. It was SO easy to spot them in the crowd with just a glance!
Before the music started Lawrence and Sabine took them to the playground and waterpark.
Wilsonville Family Carnival - this is a great FREE event for kids and families all around Portland. We went with Lawrence's parents who visited at the beginning of August. It was hot but we all had a blast. MORE Jumpy HOUSE! Lily is so sweet in the Jumpy houses by watching out for Addie and making sure she is safe. Addie's excited little voice exclaiming "DUMPY HOWZ" is so sweet!
Crafting at the kids carnival
On a ride with dad at the kids carnival. He panicked half way through when Addie's eyes rolled back in her head and she looked like she was going to be sick. No more "teacup" type rides for Addie for a while. 
Our annual family picture with Lawrence's parents after brunch at our favorite, Hayden's by the Lake in Tualatin. Lily was being a stinker and I know we got a picture somewhere with her looking, maybe I'll find it and show the series.
Grandma letting mama sleep in AGAIN and downstairs reading to Addie. What a nice quiet sight to wake up to. And the coffee is always made. :)
They went to check out Katy's new apartment
The three of Katy, Addie, & Lily
This pink wig was such a HIT, trucker hat on top...BO_NUS!
Getting ready to take Lily to ballet. Over the summer the girls really became "Friends", they watch out for each other and hold hands voluntarily. Really it is adorable.
Katy put a bun in Addie's hair too this day for Lily's ballet. So funny! She only kept it in for 3 minutes! :)
It even got to come home for a while. Don't tell Lawrence, but I think Lily looks kinda cute with hot pink hair.
God's love, need I say more. Be still, my heart.
Addie reading books waiting to go POTTY.
Dress up with Lily and Addie, this is one of my new favorite pictures of the two of them together, they are so HAPPY with the best smiles!
They are sad that it is the last day - saying good bye
We love you Katy!
I left off August pics from our family reunion in July, and will have to make that a seperate post. As you know, when my mom is present, I have too many pictures to choose from (Um, as opposed to when she is not present?). But anyway. I'm getting there. Who knows, there could even be a day 9, GASP!
So 7 blogs in 7 days motivated me, it did, and even though, I'm not going to commit to any more days, I'm proud to say that this is day 8 in a row of blogging! :) As I looked back over August, it is sparse, and while each of these photos could be a post on their own, that's not happening so I chose a few of my favorites to share the month of August that I didn't already share in the sad 8 posts that I did write. Oh the freeing feeling of being almost caught up on something!
Barney and Addie at Chuck E. Cheese
Clifford and Addie at Chuck E Cheese. Clifford is Addie's favorite, both of the girls love him. We just found out that he will be coming to our children's museum from Oct - Feb, and both girls are so excited.
Pink Day with Katy - This was her last day. 
Silly Katy and Addie
Lily harvesting her tomatoes from the "miracle" tomato plant. I got this in my office for Earth day and it has been spilled and replanted, and broken more times that I can count, yet it has continued to produce tomatoes. Luckily Sabine likes tomatoes because no one else in the family eats them unless they are cooked. 
Katy and Lily fun fun fun
I NEVER want to let her go!
Lily at her last ballet class
Sabine and Addie watching Lily's last ballet class
More last ballet
The girls dancing at music in the park in West Linn. These dresses were SO awesome to wear to a crowded event like this. It was SO easy to spot them in the crowd with just a glance! 
Before the music started Lawrence and Sabine took them to the playground and waterpark. 
Wilsonville Family Carnival - this is a great FREE event for kids and families all around Portland. We went with Lawrence's parents who visited at the beginning of August. It was hot but we all had a blast. MORE Jumpy HOUSE! Lily is so sweet in the Jumpy houses by watching out for Addie and making sure she is safe. Addie's excited little voice exclaiming "DUMPY HOWZ" is so sweet! 
Crafting at the kids carnival
On a ride with dad at the kids carnival. He panicked half way through when Addie's eyes rolled back in her head and she looked like she was going to be sick. No more "teacup" type rides for Addie for a while. 
Our annual family picture with Lawrence's parents after brunch at our favorite, Hayden's by the Lake in Tualatin. Lily was being a stinker and I know we got a picture somewhere with her looking, maybe I'll find it and show the series.
Grandma letting mama sleep in AGAIN and downstairs reading to Addie. What a nice quiet sight to wake up to. And the coffee is always made. :)
They went to check out Katy's new apartment
The three of Katy, Addie, & Lily
This pink wig was such a HIT, trucker hat on top...BO_NUS!
Getting ready to take Lily to ballet. Over the summer the girls really became "Friends", they watch out for each other and hold hands voluntarily. Really it is adorable. 
Katy put a bun in Addie's hair too this day for Lily's ballet. So funny! She only kept it in for 3 minutes! :)
It even got to come home for a while. Don't tell Lawrence, but I think Lily looks kinda cute with hot pink hair. 
God's love, need I say more. Be still, my heart.
Addie reading books waiting to go POTTY.
Dress up with Lily and Addie, this is one of my new favorite pictures of the two of them together, they are so HAPPY with the best smiles! 
They are sad that it is the last day - saying good byeWe love you Katy!
I left off August pics from our family reunion in July, and will have to make that a seperate post. As you know, when my mom is present, I have too many pictures to choose from (Um, as opposed to when she is not present?). But anyway. I'm getting there. Who knows, there could even be a day 9, GASP!
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