Ocean 2012

One of the more expensive parts of being married to me is that I require a yearly trip to the ocean. To feel the ocean, walk on the ocean, hear the ocean; it sets my heart at ease.

Sometimes the trip there is not as easy as it would seem. A week before we left, strep throat started running through our house. I got all kids on antibiotics before we left on Monday. BUT, by the time we hit Tri-Cities on Monday morning, I was crying in pain. :( After an hour of signing up for temporary insurance in Oregon (because Group Health hates me), I got my meds and in 24 hours was a much better person.

On the way down we stopped at Multnomah Falls. It was a wonderful stop except that I had spent so much time with insurance on the phone sitting in the car with the doors open that I drained the battery. Thank goodness for nice people with jumper cables!

This year we rented a vacation house with our good friends the Worthy's and stayed in Lincoln City for nearly a week. It was really a wonderful vacation. Here are some highlights.

As soon as we got there we went running on the beach. The girls loved running with Kyle.

 It was low-tide so we found starfish.

We went to another beach that Beth had heard about and it was amazing. There was a massive dune that we crawled up.

 Once at the top there was a cool tree...perfect for a picture.

 And a ledge for posing on.

Thomas loves walking on the beach just as much as his mama. We walked for hours. Sometimes we got goofy.

We went back to the "dune beach"at low-tide and the tidepools were amazing. This time we brought fishing nets (from the dollar store) and buckets and the kids spent hours catching fish and crabs. So much fun!

The kids made a pyramid on the beach.

We went BACK up the dune and jumped off the little cliffs.

Molly waited until I'd already done a trip up that darn dune before she decided she HAD to go up and jump too. Ack! But, we'll just chalk that up to good quality mama/daughter time. To be fair, she had a blast and kept jumping off higher and higher cliffs until I was no longer comfortable!

On the fourth day, Katie realized she does in fact like that water and the beach.

Last day family picture.

On the way home we stopped at the fish hatchery at the Bonneville Dam. The kids did great and the trip ended on a happy note. What a great vacation!

 

 

Cherish the Moments

You might think that the phrase "cherish the moments" applies mostly to parents and their children. But not in our house. Today Thomas was having a moment because his sisters were being annoying. I pulled him up on my lap and we had a chat.

I explained that after this summer he and Joshua will be in school full-time and that they will never ever get this time back. The girls will miss them and get bigger and life will change. But this moment...is precious.

I told him how I hope and pray that I played and enjoyed my time with my brother when we were this age. Thomas asked me, "Do you miss him?" I replied, "Yes. Very much. We use to do so much together. But now we're married and have families. Life changes." His eyes welled up with tears and he gave me a big hug.

I explained that when I was a kid I thought my brother was annoying too. And even more, that he thought I was annoying too!!! When I asked, "Can you believe that?" Joshua eagerly jumped in the conversation to say, "Yes!I can believe it. You are annoying. Like when you talk...." Um.....thanks Joshua! He went on to say that it was annoying when I talked to other adults and he wanted to talk to me too. :)

I told the boys to cherish the moment. Love those girls. Those two little girls look at the boys with such big and happy eyes. They miss Thomas and Joshua while they are at school. The reunion is so sweet. But right now, it's summer, the girls are little, and this is the time to really love each other and enjoy our time together.

You might think that "cherish the moment" applies to parents and children but it doesn't. It applies to everyone. Cherish this moment. Whatever it is. Whomever your with. You won't get this moment back.

STP 2012

Another great year of cheering daddy on for his bike ride from Seattle to Portland. Of course, we took the short route and met him in Portland at the finish line!

On the way to Portland we stopped at Hood River (my personal favorite stop)

Our sand castle

Dan didn't get into the finish line until 11:30 PM. BUT, we had our signs made and met him nonetheless. I won't try to say that we were all awake though.

We stopped at Hood River again on the way home. This time it was colder and we were all exhausted, but we never turn down sand and sun!

Nothing happier than a boy and his stick.

Caught another awesome Molly pose.

Katie......

We proclaim this island "Domrese Island" and we shall stake it for our own.

Just a brisk walk on the beach.

Flying Through the Air

Days at the river make everyone happy. The new thing is to fly through the air off the dock or otherwise. It's really fun to watch. Here's the highlight reel:

Independence Day 2012

Independence day is a predictable day for us. River and fireworks.

This year we asked our friend's Lauren & Phil with daughter Sami out to the river to hang with us. Uncle David also came out for some quality time at the river. Here are some highlights.

The kayaks are always a big hit.

Swimming is also a big hit.

And then the beach provides entertainment too.

If not at the beach, the toys by the house are fun too.
(But take your eyes off them one second and you can be surprised at what they come up with!)

The annual fourth of July picture.

Uncle David is an absolute favorite!!! (The boys even got to go for a ride in his jeep!)

The end of the night was spent with cousins at grandma Patti's work watching fireworks. (The girls didn't make it that late, but the boys had a blast!!)

Park Playdate (One of Many) 2012

Today was a cold one! Apparently early July is not reliable for warm weather! It was overcast but became cool and windy.

Katie decided she liked the splash pad even though it was freezing! At least she had it to herself!

Molly has the best facial expressions and sometimes I catch them on film!!

The boys are obsessed with warrior training. Here is a glimpse of life as a ninja-in-training.

And some candids of the kids. Can't seem to get a picture of them actually looking at me anymore!