Summer Time Fun

 This last week summer finally arrived to Western Washington!  My boys had been begging me to PLEASE pull out the slip and slide so we had some good outside fun one hot afternoon.

 Cooper loves to help Daddy mow the lawn.  He didn't really play in the water much, but had a good time playing out in the sun. The old red car is still a favorite of his.

 Colten had a blast sliding down the hill and then running  up through the water to get wetter and stay cooled off.

 Though Carson had been the one asking the most for the slip'n'slide, he tried it once and then complained about how his hair was getting wet. 

Carson got cold so he decided to be an "Army Guy" and dress up in all camo.  Even his hat and socks are camo colored. 

Now that we're home more our "summer routine" is happening.  The kids are starting to sleep in more and more, which is nice because then I can get 1/2 hour of quiet "me" time in after Tony leaves for work, but before I have to get boys breakfast and dressed.  My goal is that everyday we will do something to get us out of the house, whether really cool, or really small.  Today we went shopping and ran errands.  I'm hoping tomorrow we will go bike riding with my cousins.  The boys have been asking to play mini- golf so we'll go sometime next week, and a trip to the local farm (with fresh apple fritters) has to happen soon too.  I also got a link from a co-worker that every third Thursday, the Tacoma museums are FREE!  I'm looking into which museum would be best for all my boys and then we'll go for it!  I also hope we'll have some time for a trip to the zoo, maybe even NW Trek, or up to Mt. Rainier for some fun day trips.  The only bummer is that to avoid lots of the crowds we go early and during the week, so unfortunately Tony isn't able to have fun with us too.  Hopefully we can get in a good quad/camping trip so he can have some boy time. 

Smith Rock Race

 This last weekend the boys and I drove to Oregon to participate in the Smith Rock Sunrise running (well for us walking) race.  We did the 10k race with my Dad and Aunt Barb. Colten walked it with us and Dad pushed Carson in the jogging stroller.  Cooper stayed with my Aunt Fran so he could sleep in.

 Colten was the only kid to run (walk) the 10k, though lots of other kids competed in the 5k.  Colten was thrilled to win a medal for his age group.

 The rest of us didn't win any medals, but did enjoy the thrill of finishing a race with the family.  Even my grandmother finished the 5k walk!

 After the race we went back to the family's hotel and the kids cooled off in the pool.

 All us ladies got pedicures while the guys and boys went to a park. My color (blue flip-flop) was Limbo Bimbo, while my cousin Mandy's (green straps sandal) was Pool Boy Toy.  Such fun to remember our tastes in nail polish.

 No trip to Prineville is complete without a trip to their awesome city park.  My boys would spend hours there if possible.  Cooper still loves the swings.

 Carson was climbing the castle and Colten was heading for a bridge. It was a HOT but very fun weekend to get away from the cool wet weather. 

Camping trip #2- Dosewallips State Park

Last weekend the family went camping at Dosewallips State park. It is located up on Hood Canal. This place was a favorite campground of Tony's grandparents and it has been 10 years since we've camped there. I love that it has the river and beach all in view of the Olympic Mountains.

The boys all had a great time roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores. Cooper loved his first marshmallow, though it wasn't roasted.

Our second night there the ranger program was about fire prevention and the local group of national forest fighters brought their pump truck and gear. The firefighters even let all the kids have a chance spraying water with the hose. You can see the joy on Colten's face.

Smokey the Bear showed up at the end of the program and passed out goody bags and gave hugs to all the kids.

The river was running fast, high, and was very cold, so we didn't do much swimming, but we sure had a great time biking around the campground with the boys.

We returned to a BBQ at Ed & Melanie's. All the boys had fun with my cousins.

Catching my breath and catching up

School's been out for a week and a 1/2, but yesterday was really my first day of summer. Of course I was lazy and relaxed yesterday, but I realized I haven't updated my blog in a while. I've always looked forward to summer vacation as a time to sleep in, stay up late, and get all those projects done. It's also a time for me to visit family and friends and spend time with my boys. I know that summer started late for me thanks to those four snow-make-up days, but there is lots to catch up on. Last week was vacation bible school which I volunteered at, because if I volunteered, then Carson could attend. What did I do with the screamer (aka Cooper) you might wonder? I had him with me the entire time in the nursery. It worked out, but wasn't as great as I'd hoped because Cooper has some strange fever, but no other symptoms every day so he was super clingy. I wound up taking him to the doctor just to be sure I wasn't missing something, but he was all healthy, except for the fever. Naturally, the fever was gone the next morning and he's back to normal.
I'm pretty sure I posted pictures about our new kitten Blue, but the second week in June we adopted his brother Flash as well. Flash is all black but for a white spot on his chest. He was the last kitten left and our friends' dogs were scaring the poor guy and cornering him under their porch. So we decided to help him out and adopt him. He is so cute, but is still very skittish, especially around the kids and dogs. He remembers Blue and they are always wrestling and playing together. I happened to catch the cuddled up one time to get a picture. It's taken a while, but Flash is finally putting some weight on, though he is still smaller than Blue. He has also started snuggling with me in bed in the mornings. I didn't expect it at all, but he's a really sweet kitten and is becoming more settled in each day. Tony and I also bought a tent trailer to go camping in this summer (and hopefully many summers, springs, and autumns after this one). It doesn't look it, but it is big enough to sleep 5 people, has a kitchen and small bath. It also has a cargo rack on the front to hold our three quads. Tony and I were looking for a toy hauler (RV that holds quads) but were stuck because our jeep (which we're keeping) only tows a small amount of weight. All the bigger toy haulers were our of our price and weight range, but then we saw this. Being a tent trailer it is light enough, but still fits our size family. We took it camping over the 4th of July weekend with some friends and had a good time. There are still a few kinks to work out and some calls to the dealer to make, but over all it was comfortable. It isn't big by any means. The fridge, stove, and sink in the kitchen are tiny, but work, and the toilet works, but the shower is more of a sitting shower than a real shower. The biggest challenge for me was how to fit everything we need to camp into the small space in the trailer when it is down. I managed it and it'll get easier each time we camp. We've got several other dates for camping already planned later this summer and I'm hoping to schedule a few for the fall also. The weekend before the 4th of July our family went camping with some friends at their vacation cabin on the Satsop River. It was great for the kids to ride quads and play on the beach down by the river. Tony tried catching crawdads, since we'd seen tons of them there last time, but he only caught one. The boys also played in the dirt, played games, and were typical boys. I liked that Colten and Carson each had a friend their age to play with and do things with. It was also great to sit and visit with our friends. Things have gotten so busy these last few months for us.The boys enjoyed 4th of July at my parents house. My brother and sis-in-law bought lots of fireworks and had a great time setting them off. Colten was super into picking out which fireworks to set off next, but Carson was scared and stuck close to Tony and I. Cooper was scared by the noise, so he spent most of the time cuddled up with my mom or me while we were setting things off, then went home early with Tony and went to bed.

Tomorrow I'm leaving again for Oregon where my Dad's family is all (me included) walking in the Smith Rock 1/2 marathon. I'm pushing Cooper in the stroller for the 5k. The boys and I'll be back Monday and then we have a going away party for some friends, more camping, Cooper's birthday party, more camping, more camping, then school starts. I'm trying to find time to see movies I want (Cars 2 and Harry Potter) also sorting through all the boys clothes and getting more baby stuff packed up. I also need to get my office put back into a guest room and purge through my closet. So much for sleeping in!

Spring Break 2011

Our spring break started at the train station in Centrailia, on the Amtrak to Albany, a few nights with my Grandma Montgomery, then a few nights at my grandparents in McMinnville, then home for Colten's 8th birthday party. Good busy fun for all

Call me crazy

This last weekend was a four (five) day weekend for my family. Where did I go you might ask? Tucson, Arizona to visit my in-laws, with my kids and estranged husband.
See, crazy! Tony and I bought tickets (non-refundable) for this trip back in October. We talked about what to do and decided it would be a cool vacation for the boys and some time for us to spend with them as a family.
It all went surprisingly well. Hotels were great, planes left on time, family members were wonderful and left the subject of our marriage alone. The only thing that could have been better was the weather. The first three days we were in Tucson it was cold, windy, and often raining. Only on Monday was the sun out in full force. It was so nice to feel the sunshine!
Tony and I managed to focus on the kids and keeping them occupied, so we didn't really spend much time alone with each other or even talk about us. Neither of us got much sleep since Carson and Cooper woke us up several times in the night.
My in-laws were wonderful. They fed us, let us stay with them, and even planned out activities for us to do down there. The Desert Museum was windy, but a really great combination zoo/museum. Colten had especially wanted to see tarantulas and rattle snakes while we were visiting and he was able to see plenty of them, all behind glass walls. Carson really liked the turtles and frogs. He even chose a stuffed turtle he calls "Digger" from the gift shop. Colten wanted a cactus so he got a small (4" tall) Saguaro for at home. He already watered it too. We've had the discussion about how he needs to wait an entire month before watering it again.
Another day the boys all went to the Pima Air Museum to look at old airplanes and the girls went to Tubac, an artsy historic town. On the coldest (and windiest) day we got together with Tony's family and my parents to celebrate Carson's 4th birthday. It was simple, but great fun. Carson really liked his cake and didn't complain about not having lit candles (the wind was blowing too hard).
Normally I'd post pictures of the trip, but I left my camera at home. I was able to take pictures with my MIL's camera, but I don't have those yet so you'll have to make do with your imagination. It was interesting to leave the sun and come back to the snow.

Never a dull moment!

You would think that not working and staying at home would give me more time to get things done, but I seem to be busier than when I'm working! This last week Carson started pre-school, finally. I was the bad mom who didn't register him early enough last spring and he was wait listed for the summer. I had accepted that Carson, who really, really, wanted to go to school, was instead going to have to wait until next year. Then I got a phone call from the school director telling me she had enough interested students to start another class. Carson was so excited to finally be going to school. He goes on Monday and Friday afternoons. My Aunt Sandy bought all three boys these great monster truck hoodies (Cooper's is still a little big, but not for long!).

Cooper likes to talk to anyone who will listen and commands attention regularly.

Saturday we went to Lattin's Cider Mill and Farm with Ed and Jackie to enjoy fresh made doughnuts and hot apple fritters. The farm makes these fresh each Saturday morning and the boys and I often escape the house to get some. The farm also has a variety of animals to see and feed. The boys always like seeing the baby chicks and ducklings.
The goats and sheep are also fun to feed. The farm has a platform goats can climb up and people can send food up to the top in a bucket on a rope. One goat has figured out how to pulley the bucket up by itself, lipping the rope and pulling it up. The boys enjoyed putting food in the bucket and watching the goat feed itself.

Saturday night we celebrated all the October birthdays in our family. There were three of us with birthdays this week. My grandma is October 2nd, cousin Olivia is the 4th, and I turn 32 on the 5th. My uncle made a delicious halibut dinner, while the kids played and Cooper was passed around for snuggles.