Summer Recap 3.0

The annual visit from the cousins!!

It all goes by so fast...

My kids look forward to the annual visit from the cousins almost as much as they look forward to their birthdays.  And I look forward to it much much more than my birthday.  The only down side to the visit is that we pack so much into it that before we know it they're boarding their plane for home.  This year my fab sister and I did a driving tour of Wa101, nearly completing the full northern loop.  We overnighted in the Hoh River Rainforest and then met up with the rest of the family at Seabrook.  Later in the visit we spent tons of time camping (and fishing).  We BBQ'd with the extended family and partied in the backyard whenever we could.  It was glorious.  I can't wait for the visit next summer!

My sis and my baby.

The crazy first borns.

Spooky rainforest.

The furry jungle

As green above as it is green underneath.

The Hoh River.

It just goes, and goes, and goes...

My sister, keeping me laughing.

A key hole at Ruby Beach.

Random find: Ruby Beach.  Perhaps the best
beach in Washington.

Beauty.

More of Ruby Beach.

Hitchin' a ride.

Such brilliant kids we have.

Crazy kids, that water was FREEZING.

 But they were successful.
(He went back in the hole)

Illegal clam diggers.

My Mama

Pure Joy

Summer snow on the pass as we headed
to the campground.

Hitchin' another ride.

Exhausted hikers.

Ready.

Patiently waiting for her first fish.  It didn't happen.

Summer Recap 2.0

As June wrapped up and we headed into July, we filled our days with outings.  The Pacific Science Center, as always is one of my favorites.  Followed up of course with a trip to the fountain.  

A camouflage Tula

Tula wasn't exactly sold on the fountain.

One of her very favorite places.

She could have ran around that
fountain all day long.

I love that smile!

Movie time!

Summer Recap 1.0

We left T-town in great spirits...

But oh, how things did deteriorate.  We all felt how she looks
here, on that never ending car ride.

In mid June, over father's day weekend we went to Portland for the Disaster Relief Trials. The drive down there was a bear but once we arrived, Portland greeted us with open arms.  (Really the drive would have been fine if not for stopping in the wrong tiny town for a snack break.  The town we were led to via divine luck just so happened to be having a parade at the very moment that we pulled off the freeway.  Before we knew any better we were locked into that town for over an hour. UGH.) Once back on the road we all were ready for the big bridge and the welcome to Oregon sign.  Once over the bridge we headed straight to OMSI where we spent a lovely afternoon after that awful car ride.  We hit up the HUB brewery for dinner which was fantastic.  Matt had a great time doing the ride on sunday, while we ladies got ourselves lost trying to find the zoo. Not to worry, though we are very skilled at getting lost we are even better at eventually finding our way.  Once we made it there, we had a surprisingly uneventful and pleasant time at the Oregon Zoo.  

Moods improved when we got to OMSI.  Here Tula is
checking out somebody else's ride.

Fantastic Pizza dinner at the HUB brewery.

Food Truck breakfast before the zoo. Delish.

This may be the only time they stopped
moving.

Obviously Tula didn't stop moving
for long.

Hubs looking ever-so homeless after the Disaster Relief Trials.
To his credit, it was hot outside and he had just biked 100lbs of
cargo all over PDX. So, I guess there's that. 

Ya get it?

On our way home from a recent road trip, we made an emergency stop at a craft store.  Yes, it was an emergency.  Sanity was on the line.  We picked up 200 pipe cleaners and two tiny styrofoam parakeets from the clearance bin. This $5 purchase enabled us to drive from Yakima to Tacoma without anyone losing their mind.  They made birdcages and bird beds and bird blankets and all things bird related with the pipe cleaners and brainstormed good bird names for their new pets.  Tula was struggling with a name for her bird and in trying to help her I rattled off a few names...

Me: "George, Sophie, Roberta?"
Tula: "No, that's not it."
Gwen: "Very funny, Mom."  
Me: "What?"
Gwen: "Roberta?"
Me: "I don't get it."
Gwen: "Ra-bird-a. Gah, mom really."  
Tula: "Ra-BIRD-a! Ya get it?" Laughter on top of laughter. 
Gwen: Eye rolling and laughing in a car full of laughter.

I wasn't even trying, but man am I glad these kids get our jokes.