RoyalMom

I'm thinking I should have waited until afternoon to take this pic! hahaha! three ragamuffins with pained looks on their faces.

Finally we can enjoy the fun things in town without the crowds. Library, pool, parks, zoo...the world is our oyster, here we come! They slept in until 9:30, ate homemade chocolate muffins and dove right in to video games.

Later we'll take a trip to the library and stop by the pool to sign up for the homeschool swim lessons.

Our new deck has taken the entire summer and is still not finished. It's getting close though and we hired out for a patio under the deck to place the hot tub on and some extra seating.

We'll have a nice sidewalk from the driveway to the patio and another little path to a second set of stairs to the deck.

There was a "not back to school day" at the Oaks park. I have lived here my entire life and never been to this establishment. The proximity to the river was nice but it was still an annoying carnival. The kids had a blast and that's what counts:)

Before we headed out I brushed the boys hair and decided to straighten Xan's hair for fun. It was so different to him he started to cry. All was good when he was assured a simple run through the water would bring his curlies back.

Isaac has always wondered what it'd be like to ride on a big yellow school bus and today was the day he got to find out.

$2 zoo day was jam packed and busses shuttled us in from a further parking lot...

A long line...so many people, lots of homeschoolers.

Always a transformer in hand.

Best friends:)

One of the two young roosters went to the feed store for sale today. The other slipped out of the transport box and I couldn't catch him again so he's still here.

I think I will work up the courage to butcher him myself. I really wanted to...to experience and gain appreciation for where our food comes from and what it takes to get it. and next year I want to plant my first vegetable garden.

we'll see...

This time three nights on the beach and it was a ton of fun. Campfire cooking, strolls on the beach, kite flying, dune climbing, crab hunting.

Trying to spot a sea lion.

See the starfish?

little crabs under every rock during low tide.

Climbing the dune to a small lake and rope swing.

The ride home, just a small spot left for the dog.

Isaac and Xan last year (and two years before that!). Poor Isaac is now too big for the Old Navy costumes. he wanted one so much. We'll be checking around for a special one just for him.

Smile!

I'll make Simon smile...

I bought the book Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon and we've already crossed two off the list.

Today we did the Wahclella Falls trail and then stopped in the Bonneville dam and fish hatchery. They were harvesting the adult salmon so we got to see the assembly line bringing the fish down, sending them through a shoot and tossing them into the bins of ice. cool stuff!

Simon giving me a heart attack walking along the edge of the cliff and refusing to hold my hand. Thank goodness for the baby carrier!

slug!

On Sauvie's Island..."an island on an island."

We got out of the car too soon and walked down the road...oops!

....but it gave us a chance to see if we could throw rocks into the pond. It would have required a super powered throw, to cover the distance, and not a single one made it in.

Several times I'd look back to find Simon squatting down poking the ground with a stick or grabbing up dirt. We're definitely the tortoise and not the hare in this race:)

This view was AMAZING! Three mountains on the horizon. The kid's feet and shoes were sucked up by the mud. It was an adventure.

Unfortunately the last two of three miles were one monotonous stretch of mowed out grassy trail, completely level. This would have been great for a pleasant stroll and gab session amongst adults but the kids need more excitement to keep them going.

Xander was getting really hot and tired. If there were any wild animals to be seen they would have heard Xander's loud protests way before we could ever spot them. Isaac, at this point in the trail, said, can we never come here again?

The most adorable 1965 Winnebago camping trailer! The kids and I are looking forward to some overnight adventures soon. Hopefully I can fine tune my hitching skills. It doesn't look easy. Too bad it's not magnetic;)

here's the inside...

...working on a session:)

Some friends let us know about a little open house, of sorts, at a local alpaca farm. We got to ooh and aaah at all the new babies and dig our fingers through the soft wool. We watched the spinners working the wool and enjoyed the outdoors.

They had a drawing in the works for picking out a name for one baby. Xander was very excited to come up with a name and wrote this...

("Cuddley") Yeah, I know, not even close but I love that he went for it anyway:) He also wanted me to write in "Little Basketball." I don't know that we'll ever find out if his names were chosen.

The kids and I did the 3/4 mile hike into the Ape cave, lava tube today. It's a childhood favorite of mine! Pitch black with an icy breeze, it's an unusual adventure.

There is a longer, more difficult path but no way the kids can make that trip yet. Actually, they might be able to do it but I couldn't climb up and down all the rock piles with Simon on my back.

After 1.5 miles over 1.5 hours (yeah, we're slow!) the first signs of natural light streaming through the mouth of the cave is such a thrill for the kids. :)