Out "adventuring"

It started as one of those lazy-day Saturdays without ambition or plan. But we decided that we should give up our homebody status for a day and go be spontaneous. So we threw the kids in the car and went exploring or "adventuring" as the girls called it. We took off down the Fruit Loop and stopped at a number of farms ...

This was the view, by the way, behind that swing:

I could've stood right here all day. It smelled incredible. We did leave this stand with the best homemade, half-frozen apple cider we've ever tasted. Yum.

And the kids got to feed the kids, and later a bunch of alpacas, which I didn't take any photos of, even though the 3 week-old alpaca babies were adorable.

Dude was very interested in the animals unless they came too close. The mama pig made him quite nervous.

Down the road a ways we found a great playground at some park/campground area, which was of course, gorgeous.

And Buddy finally got to get out of the stroller, for which he was quite happy.

We couldn't believe the views. This was just us stopping at some deserted intersection in the middle of nowhere to take a picture. Can't imagine waking up and seeing this out your window every morning!

Then we decided to stop by the beach in Hood River so the girlies could see all the river action. It was unbelievable. These guys are nuts! And those things are HUGE! And there was just this constant flow of people coming in and going out, just a mass of humanity. The energy was awesome.

I'm not sure the girls cared much though. They played in the water, oblivious to anything else. And after a really, really hot day getting in and out of the car, I don't much blame them.

The best thing of all about the day ... the kids were amazing. They were so good, no complaining, no fighting, no crying - even with us having neglectfully left our backpack full of treats and drinks and extra diapers on the kitchen table. Brilliant move. Way to go me. But to top it all, on the way home the girls shouted, "this was the best adventure day EVER!" Ahh, sweet redemption. No mention of missing rice krispie treats in their prayers that night. Ha! In fact, M said the family prayer and listed individually every single thing done, including things like finding a shell in the river. It was a really long prayer for a little girl, and it made the whole day really, really worth it for her parents!

Never quite enough

We had a really full day today. We started slow like always but did manage to clean 2 rooms, do Pilates, play with princesses and color some. And, of course, we went on the much-anticipated walk/bike ride/scooter ride to J's school to see her new classroom for the first time ... in the heat of the day. We then jumped in the car and met daddy for lunch and walked through The Dalles Art Center's local show. Then we went to the library and checked out a bunch of great new books. Then we came home and ate second lunch and made awesome slushies in our ice-cream maker that we enjoyed on the porch. Then the girls watched How to Train Your Dragon while Buddy and I took naps. Then we had first dinner - enchiladas ... yum! Then while Coop and I went to a work related meeting, the girls played at a neighbor's house and had a ball. Then we rushed home and they had second dinner because they were still a little hungry. I was feeling pretty good about things. During family prayer though, J asked, "and please, please help mommy to remember to make rice krispie treats tomorrow like she promised to do today." Ouch. Really? That's the lasting impression of the day? Sigh. Guess the day wasn't quite as complete as I'd thought. Maybe I won't try as hard tomorrow :)

Fun times to be had

 So I know I already posted about our girl's birthday, but I did have to add this one pic of the two of them in front of the incredibly colorful cake, courtesy of Grammy and Safeway.

Then, in anticipation of this dude's birthday (which believe it or not is next month!!!!!), and because of a great deal on Craigslist we scored this fantastic play set. I know we technically should've waited until the big day but then we would've missed a month of good summer days to play on it, so we didn't wait. This pic was just cause the guy is adorable. The rest are as promised so you can see what it looks like and how much fun they're having. When I showed J a pic of it before we had it, she said, "looks like it's for babies." Her initial snootiness has not, however, stopped her from climbing over every inch of it. They all love it. It will be both better and worse once dude can maneuver around it more on his own. For now he needs my help, but on the plus side, that also means, he only goes where I want him to. I don't see that being true in the near future. Ah well.

I think it's great!

She's 6!

The long-awaited birthday has finally happened. J turned 6 today. We have been counting down for a long time. She has been very extremely eager to be 6, especially because she's always the last of her friends to reach the milestone. That's what happens when your birthday is like a week before the school cut-off date. And having this birthday is very important in so many ways. Turning 6 means you get to go to 1st grade, which is both exciting and a little sad "because grades aren't as fun as kindergarten." Turning 6 is "probably why (she) was able to be patient for the first time tonight while waiting for help at dinner." Turning 6 means you should definitely start losing some teeth soon, "please mom, won't I ever lose any teeth (not looking good)?" Turning 6 means you're big enough and responsible enough to clean your room without assistance - okay so that's something I'm excited about and pushing pretty hard while she's less certain of that milestone. Turning 6 means the world to our little girl, who's not actually so little anymore. Turning 6 is really hard on mom and dad, because we don't know how it could've happened so fast, and are terrified that the next 6 will go just as fast and then where will be? I'm so not ready to go back to middle school. But I do so love this girl! I love her smile and her crazy contagious laugh. I love her spontaneity and quirky sense of humor. I love how much she cares about everyone and is sensitive to their feelings. I love how loving she is to her siblings and how she never complains when I ask her for help with her brother and with getting something when I don't have enough hands. I love her faith. I love her cuddling up beside me for no reason other than she wants to be near me. I love that she's not too old for that yet. Happy Birthday Red!

(additional baby pics for sentimental purposes. Mom is feeling it. Sniff sniff. Giggle giggle.)

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream for lunch, anyone?

 Why have we never done this before??? It was so incredibly yummy, creamy, and rich. Red ate half of hers and was done, so Blondie finished them both off. No surprise there.

And yes, it's lunchtime and M is wearing her jammies and J is wearing who know's what in the middle of a warm summer day. So?

Best $8 I ever spent!

So it's a bit hotter here in The Dalles than it had been in Sammamish. Ever. The first few days we were here I had to keep convincing the girls that they didn't need long pants and sweat shirts on. It is summer after all. And here it even feels like it. So to celebrate, and to survive, we ran to Freddie's and bought a little pool. It's super cute and is a major hit. This is basically what we are always doing. The girls were in it before 10 the other day. And why not. Even Buddy gets in on the action (he discovered he can climb in and out by himself, which he then proceeded to do back and forth for the next 20 minutes. Hey, he was happy). Ah, aren't the darling?

Little Man gets lots of help.

And lots of loving. Too much sometimes.

But he is one cool dude.

And the kiddie slide even fits right into the equation, adding even more fun unless the boy won't get out of the way. Oh, and that is some CRAZY hair!

Ah, so cute. She's really into posing for the camera lately and is always demanding that I go put the picture on the blog ASAP. She wants you all to see. She's very selfless like that. Always thinking of others.

Ball Players ... or something

So I know there are WAY too many of these pics but when I was trying to narrow the field a bit, I realized that they are so funny precisely because there are so many of them. I am not at all offended if you do not make it through, but if you're in need of a good laugh, make sure to focus on the facial expressions and keep an eye on where the ball was (you'd be the only one doing so).

#1 - It's important to pose. Being cute is everything in this sport.

#2 - Keep your eye on the ball ... or at the very least, keep them open.

#3 - Keep both hands on the bat ... unless you're going for that new one-handed swing you hear so much about these days.

#4 - Stare down that ball. And the pitcher. Give them your angry eyes.

#5 - Your really angry eyes. 

#6 - Swing at anything. You never know.

#7 - Enjoy what you're doing. Especially when the catcher gets hit.

#8 - Concentrate. 

#9 - Focus. The bigger your eyes are, the better.

#10 - Don't forget your angry eyes. It's all about intimidation.

#11 - Point to the ball. That's what your bat is for.

#12 - Laugh out loud. 

See rule #2

#13 - Be prepared when playing Catcher. The farther you back up, the less likely you are to be hit.

And just in case you thought my kids had stolen all the talent, here's some of my stellar nieces and nephew.

Good times. Hope you smiled.