Pacific Northwest 2009... In Text

Just the other night as I was working with the girls on their homework... trying to wrap up on the work that they missed. It was then that I realized that I needed to get the basics of the trip written down before I forget. I haven't even gotten to the pictures yet!

About the homework though... we had high hopes of getting it all done before we even left. Especially since they had a couple days off of school! We knew that we would all be tired and it would be hard to get back into routines upon our return. But it just didn't happen. Sure, we could have made it happen but it just didn't and it will all be good. Their teachers had absolutely no worries about them missing a few days of school! Thank goodness they had a great start on their homework (a great way to kill airport time!) but there were still several more pages to complete.

After book club we sat down with them and they knocked out their regular homework (to stay current) and several more pages from what they missed last week. It didn't take all that long and we called it quits come dinner time. They were able to turn in their entire folder by the end of the week. Unfortunately we didn't get to these pages before we left! We discovered that part of the material covered last week tied right into our vacation and the things we experienced. At least we were able to say "remember when we saw.... ". Made for great conversation!

So what did we see and do???

Saturday (Valentine's Day) was our day to fly out. Our tickets were booked for a late flight but we managed to fly standby and got in about 3 1/2 hours earlier. Thank goodness! The airplane flights and the train ride (Seattle airport) are tops on Spencer's list of favorite things we did. And the final hour-ish of the flight into Seattle would be the only time that the boy slept on any part of our travels. And slept he did! He was so passed out that I carried him through the airport, on the train ride, and all the way to baggage claim where he slept and slept and slept while we sorted out our luggage deal and van rental.

Sunday - Carie, Spencer & I took care of baggage stuff at the airport (giving the boy extra airport time) and exchanged our van rental while Grandpa, Yia Yia and the girls went to Tumwater Falls. After lunch we dropped off extra vehicles at Carie's Granddad's house and then we began our journey to the beach! That afternoon just before sunset we pulled off in Lincoln City to have our first of many beach experiences. We were all in heaven! We then stopped for dinner in Depoe Bay before heading onto the final destination... our beach/house rental in Newport.

Monday - The great thing about the time change was that sleeping in still meant a great start to the day! After breakfast Grandpa and I took the kids to the nearby beach while Carie and her mom made a quick trip to the store to beef up our food supplies. After spending the morning at the beach we had lunch and moved onto more adventures.

After lunch we visited the park with the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. With the nice weather we kept our adventures outdoors. We timed our arrival such that we could explore the natural tidepools. Walking on the lava rocks at Cobble Beach was also way cool. While it was hard work walking across the rocks, it was a really cool experience. As Yia Yia put it, the rocks talked to you as you walked on them. We opted to visit the lighthouse the next day when the weather was more questionable.

Next stop was "old town" Newport. I'd also refer to it as their Pier. I'm not sure what it is officially called. We were entertained by enormous sea lions yapping at each other and their onlookers, the masses of boats, shops, and a fish processing place. We watched guys bring in tons of fish, saw the fish go through some washing process (slimy!) and fly off this conveyer belt into huge bins, then saw forklifts moving those bins all around. Fascinating stuff... but the smell was overwhelming to say the least.

Carie and Spencer then went back to the house to rest. I offered to stay back with him but she insisted! This would be the only day of the entire trip that he would nap. The nap was a good thing! While they were resting we took the girls over to The Port of Newport Public Fishin Pier where people were crabbing. That was quite fascinating. They got to see folks loading up their baskets with bait, tossing them in, checking on them, etc... At the end of the dock there was a group of guys (likely drunk) sitting back, shooting the breeze, and waiting for their catch. In front of them they had several star fish that they had caught and didn't (but should have) release. The girls were of course instantly attracted! The guys quickly caught onto this and offered them up to the girls. Uh... no! After several more trips to check out these star fish they return with the littlest (and cutest) one in hand. It looks quite... well... not with us. Yia Yia agrees to hold onto it for now and the girls are over the moon excited. They also saw several other folks catch star fish in their baskets and throw them back in.

We then ended up at the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center. This was a pretty cool place! We happened to talk to one of the volunteers about this star fish and after a great Q&A dialogue we decided that it was still best to return it to its home. The girls were quite sad to say the least. Ellie (all teary eyed) asked the volunteer if we could give the star fish to her to take care of. Unfortunately they had plenty of star fish and didn't need any more. So we proceeded through the museum and enjoyed many of the exhibits. One of my favorite memories from this place will be Abby and the crabs. There was a huge tank with a few huge fish in it and at the bottom was a lone crab. Abby knelt down next to the tank and started talking to the crab. She was talking to it and doing some crazy hand motions. Next thing I know the crab is responding to her! The crab got up on its back claws and was totally interacting to Abby. After they had interacted with each other for a good long while Abby moved on to check out other things. Then Abby got Ellie's attention and they both went back to check out the crab. Abby showed Ellie how she talked to the crab the first time and the crab was quick to respond again. They both had so much fun!

After the marine center closed we took our star fish friend and returned him to the water. Then we headed back to the shop area to give Abby & Ellie a chance to spend their vacation and allowance money they had brought. Then it was time to call it a day! We returned to the house, vegged, played, grilled dinner, played some more and called it a night. The kids had so much fun playing hide and seek! It was so nice that they could run around and just be kids!

Tuesday - After breakfast we made our way back to the park where the Yaquina Head Lighthouse is located. We looked around the grounds a bit and spotted a Bald Eagle, one of many that we spotted throughout the trip. Then we headed inside the light house to catch the tour that was about to begin. It was quite a fascinating tour! As part of the tour we got to climb all the way to the top of the light house. The guide was really great with our kids (the only kids there). He engaged them and asked them questions, questions that they were able to answer. Surprised the pants off some of the other visitors. One thing he said that they thought was so exciting (and had nothing to do with the actual light house) was that "you are smarter than most 12 year olds". Man they thought that was funny and they didn't forget it for a good long while.

The day was a bit overcast (and we were looking for a little less walking than the day before) so we took a little trip up to Tillamook to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We had been there before and while it doesn't sound all that thrilling, the kids have a fantastic time. They still talk about all the different parts of the cheese process. Even better, we get to enjoy the absolute best cheese and ice cream! Oh man that ice cream is the best! Too bad it doesn't travel well... but thank goodness cheese does! Oh man it is so good.

That afternoon we stopped at another beach on our way home. The kids collected some fantastic shells (nearly filling their buckets) and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the sun set while the waves crashed against the coastal line. It was here that Grandpa wrote the kids names in the sand (Spencer always had a stick!) and they watched the water come up and wash them away. Grandpa would tell the kids that the ocean was taking their name and would always remember them. Spencer especially thought this was way cool.

We picked up some pizza for dinner and headed back to the house for the night. The kids played another exciting round of hide and seek.

Wednesday - This is the morning I don't want to ever forget. After breakfast we loaded up the van to begin the next phase of our journey. I would have loved to have stayed longer, but 3 nights on the coast is all that we had time for. Before heading out we stopped at a beach we had been meaning to get to over the prior days. The sun was out and the sky was beautiful. This was our final ocean experience of the trip, a time to say goodbye for now. Abby had been begging to take her sandals off and if there was a time to do it, this was the time. She quickly learned that it was still too cold to walk barefoot! Seriously though, the Pacific Ocean - especially Pacific Northwest - is not a prime place to go wading... any time of year. But that didn't stop them from pushing the boundaries and going in farther and farther each time the waves came in. All was okay since we had clean and dry pants, socks and shoes at the ready. They were in the ocean and loving it! They didn't seem to mind the frigid temps! Their lips didn't seem to turn blue. Ellie wasn't so sure about getting in; after all it was cold, wet, and dirty. All things she cares about. Then Abby started dancing in the ocean because really she could care less about the wet and dirty part. I could have stood there and watched her for hours on end. She was having the time of her life!

Then at some point the tide started to turn and the water came up farther. We were all moving back up the beach... to stay on the dry side of the water’s edge. The kids knew the drill and they were paying attention. They were running to stay on top of the water. Then Spencer fell and Carie ran in and got him... one more person with wet shoes, socks and (slightly wet) pants. Carie was thrilled! Just as we were wrapping up and getting ready to go Abby fell (and recovered nicely) and ended up soaked herself. Neither one of them cared much that they got so soaked. Though the process of getting everyone into dry clothes is a time that I will very happily forget.

After saying goodbye to the ocean we were on our way. Next stop Grandpa & Yia Yia's house! But on the way we stopped at a park to see Multnomah Falls... the 2nd highest year-round waterfall in the United States. It was a beautiful park with an incredible waterfall. While the kids did super fantastic on every leg of our travels, that was a nice break in the drive.

Thursday - Grandpa & Yia Yia gave us a scenic tour where we got to see a portion of the Oregon Trail followed by a trip to the Columbia River and the McNary Dam. I also loved hearing Spencer talk about the Umatilla River. That afternoon the kids enjoyed vegging out, playing Webkinz hide and seek and reading. They also sorted through their sandy and smelly beach buckets. They set all their shells and drift wood out on benches to evaluate and select the precious few to take home. Yia Yia plans on packing up the rest to mail to us! That evening we had a great home cooked meal. Then we assisted the kids in glazing some special ceramic pieces that Yia Yia picked out for them from Carie's Granddad's place.

Friday - After sleeping in a bit and having a fantastic breakfast we loaded up to begin our journey back to Seattle. En route we stopped at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. The kids had a fantastic time feeding the fish and ducks. There were tons of salmon and even more empty tanks. The weather was wonderful, the sun was shining, the grounds were green and beautiful. This was a really cool place to stop and stretch.

Saturday - We checked out of our hotel and headed to Pike Place Market and on the way we spotted the Space Needle (of particular interest to Abby). It was fun to walk through the market with the kids and they each collected new and very cool souvenirs.

That afternoon it was time to begin our journey home. By about 2 - 2:30 we made it to the airport to return the van. Our flight left at 5:00 Pacific Time. With a short layover in Denver our flight was scheduled to land in Omaha at 12:09 am Central Time. We were on time if not a bit early on all our flights that evening.

Sunday – A total lounge day! We all slept in. We vegged out and caught up on our favorite shows that we missed. The kids took marathon baths, played, read, and simply relaxed. We left the luggage alone... after all most everything was clean! I was happy to leave all the sand and smelly ocean water in Oregon. Or so we thought! We opened up the container with their selected shells and the odor was amazing.

Throughout the entire trip Spencer's favorite words were strange and gross. Try it; you can use them in almost any sentence!

Almost a week later and I just downloaded all the photos... all 651 of them! It didn't feel like I took that many. After looking through them pretty quickly I noticed quite a few pics taken from a small child perspective. I can't wait to go through them to make our selections for our album.

We Made It!

It is roughly 11:50 pm Saturday night. We are on our last leg of the trip home after a tiring week. The flight is very full! The kids insisted on sitting together... all 3 of them on one side of the aisle. Carie and I were just across the aisle and within reach after convincing the 6th passenger in our row that he really wouldn't want the aisle seat. :) They haven't slept a wink... not even a nod. But they all did fantastic, better than fantastic even. I cannot even believe how well they all traveled throughout the entire trip.

The boy asks continuously "are we landing?" I point out the noise/feeling of the landing gear emerging and told him that he would soon feel us landing. It wasn't long and we touched down.

As soon as we landed Spencer belted out "WE MADE IT!" He was excited but it could have easily been heard as relief. Yes indeed, we made it! We even landed on the early side. YAY! There were many highlights of our trip but flying was definitely a highlight for Spencer. I think he would have been excited to fly every day.

As a bonus, all of our checked luggage and car seats made it. Wish I could say that was the case on the way out. :) We collected our things, made our way to the van, loaded up and headed home arriving around 1:30 am. Spencer fell asleep on the way home. Ellie fell asleep shortly after climbing into bed. A bit later and Abby was out. Everyone slept in until about 11:00 which is unheard of... but we were operating on Pacific Time all week. Bedtime ought to prove interesting tonight!

The rest of the day was just lounging around the house relaxing and playing. Time to jump back into routine tomorrow! I wonder how long it will take us all to adjust.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Party... First Grade Style

Being the 1st grade parent chairperson thingamawhatever... I (and by association Carie) got to be highly involved in their Valentine's Day party today. We were fortunate enough to arrange a playdate with Spencer and his neighbor friend. It was really good for him and fantastic for us.

We had a party planning meeting a few weeks ago and had a great parent turnout, lots of ideas, lots of help, and lots of donations. I was blown away by the donations! We have money to spend on the 2 parties we get to have. We didn't spend a dime of that allotted money! We are going to have a crazy awesome curriculum party come April!

But today's party for Valentine's Day rocked. The kids had so much fun. They didn't want to rotate to the next station... there were four stations total. They didn't want the party to end. One friend said "this is the best memory ever!" Awww! That was so sweet!

The parents, oh my gosh the parent help was incredible. The smiles on their faces and all the laughing was so so wonderful. The teachers seemed to have a great time... and the smiles on their faces when we took the leftovers to the teachers’ lounge were priceless! Gotta take care of those teachers!

On our way out we dropped off a container of cookies to the K teachers. Carie was hoping to make frosting but it just wasn't in the cards this week. They said that they heard our party was the best ever. LOL... the party hadn't ended but just 30 minutes ago! I'm like seriously... the party just got over! How is it already dubbed "the best ever" and how do you know about it already? Word travels fast!

As Carie and I were walking out to the van I said I think we just hosed ourselves. Where do you go from "best ever"?

Now onto Habitats! I have to say, I'm not all jazzed up about a Habitat party. I was hoping for Space! But the moon, the stars and the teaching schedule just didn't align. :)

Proud Moms

We had another round of parent teacher conferences last night. Carie and I both like to attend sans kids so we tested out a new sitter option. After getting off to a rocky start (she forgot!), all was well. She is a bit younger than we typically go for sitters, but there is great potential there. The kids also know her quite well and they were stoked to hear that she was coming over to stay with them. We thought a couple of hours would be a great test!

I very much enjoy having their conferences scheduled back to back! But that also proves challenging as you shuffle from one teacher to the next while trying to shift those mental gears.

As usual we start off with any questions or concerns that we have and then move into reviewing the teacher’s assessment. While nothing shocking was revealed it is quite nice to have that dialogue with their teachers as we always pick up some background info on the tasks that they are doing.

We then popped in to meet and greet a 3rd teacher by recommendation of their regular teachers. This quick conversation got Abby & Ellie on her radar and provided some valuable information to us.

Then we took inventory of all the donated items for their Valentine's Day party that is tomorrow. Wow we have some generous 1st grade parents. Then we headed towards the door.

But of course we then run into the K teachers who are always great to chat with. They are so funny! Two of the teachers were there to start with and the first thing they asked was where was their frosting (and cookies). Soon after the third teacher came around the corner and asked... where’s the cookies? We had a great conversation and then finally hit the road.

I’m sure I’ve said this before and I’m sure I’ll say it again… I absolutely love our school. I am sad that we had a Principal change from last year to this year, but we knew that was coming. So far we’ve had nothing but a fantastic experience with the teachers and support staff.

After finally leaving school we went and grabbed a quick bite to eat, stopped by a store to see if we could find a magna doodle (you wouldn't believe how difficult this was!), and then headed home.

All was well on the home front. They ate, played, the house was still clean, they were in jammies, had brushed their teeth, had read books and were even in bed (not asleep). They weren't really supposed to be in bed yet as it was a bit too early for them. We’ll just have to be more specific on the instructions next time.

All in all… a great night!

Spencer-isms

We were at the zoo. We were in a restroom washing up. It was freezing outside.

Spencer: "My shirt is soakin wet!"
Me: "Excellent" (insert a small dose of sarcasm)
Spencer: "That isn't excellent!"

*****

Spencer wanted to help Carie. He found a pile of towels in our room that was ready to wash. He asked if he could throw them over the rail... towards the basement... in the direction of the washer.

Carie said sure, go for it!

Then he wanted to know if he could put the towels in the washer. Sure, it's open!

Carie told him to let her know when he was done and not to press any buttons until she got there.

So he's calling for Carie. She arrives to find that most of the towels have made it into the washer. She then notices that the soap dispenser is open and has soap in it.

Carie: Spencer, how much soap did you put into the dispenser?
Spencer: I didn't put any soap in!
Carie: Well it looks like there is a lot in here.
Spencer: It's not soap. I put sugar in.
Carie: Okay, much sugar did you put in?
Spencer: 2 scoops!
Easy enough, Carie easily removed some and asks him to close the washer door.
Spencer: But you didn't put any oil in!

*****

While I love that he wants to be in Church with us more...

I hope too many people didn't hear him belt out "this is boring" in the middle of the Sermon. And he was paying attention. Every now and again he'd say to me "she said xyz".

Also gotta love the "is it over" and "are we done yet" later in service.

Thankfully the couple behind us thought he was hilarious.

*****

Carie and Spencer returned a movie rental.

Spencer asked if she exchanged the movie. It happened to be the 2nd (bad) disc of the same movie. Carie explained that she didn't exchange it because we won't be able to watch it before our trip.

Spencer then asked "if we could come back and rent it again after we rode on a plane and were super quiet and didn't bother anyone."

So I guess he was listening when we talked about how we would be on a plane for a long time, in a small space, how it will be important for us to sit still, and how we needed to use our quiet voices.

He is the only one I'm at all worried about. This is going to be a long flight! I think Abby & Ellie will do wonderfully... I think!

Phew

This afternoon Spencer found a long lost item... an old paci.

For some unknown reason he was looking under a dresser in our room and found this treasure. Thankfully he took it to Carie and showed it to her. It was gross and covered in dust. Who knows how long it had been there!

Spencer's reaction? We should send it to a baby!

YAY!

But first he had to wash it off.

While I would be surprised if he wanted to keep it, I'm totally relieved that he had no interest in it. This boy loved his paci's!