Oregon Coast!!! *Contented sigh*

Way back in April...

I started to do a huge catch-up post and then realized I never touched upon this.  I had full intentions of going back to Oregon for probably the last 10 years.  But my how life has happened in all its glory and gory, until, finally, nothing sabotaged us and Lucas gave the go ahead.  I ogled Vacasa houses.  We spent what was probably for the kids a very boring few hours one Saturday looking online and trying to pick our favorite with everyone's preferences being taken into account.  This trip was extra special as it was just us, our 7 people, going on a vacation, not visiting family or due to business or anything else.  We just went on a vacation for the heck of it.  (BTW, I was a total packing and planning guru.  Made a complete but flexible agenda for each day and even diagrammed packing the car.  Lucas was proud.)

 Because no one's schedule but our own mattered we didn't leave at 4 a.m. like originally planned, so we had our lateish lunch break at Multnomah Falls.  I was a little bummed we couldn't hike up due to the devastating fire 2 summers ago, but it was still pretty neat.  We even saw some sort of crane hanging out in the creek below the falls.

 Below.  Oh, below.  It was windy and cold and the thrill of introducing my kids to the ocean for the first time left me not 100% prepared for when a wave pulled all the sand out from under Shawn's feet, causing him to fall and get soaked.  This is him smiling between whimpers.  Thankfully, as it was our first time on the beach together, Lucas took him on a secret mission so that the rest of us could enjoy the beach and we didn't have to go right back to our rental house (that was a first too) after only 10-15 minutes of play.  What was the secret you may ask?  They got a delicious burger and a soda from a food stand and ate it in the warm car.  One-on-one dad time can heal many hurts.

 I want to remember Daphne on the beach chanting, "Shell, shell, shell," and being very silly about the incoming waves even though she was 30 feet up the beach.  She had seen what happened to Shawn after all.  The children were prolific shell hunters, and they cared not how whole the shell was.  We couldn't help but let them enjoy.  We even brought them all ALL home.  Shards of shells, crab parts and all.  Very uncharacteristic.

 We don't take our kids out to eat much, but we did a couple of times while at the coast.  They did pretty well, although Lucas didn't really appreciated it when I said to the waitress, "We don't get out much."  It made it sound like we were quite back-woodsy, in retrospect, though I didn't mean that at all.  Haha.

 We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  The kids liked it but I don't think they quite knew what to do with all that information and all those exhibits.

After the aquarium, ever so ambitious, we decided to try to get to Heceta Head before driving back north.  On a map, north to Rockaway Beach didn't look that far, but the coast is not an interstate which is a straight shoot at 80 mph.  We may have had a low fuel gauge on the way to Heceta and someone may have freaked out, making the other someone a little disappointed.  So though the kids played at the beach, there was no lighthouse hike.  We tensely drove even farther south to Florence to gas up...and get ice cream.  We figured we'd drive home for dinner.  Haha.  And I drove, and I drove and I drove....I also drove some more.  And the them from Gilligan's Island played over and over in my ahead, and Lucas and I may have sung it every time we saw we still had miles to go before we got 'home' on the dark curvy slow highways.  A 3-hour tour, a 3-hour tour.  We got home late, and yet, for 2 people who can be a bit type A with each other, it was really quite the lark.  We laughed and when a kid complained or asked how much longer from the back seat, we laughed some more.  We didn't have dinner that night.  We fell into bed, but it was a good day.

 Anyone who knows Matt will not be surprised that his favorite thing at the Oregon Coast was being at the house.  He and Lucas puzzling warmed my heart pretty well.  There were plenty of games and puzzles, and, bless them, a record player.  THAT WAS SERIOUSLY FUN.  Luckily, Matt's dreams came true the next day when Ben was sick.  The kids stayed home and watched way too much cable (VACATION) while Lucas and I drove into Tillamook to get supplies.  We head to go to the cheese factory temporary visitors' center all by our lonesome.  Burgers and ice cream.  Yum.  Yum.  Who knew we'd get a few mini-dates in on the trip.  It was incredibly wonderful.  We even snuck in a sunset by ourselves.  Don't feel sorry for the kids.  They did alright.  Trust me.

 Did I mention we watched a movie every night.  It was a fun little tradition all cuddled up together.  A luxury we don't have too much at home, especially on week nights when I work or on-call weeks when Lucas is often not available.

 Then there was Lucas's birthday!!!  We decided to head north which, thankfully, involved much less driving than south.  Lucas learned he's not a fan of Seaside.  I learned I may never get to see Hug Point at low tide again.  Talking about the gods conspiring against me.  This time it was the Portland weekender gods, despite all my best laid plans.  Below you will see Shawn who decided he did not like the carousel, refused to ride a horse or other animal, sat on the bench and looked grumpy the whole time.  It was hilarious, I tell you.

 Lily mustache you a question.

 Why did the chicken cross the road?  Or better yet, too bad, Lucas has the picture and I can't access it right now.  Why did Ben wear his newly-acquired chicken hat, stand on a 4-foot tall column, squat, flap his wings, and bock, bock, bock before jumping, all while other tourists gave side glances like we maybe had lost it?

 Because he's Ben, of course!!!

 Sneaky sunset.  Teeheehee.

 Above is DG at the Astoria column.  She was throwing a tantrum, but it was so adorable, I just took pictures.  Not the effect she was going for.  She looked like a mini sasquatch the way the wind blew her hair around and she stalked back and forth.  Lucas and Matt opted out of the column.  Heights!  But the rest of us went up and threw our balsam wood fliers down.  We ate at Mo's.  Matt had a lot of chowder on this trip.  Then we celebrated Lucas with strawberry shortcake once we got home.  Great fantastic day for a very lovable, hard working guy.

Our last day was neat because we went to sacrament meeting in the little meetinghouse (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) just a couple of blocks down the road from our rental house.  I'd never been to a church building like it before, not even a chapel, but the people were friendly, and I heard one of the best talks I've ever heard.  Even the kids were amazed by the life-story of the speaker.  He was from Switzerland, I believe, and I journaled it so don't think I'll share it here.

After sacrament meeting, we met my college friend Melissa at the beach.  How wonderful she and her husband were to take time out of their full lives to come spend the afternoon with us.  The beach got a bit too windy and uncomfortable so back to our rental we went.  We just chatted and chatted.  The kids played really well all together, and it was really a perfect afternoon.  Including Melissa's cookies.  Her engineering approach to improving the recipe clearly had paid off.

That night I made my first bread (bowls) away from home.  I was worried about sea level but it all went fine, and, what else?  CLAM CHOWDER.

 So fabulous being gathered around that table with our family.  That home was just perfect for our vacation, I tell you.

 It also had an air hockey table and ping-pong and toys and....

 And since it was a fully sunny sunset, we had to let the kids enjoy playing at the beach on our last night.  This is how memories are made.

 Lily could have spent forever on the beach.

 The next day, we had to, sob, sob, go home, but on the way, we drove way out of our way to go to the Silver Falls State Park and I'm so glad.  Consider walking under a waterfall officially checked off Lily's bucket list.  And more family hiking practice checked off mine.  The kids did great, but I will say it was a bit warmer than we expected and the last part of our hike was uphill, a lot of uphill.  Luckily, Lucas helped me not be too ambitious and we kept to the shorter trail.

I love my little (big) family more than anything.  Every decision I make has them at the heart of it.  And it was an honor to be able to be with my family on this trip, introduce them to lots of new things, and see their faces as they took it all in.  They are mine.  They have crazy hair.  They are beautiful, and I want to be with them forever.  I will go through anything to be with them forever.

Matthew, Champion of the Library

As an aside that is totally unrelated to this post, our friends had us do 16 personalities quiz.  I'm a Mediator type, INFP-T.  It was eerie reading it because I have never heard myself described so well, including things I couldn't put into words and motivations I couldn't understand.  Wow.

Moving on...

Here we have Matthew.  His 6th grade year was rough, at least for his parents; he seemed to do okay...because he could escape into books...and he read a lot of those.  His librarian gives out awards called the Champions of the Library.  Among 6th graders, Matt checked out far more books than any other kid, clocking in at 150+ books...and most of those were novels, not comics/graphic novels.  It's a little thing in the grand scheme, but he thought it was pretty cool to be acknowledged for something he's so passionate about.

He's such a loving caring deep-thinking soul. His family prayers just melt my heart with their thoughtfulness and sometimes take me aback with their forthrightness about family issues we may be having.  Onward and upward, my boy!

L Finishes 8th Grade

I went to an assembly two days ago with a bunch of other parents and 400 eighth graders.  It was so neat to see lots of people working hard to achieve.  Media kind of makes me think teens are useless teenagers (media, not my personal thoughts!), but there were some incredible kids.

My incredible kid got awards for reading lots of books this year, for getting her first year of all A's (to some this is not a big deal but she worked hard and stayed on top of assignments daily; she was a machine), and for being a very helpful student to her FCS teacher (because she loved that class and would stay after just to help clean-up and go the extra mile). 

I honestly hadn't reflected on the fact SHE IS GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL next year quite so much until that moment.  She has a lot to learn and so many more 100s of times to butt heads with me, Lucas, her brothers, the world, but I see lots of glimpses of goodness and a serious amount of hard work.  My baby is growing up fast, and it was nice to take an hour to contemplate her and other kids, some with pretty rough circumstances, trying their best and seeing results. 

Irises on the River

I saw these beauties along the greenbelt this week.  Breathtaking next to the flowing waters, I tell you.  On a walk last week with Matt and Daph, I noticed several huge swaths of orange poppies which have naturalized along the river as well.  

It's really quite fantastic to take walks often enough to notice each change the season brings...not to mention the river levels this spring.  Some days my path is flooded and sometimes not, though it's always been passable, unlike last year.  My favorite little off the beaten path place has been flooded for weeks.  I hope my favorite log for push-ups and foot soaking isn't washed away when it's all said and done.  We'll see.  I'm hopeful whatever the flood waters leave behind that it will still feel like my little hangout.  I would miss Warrior 3 by the river because something about the surroundings and especially the sounds let me hold poses for a long time that I struggle to maintain for a minute at home (make that 10 seconds if there are screaming children OR flippant cats OR an over-friendly dog helping me with my practice.

And, as always, I find my river walks in nearly any kind of weather so inspiring.  I have so many stories flowing through my head when I walk.  I've only taken a few notes.  I need to get writing again.  Anyway...

We took the Activity Girls on a bike ride along the greenbelt.  It was a reprise as we took them in September but the most excited girl broke her wrist in the church parking lot before we even left and she missed out.  Now she got to go and they loved and I think most of us could have gone on a lot longer, but a short beautiful ride as another of those May storms moved in, with tearing through the puddles of flooded water on the pathway, was probably much better than going too far and hearing *gasp* complaining.  I never have to deal with that kind of thing around here (rolls eyes, and sometimes I'm as bad as the kids).

I love you, River.  Forever and ever and always.  Sure this sounds like an overstatement, but you have changed my life.  I probably have God to thank for that, but you are certainly an inspiration to me, and He created you.  He did a perfect job!

Random P.S. to go with random river thoughts:  Lucas is desperate for a new phone as his is dying a slow sad death, and there is a BOGO deal.  I don't really want a new one yet, but I could get an 8 EIGHT EIGHT!!! megapixel upgrade and that is the one beef I have with my phone.  It's my main photo source and I am often not impressed.  Decisions.

A Fan of Family

A couple of Sundays ago, Ben asked to check out FamilySearch and so I let him loose in my account.  I didn't see how he could do any damage.  He figured out how to show the family fan chart and...

He took it upon himself to start copying the chart by hand.  He talked to me off and on as he did it, drawing connections with who he recognized and asking me about the ones he didn't.  Then he shared information he learned with his siblings.  It was pretty adorable.  For a kid who says he hates learning and loves tests, I think he kind of likes learning.

GT Ben

Once there was a kid named Ben.  He was a middle child, wedged firmly in the middle of 4 distinct and quite lively personalities, but he was determined to be the liveliest of them all.  Sometimes it got him into trouble.  Even though Ben wanted more than anything to be THE STAR OF THE SHOW, one of the next items on his bucket list was to be as mind-blowingly smart as his on and off again mentor, his older brother Matt.  When they shared a room, the boys stayed up late into the night as Matt recited all sorts of facts to his brother and then quizzed him on the facts.  Ben loved that one on one time.  So, naturally, when his teacher asked his mom if he could take the tests to determine if he could be in a challenging program just like Matt, he was very thrilled.  He hounded his teacher to know when he could test, but waited patiently for the most part...and took the tests...complaining to his mom about how he loved taking tests but these were pretty hard.  Then he waited some more.  And finally he ran proudly to the car one day after school but wouldn't tell his mom his secret as he wanted Matt to know first.

Next year, Ben will get to be in the GT Challenge program and good riddance.  He is so proud of himself and has had the roughest time fitting in and finding true friends.  Hopefully a new group of kids to see once a week and the opportunity to expand his mind rather than be a bit bored with math sometimes will make a difference.

As aside, it's funny because when Matt's teacher asked for him to be tested, I was so proud.  He's like some sort of little genius, I thought.  Little did I know that sometimes it would feel like Matt and I were on different planets.  Now with Ben being his very own, very different very BEN type of person, I know that we will have another planet in the solar system for me to navigate to, especially when middle school comes.  For me, having a kid who gets bored with all the regular and normally exciting or challenging things has been my own challenge program, and it is stinking hard at times, so I'm a bit nervous for Ben to fit that mold.  However, Ben has thrown pretty much anything you could imagine at me as far as the good kid but in desperate need of attention and wanting to test all the boundaries variety goes. 

Good luck, Ben.  I can't wait to see what all my kids will grow up to be and do, but you will be the greatest surprise of all, I'm sure, no matter what.  (just make it surprising in a wonderful, non-criminal kind of way, and you'll go far)

Now if I can get their bodies to catch up to their minds in coordination and prowess, that'd be something that'd shock my system thoroughly.

Rain

A week of chaotic weather.  Each day cloudy, sunny, warm, sprinkling, a downpour with thunder and lightning, then sun again.  Spring came furiously, all the blooms marching boldly through in their usual order.

For us, a calm afternoon.  I mix bread dough in the KitchenAid.  Daphne stands on a stool watching the rain flood the street, singing, "Have you ever heard the wolf cry at the (blue corn) moon?" as if no one is listening.  I look toward the group gathered round the table, the older 4 plus Matt's BFF, all playing a new game Matt had waited eagerly for to arrive in the mail.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  How rare to have all my children gathered and not fighting but all content in their own way.  A lovely snapshot in time.