Theodore is Two!

Two years with this treasure!  (Good thing because that is about how long it takes me to finally get a birthday blog posted.)  I can't believe it - and not just because he is still the size of a one year old.  :) It seems like just yesterday I was nervously walking into the hospital to meet my precious boy wondering why in the world God would think he could entrust such a marvelous gift to me.

He has blossomed into the most cheerful and friendly little boy.  He doesn't say much that we can understand, but he loves music and laughing. His belly laugh can make the toughest day bright.  He is rough and tumble with his brothers and gentle with his sisters.  He is a super climber - nothing is out of his reach.

He and Poppy are a dynamic duo.  They chatter and play so nicely (and then get into everyone's things while they are busy with school work.)  The two of them have done some great murals on the wall.  They really are the best of friends!

He loves to dance, spin, and ride his bike.  He enjoys puzzles, cars, and will play along with whatever the crew is pretending.  He likes to push the limits and come back just in time to give a sly smile and not get in trouble.

We love him to pieces!

P.S. Daddy's shirt pictures are coming but we are behind!

Our Grand Northwest Adventure - California!

If you ever find yourself driving from Crater Lake to Crescent City pack all. the. things!  There is next to nothing.  So, we found ourselves in a park with a rotisserie chicken from a little market.  Also, those roads are not for those who get carsick.  It really takes away from the beauty of the trees.  However, our kids were in for a big surprise. 

Earlier in the trip we had stayed at an Airbnb that was attached to a studio apartment.  This situation required us to be quieter than a fighter jet - our usual sound level.  We told the kids that our next cabin was kind of like that house except we would be sharing the actual cabin.  We would share the kitchen and living area with other people.  (So, don't wear just your underwear to breakfast.)  They were a little concerned, but we assured them that we heard the other residents were very nice. 

We arrived before the other guests and had a quick look around the cabin.  Then, Jonah heard a car pull up.  He peeked out the window and then went crazy!  It was Grandma and Grandpa!  There were hugs all around and then out of the bushes step Uncle Jason and Aunt Kristin!  The kiddos were totally shocked and thrilled!  We were going to spend our last few days of vacation with family!

The following day we hiked through the giant redwoods!  We had a blast as we scrambled over logs, braved tree bridges, and tried to wrap around a tree.  It took all of us to make it all the way around!  I loved watching Juliet chat with Aunt Kristin and Benaiah having photo shoots with Uncle Jason.  So many memories made. 

We had scheduled to walk on the beach to see a lighthouse.  However, the rain came and changed that plan up a bit.  The kids ended up playing at a playground in the rain instead.

We all ended the day with dinner out. Theo was a hoot as he drank the spicy salsa - and loved it!!!  We stopped by the ocean at dusk to touch the Pacific Ocean.  Then, we celebrated a wonderful day with ice cream for dessert!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.  Our trip ended with a nine hour trek back to Seattle with one last picnic with the leftover ice cream for dessert.  Nevertheless, we made our flight and safely returned to Alaska. 

Ready to fly!

Sleepy plane riders.  Yay for empty seats!

I am so very thankful for the opportunity to spend quality time as a family exploring the wonderful creation God has made.  Not one area we visited looked like the next and yet they all beheld the glory of God.  I hope my children can look back on our trip with fond memories and know that they are dearly loved, cherished, and enjoyed!

Our Grand Northwest Adventure - Hello Oregon!

The next leg of our trip had us leaving Washington and venturing into Oregon!  We were all so excited to see Mount Saint Helens.  We listen to the I Survived series which has a book about Mount St. Helens, so the boys were familiar with the names of local places.

We chose to explore the mountain from the Johnson Observatory.  It offers a beautiful view of the mountain and we stood in awe of the power that is held within.  The boys were able to earn their Junior Ranger Badges!  We also spent time hiking the Boundary Trail which leads out toward Spirit Lake while I asked more questions.  It was quite warm but there will be no complaining from this bunch.  We had a picnic (lots of picnics) and listened to a very informational ranger tell all about the events leading up to the explosion and how the area has bounced back since.  It was very fascinating to see a forest of trees in which every tree was the same height and age.  It almost looked like a little model train table.

Sweet love!

So proud to find pumice!

Look at those badges!

On our way out of the area we found Bigfoot!!!

We hadn't planned to visit the Columbia River Gorge, but it came recommended by several friends from the area, so we skipped the second forest hike Mt. St. Helens and went to Multnomah Falls.  I explained to the boys that the Native Americans thought the waterfall was crafted by the gods as a shower for the princess.  Benaiah was quiet for a bit and then explained to me how he would go about making a waterfall, since Native American tale was just a story.  That little engineering brain!  We were curious whether or not we could hike to the top.  Several websites said it was dangerous and not for children, but that sounded just about right for us.  It was a cinch and a rewarding view!  We had to curtail our stay at the top when a man went over the overlook edge to stand on a rock at the top of the 600ft falls. We weren't staying to see him fall.  My momma heart was about to give out!

View from the top!

Our mission for dinner was to find Mexican!  Too many picnics and we would not have happy campers.  Oh!  The delightful food we found!  It wasn't a sandwich or a carrot stick so that made it even better.

My only regret is not knowing about the giant Paul Bunyan statue a few miles down the road in Portland.  We had just read Paul Bunyan!  Oh, the missed educational opportunity!  The teacher inside me is crying a little.

We woke up to the forest sounds of Mt. Hood.  I thought the kids would be dragging, but they were ready to hike.  It was so refreshing to walk through the forest morning.  The kids scampered over rocks and stumps to see Little Zigzag Falls.  Then we went to hike to Mirror Lake.  I had read that the trail was one mile up and one mile back - in two different publications might I add.  Well, after one mile we were pretty sure it was going to be a bit longer than that.  I was starting to worry about Juliet making it the whole way.  Then I watch as they all pretend to be in a horse race on sticks all the way to the top and then pretend to be a band of ogres all the way back.  They were too distracted to be tired.  The view of the mountain at the lake was phenomenal!  It ended up being a 4.25 mile hike.  Oops!

He made it across and back.  No worries!

My ogre clan!

Little hiker!

Reenacting the scene from the Stone Table.  :/

Mt. Hood!

After lunch in the cute little town we stopped in Oregon City (where I once did summer missions!) to visit the Oregon Trail Museum.  It is the official end of the Oregon trail and the beginning of a whole lot of fun.  We got to pretend we were pioneers gearing up for the trail, shoot bows and arrows, make camp, and play with bison poop (most of which was fake.) So much fun!

AND!!!  Benaiah lost his first tooth!

And Poppy didn't.

Our last day in Oregon had a lot of driving.  We stopped by Salt Creek Falls to break up the trek, but it was still a haul to Crater Lake.  We were thankful we made the trip!  The birds made for a funny picnic because if you turned around for just a second they would fly off with a cracker or even your whole sandwich (poor Huck had his stolen right off his plate)!

We took the only trail that takes you to the lake shore.  It is only 1 mile down and 1 mile up, but the return trip is the equivalent of climbing 69 flights of stairs.  We were singing and skipping on the way down.  Not so on the way up.  The chipmunks made for a wonderful distraction though.

We continued around the lake to see Wizard Island and Phantom Ship Island.  The water was the bluest of blues.  I couldn't imagine being the first settler to crest the lip and see that shining water!

Well, on the road again.  We had a big surprise in store for the kiddos.

Goodbye, Oregon!

Our Grand Northwest Adventure - Take 2

Alaska is amazing.  You can find moose and bear right out your back door.  However, the Alaska zoo . . . um, has moose and bear.  Our kiddos were super excited to hear we were headed to the Woodland Park Zoo!  Once again I totally underestimated the time it would take to see all the animals.  Oh, well!  We got to see lions, hippos, flamingos, monkeys and rhinos.  Bonus was the park right beside the zoo where the kids could play during our picnic lunch!

After leaving the zoo, we went to explore the Ballard Locks.  This was Benaiah's favorite because, as our little engineer, he loved trying to figure out how it would all work.  We got to watch them load a plethora of boats into the locks, lower them to sea level, and watch them go on their way under the draw bridge.  While we were there we also saw a seal catch a salmon.  No wonder the fish ladder was empty!

We had time for one last stop before going home for dinner.  All the "must-see" lists included the Olympic Sculpture Garden and since we had studied Calder I figured we must see it.  Well,  it ranked right up there with the trip I once planned to see a bat hotel.  First, parking was impossible and we don't understand half of the signs until we put on our reading glasses and read the fine print.  Second, the sculpture garden left much to be desired.  When exiting the garden we found we were walking against the flow.  At first we thought maybe we had entered the exit and were now exiting the entrance.  Then, a man thanked us for our support.  We were then clued into the fact that we were standing at the exit to the garden but also the entrance to the Hempfest . . .with all our children.  Fine example of upstanding parenting.

Back home to put those blackberries to some good use in a blackberry cobbler!  Yum!

The next day I had so much planned.  However, Seattle had other plans.  We began our day at the Museum of Fight.  It offers free entrance to military during the summer.  I thought it would be a quick stop as we are not really plane buffs.  However, this fine establishment didn't disappoint!  It was HUGE!  It had dozens of aircraft to board and sit in, a children's area with plenty of hands-on activities, the practice spacecraft to walk in, and a history of the Boeing company that was like being in the first factory!  We spent hours delving into the world of aircraft!

Who wants to ride in that!

Juliet - "Look, Eli!  A Bob Ross plane!"

Since we spent so long there we had to skip the Klondike Goldrush Museum.  However, I just kept reminding myself - better a little with a happy family then rushing through a lot with cranky pants.  So, we went back into the city with hopes of catching a ferry to Bainbridge.  Roads were closed and traffic rerouted and we missed the ferry by two minutes.  We used the extra time to find a geocache and then waited and waited.  The next ferry was running half an hour late.  (Where was that ferry when we were racing to catch it?) We were starting to question whether we would make it back for the - you guessed it - parking meter.

I think Theo loved the ferry the most.  Sea water and sea air make him so happy!  Once we got to Bainbridge we had a little under an hour to hit up a free for military children's museum.  The kids had the place to themselves and had a blast.

Always taking care of the babies!

Juliet driving - a scary thought!

After the museum closed we knew we would have plenty of time to catch the next ferry.  However, when we arrived at the port there was no line.  We started running.  We arrived just as they were closing the gate - for the ferry that should have left 40 minutes before.  If we had missed it we would have for sure been late for our parking.  As it was we made it back to our van with one minute to spare!  Whew!  The good Lord hears the prayers of the frantic moms on vacation!  Amen!