My ride

Cindy on Ty

Cindy's horse Ty (she was not happy with him)

Some of the others in the group

Cindy and Macee (Macee took a face plant and never recovered her pretty hair)

Jeremy with Macee riding Pearl

Stein's Pillar (our destination)

I love riding horses and have since I was a kid. If you asked my mom she might tell you I was obsessed for a time. I believe part of my desire stemmed from never having a big yard growing up and living in the city. In the summer when I went to Illinois I would love to ride and my grandpa would take me to Kankakee and let me ride the horses (even though it was overpriced and it meant he had to get on a horse too). When we moved to Oregon we met Jeremy and Cindy who have a farm and HORSES that they actually ride. I have been lucky enough to go with them a couple of times and have the sore butt to prove it. This last weekend I got to go with them on a ride to Stein's Pillar in the Ochocos. It was a pretty technical ride (for a beginner) but I was sitting atop trusty Tulsa. The only time I got off the horse was to descend the stairs. Everyone assured me that she would be fine but I don't ride enough to do stairs on horseback.

Summer Jam 2010

Our summer has been jam packed with activities, traveling, and events. It is hard to know where to begin (which is why I haven't). I decided this morning while my kids are still sleeping to give it a try while I still have three weeks to go before "real life" starts again. Every year I think about slowing down our summers and staying home more often and every year I throw that out and say to myself, "this is why we have our summers off - so we can go, go, go". And, go, we did. The kids and I traveled coast to coast (almost) and back again. Here are some pictures of what we did during our travels.

Sunny or Not?

Our first night of camping we stayed near the beach and we stayed in fog. I was bummed because I was really hoping for some sun on the beach. However, apparently, my children don't care whether there is sun or not. They will play in the water. Brrrr.

The really odd (or not so odd) thing was that 1/2 mile inland it would be hot and sunny. The minute you were on the beach it was foggy and chilly.

Volcanoes Rock and So Do You

Bryce who said, "the mountain is not going to rock us?"
During the Junior Ranger program

Bryce and Nana. He wanted the flowers in the middle.

Pictures don't do it justice. Amazing.

My mom came into town last week and we took her camping. I decided at the beginning of the summer that I wanted to see three new things - Olympic National Park, Mt. St. Helens, and Crater Lake (I have actually seen Crater Lake but it has been a long time). Well, we took my mom to Olympic National Park and Mt. St. Helens. My favorite part of the trip was Mt. St. Helens. The movie was amazing and Cayden got to go on a Junior Ranger hike and learn a little more about the volcano. He got a certificate and a poster at the end that said "Volcanoes Rock and So Do You". I thought that was pretty cute. Other than the extended time in the car and the overload of children's music coming from the backseat (thanks mom!) I would call our trip a success.

Kimberly and John Day River

We went to Kimberly Orchards to pick peaches and made a stop on the John Day River on our way home a couple of weeks ago. Jeff tried fishing with no luck but the boys had a blast in the calm and slow moving waters of the John Day. No bathing suits. No problem. Just get in with your clothes on. I, normally, would have been the stick in the mud and insisted my kids stay dry but this day I said "go ahead" and they loved every minute of it. It was hard work getting them out. It is times like these that I am glad that Cayden has had swimming lessons!

Bryce getting out a little far
Picking up rocks

Cayden wanting to swim to the other side. Uh. No.

Before the plunge

"Mom, can I go in?"

The Elwha River

On the last night of our camping we stayed in Olympic National Park. The campground was the Altaire campground near the Elwha River. My mom was excited because this river is dammed above and below it and both of the dams are coming down this year. It is labeled the "Last Dam Summer". The river will never look like this again. It was a nice campground and it was sunny. The boys liked putting their feet in the freezing water and Bryce liked throwing rocks in the river.

Hush little baby

We spent a lot of time in the car this summer going between our various adventures. Here are some pictures of the sleepy toads. Neither of my kids sleep in the car very well so this accounts for some sweet and quiet memories for us.

Cayden and Bryce. Cayden's new backpack makes a great pillow
Cayden and his "b". He still loves to have it around his head when he sleeps.

Cayden, Austyn, and Bryce after a busy day in Estes Park.

Bryce, shirtless, because of playing in the water at the splashpad in Greeley

Backpacking

Bob and Cayden


Jeff and Cayden



Bob and Cayden taking a rest

Bob

My sweet boy

Jeff has great memories of his childhood and into his adulthood backpacking in the mountains with his dad. He has really wanted to continue that tradition with his dad and Cayden together (and someday Bryce). This is the second summer that the boys have gone off into the wilderness together with nothing more than their backpacks could hold and actually survived without us women. I don't know how that is possible but they did. At this very moment I can't even remember where they went and Jeff is off in the wilderness so I can't ask him. They were gone for three nights and they came home with good stories and hungry bellies. They actually saw moose but I will have to put those pictures in later.

Road Trip

Gabby made Bryce a newspaper hat!
The Grandparents and Kids

Alexis doing sidewalk chalk with Bryce

Bryce at the Splash Pad. Margo and Cayden are here somewhere.

Grandpa reading to Bryce

Ohio or Bust

My sister's girls (Alexis, Gabby, and Margo) typically spend half their summer with my dad and stepmom in Dayton, Ohio. My sister will drive from Colorado to pick them up at the end of their summer and this year I decided to hitch a ride and take the boys for a visit with their grandparents and cousins. We made a couple of stops along the way (more on that later) but once we arrived the kids were on the go nonstop. The girls have been out there consistently every summer that they have made friends and never lack for things to do. This year, they got to drag Cayden along with them as they hung out with their friends (Thanks girls!). He enjoyed swimming, the Children's Museum, playing soccer at the park and attending Vacation Bible School and more and more and more. Bryce got to hang out with us old people most of the time so we bought him a kid's pool and Grandpa loaded him up with matchbox cars and he was set for the week. However, he really loved playing with his cousins and they gave him a ton of attention while his brother mostly ignored him in favor of his older cousins. I can't blame him - they are fun. You'll notice that Cayden isn't in many of the pictures because he wasn't around us old people very much. He enjoyed a little extra freedom that having older cousins brings.

VBS

The week we were in Ohio happened to coincide with Vacation Bible School at the church where my dad and Debbie go. They were both volunteering with registration and in the classroom (hope you both have recovered) so it was a busy week. Bryce was too young so he and my sister and I hung out together while the rest of the family went off to "Soul Survivor" Vacation Bible School. I have to be honest that I was a little worried about whether Cayden would go willingly but he just piled in the car with the other kids and never gave a backward glance. Yahoo for group mentality! Here are a few pictures of the final show on Friday night. I will post some pictures of Cayden with the trophy he won and the story that goes along with it on another post.

Margo in the white hat (it says I (heart) VBS)
Alexis and Gabby in their tye dye

Gabby looking back at Bryce, Chris, and me.

Cayden's group singing. He is bottom row left with the light grey shirt.

The Church where it all happened

The Trophy

Boys will be Boys

Here is the trophy that Cayden got at the end of Bible School. He won it for earning the most points during the week. It was actually a tie but everyone said the other boy that got a trophy was naughty so I don't count it. Anyways, Cayden had the trophy approximately an hour when my sister and I were standing back in my dad's kitchen getting dinner and we hear fake gun shot noises and Cayden saying, "put your hands up or I'll shoot". As we turn around he has the praying hands pointed at us. After the appropriate amount of laughing I told him that praying hands shouldn't be used as a gun. Find a stick or something for goodness' sake.... He does love his trophy and didn't want it put in the suitcase on the way home so he could have it right next to him. He is proud.