snakesnsnails

Plain White T's - Rhythm Of Love

2010-09-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

JULY CELEBRATIONS part 1

2010-09-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Priceless!

Finally warm enough weather to play in the water!

Micheal's 12th birthday was a huge hit!
I love my bro ♥

ROB N BOB

I love Tyson too :)

Cousins.... too cool for "cheese!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE MICHEAL!

For his birthday everyone ELSE got to ride his four wheeler! I guess when a kid has everything... :)

This year for the fourth we did a laid back display on the back porch with some friends and family and then I took the kids into town to see the big show.

Mason: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!
Mason had a birthday!! "I'm three!"

We went to the park and played in the water with lots of friends and family. He was definitely spoiled with love and affection....and gifts!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MASON!!!!
He got a bike that matches his cousins, and it didn't take very long for him to get the hang of it. We had to chase them down a few times!
Hayden had his 6 month check up with the endocrinologist and I'm happy to say he is growing!! Slowly but surely.... and he said as long as he takes his daily injection, Hayden should be his regular height by 18 yrs. Good news!

JUNE MEMORIES

2010-09-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

FUN WITH COUSINS

FISHING WITH GRANDPA PAT
and learning how to carve sticks like a man!

Mason's first fish!

I can't tell if they are related... can you :-)

This summer was full of hair.. Everyone was in much need of a haircut, but I held out until I couldn't tell who was who!
Meet our new friends: Josh and Molly - I don't even think they had a home this summer outside of ours! We had some good times playing Nertz and getting to know each other :)This is Molly and Aubrey and me at Molly's baby shower
These are some cool peeps :)

The clogging classic was a blast!! Not only did I get to perform on the same stage I clogged on when I was 9... I also got to watch my 9 year old rock the stage! It was a fun year and Robbie does an amazing job running his studio. It just wouldn't be the same without getting to dance with family!

BBQ with Grandpa Pat, Grandma Sharla and Aunt Cesley - Good food... baseball game... great company! It was a near perfect day :)

Here's my Hayden.... leaving the nest to go to Gooding for camp. They go to Roaring Springs, they float the river, they go horseback riding, and they go skating. They have all sorts of fun stuff going on the whole week, and it's funded for kids with vision impairments. Hayden is actually one of the more sighted kids there and loves to help with the kids who can't see at all. It is his second time going, and is an absolutely amazing experience for him!

Last days of school and such

2010-07-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hayden kicked some home school butt this year, but we definitely went through some trials. It had a lot to do with building self confidence and independence, so what better task than weeding the garden?! It would have been a hard job for a grown man, and this kid did the whole entire thing by himself. His attitude was one of humility and pride by the end of the third day when he had filled 4 large trash cans. Sometimes tough love can really be the best thing!

I can't believe my baby boy is going to start middle school next year... he is going to do great!

End of the year jam session showing me his skills from guitar lessons all year. This kid ROCKS!!!

Dallin had a great year with a great teacher. Mrs. Koenig is amazing and is the only teacher who will have had all three of the older Henry boys! We sure love her ♥

Dallin was at the top of his class academically and also received awards for citizenship this year. We are so proud of him for pushing himself!

Logan's teacher has also had Dallin, and has become a dear friend. Mrs Hodges is exactly the kind of example I want for my kids and am so grateful that she is in their lives...and mine!

Logan makes us proud every year and it almost seems unfair to other kids how easy things seem to come for him :)I am sure he will have his trials, but so far I have never had to worry about this little man. He is just a well rounded boy growing up just like his dad! He got awards throughout the year as well, but I wasn't able to get pictures of it.Here's Pam hangin' out with Jax. She has been helping me once a week with the kids, so that I can stay on top of things better. What a good friend!

I just love this picture...Jaxin is such a sweet baby

Much to my dismay, (since I am allergic), we have a cat. I don't know why, but he has claimed us and will NOT leave our house! It may have had something to do with the food I set out for him :) I just can't pet him :( He is beautiful and mild mannered and our friend named him Gato!
This is just a picture of our backyard... one of the main reasons we bought this house almost 9 years ago. This is just a small shot of it, but I love this picture of the willow

Mother's Day 2010

2010-07-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

THE LUCKIEST MOM IN THE WORLD!!!!!

I got crowned a queen today and was surprised with a nice breakfast along with some items I have been needing around my kitchen. Then Bob and the kids took me on a nice drive and we ended up going to look at puppies just for fun. Of course we fell in love with an adorable little lady, so she became my present!

We named her Gracie May and had to wait about 4 weeks to bring her home, so it meant lots of visits and plenty of time to "puppy proof" the house. She made a lot of friends right away!

HAYDEN

DALLIN
LOGAN
MASON
JAXIN
GRANDMA BALDWIN

Bob made these steps especially for Grandma and she doted on him all day because of it. They have a very special friendship!MICHAEL
MOLLY
OUR SWEET GRACIE MAYShe is kind of a pain, in a puppy sort of way, but as you can tell she is feeling right at home. We love her so much already!

Logan's 8th Celebration

2010-06-14T00:39:00.001-07:00

LOGAN TURNS 8!!!!

Abuelita picked Logan up early from school to go pick out his own set of scriptures and highlighters. He felt like a missionary with the case she helped him pick out and got to help put his name on the front. What a fun tradition!

I am pretty sure he liked his presents!

Logan got to choose where we ate for dinner, which was Golden Corral of course.

On the day of his pizza party Logan had to go on a scavenger hunt for his toppings first. First stop: Uncle Robbie's and Aunt KK's where Logan had to find Robbie hiding with the ingredient!

Next stop: Great Grandma Henry ♥

Then off to Grandpa Pat and Grandma Sharla's to find where the mushrooms are hidden :)

At Aunt Cesley's house Logan played a little fear factor to get his prize!

Then it's off to Micheal's where his treasure was buried

Great Grandma Baldwin had Logan eat his way through jello to get to his next topping! What a good sport :)Abuelita had an assortment of poetry leading to different prizes throughout the house... so fun!

Last stop was Uncle Ty's and Aunt Shanny's where it was a game of name that tune... good humming guys!!

The end result: PIZZA PARTY!!! Video games+jump house with swords+make your own pizza=The perfect boy party :)

What else happens when you turn eight?!

Logan had a very special baptism experience with a lot of loved ones to help celebrate

What a sweet little boy. I can't believe it has been eight years since he was in my tummy.. He is a spitting image of his father and loves to cuddle with his mother. I couldn't be more proud! I love you SO much Logan ♥

Catching up!

2010-05-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

Bob and Jaxin - silly guys :)

My nieces are adorable!!

Boys bein boys

Hayden and Dallin were the Easter Bunny this year!

Mason and Jaxin had a separate hunt and a great time!!

The older boys went on a scavenger hunt and found different prizes through the house with the big one being a new video game. They were really excited!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Clogging competition in Pocatello was a success! It was a bit stressful, but Dallin took a first and a second place and my team took two firsts. I was so proud of my little man and his big huge smile :-)He was never scared, so this picture makes me giggle
Robbie is such a wonderful instructor and Uncle!

Handsome-sweet-funny.... boy am I in trouble!

My visit with the Chandler family

2010-04-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a week of pink and decided to take full advantage!

I was pampered from the first minute I walked in the door. First the girls showed me my room where everything I could possibly need for the week, for Jaxin and myself, was stacked up on the bookshelf, (including a pink towel, a soft pink blanket, and my favorite chocolate!) As soon as I changed they had me close my eyes and surprised me with a party complete with pink cake and pink presents! I got soft pink socks, a whole book of paper dolls, a barbie, nail polish, and body glitter spray!! Freakin best party EVER!! :)I wasn't the only one taking advantage... Denae wasted no time!

First day - Top priority
Shopping of course!

Second priority - fashion show
in new skirts of course :)

Time for pedicures! We had so much fun spending sister time together.. Got some mixed feelings from people about whether we look alike or completely opposite. What do you think? I just noticed that Geri's hand looks like the Addam's family hand... creepy!

First time eating Collard Greens.. No offense to the south, but ew!
Jacob and Geri were so sweet and dropped everything to take me to D.C. over the weekend. It was my first time, and pictures cannot describe how amazing it felt to be there. They can somewhat show how rainy and cold it was, but it was so worth it! All the monuments were breathtaking, but I think my favorite would have had to be the Lincoln Memorial. Everyone had a sense of reverence around the different sights, and with all the people that were there, it was impressive. We also went into different Smithsonian Museums which were really cool to show the kids pictures of. They were especially impressed by "Me not dumb-dumb, you dumb-dumb.. Me want gum gum!"

Geri took me to the Appomattox Courthouse where the Civil War ended, and just like everything else.. I was in awe. It was so surreal how the land and the buildings were the same as the ones that were there in 1865. I saw some of the original furniture, hand written letters, and weapons that were used during this time. I can't wait to take Bob and the kids there someday.

She also took me to the D-day memorial, and just like the war monuments in D.C. people were extremely quiet and you just felt a sense of respect for our country by walking through it. Of course it also made me sad for all those who have died for our freedom.
3 words: braids, dresses, twirling. This was what my week of pink was all about! It was like my little fairytale coming alive in Geri's backyard, and these girls did NOT disappoint! What perfect little angels she has ♥

Naomi was such a trooper letting me play dress up with her when she would really rather be playing with sticks!
Denae and Aliya weren't quite done posing, and Aunt Nina didn't mind one bit!

Geri bought us all matching aprons and we cooked a chicken broccoli braid on my last night there. Definite chefs in the making!

And Aliya was our biggest fan!

It ended all too soon, but we tried really hard to make it a happy goodbye with almost no tears. We stopped on the way to the airport and let the girls pick out their own best friend necklaces to help lessen the blow for all of us. It helped Denae, but I think it made her mom tear up! Such precious memories ♥

I looked like a freakin gypsy on the plane!

Oh Chandlers.. Thank you so much for making this week so special for me, and giving me some much needed girl time. I love you all so much and can't wait to come visit with the whole gang. Of course I also look forward to you moving home when the time is right. And Geri... you will never know how much the time I spent with you this week meant to me. It topped everything else just knowing that we were able to spend good quality time together and have a genuinely good time doing it! I love you so much and thanks again for everything ♥

Jaxin's first birthday

2010-03-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

Jaxin enters the big world as a one year old.....

He had so much fun playing on the toys with his brothers and friends!

Then onto the good stuff!

And some more good stuff....

I am pretty sure he liked his shoes the best!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BABY JAXIN!

memories to ♥

2010-03-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know what this face is all about, but apparently it's a new fad in the Henry home!
Good 'ol fashion fun with Grandpa Walker

2 of my favorite guys

Mason DEMANDS piggy back rides to bed!

Jaxin loves playing with his big brother!

We had such a fun time with our romantic family Valentines dinner that I think we will make it a tradition!
He did a wonderful job creating and cooking the menu... He delighted the crowd with his polite and witty French accent... He served everybody their meals and surprised us all with a lovely dessert...Introducing Misuer Hayden:
The first clogging competition of the year took place at NNU and it was a good thing that Dallin went first so I could follow in his footsteps.. He did good for his first performance of the year and his team took 1st place!
I competed for the first time in 12 years with the adult team and although it was a lot slicker than I remember, it was so much fun! We took 1st as well, but unfortunately my cameras battery died and so most of the stage pictures ended up on Mom's camera.
Jaxin was not impressed
But he had fun with Abuelita
...and loves her very much!
Right before this Dallin was playing around with Dad and got a foam sword to the eye which resulted in this... please nobody turn us in!
Jaxin got his first real haircut... and boy did he need it! He was a good sport and giggled almost the whole time!
Sweet little mischievous boys...
Crazy hair day at school today
EVERYONE wanted to participate and
YES that is all their REAL hair!!

Special date night thanks to Mom and John babysitting.. We spent the whole night reminiscing with pictures and songs and old love letters... well not the WHOLE night :)
Having so much fun babysitting Ivy and Adelyn.. precious girls seem to mix in well around here... hmm

Fiesta Bowl 09

2010-03-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

I know these pictures are a bit old, but I had to put up some of my favorites, because THIS was a fun night! Fiesta Bowl... Dad's house... GO B.S.U.!!! (I think I had more fun with my nieces and nephews then watching the actual game, but don't tell anybody!)

My sweet sweet nieces have the most darling smiles

Tyson and Mason chillin as buds

...and their moms as buds :)

The biggest Bronco fans EVER!

Okay please do not use my son as a football Uncle Robbie!

Breathe... Breathe... Don't spike him PLEASE!

For your safety: Please keep the children away from Uncle Robbie in times of touchdowns...interceptions...bad refereeing... etc :)

This sweet nephew of mine was in rare form tonight and I seriously had to pick between several pictures I had that captured the most precious laughing smiles as we played all night together. I love my Ty!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

As if the huge flat screen T.V. isn't big enough from the comfort of your seat... silly boys :)Thanks Dad for an awesome night!

2009 Holidays part 2

2010-02-01T21:19:00.001-08:00

We started our Christmas Eve at Bob's Aunt Jane's house where we normally spend it. It was wonderful company and delicious food... as always! Bob and Cesley have the same hilarious sense of humor when I get out the camera. Sheesh!

Special time with Grandpa Pat... "He'll give us anything!"

Grandma Henry is a special lady and I'll be the first to admit that I could never compare ;)
Hayden and Laney hugging on Uncle Bob
Aunt Mare bonded with Hayden on this trip, and they are now life long friends!
~Cuties~
My kids sure warm up to the people that spoil them!
We headed over to Grandpa Walker's house in the evening and got a special visit from Santa. The kids were very surprised and excited to see him... except for Mason who just wanted him to put him back down! My favorite part was spending time with my nieces and nephews. It was a wonderful blessing to have my sister and her family in town, and to have everyone get together at the same time. We really have gotten close in our old age! That Santa sure looks familiar... hey where did Dad go?!

♥me 'n' my bro♥

JAROM

TYSON
ADELYN
DENAE
NAOMI
I got the special privilege this year of buying the girls their Christmas Eve jammies. After searching high and low and recruiting Bob to help me search we found these perfect storybook pajamas that made me really appreciate having nieces to do this for!Christmas morning....waiting in the hall....excited to see what Santa brought.... listening for the door to open when Daddy gets home with Hayden so they can run out to see what he brought! An absolutely priceless moment....

The kids had such a fun morning. Eating an orange as they opened their loot in their stockings and spending time with Grandpa Pat and Grandma Sharla who joined us for gift opening. Aunt Cesley and Delaney came over too and it made the Henry family Christmas morning full of love and fun!
This helmet was the clue to what was waiting outside from Santa. The kids got their very own motorcycle this year!

Mason's big gift from Santa was a new toddler bed. He was so excited when Delaney showed him that he could jump on it!

Jaxin slept for most of the morning, but when he woke up he had his share of gifts too. He didn't know what was going on, but he was super excited to sit in the chair Aunt Cesley bought for him!

We ended our evening at Abuelita's house and spent time with my siblings and their families. Thank you for the wonderful tradition mom :) Jacob and Geri's family traded with our family this year and we got to exchange gifts. It was so much fun watching these girls open their gifts from us. I don't know who was more excited... Bob and I got a bit giddy! Geri made the boys amazing sacrament books to do at church and they absolutely LOVE them.... and so do I!

GERI AND ALIYAThis was the first time Jaxin got to meet his Aunt Ger- Bear!
Jarom and Jaxin: The beginning of a wonderful friendship!!
From the mouths of the Henry boys, "This was the best Christmas ever!!!"

THE HOLIDAYS OF 2009

2010-01-31T14:18:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to get a lot of our pictures posted of the holidays, so I thought I'd upload some of my favorites. So these first few are for Halloween. We were once again at the last minute with no costumes. I am not personally that big on Halloween, so it takes me a lot of nudging to get costumes ready for the kids. We usually end up paying too much money for the leftover costumes that nobody else wanted, but this year we ended up using some of our old costumes and other odds and ends to make what I think turned out to be some of the best costumes ever! The kids were pretty excited about them too.

We had such a good time. After stopping by Grandma Baldwin's house, Abuelita's, and Grandpa Walker's we headed over to Aunt Cesley's to meet up with Grandpa Pat and Grandma Sharla to go trick or treating together. I think this was the first year the older boys didn't get tired before we did. They had a good time get lots of candy, walking with Morgan and Delaney, and taking turns riding on Grandpa's 4 wheeler.
I broke my camera right after Halloween and didn't get a new one until right after Thanksgiving, so I missed those pictures, but here are some fun things we did during Christmas break:
We played in the snow We made Christmas cookies
We decorated the tree
We went sledding at Grandpa Walker's house

We cheered on our favorite team! We saw Santa Clause!!

I bought the boys some new Christmas sweaters and took pictures of some very mature looking young men. I couldn't believe how old they all look!

♥IN LOVING MEMORY♥

2009-12-26T14:58:00.000-08:00

Our sweet beloved Abby passed away on Christmas Eve night after being hit by a car near our house. She was a member of our family for the last 8 years. She helped raise the kids, protected us when Bob was gone, provided companionship on lonely nights and during camping trips, and was absolutely the best dog ever. Bob and her were the best of friends: playing fetch, hunting birds, camping, fishing, wrestling, and snuggling. I loved her so much as she was so loving and gentle, a shoulder for me to cry on more than once, protecting me and helping me through tough times when Bob worked in Seattle.She loved the boys and played with them and was patient while they climbed all over her. She listened and obeyed and was a perfect family dog. She wasn't just our dog.. So many hearts were stolen by her, and she was so many people's "favorite dog". She will be greatly missed and we will always love her. So long sweet Abi-girl ♥

Sep/Oct "stuff"

2009-11-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

LOTS OF THIS:

A LITTLE OF THIS:

AND NOT ENOUGH OF THIS:
WENT TO A CONCERT WITH SOME GOOD FRIENDS
WE'VE BEEN LOVING ON OUR BABY
AND ON THIS BABY...
HAYDEN AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOME SCHOOL TOGETHER
BOB WENT ON A LONG DESIRED BACKPACKING TRIP AND GOT SNOWED ON ALL NIGHT. IT WASN'T ALL HE HOPED FOR, BUT HE MADE IT HOME ALIVE :)

ALL OF THIS LIVING AND WHERE DID ALL THE TIME GO?!!

What we've been up to lately

2009-09-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

WE WENT TO TIME OUT FOR WOMEN!

This is Angie, me, mom, and Illise right before everything started on Saturday morning. We had such a great time and the talks were very good. The music, however, is what I enjoyed the most!

Thanks Mom!

We are sooooo ready for the Bronco football season!
TOUCHDOWN!

We have a new baby niece!!! She is lovely and I predict she will be a girlie girl :) (if I have ANYTHING to say about it) Adelynn Joi Walker
....Bob insists on calling her Bob, long story,
but we both agree she is beautiful.
And Ivy was a very proud big sister
If you lose the baby in the clean clothes......... You know it's time to either fold clothes, down size in clothes, or down size in kids! I HATE LAUNDRY!!!!!Oh mom... what am I gonna do with you?!

2009-09-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

JUST A FEW RANDOMS:
Dallin went to the hospital this week with meningitis and it was NOT FUN!!! He is still recovering, but able to go back to school which he is happy about. He was such a brave little guy going through a spinal tap, blood draws, and several more uncomfortable procedures. The Dr.s and nurses fell in love with him and got a kick out of his sense of humor. When he started to wake up from being under from the tap, they were giving him a swine flu test which is like a mascara brush stuck up your nose as far as it can go and then twisted... does not feel good... I said, "Hey buddy.. how do you feel?" He goes," Well I don't like waking up like THAT!!" What a character :)

Tired from an exhausting day of learning to crawl and throwing temper tantrums :)

My first cracker!! Yummy :)

HAYDEN LOST ANOTHER TOOTH!!! What a freakin cutie!

The new game of Mason's is lets see if I can be cute enough that mom will want to get out her camera and take a picture of me! Aren't I just the cutest thing in the whole world!!!! We are creating a monster because no matter if it's actually cute, annoying, or bad behavior, we are having a really hard time stifling our giggles!

Ivy Dawn
&
Jaxin Walker
Just "Cuz"

Good Night!

Hayden had a birthday!!

2009-08-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hayden had a mad scientist themed party and it was a blast!!! They had lab coats with their "professor name", safety goggles, and latex gloves to protect their hands from the slimy sticky experiments we did. Dr. Bob was in charge explaining static electricity, oxidation reaction, and a bunch of other things I can't pronounce! The kids hung on his every word and had a lot of fun!

Bob did all sorts of fun things inside and then we went outside for the messy stuff. Here he was making "hot lava". He let the kids take turns pouring in the ingredients and did it quite a few times so they all felt like a part of it. He was sooo good with them!

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY HAYDEN!!

2009-08-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Bob's birthday was awesome!! He was truly surprised and it was really nice having everyone there. My favorite part was reading over his list of accomplishments. I am so proud of the man he is and I feel very lucky to have him. We've been doing a lot of reminiscing this month since we had our 10 year anniversary and Hayden turned 10, and now Bob turned 30. I remember when I married him and of course at the time I didn't think he was young, but looking back on it, I just can't believe how young we both were. The crazy part about it though is the amazing dedication he had to me from day one... at nineteen years old.. WHO DOES THAT?!!! He is so incredible and I love every 30 years of him :)

oops!

2009-08-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

This is really annoying that I haven't mastered blogging yet, but to those of you who read this... the first part of our trip comes after the last part of our trip on this page. If you just scroll down real fast till you see the post that starts with "Oregon Coast" you can read it in order. I feel so dumb!

Oregon Coast part 2

2009-08-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

The next stop we made was Gold Beach. It is different then the other beaches we played at because it's just rocks. No smooth sand.. just beautiful landscaping rocks. We brought home quite a few and this turned out to be one of the best "picture days" Here's some of the memories we captured.

We drove through to California after this and stayed the night. The next day we woke up and drove to the redwoods.

Wow! What a magical place! We spent all day walking hidden trails, finding holes in tress big enough to stand up in, and looking for gnomes. I took a walk by myself at one point and it was the most peaceful place I've ever been. Bob and I were in awe of the massiveness and beauty, and the kids were in make-believe heaven! Here are some of the pictures we took.

The rest of the trip was trying to stay awake and drive home! We were exhausted.. We ended up driving to Crater Lake but we were about 7 miles away when the sun went down. We tried so hard to get a glimpse before it was too dark, but we just barely missed it. By the time we got to the actual lake it was pitch black and we couldn't see a thing! It was a bummer, but we'll go another time. All in all the trip was a major success and we made a ton of good memories!

HOORAY FOR HENRY FAMILY ROAD TRIPS!!!!!

Oregon Coast

2009-08-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Cape Meares Lookout on the Oregon coast. We spent 9 fun filled days (7/3-7/12) travelling up and down every mile of the Oregon coastline. We stayed a few days in Tillamook with Bob's mom. On July 3rd we went out to a place called Sand Lake which is just a bunch of big sand dunes that butts up against the ocean. We spent the day riding four wheelers all over with Bob's mom and her husband Dale. The kids had a blast and later that night after we were done riding four wheelers we went to a town called Pacific City.

We were told that there was going to be a fireworks show. Turns out the town couldn't afford to do it this year so instead we just grabbed some pizza at this really cool pizza joint about 1/2 a block from the beach.

Next day was the 4th of July and we were excited because we were going to try to add Mason and Jaxin's names to "our bench" out at Cape Meares. Unfortunately when we had got there we found that they had replaced the bench :( It was a sad moment but we half expected it since we started putting our names on it almost 10 years ago!

Then we went to the famous "Octopus tree". The most excercise I've had all summer was the hiking on these trails.. Quite a walk! The views here are amazing and I could never get tired of this place. We spent the evening on Rockaway Beach and watched the fireworks go off over the ocean. Absolutely beautiful! The scene was really cool too because there were campfires to stay warm by and a couple of guys playing their guitars and singing along. The fireworks were nothing compared to anything I've seen before, and i don't think I'll be able to appreciate small town displays the same as before. It adds a lot to hear the waves of the ocean crashing at the same time as the sky lights up and you realize where you are!

The next morning we ventured to the most coveted Tillamook Cheese Factory! It's always a must when we go and it was fun to do it with the kids at an age where they might actually remember.

We had lunch here and bought some souvenirs. The kids got some squeaky cheese and of course we all tried some ice cream. Yummy!

In the afternoon we went and visited Bob's Grandpa and Grandma Bell. They were so sweet and welcoming and it's always a special time to visit with them. Grandpa took the older boys down to the river to skip rocks and find treasures, and I stayed with Grandma and the babies to have "girl talk". We love them so much and the kids again were old enough this time to remember their Tillamook family that they rarely see.

On July 5th we traveled north to Seaside and got a hotel that was right on the beach. Our room had a big window overlooking the ocean and it was right above the Seaside Aquarium where the kids got to feed some seals. Down the main street there was a big arcade that we couldn't pass up and a little further up was the carousel mall where Mason got to ride his choice of horsies. The next morning we went out and played on the beach and splashed in the ocean and found all sorts of little treasures. The boys favorite was when Bob found a sand crab. They were amazed at how fast it can dissappear when you drop it in the sand! We played until check out and then ran upstairs to shower before we got back in the van to travel. It worked out pretty well actually!

From there we traveled even more north to Astoria where we drove over the bridge into Washington. It was INSANE! I still can't believe how long and close to the water that bridge was. I was kinda scared.. ok REALLY scared, but I'm glad I didn't let my fear control me. It was kind of triumphant!

Open this pic to see it up close.. It's pretty impressive!

On our way back through Astoria we stopped at a couple of famous film locations. I don't see the big deal, but I was out numbered and Bob is a big dork!

This is The Goonies house!

And this is Haystack Rock at Depoe Bay also filmed on The Goonies! We found out that about a week later someone caught a great white shark about a 1/4 mile away from here. Yikes!

We drove back down to Tillamook where Mom and Dale surprised Mason with a birthday party. He was so excited about his SpongeBob balloon that Grandpa Dale bought and just loved the red fuzzy ball that Grandma Carolyn saw him playing with on the first day and decided it would make a good present. He wasn't a fan of cake, but that's okay cause it left more for me!

We had so much fun here and i was honestly quite surprised at how well the kids did in a new place. Of course they had a big man game room with a pool table and darts and "Carolyn-made" trails to explore with a hot tub to relax in afterwards! They made it so comfortable and we were able to spend important time bonding that we don't get much of with this side of the family. Thanks guys!

When we left Tillamook we traveled south to Newport. There were breath taking views the whole drive and the kids stayed occupied with the much appreciated d.v.d. player in our new van. In Newport we stopped at another aquarium that was much larger and had a ton of weird creatures. It was pretty impressive, and as you can see the kids really enjoyed this part. Well worth the time and money!

This was a cool fish tank that the kids were able to climb in the middle of and feel like a fish! There were fish swimming around their heads and a tunnel to climb through. Here is Logan being a fish!

We were actually walking on underground fish tanks that the kids couldn't help but taking a closer peak at. Pretty cool!

Here is Mason playing "kissy-fishy"! He was captivated..

Speaking of being captivated.. Jaxin didn't hardly even blink through these tunnels with sharks and sting rays and other sea creatures. It was pretty cool!

HELLO AGAIN!

2009-08-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

OKAY SO LETS TRY THIS AGAIN! I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I CAN'T FIND MY OLD BLOG.. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I NOW HAVE THE INTERNET AND CAN DO THIS FROM THE UNCOMFORT OF MY OWN HOME!! I'M GOING TO START OUT WITH SOME PICTUERS OF OUR SUMMER AND THEN I WILL GO BACK INTO EACH INDIVIDUAL CHILD SO YOU GUYS CAN FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM LIKE I HAVE AND WISH THEY WERE YOURS :) I KNOW.. THEY'RE PERFECT.. BUT REMEMBER THEY DO HAVE ME AS A MOTHER SO IT'S REALLY ALL WE CAN EXPECT!