May Family Reunion 2015

I've been debating making this like, 3 different posts, but instead we're just going to do one massive one! Yay for picture overload!

We've been planning a May Family Reunion at the beach since the last one. 

My mom found a beach house (bigger than the last one, to accommodate two more chitlins), and we all made the necessary travel arrangements and preparations to head there for a week. And, oh, what a week it was!

Of course, by necessity, there was lots of time at the beach, 

including tide pools, 

Exploring tide pools and Cape Kiwanda

which were a lot of fun, even with all the trips to the bathroom...

kite flying,  

(Not shown: each kiddo got the chance to hold the kite).

and playing in the sand. 

Lots of sand.

I think we are still getting sand out of her hair.
Oh, and there was water!

Calista absolutely loves the ocean, and her favorite game always was to stand in the waves getting wet, 

and sometimes running away from the waves. 

Craig took a little more time to warm up to the ocean, 

but came to adore it as well.

Maybe a little too much, since he'd try and go to the water without us sometimes.

Still, we kept safe and had some awesome beach days.

When I asked Calista (months beforehand) what she wanted to do at the beach, she told me she wanted to "swim in the ocean with my pet shark." What pet shark, you might ask? Yeah, so did I. I told my mother what Calista said, we laughed, and then my mom bought a blow-up, rideable shark.

Seriously.

All the kids got to have a turn riding in the (creek) with the pet shark.

It was a huge hit with adults, kids, and strangers alike.

Plus now my mother has a blow up shark at home.

Who doesn't want that?

One of the days we were there, we headed into Newport to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium and Hatfield Marine Science Center. 

I love them both so much, and the kids did, too, with only minor injuries...

The almost-four-year-olds

Little boys!

Craig was in love with the seals and sea lions.

He could've watched them for an hour, I think.
Calista most wanted to see sharks (apparently she has  thing for sharks?),

and she got her wish, too.

I think she enjoyed it.

Don't you?

Shark Attack!!!

Plus, we did the obligatory stop at the playground.

It's nice to get turtle hugs from little boys.

Kyler and I actually went to the Aquarium on our honeymoon, and took a couple of pictures very much like these ones. 

It's fun to pretend we are newlyweds again...

Hatfield Marine Science Center is smaller than the Oregon Coast Aquarium, but also cheaper (donations only) and has a better touch tank. 

In fact, basically everything at Hatfield is hands on and interactive...

In one way or another... So awesome.

And exhausting.

One morning, we went on a hike up Cascade Head, leading to a great view of the ocean. 

Calista walked the whole way and only whined a little bit. 

And Craig got to be in the carrier... thanks, Kyler!

Lilia was... incredibly slow, but enjoyed talking with Grandpa.

And everyone like playing with Grandpa at the top.

And, just for fun, one night we made s'mores in the fireplace in the living room. 

Calista enjoyed roasting her marshmallow.

Craig was mesmerized by the fire, and then in love with the s'more.

Seriously, this kid needed a bath when we were done.

But what I enjoyed most was just watching the cousin interact with each other, and also with Grammie and Grandpa. 

They had so much fun being around each other, and relatively little conflict considering...

They are such goobers.

I know that family is what Calista misses the most now that we're back, 

And Craig keeps pointing at pictures of him and Joel, and babbling away.

What good hugs!

Sleepy baby with Grandpa.

I look forward to the next time we all get together again,

Even if there are no butterflies.

I think it'll be all smiles regardless.

Cay-no Park

As part of our recent trip to Oregon (more posts are forthcoming!), we headed up to Mount Saint Helens. Whenever I've gone to the mountain, I've always done things are the south side (ape cave, hiking to the summit, etc). I'm not sure I had ever been to the visitor's centers on the northern side. It was awesome!

We started out going to the Visitor's Center, which was a great overview. We watched their movie and learned a lot of what happened prior to and during the eruption.

The kiddos were absolutely insane after being in the car, so we took advantage of a wetlands hike to let them run their energy out.

In retrospect, we should have done the hike and then went to the visitor's center. Maybe Kyler and I would've been able to look at the exhibits more if we had done so, rather than chase crazy kids around. Oh well. Live and learn.

Next, we drove closer to the mountain and to just inside the blast zone, where we hit up the Forest Learning Center. I would say this place is a must-visit, especially if you have kids, but even if you don't. After all, it's free admission!
We started out eating lunch and playing at the playground outside, complete with volcano slide.

It was a big hit with the kiddos.
Then we headed inside. We watched their eruption video and then wandered around looking at their exhibits.

We spent a little bit of time checking out the helicopter,

But most of our time was spent in their discovery room.

In that room, everything was touchable. We floated pumice in water, picked up different kinds of pine cones, colored pictures, did puzzles... all sorts of things.

Calista very carefully took each of the puzzle pieces out and laid them on the table, with the right spatial orientation to each other. When she was finished, she put them all back in the puzzle, "so someone else can play with them later," she said.

Finally, we headed up to Johnston Ridge Observatory.

Man, oh man, is that view worth the drive.

Plus we got to listen to a ranger talk about the more recent (2004 ish) activity on the mountain, and it was really interesting. Calista also enjoyed the seismograph they had where you could make an "earthquake" by jumping on the sensor.

And Craig slept through part of it, but what he was awake for he loved.

Especially the "cay-no." Seriously, the boy was obsessed with talking about volcanoes the rest of our Oregon trip. He kept wanting to go to a "cay-no park," and seeing volcanoes outside his window in the car. Silly man.
It was a fantastic, and exhausting trip.

Calista fell asleep on the way home. Craig did not, but did enjoy the cookie.

Definitely worth the time and bit of money we spent! Maybe next time we'll do it again, or do the lava tubes further south, or do a different volcano entirely: Crater Lake, or...