How to cool down on a hot day.

My husband called and said "Can you get the kids to come out to the front yard? I'll be by in a few minutes with a water truck." So I told them all to please come help me clean up the yard so that we could get it mowed, which they did. Then he drove by.

It sent them running.

Then he backed up and did it again.
And again.
The older kids put their heads down and headed right into the water.
So he turned it on higher.
She's pretty brave.

It cooled them down fast.

And we got to see a rainbow.

They weren't mad, but when it was time to really clean the yard up, I had a hard time getting volunteers.

Visitors.

A month ago we had a nephew and niece stay with us for a week. This past week we've had another nephew and niece stay with us - one for a week, the other will be staying for an extra few days.

It has been so much fun having two 14-year-olds stay with us. Pure goofy is what they are.

Even a trip to Lowe's Home Improvement Store isn't boring.



And my kids have someone 'vewy fashnable' to help with their fingernails and toenails. Ainsley puts great store in being fashionable.
But these kids these days (said in a very mature I-don't-dance-to-Lady-Gaga-with-them-no-matter-what-you've-heard voice), they just don't have much stamina. I took this picture at 6:30 at night.

It's either that or we just play too hard.

It could be that.

Today's post is brought to you by blueberry bagels.

I wanted to show you what the girls made their dad for Father's Day (Gray slept through the whole project). I found this last year on maxylola. It is the cutest idea, especially for a guy like my husband who loves taking his kids fishing.

Aren't they sweet? Can you tell what they're made of? Paintbrush handles. Brilliant.

So he got breakfast in bed - first time for him - and his yearly fishing license, these fish to hang in his office, and two little girls telling him at random times throughout the day that he was 'the bestest Daddy in the whole wold' (Ains) and 'You may just be the best Father a girl has ever known. I don't know for sure that you are because there are an awful lot of fathers out there, but that's the way I see it.' (Hannah - of course).

Time with just one.

This morning looked like it was going to be rainy, so after chores were done and a few more flowers were planted in the garden, we hung out inside. I got everything ready for our trip to town, Ains worked on her 'superhero play', Grayson practiced making pancakes,

Hannah made everyone radish omelettes.

Everyone liked them but her.

Through a series of funny events, toward the end of the day, Ains and I found ourselves alone, heading back home from town.

We stopped at a scenic overlook for 'the canyon' that Ains loves so much. We haven't been able to stop there for over nine months due to weather or time constraints and this time we had none of that - and she had my undivided attention.

This is something that I always appreciate - unplanned (and planned) moments with just me and one of my children. It's always a revelation about that child and our relationship.

This time, Ainsley was openly happy about us being alone together 'expwowing the wocks'.

It reminded me how lucky I am to have this person in my life.

And the dog's pretty dang cute too.

Summer's a comin'!

The weather's warming up, the wind's dying down just a smidge and we're outside.

The robin's nest we've been watching from the window had no eggs in it today - they've hatched! While the parents were gone hunting, Hannah snuck a peek in and got a picture.

Ains found a frog. (though that's Hannah holding it)

And Gray found a huge pile of ants.

Just a small part of our big day.

Now books have been read,

and kids have passed out.

Good night all!

Ainsley's faces.

I emptied off my camera today and found these. They're from over a week ago, according to the date on the picture. I never knew they were being taken. According to Ainsley, Hannah was shouting out emotions and Ains was acting them out.

I give you ...

Happy.
Sad.

Mad. (Really. That's mad.)

Thoughtful.

Surprised.

Silly.

And Beautiful.

Supah star!

Really? We're not done yet? - Oregon post

I've lost my blogging mojo. I just can't do it late at night after the kids are in bed anymore because I'm sound asleep too. I can't do it in the morning before I get up because I'm milking the goats first thing in the morning. I can't do it during the day because one little 'let me finish this thing online' turns into too much time online. So this week, with my cousin's kids visiting, I've had even less time and motivation to get on here and finish this trip journal - two weeks after we got back.

This post, and the one that follows (the last of the trip) will be picture heavy and word light so that I can get them up.

Early morning on our last morning in the yurt.





Going tidepooling that morning near Cobble Beach. We were determined to find tidepools at least once on our trip. At this beach, there was lots of sand and little isolated tidepools. Perfect place for Gray to run free.

Hannah found anemones. I walked right past them. Because this beach was out of the water, the anemones had closed up tight, waiting for the tide to come back in.

Everyone took turns taking care of Bella.


After the tidepools (we only found closed up anemones and some dead crabs), we went to the lighthouse we'd seen the night before and Hannah and I went up the stairs. Ainsley wasn't tall enough to come up with us, so she went with Gray and her daddy to look for whales.

Hannah had learned the word 'vertigo' right before our trip and between the stairs at the dinosaur show and these stairs, she internalized the meaning quickly. On the way up she was fine, on the way down, she was hugging the wall. I had a Jimmy-Stewart-in-Vertigo moment myself on the way up.

When we were at the top, the lighthouse keeper showed her the rainbow coming from the glass in the light above. She asked how it was made. "You'll have to wait to learn about that until you get to high school. Then you'll learn about prisms and light." Reason #45 that I love homeschooling - they don't have to wait to learn about what they want to learn about.

When we got back down, we found this. A three-year-old who was so sad because "I want to be tall. Why can't I be tall now?"

Sadness that you can't fix as a parent.

Walking back from the lighthouse, we passed Cobble Beach. I told Matt I wanted to go back down 'just for 20 minutes or so'. He didn't want to go back down the stairs, so the kids and I headed down on our own. When we looked over the railing we saw this.

Tidepools! Honest to goodness, no foolin', real tidepools! So Matt came down with us.

Apparently it wasn't the stupid guidebooks, it was the stupid land lubbers who didn't know how to read tide charts.

We passed this sign (and about 15 more - the mussels were well protected) on our way down.

I told Matt "I hope I see them. I'd hate to step on them without realizing it. Do you think there are many of them?"

Oh, there are many of them all right.

And it was tidepool jackpot gold. TONS of colorful starfish - and even a few sunfish.

In the picture below there are over twenty starfish. They're on each other, on the underside of the rocks, in between rocks.
The purple sea urchins covered the walls of little pools.

It was a visual smorgasbord.



On our way back up the stairs, Hannah was saying that she wished that she could take some driftwood from the beach. A ranger was walking up right behind us and told her that she could take as much driftwood as she wanted because otherwise they (the rangers) had to clean it up. He'd already told a few people there and they were hauling off huge pieces. Hannah went to work collecting.

And then she hauled an entire skirtful of driftwood all the way up the stairs you see behind her. Determined little girl.

On our drive down the coast, we stopped at this beach - can't remember the name of it - in a beautiful little cove. Hannah ran right to the water as she did at ever single beach we stopped at.

It was windy, but they played for at least an hour. Matt and I had to take it in turns helping them chase the waves.

I think this girl is going to move to the coast as soon as she's able.