Cascade Childrens Festival

What a fun day we had! After a lazy morning we headed off to Drake park and the Cascade Childrens Festival. Oh my gosh, what fun we had!! A hand full of tickets were only pennies a ticket, and there was so much to do it just blew my mind. Just walking down the path we were given a big gift bag full of "healthy teeth" stuff, from toothbrushes to sticker charts and more. A few steps later and they were both clutching new balloons. Both munchkins spent quite a while bouncing in the bounce house, and Raegan got her face painted ( well, dotted. Whatever, she loved it.) They both got "crowns" which were actually princess tiaras (but we won't tell Kael that). Winning the bean bag toss got them each a balloon hat, and tossing rings got them each a Frisbee to color on. Kael had the most fun in the toy pile. A huge mountain of toys is piled up, the children pay their one ticket, then dive in! The best part? They get to leave with one of the toys. After much deliberation Kael chose a football ( of course). But Raegan? She knew exactly what she wanted. She waded in and went right for him; the vulture. Yes, Raegan chose the stuffed vulture toy! To top it all off we had a great lunch of Soba noodles sitting in the shade at the park listening to the free concert. It really was just an awesome morning! MUST mark it on the calendar to do again next year!

( not many pictures of Kael, that little tornado just wouldn't hold still long enough for me to snap one! Plus, my bag was just LOADED down with free goodies to take home. The camera got a little buried. )

Leave Request

With a total of 7 days granted in the last 4 years, I think I have invested enough time in this business to have earned a day off.

I would like to take this time to officially request 24 hours of peace and quiet. No fighting. No hitting or hair pulling. No climbing on the counters. No throwing things or eating things or breaking things that aren't yours. Put the cat down. Stop. No. No no no no no.

The insane jealousy I feel toward those that have a grandparent or other able caretaker to drop their children off at for overnight stays borders on hatred today. I'm not the best person to call for a chipper conversation.

And that is my update.

Cline Falls

We are blessed to live only 5 miles away from Cline Falls State Park. It has become a favorite quick morning hangout this summer, as it's usually pretty quiet there in the AM before the crowds show up and there are some great calm spots for the kids to explore in. I SO wish I'd had the camera out when Kael's diaper finally soaked through to the "tender spots". Funniest dang thing I've ever seen; that kids face. Both kids always have a blast in the sandy mud and this time was no exception. It always takes Raegan a while to warm up to the idea and she usually spends the first ten minutes telling on Kael for getting wet ( "He float away, Mama! Kael! Come back here!!") But eventually it turns into a race for Daddy to keep them in the shallow water as both of them seem to have no fear and will wade right in to the current. Note to self: sign those kids up for swim lessons!!

A Wee Bit More From Our Coast Vacation

^ ( There are fish down there!)^

^The touch and learn pool. Raegan LOVED the sea slug!^

Kael and his love affair with the starfish.

^ "What does a seal do?"^

Indoor pics were tough, but the reflections were great!

The kids had a BLAST. Definately on our "regular to-do" list, it was such fun!

After the Parade

We snuck off to the huge Fourth celebration at Drake Park in Bend. It was so awesome! SO many vendors and fun crafty booths.. SO much awesome food, SO much for the kids to do! Raegan and Corbin even waited very patiently in line for over an HOUR to get their faces painted. They had such a blast!

After taking Corbin home that afternoon we had a quick siesta at the house with dinner then it was off to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds to watch the evening fireworks! We parked in the very back of the fairgrounds area, away from everyone else.... and about 300 feet from where they light off the fireworks display! It was awesome being so close. Loud, but Raegan didn't seem to mind. The kids and I climbed on top of the ven ( with me carefully perched on a support beam) and watched the whole thing. It was a blast, realy a good time. However, since we were in the very back of the lot, it took us FOREVER to get out of there as every other person in town was in front of us leaving out of one of the two exits. It took us more then an hour to get home ( about 3 miles) but the kids fell asleep as soon as we buckled them into their carseats so it was still a great idea to have gone. We plan to do so again next year!

This year was one of the funnest Fouth of July celebrations we've ever had. Both kids were old enough to really enjoy all the entertainment offered to them, and that was just so cool! I love that they are getting older and more able to play with their Mama. Next year I'm hoping to find some way to organize a BBQ at my home, and duplicate the rest of this experience around that with fun literally ALL day ( although all of us took a quick nap and all of us really needed it this year!)

Anyway, I hope your 4th celebrations were fun! I know ours were!

4th of July; The Parade

We had SUCH a full day on the 4th! We were and out the door early to catch the parade, snatching our buddy Corbin on the way. We got a great spot just a few blocks into the beginning of things and the kids made out like bandits in the candy department! They each got more candy ( and ice cold water bottles, stuffed animals, etc. ) then the two got combined on Halloween. We've never managed to get to the front of the parade before and it was quite the treat to be able to participate that way! Every wave got a huge handful of candy tossed out way ( Kael got very excited about waving when he figured that out). Raegan and Corbin were very good kids, sitting in their seats till I told them they could hop down to collect some candy, and staying close when they did so. Kael even got into the action a bit and snagged himself some awesome lollipops! Which, of course, he promptly ate ( we were making the other two wait) so he was on an absurd sugar high for most of the day. The weather was also just as about perfect as it could get. Just a comfortable warm, a little breeze to keep you dry, and a little sun to keep you warm. Really probably the funnest time we've ever had at a parade. Downer? Can't find the memory card for the big camera ( I think I know of two little turds who may have "hidden" it) . The whole day was documented on the little one, which just isn't as fun so I ended up taking less photos overall. Oh well, the day was awesome in memory!

Sunday? Kites!

(They're looking at a ladybug.. that Kael promptly stomped on.)

The weather was just perfect for kite flying. A decent wind, but a warm one. Overcast and foggy, but that just made it easier to stare up into the sky at your kite! The kids had a BLAST and now we're addicts. Gotta get us some fancy kites to do fun tricks with next time!

Saturday We Went to the Beach

As a side note, Raegans hands just fascinate me. So tiny and delicate. Holding her hand just makes me happy, it's just so amazing to have her tiny little fingers wrapping around mine. And seeing her use her hands? To find things and make things and pick things up, etc? I don't know what it is, but it's like seeing a miracle. I know she's almost four, but she is just so... so.... Raegan. My tiny little girl. Kael is the baby, but he's also the moose. I'm awed by the brute force that is my son. But Raegan? She's the kind of girl that makes me believe that fairies do exist.

Forgetting the good camera and losing the battery power on the little one, I only got these few photos. But we did build a sand castle or two, found some awesome shells, harassed some sea anemones, did some spelunking, and in general had a blast by the water. Sand everywhere. Totally worth the itching and mess.