Like a thief in the night.

I just did something. I've done it before, and I'll do it again. I just ransacked the toy room with a large white trash bag and filled it to capacity. I don't know why I feel bad doing this, it's part of being a parent and part of the pre-holiday tradition.

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Recently, Thomas and I checked out Too Many Toys from the library (here is where I should insert that I have not yet returned the book even though it is weeks upon weeks overdue). It is a fantastic book. I love any book that is entertaining for the reader as well as the listener. The title pretty much says it all, so there is no reason to give a synopsis. I checked it out in hopes of opening up a discussion about what we were going to do with all the toys that have made it into our home, not to mention the toys that are hidden in closets, trunks, garages, and at Grandma's house for Christmas. However, the book backfired. Every time we read it Thomas gets this worried look on his face and then proceeds to say things like, that's a good story, but I don't want to get rid of any of my toys. or I like all my toys, why would you take them away from me?

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This afternoon while Thomas was at preschool and Clara was sleeping I decided it was time to do the deed. It felt so good to clear out some junk, but I did feel like I was scrambling to get it done just in case Clara got out of bed or Thomas happened to hitchhike home and come walking into the house. With every toy that walked the plank, I was rehearsing what I am going to say when he asks where something is, which I am pretty sure isn't going to happen, but I must be prepared. I'll say, "hmmm...I'm not sure." I figure this is true and I am not lying because I won't know what happened to them once they get dropped off and become someone else's mess.

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So, as of 2:56 pm I am almost there. The room is cleaned out, the toys are in the car and now I just have to get to DI before Thomas discovers his junk in the back of my trunk. Wish me luck.

It really is the little things.

Thomas was asked by his preschool teacher what his favorite part of our trip was. His answer had something to do with the amount of powdered donuts he was able to finagle out of his Grandma Barb.

Drift Creek Falls

8 years ago Steve and I came across a hike when we were vacationing in Lincoln City. It is a hike that is kind of difficult to find, but so worth the hunt. 4 years ago when we were there, we tried to find it again, but drove forever up the wrong road. We finally gave up.

Before we left home this year, we looked up Drift Creek Falls on the Internet and got directions. There was no way we were going to miss it this time. Even as we were driving to get there we were starting to have doubts. The hike is about 9 miles up a twisty, unpaved road. We thought for sure we had driven to far, but sure enough as we rounded the last bend we found the trail head.

When you grow up in the desert, areas like this seem fake. As far as I'm concerned, places like this only exist in strange movies with characters that have wings or that are small in stature. The colors are unreal as is the smell. The air is so fresh, Thomas kept on saying that it smelled like candy.

Every time you take a step, the ground gives. It felt like we were walking on a giant sponge.

Grandma and Grandpa stayed back at the house with Clara. It is a good thing, I don't think she would have done too well. The hike down was an easy 1.5 miles, but climbing back out of the canyon was a little bit tougher.

Once you hike down, you find this huge suspension bridge over the river. The bridge sits on top of the waterfall that is pictured above. It was so cool. I thought for sure Thomas would be a little scared to walk across, but as soon as he saw it he was so excited to go on the "Diego Bridge." (that's a Go Diego Go reference for those of you without little boys between the ages of 3 and 9).

Thomas got lucky and got to be carried 3/4 of the way up the canyon. Lucky for him he has a very strong Daddy.

Tide Pools

(Disclaimer: Sorry if these posts make you feel like I have you trapped in my living room with a slide projector. This blog is our family scrap book.)
One of the reasons we picked Linclon City was because of the Tide Pools. Steve and I had visited them 8 years ago and thought the kids would have fun exploring them.

The kids did pretty well on the way there. I don't know how many times we said, "stop jumping in the puddles." It really was pointless. By the time we were there, Thomas had soaked his shoes and it was a lost cause.

I was kicking myself for only bringing the point and shoot. I could have gotten some great shots with a better lens!

We were really lucky when we got to the pools. Starfish, sea urchins, and crabs galore!

Thomas was a little skittish at first but eventually warmed up to the slimy green sea weed and the little "things" that would squirt every time you took a step.

Both the kids got lucky and had shoulder rides back to the house. Can you tell she was a little tired? The mile back to the house seemed a lot longer than the mile there. She is getting heavy!

Another perfect end to a wonderful day!

Beach

This year, because of Steve's hospital schedule we were forced to take our annual beach trip in the fall rather than the summer. During the summer, I was a little sad. I was aching to get away from the heat. We took little 3-4 day trips, but it wasn't the same as our big one we take every year. We were originally going to go in September, then October, then finally we decided on the first week in November. It was well worth the wait.

Steve and I are beach people. We especially love the Oregon beach. It is simply breathtaking. This year we picked Lincoln City as our destination of choice.

At the end of our trip, Steve asked me what my favorite part of our vacation was. I answered that the first night at the beach house was. That night we walked out onto the beach and we were the only ones there. The weather was unbelievable! We didn't really need jackets, but didn't want to take the time to remove them.

This was the house we rented. It was fabulous! Steve and I slept in the bedroom on the end with the french doors. We were able to watch and hear the ocean all night long.
Thomas was in heaven.

Clara is quite attached to her Granddad.



It was a perfect night.

Halloween in Washington

The kids had a great time trick-or-treating. Thomas was an old pro, he was showing Clara all the ropes. She caught on to this new game really fast. This is the best picture I got of her in her costume. She was supposed to be a cat. She wouldn't wear her ears and her tail got lost in the pettiskirt. I need to do a shoot of her in her costume, but she is at a very uncooperative age.

This was the last stop, Grandma Barb and Granddad's house. Thomas couldn't care less about the candy, Clara on the other hand has my sweet tooth and couldn't wait to get started.
And finally...the Buddy The Elf Costume. I was thrilled with how it turned out, and so was Thomas. He wore it with pride, even when people talked about how cute his Robin Hood or Peter Pan costume was.

One of many

Fantastic trip.

Tons of pictures.

I need sleep.

Daddyday - Oct. 26

Yesterday was another daddyday. We woke up early and decided we would take the kids to the conservatory at the Bellagio. However, before we made it downtown we made a detour to IHOP to sample the Pumpkin Pancakes. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the pancakes because what kind of weirdo brings a SLR into IHOP?

We had a great time (both at IHOP and the garden). I highly recommend the display to anyone living here and if your looking for cheap food that is kid friendly, I recommend IHOP (not really).

There are a couple things I like about this picture. 1. The kids' faces. They were in complete amazement. 2. Do you see how Steve is holding my purse in the background. He's such a swell guy. He carried my bright-red, heavy purse around all morning so I could play with my camera.

I am sure my face looked like theirs when I saw the tree below.
This tree /fountain was amazing. They had 3 of them. They were made out of copper or bronze (I'm guessing) and had thousands of holes for the water to drip out. I have never heard ANYTHING replicate the sound of rain like these did. If I had money to spare I would buy one of these and place it in my living room.

Nothing like a nice, wet kiss from a 4-year-old!

Finally, there was this terrifying, horrific talking monster tree. I was so excited to show it to the kids and BOTH of them started crying when they saw it - before it even started talking! They definitely have the scardy cat genes that have been passed down from me! It was kind of cool, but now that I think about it kind of freaked me out, too.

perfect landing

Guess what happens when you are playing the lets-spin-and-get-really-dizzy-and-fall game and there are legos on the ground?

The lego wins.

I love...

his chocolate eyes,

her blue eyes

and how much they love each other.

Reenactment

There are certain milestones in childhood that are dreaded by parents. Clara reached one last night. I had a feeling that it was coming, but I was in denial.

Thomas was 2 1/2 when he learned how to climb out of the crib. I figured she was going to learn a lot sooner because I have caught her taking private lessons in secret from her big brother.

She was not too happy that I was making her demonstrate her new skill.

Or, maybe she wasn't too happy that I was standing in the room with my camera waiting for her to get out. She has not been a fan of the camera lately.

I must admit she has great agility. I was quite impressed with the strength in her upper body.
I'll add that she is very quite when she does it. One might even say she is stealth like.
Thomas and Clara are sharing a room right now and she did it twice while he was reading on his bed, he didn't even notice she had done it.
She doesn't make a thud when she gets out. I know this because I was in the office right under the bedroom last night. I usually hear every noise in their room, last night it was silent. She had a plan and she knew what she was doing.

She finished off her performance by sticking her hands in the air and saying "TA DA."