July: part 2--Oregon Coast with the Pattons!

For the first time in a long time, we camped for a week along the Oregon Coast.  Chrissy and fam came with us.  It was one of the best trips to the coast we've ever had--but I think that had everything to do with not having a baby or a toddler along for the ride!  Sad, but true.

We did all the usual stops and ended the trip with a jaunt down to the Giant Redwood forest---SO AWESOME!! 

Favorite day: Roads End day.  We had a super low tides that made for spectacular tide pools

and we searched for treasures for hours

Other highlights of the trip included: kites

Pearle Beads--for hours!--check out Jenna's hysterical funny face--we couldn't capture that again if we tried.

Beach fun--more than we've been able to do on past trips because the weather was PERFECT almost every day!

I had hoped to recreate our last family picture that turned out so perfectly.  I am not sure why some families are so photogenic and some are....well...not.  We belong to the nots.  You can see from the shot above that Chrissy and her family belong to the ARE'S.  I blame Brent for a 50% of that and Gavin for 35% and me and the girls round out the last 15%.  Here are a few of our attempts: 



Brent likes this toothless smile..me, not so much.  And what's with the AWKWARD hand holding? 

Pose #2 seems like it should work--but--not so much.

  and it went down hill from there...

Here is attempt to pose #3... Thank you Brent.  But in all fairness, I now I understand why Brent always says this dress is not very flattering on me--especially when you walk INTO the wind!  So bad.

Our small jaunt down to the Redwood Forest turned into a 12 hour journey.  I think Brent and Charles were in hell.  We did have a few good stops along the way at Heceta Head Lighthouse, Cape Perpetua and Shore Acres. 

The highlight of the day was a nature walk down the Hobbit Trail.  Chrissy had made treasure bags for each kid that had paint swatches inside.  Each kid had to find things along the trail that matched the colors of the paint swatches.  So fun!

 Oregon has the best treasures--like banana slugs!

 And amazing mushrooms.

The drive was not the funnest, but nothing beats the MAJESTY of the Giant Redwoods.  Pictures do not do it justice.  Your driving along on a normal dirt road with small pine trees and then BOOOM!

It feels magical.  Spiritual.  Amazing.

I made Chrissy take about a million family pictures of us--hoping one would work.  You gotta do whatcha can when you are as un-photogenic as our family! :)  Sorry, Chrissy.

The perfect end to a great trip. 

July--at least part of it.

 July, July---fun month!  I can only post the first half here because I want to add all the pictures.  Things started off with a bang--quite literally.  4th of July festivities:  They actually started off with Grandpa Smiths famous breakfast--but I don't have any pics!!  Next year.

 

The Balloon Fest of course:

The Shumway Spectacular, Spectacular

Followed by the firework show--on the hot pavement in front of the stadium.  Yes, it was my year to choose!  Tradition!

Linda's will forever be the epitome of a perfect summer Sunday night.  The kids will not let me miss it.  Going or not going gives me so much POWER over them.  hee hee.  I'm pretty sure every VanCott uses Linda's as a way to parent with manipulation and idle threats!  Thank you Linda!!



 July also brought my 20 year high school reunion...no joke.  I got to go with my 2 best friends from high school, Chrissy and Marianne.  It was such a surreal experience to be in the same room with all those people 20 years later... Some hadn't changed a bit, and some...wow! they had changed more than three bits!  I was surprised by how the old insecurities just came flooding back--but it was also a good experience to be there as an adult, and to realize that we all had the same insecurities back then--popular or not.  It is hard to be a teenager!  I was really reluctant to go, but I am really glad I did.

 Check out our class picture!  We must have made some pact together to try to look as ANGRY as possible!  Chrissy cheated at the last minute!  I'm in the middle left, Marianne is center and Chrissy is middle right.  Awesome.

  July also brought a lot of yard work.  I was proud of my little herb garden and my front containers.  I also added a perennial garden in the back, leveled and layed pavers around the pool area, took out shrubs and leveled a spot for the tramp--which I moved by myelf--DIAGNOLLY through our aspen trees and almost broke my back...  Lots-O-work.

 Gavin captured this hummingbird with my camera--amazing shot!

 Now, for the second half!

2 strikes against me...

I'm not sure what is more depressing: a bad memory or a crappy phone camera.  We had a such a GREAT summer and unless I get it down on my trusty blog, I will have forgotten the whole thing.  I think I may have to go in a couple of installments so feel free to skip if you're bored. :)

SUMMER 2012--JUNE

The return of the long lost cousins!!  The Warrens came back to Utah and the kids were reunited with Bronx, Belle & Eva.  Gavin wasn't so sure just HOW to fit in--but he eventually...well, things have gotten better.

 Within 5 minutes of being reunited, Kesley & Belle were back to looking like the cutest clown hookers you ever did see--some things never change.

Jenna and Eva will forever be the tea party queens!  So happy to have these guys back in town!

 

 Kesley's best friend from 2nd grade was moving back East.  We had Mikkele over for one last play date.  Poor Kes has had every best friend move away at the end of the school year for the last 3 years.

 We will never forget the HURRICANE that was the Orem City Days this year!  Wind, rain, COLD.  BOO!!  We stayed for the parade, but headed home after and watched the fireworks from our neighborhood--not the same.   Note to self:  If you are responsible for saving the space for 50+ cousins--get there early and bring reinforcements!  Holy Crap!  What a nightmare!

 Gavin had a butterfly flying around him for 5 minutes.  It would land on him and then circle and come back.  Really cool--and then hysterical as it landed on his behind and stayed for awhile!

Fathers Day!  The annual shirt and a new camping chair!

We headed up the Uintahs with Grandpa Smith and Tiffy for a day of fishing and yummy food.

Then we hit Lindas and pretended we had just come from church...We love our Dads!

Gavin had James and Ashton dressing up as missionaries and going door to door in the neighborhood...guess we aren't doing everything wrong after all!

We had an AWESOME weekend trip to Elba Idaho with some good friends.  We hiked to a beautiful glacier lake, fished, 4 wheeled, shot guns, made fires and had an all around great time...until I had to try to kill the fish I caught.  That involved lots of screaming and quite a bit of blood flying around.--kinda embarassing.

Gavin was relentless on wanting to get in the pool as it was filling up and FREEZING!  He wouldn't take no for an answer, so I picked him up in his clothes and threw him in!  I think he will have a little more patience next year.

Not as exciting when I can't remember details...but at least its here!