Fun Summer Adventures

My recap of the summer continues...

After the kids and I returned from a very eventful trip to Montana, we got to spend a week with my parents.  My mom drove back from Montana with us and my dad flew in to Portland from Carson City to meet us.  We took it easy most of the week, but did go to the zoo one day and went to one of Portland's many berry patches to pick fresh raspberries.  Yum!  Max had a blast, but he ate more than he picked.  And Evelyn had fun crawling around as the rest of us filled our buckets.

Max with Grammy and Papa at the zoo!

She can't wait until she can walk like her big brother

My little berry picker

While my parents were here we decided to get Max a toddler bed.  More accurately, Max decided he needed a toddler bed when he climbed out of his crib multiple times to join us in the living room well after his bed time.  Fortunately he never hurt himself while doing this, but it sure shocked the heck out of us when he casually sauntered out to join us after we thought he was tucked in for the night.

Loving his big boy bed

After my parents left, Matt and I decided to take the kids to the beach.   On a surprisingly cold summer day, we drove over to Astoria (where they filmed The Goonies!) to give Evelyn her first glimpse of the ocean.  We didn't stay long since it was so cold and wet, but we did let Max try his hand at driving on a car-friendly beach.  He didn't do too bad other than occasionally veering the car toward the water.  Ha! Ha!

Max takes the wheel

Matt adores his little man

Matt's mom paid us a visit at the beginning of August.  We were able to do a bit more berry picking after Matt ran his third half-marathon.   He's become a running fool.  He's in the process of training for the Columbia Gorge Marahon in October.  I don't know how he does it. 

Matt finishing in his best time yet

My handsome husband and his proud mama

Finally our most recent adventure was a camping trip at Cape Lookout near Tillamook.  It was Evelyn's first camping trip and Max's third.  We went to the spot last summer with Matt's family and a bunch of their friends and fell in love with the location.  The campground itself is beautiful and right on the ocean.  It's also close to some cool tide pools, scenic locations as well as the Tillamook cheese factory and a cool airplane museum.  The kids were great little campers and loved getting dirty.  Unfortunately Evelyn started crying the second night and it took me a few minutes to calm her down.  The next morning, this lovely lady came to our camp site to ask how our "little poet" was doing that morning.  I apologized for Evelyn waking her up and she said the didn't mind at all and actually thought it was refreshing.  Apparently she has nine grandkids herself and loves seeing kids camping.  Then she said that she can tell from Evelyn's "soulful cry" that she will be a poet or artist when she grows up.  I guess we'll see.  Speaking of our future artist, that girl could not get enough of the ocean.  Every time we set her down on the sand, she made a beeline for the water.  Max however, was a little intimidated by the big ocean waves.  He wasn't too interested in getting near the water.  Maybe he'll enjoy it a bit more next year.

Camping is fun!

I'm not sure what he was looking at...

"Let me in the water!"

Max waving at the ocean

A couple of cute freakin' kids

My filthy little Griz girl

Finally, on our way home, we swung by the Tillamook Cheese Factory for some ice cream (yum!) and cheese samples for everyone except for yours truly who doesn't care for the stuff.  Then we swung by the air museum just to make Max's day.  He LOVES airplanes, so we didn't want to pass up the opportunity to let him get up close and personal with some.

This plane was Max-sized

My little Top Gun

In the cockpit (Evelyn wasn't into it).

 It was a great trip and something we might just have to do every year.  I think it will be easier next year when Evelyn is walking.  Chasing two toddlers through the campground may be a bit of a challenge, but it's one I can't wait to take on!