Growin' Up!

This time next week our little monster will be ONE! I can't believe it's been a whole year since I was months (close enough) overdue with this little man.  And then he came like a thief in the night and he's melted our hearts ever since... He's got the smoochiest cheeks in the world, the bluest eyes on the planet and the flirtiest head tilts I've ever seen.  He already knows how to stick his lip out and tilt his head down when he wants sympathy and he has definitely got his Mama wrapped around his finger. 

*sigh*

It's rough being this cute. 

And it's no wonder he's earned himself the nickname Mr. Smooch'ems...

See?

You'd smooch him too, if you could reach through your computer screen.  

A friend watched him for us during rehearsal dinner last week and she made the comment that he instantly started smiling and posing when she pulled her phone out.  He's used to the paparazzi, what can I say...

It's true though.  He's much easier to take pictures of than Madi because he thinks the camera is funny and the flash is even funnier! It's hard to resist not snapping way too many!

Alright, in other news, this boy's a walkin' and a talkin' and a gettin' himself into just about everything.  He LOVES being outside and he really loves playing with his sister!

This silly girl is the best big sister around! She's always looking out for her brother and taking care of the rest of us.  She packs snacks for him when I forget.  She remembers his blanket and almost always has a toy for Em in one of her gagillion bags.  I'm totally lost when she doesn't come with me.  It sucks trying to remember everything by yourself. What did I ever do before she was so self-sufficient? 

I'm so happy these two are the best of friends.  It's so cute to watch them play and laugh together.  I can't wait to watch their relationship develop even more as they grow up.  

The other day Madelyn wanted to try on my wedding ring and while she was putting it on I asked her if she ever planned on getting married.  She said yes.  I asked her who she wanted to marry and she said, "Um, Daddy, or maybe Emmitt if he ever turns free {three}." 

I'm sure she'll change her mind in a few years, but she sure does love her baby brudder!!!

Number Nine...and the First Horse Head-butt!

Yesterday we celebrated our nine year anniversary! Matt had planned (but then told me about, so not technically a secret ;) a whole day in Pacific City, complete with a horse back ride on the beach. I was super excited, as I love horses and never get the chance to ride them.  We got there a few minutes early, changed (I had pulled out jeans, but forgot to actually pack them... thus the shorts on a horse), and chatted with the cowboy that owns the guide business.  I was excited when I got assigned Charlie because his blanket matched my shirt and I knew we'd make a great picture. =) Matt humored me and took this picture right before the big injury. 

Yup, you read that right. 

So... right about now is when I should warn you that this story is about as weird as it sounds.  I grew up riding horses with friends (lots) and loved it.  We always begged my parents for a horse, but they constantly declined with the excuse that my dad was very allergic to them (which is true), although I would argue the real reason was that they're just flat out expensive.  Needless to say, I'm not scared of horses nor have I ever had any horse casualties... 

Anyway, you can't tell from this picture, but there were two little girls (like 15ish and 11ish, maybe?!?) that kept trying to move the horse to a different spot by pulling on his bridal strap.  Meanwhile, I had leaned down to put my foot in the left stirrup and the horse got tired of the girls tugging on either side and whipped his head back at the same time.  The result was a head butt by the horse to my right forehead.  Although it wasn't that big of a deal, I had an instant headache and a fairly good sized goose egg.  Let's be honest, horses have hard heads... My plan was to grab some Aleve from the car to tame the headache so that the ride would still be enjoyable, but once I got down the cowboy offered me an ice pack and I sat down for a while. He suggested we wait a while to ride, if we still wanted to and offered a full refund.  I'm sure he was hoping to avoid having this crazy girl go bouncing off along the trail after passing out from her head injury just ten minutes earlier, or maybe he was just nice.  

We chatted with cowboy Gary for a while and then decided that we'd just come back a different time to ensure the ride was completely enjoyable.  I sort of imagined myself trying to hold my head as still as possible on a horse for over an hour, which didn't sound like a lot of fun.  I think Gary was happy with our choice and he gave us a full refund and a free ride for next time.  Maybe it was because he found out they never "offered" me a helmet like both the handlers were wearing (although I'm sure I would have declined) or maybe because we were never asked to sign the release... either way we were excited about the free ride, and do plan on returning upon complete recovery.  I still think Charlie and I have a few things to work out...

We grabbed a deli sandwich and enjoyed it on the beach and then decided to hike out to the tip of the rocks and explore.  Truth be told, a really long nap on the beach sounded quite fabulous, but I was afraid I might not wake up until the next day... as it turns out the head was fine as long as I didn't move it too fast and took ibuprofen every two and half hours.  Not bad for a horse head-butt...

This is as good a picture as we could get...

Haystack Rock through the bushes as we hiked out to the tip.  

Sometimes I forget just how beautiful the Oregon Coast is... we've definitely been spoiled living so close to the Pacific Ocean our whole lives and for some reason it seems so much more spectacular to stand at the edge and think about how we are standing on the edge of the North American continent.  

God's creation is full of so much beauty and I never cease to be amazed at the little things He didn't forget to create.  I'm so thankful for His beauty to remind us daily of His love for us. 

We finished the evening with a delicious dinner at the Pelican Brewery with some s'mores fudge for the drive home.  The food was delicious, the weather was beautiful and the company was the BEST! Thanks babe for our wonderful adventure.  I'll be more careful next time!

Happy NINE years to us!!!

I love you more each day!

Camping Trip #1...

We've started yet another annual tradition with our little family and this was the second consecutive year (third time) we were able to set aside a weekend and go camping with our good friends the Moodys! You may remember last year's fishing post which was all about Madi's first fishing experience while camping at Breitenbush River with the Moodys.  Ramie also documented the weekend much more thoroughly, as usual. I had good intentions, but never got around to it... also, as usual... ;)

Anyway, us girls marked off July 13th-15th and let the boys come up with our destination.  We took a gamble (again) and headed to Ice Cap Campground at the top of the McKenzie pass.  We camped there together four years ago (obviously sans children) and loved it, but we weren't able to stay for very long, so we were looking forward to heading back.  As it turns out, we were able to find the perfect spot that afternoon as we watched the rest of the campground quickly fill up.

We all had a blast, especially the two oldest children, and decided next time we'll definitely be going for three nights instead of two. So. Much. Work for just one full day! 

Sometimes I revel at the fact that camping is actually as fun as it is.  When I think about all the work it takes to get everything packed up just to head out into the wilderness and make things even more difficult, like cooking, or going to the bathroom, heck even washing hands is quite the task. (I shall pause here and give credit where credit is due: my lovely husband does pretty much all the "camping" packing, I just grocery shop and pack the kids' clothes.) This year, I was really dreading it! Emmitt was on the verge of walking, but pretty much preferred to crawl anywhere and everywhere, especially if it meant he could put something he wasn't supposed to in his mouth. I dreaded hauling him around on my hip all day and keeping him away from the fire. Seriously, I was wishing I could go back to 8 months pregnant and one child, just for the weekend. Thankfully, it wasn't as terrible as I had imagined.  I learned to relax a little and mostly drew the line when live objects entered a body cavity...

But somehow, it really was fun.  It's fun to pretend like life is simple, to listen to the river rippling all day long and to experience the great outdoors to its fullest... 

And fine, I'll just say it.  It's the most fun once the kids have passed out in the tent and we get to sit around the campfire eating and drinking whatever the heck we want. 

Yup, that's definitely my favorite part. 

Although watching our kiddos enjoy themselves as thoroughly as they did was pretty darn fun too...

It's weird our children are old enough to bring their own bikes along, but they are and this is pretty much how they chose to spend the weekend: Judson riding Pinkalicious and Madi pushing her baby around in the baby trike...

These two oldest children have very similar personalities.  They are great friends, but they definitely both like things to be done their own way.  We figure it's good for 'em. 

Emmitt and Cooper spent the majority of their weekend in these amazing packs! Yup, we were totally matching (not on purpose) the first day. I even had a purple tank top on top that I had already de-layered.  I guess we just spent too many "twin" days together at school. =)

Sweet Cooper LOVED getting dirty, but then again who didn't!?! =)

As you can see, not a single one of our children cared about getting dirty.  Nope, not one bit.  At one point dirt was raining down on them and they couldn't have been happier.  Unfortunately, this campground tore out all of the water faucets since we camped there last so it's technically a "dry campground" (who does that, right?!?!). So... we did our best to brush 'em off and strip 'em down. Yeah, they were filthy. 

The Dads and their babes.  These guys snuck off and mountain biked the McKenzie River trail on Saturday during naps. Lucky guys! Although I probably would have died, so I'm technically not complaining...

Nate and Ramie have an awesome fishing boat that they pulled along and we spent Saturday evening out on Clear Lake.  It was GORGEOUS!

Sunday morning we took a short hike (about 3 miles) up to some falls and Madi hiked the ENTIRE way! She loved it and was quite the trooper. She and her "map"...

We took our time breaking down camp on Sunday.  We let the kids "nap" and Ramie and I ventured down to the reservoir.  We headed out of there around seven that night and stopped for pizza at Giovanni's on our way home.  A delicious way to end a wonderful trip, if I may say so myself...

This was our creative way to quarantine the children. Ahem, I mean "entertain" the children while the men broke down camp.

Thanks for your sweet friendship, guys! I can only imagine the adventures we're bound to get into in the years to come! =)