Saturday, August 09, 2008

Lake Wenatchee & Leavenworth


Are we there yet? Camping at Lake Wenatchee State Park last weekend!









We went with the Kappes family - here Molly, Ashlyn, Larry & Neil get the campfire going





New camping toy this year, an ice cream making ball!





Alan and S'more







Neil shows off "the perfect marshmallow"






Nothing like campfire smoke in the eyes! Alan, Molly & Larry














The dads eating dinner






Scary (?) stories around the campfire

















Ruby trying to dig a chipmunk out of its den




Enjoying the sun






















Fishing...









....with no luck















Henry & Ruby







After camping, we spent 2 days in Leavenworth, a Bavarian-themed town





Live Bavarian music, complete with accordian & yodeling







Horse-drawn carriage













Neil saddling up to hit the (very) dusty trail












Yeehaw!
Looking toward Sleeping Lady rock (because it supposedlylooks like a woman lying on her back)








The very generous Casanas family let us use their awesome vacation house








Mmmmm, root beer






Stratego battle




Back home & tired out




Nat pats the cat :)





Wednesday, July 09, 2008

happy 8th Neil! and meet Steve the cat

Neil with his birthday goodies - to the left is the HUGE pinata that my mom & paul brought from California. He is sooo excited to use it as soon as mom gets around to setting up a party...
Yay!

8 candles this year...

Best birthday present - Neil's new kitten. The boys were apparently afraid of him being mistaken for a girly-cat, so they named him Steve.

visit with mom & paul (& family)

We finally got everyone together! Mom & Pop came up in the RV (which Mom has named "The Other Woman" due to his utter devotion to it!) We met at Paul's son Joe's house in Tacoma and had a very fun day. Here is a cribbage tournament between Mom & Wade...
This is Joe & his wife Janna (the rest you should already know by now)

Tyler, Mom, Wade

Neil really bonded with Joe & Janna's son AJ (and the chihuahua puppy!)

Aawww...

Sunday, June 29, 2008

bandon trip

We just got back from a week of windy fun on a trip down the Oregon coast to visit my grandparents. We stayed in Newport the first night, where we met up with Tyler, Anna and the girls. We spent some time at the tourist traps before heading to Bandon...


We stayed here at the Hallmark Inn. It was a nice hotel, except for the horrible flight of stairs going down to the beach...


Gaaah!


First trip to the beach! Here's Megan after she found an agate.


Neil shedding the shoes & socks

"..Water...water..."



We visited the attractions at Mariner Square - here the kids are enjoying an educational speech about circus freaks at Ripley's Believe it or Not!

My three boys with an elephant at the entrance to the Wax Museum
(smile, Larry!)


Look, Johnny Depp was there!


Oddly-feminine looking Bigfoot

Crossing the Indiana Jones bridge

Poking sea life in the touch tank at Undersea Gardens

Audrey phone home!

Finally we made it to Bandon! We stayed at the Jetty House again

Almost the whole gang - Megan, Grandad (aka GG-pa), Alan, Larry with Natalie, Me with Audrey, Neil, Gram (aka GG-ma), Tyler with Eleanor

Ella visits with GG-ma

Grandma, Anna, Audrey, Alan, Megan, Larry & Neil sprawled on the floor

Having pizza and visiting at the Jetty House

Waiting for lunch in old town Bandon - it was super windy

Alan at the Jetty House

Myrtlewood chair in old town. Tyler loves myrtlewood!

We didn't lock the kids in the dog crate, they crawled in there on their own. Honest!

See?
Larry & Ruby

Alan & Megan

Vrooooom!

Audrey, Beach Babe

Prehistoric Gardens - Neil, Audrey, Alan, Meg, Larry & triceratops

Sitting around on a T-Rex's tail - Ella, Neil, Audrey, Meg, Larry, Wade & Alan

Caw! Caw! Or whatever!

Anna & Audrey visiting a brontosaurus or something

Alan, Larry & Megan goofing

Natalie in her Big Bird diaper, reading up on Myrtlewood (must be a family trait) and listening to music

I don't think our kids had ever seen one of these before

Ella helping with the jigsaw puzzle

Beach bonfire (mini-bonfire?) - it didn't last for long, too cold & windy!

Look at Megan & Ruby huddling together for warmth :)

The ever-popular Bigfoot pose, which our family seems to do a lot more often than the average person...
Packing up to leave - where did the time go?!?

Can't go home without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (OK, I can't go home without stopping at the Tillamook Cheese Factory)

Ice cream! Check out Larry giving his ice cream cone some rabbit ears - weirdo :)