Farm Camp and Coast trip with the fam

Farm Camp for 2 full days was a hit all around.  The kids had a blast playing with lady bugs, checking out the school pets and doing art projects. 

 

Dave and I took full advantage of the free days and caught a glimpse of what life might be like with kids in school.  We enjoyed a paddleboarding excursion on Sparks Lake one day and hiked around Smith Rock the other.  

    

The teachers commented over and over what a great big sister Piper was.  She watched out for the boys and was a big help interpreting some of the things the boys said.  Calvin and Jett were stoked to be at school, they were so proud to wear their backpacks and had no qualms getting dropped off.  So nice to have a built in buddy, I think it really does give them security and confidence to have each other in new situations like this.  What ever the case, it was nice to see their independence so we weren't worried about leaving them for the day.

Piper and I had a special date riding bikes on the trails down in Sunriver resort.  She has been doing great on her new 16 inch wheel bike, but I haven't been confident to take her out on the neighborhood streets with cars while I am riding next to her.  And she is too fast on this bigger bike for me to run with her like I had been doing when she rode her 12 inch wheel bike.  So these paths made for a perfect practice ground.  What a fun day we had, we rode a big loop with a stop midway at a park for lunch.  Then topped off the afternoon with a big scoop of ice cream!

 

The BEACH

We just got back from our 6th annual Oregon coast Droullard family trip.  We went to Lincoln City and stayed in a lincoln log cabin that had lots of quirks, but the upstairs was perfect for all the kids to sleep and play while we were getting meals ready.  We were bummed that the weather was predicted to be very cool and coast like.  But looking back, the weather really did turn out just fine, we got to swim in a near by lake after hunting down a few letter boxes in a State park.  Searching out creatures in the tide pools was a highlight, especially the hermit crabs and little fish that Dave caught and put in the kids buckets.    

The aquarium was a blast for the whole family.  It was a big day, with no naps, so the kids were exhausted, but worth the adventure south to Newport.

The sea horses were one of my favorite attractions and the jelly fish exhibit was pretty impressive too.

 It is always fun to get hands wet in the touching tanks.

We saw seals and sharks!

There was a fun touristy trap collection of shops near by the aquarium that had colorful statues of pirates and all sorts of treasures. 

Grandpa Skip and Jett picked out their favorite pirate! Auntie and Garret found their favorite!

One of the foggy days we set out on a beach exploration and found people catching crabs.  Jett had his net that he was carrying around trying to make a catch of his own.  When he wasn't looking, one of the crabbers put a small crab in his net and Jett really thought he caught the crab.  So proud and so cute!

This section of beach had an amazing collection of logs that had washed up over the years.  Other people have made some impressive log shelters to check out.

Great shot of team Smith if I do say so myself.

Must learn balance Danielson! High Ya!

Mango got to enjoy lots of puppy crazies on the sand.  He LOVES the beach and the way the sand tickles his puppy toes when he runs.  What a lucky puppy to get to go on vacation too!

 Calvin is overcoming his reservations of touching bugs and slimy things!  Yay for catching fish!

Uncle Kevin is the family photographer and I caught a shot of him in action!

Here are a few of my favorite that Kevin captured of the kids...no easy task I assure you. =-)

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for continuing this treasured tradition.  A special time to have all the grand kids together and enjoy each others company.  We love you and are grateful for your LOVE too!

the FOURTH and our Garden highlights + lake day

The highlight of the annual 4th of July Pet Parade is the flying small dog attached to helium balloons.  This poor dog had shaky legs flying through the air and must be thinking, "Damn, not again?!" But it is quite a sight to see, so I am glad they continued the tradition of joining the parade!

We were all decked out in our red, white and blue and lucked out at the last minute with biking parking and a front row seat to watch the parade.  Then it was off to Drake Park for old fashioned family fun -    complete with three legged races and other kid games for silly prizes like these sweet star sunglasses!  

 

After a mostly unsuccessful rest time at home to prep for the big neighborhood bash at the Donnelly's we loaded up all the kids bikes, dish of food to share and 3 excited kids who were pumped to stay up late to watch the fireworks.  (note to self:  lay off on the pressure to nap before a big night ahead, total backfire)  =-)

We decorated the bikes in red, white and blue stars (Thanks for sending gma linda)!  So cute to see the kids have so much fun racing on the chalk track that was drawn on the road.  There were different heats like peddle bikes in one, push bikes in another even a heat for the dads on kid bikes.

The roadside fireworks were a hit as well.  Thankfully no one lost a thumb or even any eyebrows!

The actual city fireworks were just barely out of view, but the kid dance party on the porch was even better entertainment.

It was a great night with great friends...yay summer!

The summer heat has hit and we are not complaining!  The weekend was packed with water loving activities and our three little fish loved every minute.  Friday was a pool day at Juniper, this was my first time taking all three kids on my own (knowing other friends would be there aided my confidence) and it went really well.  No one was pulled out by a life guard and we even got to take turns going down the big water slide!


Next we were invited to a private community pool in Pronghorn by our friends the Zapps.  What a difference



in private vs public.  Not only did we feel like we were at a fancy resort on vacation, but not having 300 other kids in the pool makes for a much more relaxing experience.  We stayed all day and had a great time.


Then on Sunday we headed to Elk Lake with our little boat and a picnic.  The beach was packed, but we found a great little spot with a picnic table and even a little shade.  Everyone swam and we enjoyed the company of Shawn, Molly and Maggie for the day.  A highlight of the day was when Dave had all the kids in the boat in this little lagoon.  Piper and Maggie had their feet dangling over the side of the boat and when Dave jumped in he knocked Piper and Maggie in unexpectedly as well.  That night before bed, Piper said that was her favorite part of the day.  "I wasn't planning on falling in, but it was fun!" said Piper.  Luckily Maggie packed 10 pairs of clothes because she kept changing outfits, then getting back in the lake to swim, with her tights on and all!  Silly girls!

Our strawberry patch is booming off the hook right now, we are getting loads of berries and loving the after dinner strawberry hunt.  They are all excited about it, but it is funny to watch Jett.  He is all business, probably picks and eats 10 strawberries for every couple that Piper and Calvin find.  They have picked a few pre ripe berries this year, but are pretty good about letting them get red.  Compared to last year I don't think we got one red strawberry because they ate all the white and green berries before they even had a chance to ripen.  

Check the lady bug release in our garden.  We found a few aphids tasting our kale and spinach, so the lady bugs are supposed to rid these pests and what a fun time to be covered and tickled all over by 1500 lady bugs!  Go get em girls!!!