Snow in June

Granted, its much, much cooler here than Kansas or New York in June, but not that cold ;)  We drove all the way up the mountain this last weekend, as P keeps catching glimpses of the snow topped peak and requesting snowball scrimmages ;)  

I didn't hold out toooo much hope for finding big drifts, but figured we could muster up a snowball or two... Oh how wrong I was :)  We were pretty impressed when we rounded the bend and the mountain top sat there, right in front of us.  We parked against a snowdrift and the child, literally, jumped out of the car, scrambling into the 15 foot white wall.  Happy happy joy joy :)

We noticed a trail going towards the peak and headed that way.  It was lovely, if not a wee bit treacherous.

P, making snowballs and watching them roll down the steep hill, gathering mass as they went.

Once we reached more solid ground, snowball fighting ensued. (The snow was a clean, bright white - I wish I'd had more than my phone with me, since it gives the snow a dirty look in these shots - but the sun was too bright for me to see how things were turning out, so I was just pointing and shooting blind;)

The boys worked up a sweat in the sun (it was rather warm to begin with, despite the white fluffy stuff) and P was tickled to hike back with just a t-shirt. Here, he stops to collect some interesting pinecones...

The closest thing I've got to the much requested belly shot ;)

On the drive back down, we stopped at an alpine slide.  That happened to be home to a downhill biking race (just ended) that afternoon.  We picnicked and watched the bigger boys bounce around on their fancy bikes while the child asked lots of questions about ski lifts and alpine slides.  He really wanted to go, but he just wasn't sure how he felt about going without me.   I knew there would be too much belly bumping with him riding between my legs, so Papa was the best solution.  Curiosity and excitement got the better of him and he solemnly held my had all the way to the lift, then took his father's and up up up they went.

As soon as they hit the bottom, the child started planning his next run ;) 

We headed home a bit high with the happiness of it all.  Such a fabulous afternoon outing, and we actually live here?  Its been a nice relief to not be constantly pining for NYC, like the last time we tried moving away :) 

Sand, strawberries and sun

P seems to really love the beach access here.  I mean, he always talked about going to Coney Island back in Brooklyn (and we did go quite a bit), but when push came to shove, he often didn't "feel like it."  I'm not sure what it is here that is making the difference, but he pretty much always feels like it these days.  And after a loooong first trimester of hibernating and a looong, cold Spring, all of this activity is a welcome reprieve!  I just need to do better with remembering to sit down during the day to keep all of this swelling down.  I think I'm a little nervous that learning a new city with a new baby will be overwhelming to me, so I'm trying to get it all figured out in the next two months :)

Sauvie Island is definitely something I want to be able to do, sleep deprived or whatnot.  Its close and lovely and a real afternoon getaway.  P and I hit the organic strawberry U-pick for an afternoon of harvesting last week en route to the beach.

Walking the fields

Down to business

The kid picked a couple pounds of berries.  By the time they made it home that night, I figured they'd probably had a little more rough treatment than most store bought berries ;), so we washed and worked them into a bunch of jam.  Yu-u-um.

But before heading home, we headed around the corner to the beach.  It was the official first day of summer and people were definitely out to celebrate.  We're used to empty Oregon beaches and I was startled to see someone else :)  But it was still a pretty calm scene compared to Coney Island, and the little New Yorker didn't bat an eye.

The water felt amazing 

Silly Mama forgot the sand toys, so the kid busied himself with a plastic sack.  He was really tickled that he could cart water with it.

Then things turned serious and he started his sand collecting.  He had big plans on biggering his crab abode with more sand...

Where we parked, the beach was over a tall embankment... with no stairs down one side.  After climbing up and then sliding down (yah, a lot of people got a good show - look at the idiot pregnant lady sliding down the concrete embankment...) to cart sand to the car a couple times, I told him I was all out.  Last trip.  He decided he better make it a good one. Hohohohoh!  That plastic bag was so full I thought it would burst!  But the kid carried it up the hill, down the stairs and to the car...  Determined :)  He just needed a couple breaks....

He was quite pleased with himself.  In fact, he figures we should go back and get some more :)

Post trip bliss

P has been infinitely pleased with his ever growing beach collection.  It has filled many, many hours.  Then, crab world got a sand boost from another outing we made recently... in fact, there ended up being more sand than the crabs needed, so the child fashioned an indoor sand pit.  Sand play is so self-soothing to P, I don't even mind the extra vacuuming.  He is in both bins multiple times a day - pretty much whenever he isn't working in the yard or playing with the neighbor boys that are finally out of school!

Father's Day: Ruby Beach

E loves haystacks, so I chose Ruby beach for Father's Day.  It was a quick and easy drive from the rainforest shrouded lake and our morning moss hike.  We picnicked in the car and arrived excited.  The weather was lovely, warming while we were there, and the tide cooperated with our crossing... mostly ;)

The child ran his way down the trail.

A sizable river ran into the ocean.  

P clambered out into the river/pond... only to realize that jumping back (from big to little rather than little to big) wasn't favorable;)

So he worked a solution (the logs wouldn't hold E or I without rolling.)

There was climbing...

And then, a crossing.  The river that ran into the ocean separated us from the sandy beach, which P prefers over the rocky one...  Fortunately, a timber mini-damn provided me with a rickety crossing... only to fall apart as E stepped onto it!  So, following life's flow, P decided to aid its dismantling...

The tide: a boy's best playmate.

Lots to climb!

E and P played games with the tide for forever.  Oh happy days:)

And raced...

Warm and digging.

When it was time to go, we all realized we needed to get back across the river.  The boys had long ago lost their shoes, but I was so very uninterested in bending over to unlace my hiking boots only to replace them on the rocky shore moments later :)  So I walked along the river, looking for something shallow enough to just walk across, or even another log damn... In comes heroic hubby and swept me off my feet and carried me across.  The child, always watching, despite seeming to be very, very busy filling his shirt with sand, finished his collecting and wandered over mid-river and gave Ethan the most dashing smile he could afford.

Of course, E carried him across too :) 

Rock skipping with a hundred pound collecting bag, while walking barefoot on the rocks.  Now that's dedication :)

Father's Day: Quinault Lake

The drive up was lovely.  I was nervous about our roadside inn (hoping it wasn't a real hole...  We're not averse to holes, at all, really, but since it was a special occasion surprise, I was definitely dreaming of cleanish carpet in a non-stinky room...)  It was delightful.  Right by the lake!  We dropped our bag and headed for food and an evening hike.

We ate here:

There was a little village, buried in the rainforest, with a dinner spot overlooking a vast lawn of green, surrounded by low mountains and cloud cover.  It was, honestly, breathtaking.  The child ordered and ran out to explore while we waited for food.  (This new independence thing is crazy! He asked me to come (of course;) and it both broke my heart and made it swell when he took my rejection so easily.  This pregnancy has really changed our dynamic and my mama's heart is having a hard time with the adjustment.  He seems to appreciate that I'm also having a hard time (physically) with this pregnancy lately, and accepts the lack of instant "yes!" that he was so accustomed to.  I'm finding this stoicism so touching that it sucks on me.  I'm also finding his newfound reliance on Ethan glorious (its fabulous for their relationship) and difficult.  I hate "lacking."  I can't stand saying "I can't, ask your father."  I despise asking someone else to do something for me.  Sigh.  Physical ineptitude is not coming gracefully to the adult here.  The child, meanwhile, appears to be weathering things pretty well :)

I clambered down after dinner to watch him joyously throw rocks.

We took a lovely little hike/walk after dinner.  It was growing dark, and the child was disappointed we had to turn around so soon, but we figured it would be very dark in there at night and the old trees, bent with age and moss, were seriously creepy in the twilight.  Plus, between P's collecting and questioning and appreciating and my pelvic inabilities (my first pregnancy was so easy!  what the heck?!?!), we were moving at the same pace as most of the forest floor slugs...

The next morning, P climbed up beside me and whispered his hot little breath in my face.  "We have to make Papa breakfast in bed."  Breakfast is a big affair at our house.  Even bigger now that E joins us each morning.  There are eggs in some style, sausage or turkey bacon, smoothies, different teas, fresh fruit and homemade pancakes or waffles or french toast (or oatmeal or biscuits or...;) - every day.  We like to eat and breakfast foods rock :)  When I pulled out some cold, cooked bacon and a bit of fruit from our picnic cooler and popped it on our little lunch plate, I expected the child to scoff.  He beamed.  He crept to his father's still sleeping side, attempting to balance the bobbling orange, and proudly produced the one thing he thought most necessary to a Father's Day.  Now, E is slow to wake up and doesn't like to eat straight away.  Especially mushed strawberries and cold bacon.  But no, he yanked himself awake and dutifully ate his gifts with thanks.  Proving his fabulous father status right then and there :)

The man then chose the, ahem, might I say, lamest hike in the park?  Typically, we like hard hikes with lots of interest.  Sweet husband has been looking forward to visiting this area for 15 years... and he chose a flat path through a mossy glen.  "I love moss!" he promised.  "And you can't really hike," he added sweetly.  Aargh.  Fortunately, it really was lovely and the child was enthralled, collecting cyanide millipedes for his growing bug habitat.

Honestly, though, what is it about throwing stuff in water?!?! 

Super Papa

Millipede collectin'

The water was crystal clear and filled with water plants.  We'd never seen anything like it before.

Next stop: Ruby Beach...

The Garden

The garden has grown up so amazingly, P and I are shocked.  The grape vines have formed a curtain around the perennial bed, the rosemary is almost a tree, the catmint a monstrous mound.  But right in the surrounded center is a mulch spot... one a six year old said looked perfect for a "hideout, or a clubhouse, Mama!!"  So he grabbed his little chair, dodged the busy bees and sat contentedly viewing his new realm.

We are in love with having a yard.

Father's Day

E and I are both pretty lucky.  Our dads are great, supportive men.  I figure P is extraordinarily lucky.  In addition to two fantastic grandfathers, he has the most amazing father a boy could wish for.  And, as of this year, he was ready to celebrate it.  He was pretty bummed our move nixed Mother's Day (he, apparently, had big plans for me;)  But he did write me (er, dictated to E) the Absolute Sweetest, Most Awesomest letter a mother could ever wish for, evah.  When I come across that box... I'll put it on the blog cuz its just that damn sweet ;)

Soooo, Father's Day was all big excitement for him.  After reading a book earlier this year about breakfast in bed, he was bound and determined that we would provide this service for E ;)  He started chatting it up weeks ago. 

Meanwhile, I was bound and determined to actually do something for E, for a change.   We typically skip fanfare and holidays with each other.  But the man has been hankering for trips every father's day for years... and it was always just too hard in NYC.  This year would be different ;)

So P and I planned a little weekend trip to the Olympic National Forest.  I knew this was something E would like because we had planned a hiking trip to this park over a decade ago.  A trip that was sidelined by an emergency hospital visit and a limping husband with a huge hole in his leg...

So we vacuumed the car (collector+car to carry collections=HUGE mess), bought E a raincoat (it is a rainforest and all;), packed our picnic cooler and headed north.  After a lovely week of sun, it was cloudy and a little rainy, but with plans of clearing...

We took the long, scenic drive on the way there, wanting to relish our new neck of the woods.  The scenery was stunning, and the child sat, happily, in his booster seat for multi-hour tour (once again, I was shocked.  He chatted, sang songs, pointed out sights, colored a bit,  moo-ed at the cows, snacked a bit, asked a zillion questions... but never seemed to get bored.)  Nevertheless, wanting this to be non-miserable for a small person, we went a little further out of our way to stop at a beach en route.  It wasn't a planned place of beauty, just a sandy spot we could get to, but the child was So Happy to get out and run and collect; it was adorable.

The little hike to the beach was gloriously beautiful, bracketed by bushes of bright yellow blooms.  The beach addict was super stoked.  I mean, it had been a whole week since he was at a beach ;)

The whole weekend had that "just falls together" feeling.  As we reached the beach, the clouds cleared and the weather stayed lovely the rest of our trip.

Unusually good crab collecting:)

 The boys raced.

P found a whole crab, picked clean (read:non-smelly and allowed in car;)  A major score for a crab collector :)

We did actually make it to the park this time - and it was perfect.  More another night... :)