Washington/Oregon family trip 2009
When you have a truck, you are often asked for "favors". In this case we moved my brother in law Zac up to Vancouver, Washington. Instead of a quick, as quick as a 14 hour drive can be, we decided to make a family vacation out of it. Much needed anyways. Along for the very long drive was my husband and I and our 2 more than wonderful daughters, Brianna and Addisyn. I must add that we stopped at a cute little restaurant for lunch and got the girls these cute "little stinker" t-shirts, pics to come! It was in Black Canyon and it is located at mile marker 13 in Idaho.
The ride went fairly well, until we reached stop and go traffic in portland/vancouver. Then it was "i have to pee" "addie is stinky" Addisyn screaming, calvin saying, in his most trying not to yell voice "you have to hold it brianna" "addie, we are almost there sugar please be quiet" finally arriving at my sister and brother in laws place in Vancouver and aaaah, relief! A BIG thank you to Scott and Tara for letting us bed at their home, and for feeding us awesome dinners! Brianna enjoyed playing with cousin Olivia, Addie seemed to attach herself to Scott there for a while, but Auntie Tara took the cake by feeding, watching, and playing with Addie! Thank you again Tara!!
Our first adventure, excluding the drive, was to Oregon Zoo (thursday 7/2)! It was actually the first time Brianna and myself had been to a zoo. I know hard to believe that a 22 yr old hasn't been to a zoo, but I tell the truth!
Brianna says her favorite part were the monkeys. Can't be because it was a mirror image right?!?! Kidding. This trip we left Addie with Auntie Tara, and I am sure glad we did. It was way to hot and to much walking for me to pack her around. We would have been miserable.
The next day (friday 7/3) we had already planned to drive about 3 hours to the Oregon coast and meet up with Shannon. Shannon and I met through http://www.cafemom.com/ and it was an instant friendship. It actually started by me asking for a pumpkin butter recipe. Then we would chat here and there, and then it was always on yahoo messenger, and web-tizing (Briannas word for web cam)! I already can't wait to meet up again with her and her family, Charlie, Kairon and Colton. It was so easy to hang out with her, it felt like we had been doing it for years. I truely plan to head up there or meet in the middle very soon! We shall see what works out! I miss you Shannon and family!
After an awesome lunch prepared by Shannon (chicken salad sandwiches and mac salad) we headed to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
Brianna's favorite part about the aquarium was the petting area. Sorry no pics, they all seemed so fuzzy. My favorite part though, was the water tunnels. Fish. sharks, sting rays all around swimming, it was really cool.
Brianna spent a lot of time on the floor looking at the everything swimming below her. I on the other hand could not even walk on the floor glass, something freaky about that to me. Tara said the first time she went she was the same way, but I could go there a million times and still not be okay with it.
After a few hours spent at the aquarium, we headed to the beach. Although chilly, it was beautiful. My crazy child decided that cold enough to have ice burg water would be fun to play in, so a wet, and sandy Brianna had to have pants removed, and as every great mother sometimes forgets extra clothes, she was left in her panties! Oops!
Pantie Brianna and Kairon run to the water!
Up by the gazebo, there was something you just don't see where I live. Someone making a living out on the streets. I asked if it was a hobby and he said "Well I am semi retired and do this as a bit of an income" He also mentioned that he used to make his own glass beads but the material got to heavy to carry around with him. He did give me permission for this pic also! His work was awesome, I should have got something to bring home. (by the way, he is knotting and tieing hemp bracelets, necklaces and other goodies)
On the 4th one of my friends came to visit. Erin used to live here, but 2 years ago moved her and her daughter to washington. she says she loves it there, and it's a fresh beginning for her and her daughter. I quote "the people here only have to know as much as you want them to know." How true that is! Caley, her daughter loves her bestie Bonna (as how Caley says Brianna) and it was wonderful to see the girls play together, it's been to long since they were together. It was also nice to see Erin, it's been well over a year since we really got to hang out and talk about anything we wanted with no rush on time.
Our way home on interstate 84 was mostly uneventful besides the Sumpter Junction Restaurant in Baker City OR! It has a play train that runs through the restaurant and even comes right by your table. We stumbled across this place 2 years ago on our first family trip, again to Washington. When we say the mile sign read 13 miles to Green River, I never thought it looked so beautiful! I was happy to finally be home, even if it was 1am. (if you click the link above to restaurant, it will take you to youtube and it's a little short clip of the place. The booth with the lady in blue -on the left- is actually where we sat and it's right by the big display and Brianna peered in that window almost the whole time watching the train over and over. It's hard to have your child eat when there was something so interesting going on right behind you. I am glad that she enjoyed it so much, Addie eh, not so much she just wanted to eat! 
This is mucho better! It is this condition I would love to see the play room in. Of course this was all me. Brianna is staying the night at her g-ma's so no help from her this time. I am hoping to work on some kind of system between her and I to keep it picked up!
The play room is always my issue! The wild excitement a.k.a frenzy of billion of toys to strew across is just not my thing. Why does it excite my child so much that EVERY toy must be on the floor. THEN she will tell me " I wanna to play with my block...out here(living room)" and I have to tell her no because it's always right after I have cleaned and toys should stay in the toy room, that's why I moved them to that room, right?!? We have tried to clean it up every night, but that soon didn't work because she was too tired to clean. Then we tried the mid day before Addie takes a nap, well then it just gets messed up again. I do not know the best way to take care of this! I mean it's not a BIG deal that its a complete wreck, but then again it interferes with my OCD and needs to be clean sometimes. I am working with Brianna on chores and helping me out, but the play room she refuses to do! Maybe the issue for her is so many places to put toys. I am thinking of investing in just one big toy box. Clean up would be so much easier but then I have this feeling things will be harder to get to! It's a never ending frenzy!
