Orgeon Coast...Days 1-3

I tried to sum this all up, I really, truly did. But I'm still me and I'm not very good at making a long story anything other than a long story! So, I have broken up our trip summery into 2 separate post. Enjoy! Oh...I will work on getting the rest of the 300+ photos in an album.

Day one.
After 3 hours of sleep, we hit the road at 7am.

Within an hour and a half, Cole and Ella had each thrown up...in the car. Cole's pillow remains on the side of the road somewhere in Oregon...sorry Oregon, but it had to be done.

13 1/2 stops later, Alli threw up...in the car

They slept too

We had the kids' clothes bags packed way in the back of the bag that goes on top of the car, so Ella road the rest of the way in her panties and Alli in a diaper...yeah, we're classy like that! We learned our lesson though and will put their clothes in an easy to reach place from now on
They had to be creative on finding ways to be comfy

I found some hairbands to entertain myself...

We FINALLY made it to Newport by 6:30 pm after what felt like the longest drive ever. Marty was so excited to be driving on highway 101 (or the one oh one). Those of you who are Twilight fans will understand that :)

We stayed in a house near the Beverly Beach State Park- the location was great. Unpacked a little, bathed the kids, got dressed to go to dinner.

Ended up at the beach at Otter Rock, ( I love all of the separate little communities that are in between the larger cities along the coast) getting soaked in our "not so beach ready clothes"...had a blast doing so!

Ate dinner at Mo's West at Otter Rock. We were the only one's in the restaurant. Had the best clam chowder and much a couple much needed ice cold beers. :) It was a great way to start our week.

Day two
Woke up to clear skies, blue water and 70 degrees--it was gorgeous!

Went to breakfast first in Depoe Bay (Which is the cutest little town ever!). Had the best bloody Mary, seriously, the best!

Walked around a bit and ended up going on a Whale Watching boat tour. Saw a big grey whale a few times. FYI...a 2 year old that is trying to find her Independence and doesn't to be held of held onto on a boat is very stressful! I got so sunburnt on the boat. But it was all worth it, the water was very calm and the kids loved the boat ride! (okay, I did too!)

We gave Cole and Ella each a disposable camera for the trip and Cole snapped this one of the whale blowing water- so cool!

Yes, it was important that Tabbi also see the whales...no really, they allow dogs on the boat!

Stopped at Rocky Creek for a picnic lunch. This location quickly become my my favorite place to sit and stare at the ocean (side note...having a best friend named Ocean, it's a habit to put a capital 'O' at the beginning- ha ha ha)

Stopped by the house to put on some cooler clothes- it was getting hot!

Went to Agate Beach to let the kids run and play. It felt like being in Southern Cali for a while, then the clouds rolled in and we remembered it was the OR coast :) We had so much fun there!

Had dinner at home then sat around the fire pit while eating s'mores.

Day three.

Another beautiful day.

Started the out at the Aquarium. Saw huge crabs, touched starfish, watched big sharks swimming above us...the kids loved seeing all of the sea creature close up and personal.

Jellyfish

Touching the anemones was really fun

After we left the aquarium, we drove around a bit, exploring. We ended up down at the Bay in Newport, I could live there! We saw some many cool restaurants and a lot of little shops. I was running around like an excited little kid.

Went to lunch at Oceanfront Georgie's Beachside Grill...SO good! And the view of the ocean is incredible. It's a little on the nicer side, cloth napkins, water goblets on the table, we almost turned around, having 3 little kids with us and all. But we even received a compliment by an older lady on how well behaved our children were. That completely made our day :) And she was right, they were really good there.

Went to the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The kids loved seeing the octopus and I terrified myself by reading all about tsunamis. You do all know that it's not a matter of IF a tsunami hits the OR coast, it's a matter of WHEN it does. Sorry to be Debbie Downer, I told ya'll that I terrified myself!

Played outside there for awhile, just enjoying the sunshine and the fact that we didn't have anywhere to be!

Went home and quickly ate one of the dinners I made the week before and froze then walked down Beverly Beach for a stroll down the beach. We collected a lot of shells and rocks. It was very relaxing...

There's more...days 3-5 are below, acutally above :)

Another Edition of...Cassie's Stupid Injuries!!

I'm clumsy.

I'm Klutzy.

...and at this point in my life, what choice do I have but to laugh about it? Ha ha ha ho ho ho hee hee hee LOL

And I'm bored, so ya'll are going to get a story about my latest injury!

So...I was getting my shoes out the closet (the house here in WY is pretty old and the closet door as wood frame that isn't in the best condition) and suddenly I felt a huge pain in my pinkie finger. I looked at it and it was bleeding pretty badly. I cleaned it up and my entire fingernail was a strange color. I thought that I was stabbed by a nail or maybe a piece of wood. When I finally stopped jumping around and cleaned it up a little I told Cole that he did not need to call 911. I knew that I either had a huge splinter/small piece of wood inside my fingernail or it was was bleeding inside from being hit on something.

There is a basement apartment below us and I knew that the neighbors were home. (LOVE them!! I've been babysitting their 13 month old little girly.) They were sitting outside and I asked them if they were squeamish, they said no and seemed a little excited to see my injury. It took all 3 of us a few minutes to figure out that it was infact a huge splinter/small piece of wood under my fingernail. I tried pulling them out myself but I was shaking pretty badly, so the neighbor took over. I make sure to have a seat cause I knew it was going to hurt and he pulled it out- ouch! Then we realized there were actually 2 small pieces of wood in there and the second one was twice the size, and it so far into my nail that he went beyond my nail bed. He pulled it out and I thought that the first one hurt- oh my!! We couldn't believe how huge they were. And the odds of them going right underneath my fingernail were pretty slim.

I really should have taken a picture of what my finger looked like before we pulled them out, but you'll have to take my word for how gnarly it looked. Don't worry though, I took a picture of the pieces of wood and my finger after the fact....

THE END

June Happenings

The month started out with Ella's preschool graduation on June 1st. She was so adorable and the ceremony was perfect. A few little songs, a little video of each student, handing out diplomas and refreshments. I can't even wrap my mind around the fact that she will be in Kindergarten in a few short months!

And more big Ella news....she lost her first tooth!! It was pretty loose last week when we went to the dentist and he pointed out that he new tooth under it was starting to grow in crooked, so the dentist pulled it. It was a longer process than we thought, he wanted it to be a good experience so he gave her a shot of novocain first. She was beyond excited to go home with her tooth in a little box and couldn't wait to put it in the tooth fairy pouch! She loves the stick her tongue through the "window" in her mouth!

The kids and I are in WY with Marty this week and his hours have been pretty decent, so it's not too bad. We are keeping busy during the day exploring parks, checking out the Rec Center, taking Tabbi to the dog park and just chill'n out here at the house. Next week, we head to the Oregon Coast for our vacation- yay!!

Happy June!

I'm going to have a party soon...

...Alli is nearly potty trained!! For the past couple of weeks, she has been taking off her diaper when it's really wet and telling me when she is dirty. Yesterday, I put her in her Tinkerbell ("e-bell") panties and she wet through all 3 pairs within a couple of hours. My friend, Kaia, was here and suggested I just let her run around with only a shirt on. I remembered that is what I did with Cole, but he was 3, so I wasn't sure she would understand it. And it's working. She even woke me up at 5 am to tell me she had to go and her diaper was completely dry. She has told me every time she has had to go and has not had a single accident! 8 1/2 years of diapers coming to an end..now that's something to smile about, even with everything else I have going on right now...see?? :) ;) ;-) and one more for Kim...;L)

I'm So Excited...I Just Can't Hide It....

It's true! I'm excited!!! When I checked the mail yesterday, there was an envelope from Marty's employer. It was a flyer for their 2nd annual company picnic. It's in mid July and it's at....LAGOON!!!! Some of you may remember that we had planned to go there last summer, but life happened, so the trip didn't. The company will buy our passes to the park and Lagoon-A-Beach and provide lunch. It's on a Friday during Marty's week off. So, I think we'll drive separate cars there are Thursday and stay through Saturday, then he can head to work and we'll head home. I'm also looking forward to meeting more of his co-workers and with other adults there that we know, Marty and I may be able to go on a ride together. Lagoon for free...WHOO HOO!!!

Happenings

No need to check your eyes...this really is a new post from me!

Alli being sick on Easter was just the beginning of sickys in this house. Last week I found out that Ella has a sinus infection and I have a sinus infection and an infection in each eye...which was just gnarly! I couldn't even open my eyes in the mornings for a few days. (I took all 3 kids to urgent care with me, but they behaved very well ;)

I also finally went to my new obgyn last week. Between not having insurance with Marty's old job and my Dr. quitting, I hadn't been since Alli was born. I had a feeling that things weren't working properly, and I was right. I'm not sure exactly what it is yet, but I have another appointment this week. It's most likely not anything serious, but it's still on my mind. Isn't being a women wonderful!? Especially after having kids! One thing that I thought was interesting is that with my pattern of having kids (getting pregnant every 2 years or so), and with Alli being a little over 2, my body thinks it should be getting pregnant right now. Since that's obviously not going to happen, my body is very confused...that made me realize that this will be the first time I have had a 2 year old without being pregnant! :)

We have had a jam packed schedule too with field trips/volunteer days at the kids' schools, soccer games/practices/photos, organizing summer events for the kids, shopping for spring clothes and the most exciting...Kindergarten registration!! Ella was beyond excited to go sign up to go to "Cole's school". We went at lunch time and saw Cole in the hallway, they both thought that was the coolest thing that has ever happened!

When we bought this house, I was 8 months pregnant with Ella. I imagined myself walking to school with Cole while i pushed "the baby" (Ella) in the stroller. It's just amazing how quickly time goes by, now I'll be walking my 3rd grader, and my Kindergartner to school while I push my 2 year old in the stroller. And in no time at all, I'll put my 6th grader on the bus (or drop him off at school), and walk my 3rd grader and Kindergartner to school....oh my! Whatever will do with myself? LOL

Then there's Alli Jane, AKA, my 2 YEAR OLD!! One would think that by the time my 3rd child is 2 years old, I would know what I am doing...but no such luck! Last week (yes, the week that everyone except Cole had a sinus/ear/eye infection), I realized that Alli hardly NEVER hears the word NO and decided to start tightening the reigns a little. It's gone exactly as expected with a lot of tantrums, tears (not just her!) and frustration. And of course this effects Cole and Ella since most of my attention is going toward her, so they are acting out in their own way. To sum it up...it's been exhausting! However, we have already made a lot of progress and I know that it will be well worth it!

Marty has joined a softball team in WY and I must admit that i am having mixed feelings about it. I am SO happy that he is doing this, he has wanted to play on a sports team for a long time, but with going to school the past 4 years, coaching soccer, working, and of course being a husband and father, it hasn't been feasible. He loves it! Last night, as he was at his first practice and out to dinner with his new teammates and friends, no matter how silly I told myself it was, I couldn't help but have negative feelings toward it since I was sitting here alone watching the news :) It's tough hearing about his life there that I don't know anything about. Going to WY and seeing his house, the town and meeting his coworkers really helped, so I'm sure we'll make more trips there this summer.

I am very ready to have my husband home next week...it's been a long, challenging week and I'm only half way there. But I'm doing my best at taking care of myself by going to bed early, taking a daily walk, eating healthy (well better than usual!), and the best therapy of all...lots of coffee/movie/laughing dates with friends!

Easter in a Egg Shell

I'll do you all a favor and keep this one short and sweet.

-We woke up at 7 to 3 very excited little voices repeating "I found one!" and "Look what he brought me!" Since we got home so late the night before, Marty and I were working on 5 hours of sleep and almost considered just letting the kids go for it while we slept, but we got up and started the day!

-Realized that Alli was getting worse and needed to get to Urgent Care ASAP.

-Got the kids ready so Marty to take them to his Mom's for snacks and an egg hunt.

-I started to get Alli dressed to go to the Dr. and decided to have her wear her Easter outfit. Why not? It will be too small next year ;)

-She had a nasal infection (similar to a sinus infection for an adult) and the beginning of an ear infection, which hit this morning.

- Met Marty and the kids back here. Picked up Alli's prescription and headed to Jeremy and Heather's for Easter dinner.

- Ate THE BEST Easter dinner ever. Hunted for eggs. (Alli slept through it all). Had dessert then headed home to finish unpacking, clean and do laundry.

-Went to bed early :)

-Click here for photos