Kelp Jumping

Going to the beach with my family while growing up was always a lot of fun. One of the clearest memories I have is of jumping kelp. I'm not sure who started the tradition, but it's one that stuck. I mean, if you find a long piece of kelp, what else would you do with it? (Certainly jumping it is much better than the other kelp game alternatives--you know, "Whip the Youngest" or "Tie-up and Torture the Middle Child")

So, when Martha and the girls found a long piece of kelp....we jumped:

Martha and I also took our turn hopping up and down on the sand (a great work-out), but no pictures were taken--darn it! You can tell I'm so upset.

Even More Beach

I am a little disappointed in my photography since I got my glasses. Having my eye less close to the viewfinder is affecting my framing a bit. I guess I need to get used to it. Anyway, here are some photos from our last day at the beach. I had a hard time getting any of Pen, because she spent the whole time in the water with her back to me, but got plenty of the other kids.

Bud really had a great time. He looks like a little surfer kid in his rash guard:

Big was getting tired:

Brothers, hanging out:

Ginger, in mid-air again:

I actually got quite a few photos of Pen, but they all looked like this:

Here is cousin, Newton, jumping the waves, too:

Are you tired of the photos, yet? Well, go get a drink and visit the restroom because there are plenty more!

Rainy Day fun

Believe it or not, only one of our days at the beach was rainy. So, the middle day of our stay was spent doing fun and relaxing things indoors--kind of a nice break. I'll just post a few pictures (really, just a few!).

The boys all had fun playing with the magnifying glass they found:

Aunt Martha painted toenails while they read and relaxed (thanks, Aunt Martha!):

Big loves his Uncle Plumbean:

So much for boring relaxation--on to more fun!

More Beach

Here are more pictures for you to enjoy (I hope), with a minimum of commentary. Believe it or not, I have even more to post from our last day at the beach. The weather on the last day was overcast, so much better for picture taking. 

It warmed up a bit by the afternoon, so swimsuits were in order.

Pen found me a rock for my collection.

Here, I caught Ginger in mid-air as she fled the waves:

Pen decided a sand angel would be pretty (she quickly found out that it wasn't very long lasting, and wet sand is pretty hard to move!). 

Cindy Lou never even made it onto the sand.

Big Beach Love

Since this was Big's first beach experience, I decided he deserves a post all his own. The moment he saw the water and sand he fell in love with a big, "Woah". Being with Big at the beach was so different than being there 2 years ago when Bud was the same age. Bud was a little nervous around the water, so Rophone and I were able to sit and relax while he played nearby. 

Not so with Big. He ran (well, tottered) straight for the water, repeatedly! At first we thought we would have to cut our beach time short because of the effort involved in keeping him safe. 

Luckily, Rophone was able to redirect Big's interest toward the little stream that cut through the beach. It was pretty shallow and without any of the crazy currents of the ocean. Much better.

Big was still on the go almost the whole time we were there, though. Thanks, Rophone, for tagging along after him so I could take pictures!

While looking through these pictures with me, my sister, Martha, announced "Big looks like a dwarf!" Admittedly, the fact that I have to put him in size 2 clothing due to girth (while his height is relatively normal) might lend to this perception...but, can you believe she said such a thing? (okay, those of you who know Martha need not answer--the question is rhetorical) I mean, DWARF?!! Anyone who knows anything and has any politically correct bone in his or her body knows the term is Little Person!

First Beach

We arrived at the coast too late on Sunday night to do much of anything, so we first traipsed to the beach on Monday around midday with the older kids. My sister, Martha, stayed at the beach house with Big and Cindy Lou so they could nap. The weather was beautiful, about as good as you can ever hope to find on the Oregon coast.

Here is a picture from the deck of the house we were staying at. The kitchen and living areas were just inside and sported a wall of windows, so this was our view while we were there (sheer torture!):

The 3 older kids (Newton, Ginger and Pen) dipped their feet in immediately upon our arrival at the beach:

Bud opted to flirt with the waves instead:

I love coming to the coast, because it always makes Pen smile like this:

Ginger shlepped so much water, I'm surprised her little arms didn't fall off:

Newton seems to be having a grand time:

Bud, taking a break:

All of the kids really had a blast, except the Wizard, that is. He alternated between trying to have a good time (he knew he was supposed to like it), and doing a pretty good job of it...

...to failing miserably and not enjoying it at all. Here, he was upset because he wanted to take his shoes off like the other kids, but didn't want his bare feet to touch the sand (quite the conundrum!):

We went back to the beach later that day (with Big in tow, although the Wizard opted out), so I will post about that next. Get ready for lots more photos!

I Usually Like Baked Goods

Well, we're back from vacation. Sigh. It is about 12:20 am, and although I know I should be getting in bed, I need just a few minutes to unwind from the long car ride.

You may remember that due to our water heater problems that occurred just before the trip, we decided to leave the windows open and turn off the air while we were gone to dry the place out a bit. The temperatures were really high while we were gone, so I was looking forward to returning to a fresher smelling house.

Unfortunately, one of the kids (who shall remain nameless) left a little gift in the master bathroom toilet that went unnoticed in our rush to get out the door (I checked to make sure the stove was off, the doors were locked...now I will never leave to go on vacation without checking this one more thing!). Anyway, it baked and baked in the heat in our absence. Lovely present to find upon return--not exactly the fresh smell I was hoping for.

I'm sure that at this moment you probably wish that I had waited to post until after a good night's sleep, because I'm sure you're thinking I would have thought twice about writing about this....well, too bad. Tomorrow I will post some much more pleasant things as I blog about our trip. We didn't have steady internet access while we were away, but my camera worked the whole time--so get ready!