Summary of my life right now . . .

And I still had 5 bottles I didn't get it. ;)

Florence, Oregon

Here are some pics from our Athay family trip to florence, Oregon last week. We had a great time at the beach. We totally recommend the adventure sand dune tours in the bus size dune buggy. Aweome! We stopped by the Newport Aquarium on the way down and all the kids loved seeing the fish. Kate couldn't stop pointing at them!

Playground Rant . . .

Ok, I just need to get this off my chest.
There are certain rules for the playground. Obviously, SOME PEOPLE just don't know them, or they choose to ignore them. If you have your 3 year old in the baby swings, and there are regular swings open, it would be kind to move your 3 YEAR OLD to the big swing so the lady with 2 babies could use one of the baby swings. I mean, for cryin' out loud--I put BOTH girls in one swing, so really I don't take up more than my share of play equipment.

If for some reason your 3 YEAR OLD (who was physically capable of riding their trike to the playground) can't go in the big swing, then take your 5 minute turn in the baby swing and then let someone else go--you know, someone like the lady with twins giving you the evil eye as she tries to take both babies down the slide because she can't send one down ahead and she can't leave one behind.
I mean really. Don't people know what playground etiquette is?

OMSI . . .A.K.A. . . .The Germ Factory

Well, 2 weeks ago we met my cousins Kristy (+kiddos), Natalie, Aunt Karen, & Grandma Athay at Omsi. I was pondering getting a membership thinking it would be a fun excape in a few months when the winter doldrums hit. After 3 kids w/ 3 colds= OMSI membership not happening this year. Maybe when my girls are old enough to not put EVERY LAST THING in their mouths. Ah, well. It was fun while it lasted. Until I caught an 8 year old pushing Clara over--HARD. What's the most dangerous animal in the wild???? A mad momma bear. Let's just saying I did some yelling at that kid and then made him take me to his mom. It took me awhile to calm down. NOBODY PUSHES MY BABY AROUND! ;) We all survived.

I became one of "those" moms

Ok, so this is just a little note I had to record for myself. Today I realized that I had become one of "those" moms. You know, the kind that only allow their kids to play with one toy at a time, and must put it back before they can get another one out; the kind who's kids wear bibs until they're 5 (kate gosselyn--How do you get a 5 year old to wear a bib? my 14 month old won't); the kind that have white furniture--and it's still white . . . You know a "clean house mom". Having grown up in a family that revered creative messiness . . .to the EXTREME. Only those of you who remember my mother's car as the "jelly mobile"--the texture of the seats when you sat down--will really understand what I mean by extreme. But, in my adulthood, I have come to realize that I am much more at home in order. I understand the idea of putting away toys as you play, having concrete curbing, and white couches (as long as they're slip covers that can be bleached!) But still, I inadvertently put myself in the creative-messy category out of habit.

But today, I realized I had become a "clean house" mom. I hadn't allowed my kids to play downstairs in weeks simply because I couldn't STAND the thought of having to pick up the toys. Understand, downstairs is the place where the IKEA bins filled with itsy-bitsy toys are kept--AND, James' favorite activity it to sit in the middle and dump EVERY SINGLE BIN OUT. So, without realizing it, I had moved the kids upstairs to play everyday. Now, I'm not really a clean house mom. I barely do enough to keep the status quo. But I aspire to be a clean house mom. Maybe we should just call this whole avoidance of mess a survival mechanism by a desperate mom.

Our little family get-away

So, once again I loaded the photos in reverse order. Oops!

Here's a little synopsis of our family get-away to the cabin. Although it was a bit hot when we first got there, it weather turned out beautifully, and we enjoyed hiking, swimming, playing games, and all sorts of outdoor fun.

Kate--For the Love of Oreos!

At our secret spot on the Lewis River. We should have know that if you take a 3 year old near water, they WILL get in. Shoulda' just put him in a swimsuit at the beginning!
Clara is testing out the rocks. So far they all taste like . . .rocks.

Kate finds the perfect perch.

The Ape Caves. So how do you do a 42 degree hike in the dark with 3 kids under three? Simple, you drive 20 minutes, take 20 minutes to prep up, walk in for 10 minutes and walk back out. The rule is simple, if 2 out of 3 are crying it's time to go. ;) Or, if your feet are on fire.

James and mommy checking out the trail of 2 forests--or the lava tubes. James was very upset we couldn't go hide in the tube. Justin was back at the car with a sleeping Kate, so it just wasn't going to work. I don't think Clara would have liked me crawling down a dark lava tube while she was on my back. ;)

Sunday morning chocolate milks with Daddy

Swimming at the lake with mommy. Thanks to whoever left the cute floaties at the cabin for us to use!

Hiking Big Creek Falls trail with daddy.