EUREKA!!

So, since Brian's not working and the kids are out of school, we decided to take a road trip! Last summer we spent a night in Eureka on the way home from vacation and we knew we wanted to go back. Also, we knew we wanted to go to the beach (life always makes sense when you look at the ocean!), so we left for Eureka!

Our first morning we ate like lumberjacks at the Samoa Cookhouse.

The food is always great and there is plenty of it! It is also fun to take the kids someplace both Brian and I went as kids!

After breakfast we drove out to the North Jetty. It was a beautiful sunny day, but there was lots of wind, so the bar was closed to boat traffic. However, there were a couple of Coast Guard boats playing in the giant waves!(OK, they were probably practicing important drills, but they looked like they were having fun!)We then went to the zoo at Sequoia Park. It is a small zoo, but it is really nice! We had a great time! Most of the exhibits have been updated recently, and everything looks clean and new.

Elise and Camille were interested in the Cavys.

There was a farm exhibit with a barn and a petting zoo.

Isaac liked the pig, and riding on the tractor!

The kids also had fun looking at the exhibits.

Camille is seeing what lives in a log, and Isaac is looking at live termites!

Lunch was at a local BBQ place! YUM!!

After lunch we went back to Sequoia Park to hike around in the redwoods. This was Joseph's first time riding in the backpack.

He seemed to really enjoy being in the great outdoors.

Yes, I was there too!

I seem to take all the pictures, so I have to remember to include myself in our memories!

Isaac and Camille in front of a beautiful waterfall!

Yes, we saw a Banana Slug! And no, as Brian would say, they are not lemon filled!

We wore out at least one kid!After the redwoods, we grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the South Jetty. It was so windy and cold that the kids only played a little while. Here are the kids taking refuge in a beach fort. Since Joseph was asleep I volunteered to stay in the warm car with him, where I sipped my coffee and relaxed in the quiet.

Confusion Hill seemed like the perfect place to stop on the way home! I have never been there before, and it was definitely a touristy kind of place!

Everyone had fun in the crazy, confusion house! Everyone except Camille, she sat down on the floor and cried. It is a very unsettling feeling to have everything out of balance.Isaac loved it!
Elise is climbing the walls!

Aidan took this picture of the rest of us... in the old ladies' shoe!

We also stopped at the drive through tree on the way home. Brian was sure we would fit, and pulled in almost to the mirrors. We folded in the mirrors, and he told me to tell him when we were getting close. I said we only has about two inches and we should not do this. The kids all screamed to go forward, and Brian was about to go. A group of about four or five people were standing on the other side of the tree... waiting to see what was going to happen. Then I again said no, and Brian finally decided not to try. He backed out, much to the disappointment of the kids! The minivan behind us made it through with no problems, but the Durango behind them did not. They did what we did. I know I will never hear the end of this from the kids, but the Yukon is still in one piece. I could just see us getting stuck in the tree and having to crawl out the back hatch...not the best way to end a great road trip!

Soccer Fun!!

So, at Isaac's last soccer class he played the goalie! It is so fun to watch him play. We are so proud of him!!
He is about a head taller than all the other kids except one boy, who looks older than Isaac. This class is for kids who are 4-5 years old, so he is younger than a lot of the kids!

A Knitted Bib!

Thank You Auntie Traci!!

Joseph loves the knitted bib you made him. In fact, he is very picky about the bibs he will wear. We were given a package of ten bibs that are terry cloth on the front and plastic on the back. They are crinkly(is that a word?) and fasten with Velcro in the back, and Joseph will not wear them. He cries and pulls at them, and doesn't stop until we take them off! But the knitted bib from Auntie Traci is so soft(and stylish) that Joseph happily wears it!

Some Recent Pictures!

OK, this picture might be a little misleading!

Although Joseph is really close to sitting on his own, he still falls over. I was able to catch a quick picture before he leaned to the side and fell! But isn't he cute!! He will be so much happier when he can finally sit by himself!

Here is Camille dressed for ballet!

She participated in a parks and rec class near our house. Although she was OH SO CUTE, she isn't ready for this class. There was a lot of lag time as the teacher worked with other students, which made it hard to keep Camille's attention. We will try it again in the fall. I think what she really needs is a preschool hip-hop class...How funny would that be?

Isaac and I were working on the letters for all of our names.

(I know not to use capital letters in the middle of words, we just ran out of lowercase letters!)

This is Elise's science fair project!
Does salt or oil affect the rate of evaporation of water? Stay tuned, we will blog the results soon!

I took Joseph outside while I worked in the garden. It was really beautiful day, and we all enjoyed the sun!

Joseph eats cereal!!

Here is a Smilebox with pictures of Joseph eating his first cereal! He didn't really like it, and spit most of it up. Doesn't he look cute though? It is hard to believe he is already 5 months old! Time sure flies when you're having fun! (Oops, I guess I gave away his name!)

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Make a Smilebox slideshow

Baby J & the little kids!

The newness has not yet worn off!

Isaac and Camille still can't keep their hands off Baby J. They just love him so much!

Luckily, Baby J. doesn't seem to mind all of the attention! Isaac is still the best one at getting Baby J. to laugh! They have a very special brother bond!

Camille has given more kisses to Baby J. than any baby has ever received anywhere at any time! We joke that he is the "most kissed baby", and I really do believe this to be true!
It won't be long, and he will be able to run away from all those kisses!

(Enjoy it while you can Camille!!)

Happy Birthday Camille!!

Doesn't she Look so grown up!

This December Camille turned 3!!
Friends Carver and Zane, cousins Tori and Tommy, as well as, Grandma and Papa T. came over for the party!
We celebrated with some Tinkerbell cupcakes and opened presents.

It was a great time!!