Seattle and Oregon here we come!! I can't tell you how excited I was for this trip to arrive and the day finally came. I was apprehensive about traveling such a long distance with two kiddos (especially Amari who is such a good kid but super busy). The kids did exceptional! And I was glad to have Mike there on the way out to help me. They even did really good for me, considering our delay in Vegas, on the way home by myself.
What a FUN vacation this was for us and the boys. First stop was Seattle where we stayed with my sister Deirdre and her family. It was so fun to see the interactions and bonds take place between the boys and their cousins. It was so much fun to see my nieces and nephew and get to know them better. We ate great food, went out on a fun date night, went to parks, on a hike, went to Seattle and re-visited some of our favorite spots, went to the aquarium, went to the beach, went on base and visited the skate park, splash pad, and the museum, and went boating. It was so much fun to re-explore one of our favorite city's again with our two boys. Being back made me want to live here again. I definitely miss being back West in general (just getting off the plane was a breath of fresh air for me. I struggle so much feeling at home in the South).
Mike headed home after 5 days and Deirdre and I packed all the kids in the car and drove to Oregon to see my parents and my brother and sister and the boys' cousins. It was a long drive but we survived :). It was so nice being home. It was nostalgic to be back in a place I grew up, I place that holds so many memories, and to now be back with two boys. There was so much I wanted them to see, to experience, to become apart of their memory.
It was fun to see them explore my mom's yard. It brought a smile to my heart to see them play cars with my dad, to see them be chased by their Grandma, to see them enjoy having their Grandma read them books at night.
They seriously had the time of their life. Their schedules were non-existent. I let them play and experience life to the fullest, from exploring Jenns garden and her bees, chickens, and dog, to four wheeling at night, riding on a motorcycle, riding in the back of a pick up truck, visiting a special place to me: Ashland, going on the Jet Boat, visiting the beach and the redwoods, and playing endlessly with cousins.
It was so hard to say goodbye; I was dreading having to return back to Alabama (my least favorite place we have lived). Being back around family and seeing my boys interaction with those I love made me realize how important family is. I only hope we can re-visit often and maybe even get the chance to live close to those I love again one day.
Off to Seattle bright and early; 6am flight departure put us up at 4am. The kids did SO well!! Beck's arried his own bag pack and Amari was SO thrilled to see all of the planes!
Becks and Amari were in vacation heaven: a yard, and a trampoline :)
The twins wanted me to paint their nails. It was so fun to be around girls that wanted to do girl things :) (so new for me)
Uncle Mike being a kiddo
The boys loved hanging out with their cousins. It was fun to see the bond form between them!
Little Melia and I had a heart to heart moment when she was feeling sad and anxious about us going on a date night :)
Morning hike
Seeing cousin Ashton off to school; the kids loved walking him to the bus and waving goodbye to him :)
His face smashed in this ball kills me :)
Amari could definitely fall prey to kidnapping; he loves food
Yummy dinner date with Deirdre at Anthony's on the lake
YUMMY YUMMY dinner at Anthony's on the beach!
LOVE this quote we found in the frozen yogurt bathroom
I learn something new all the time about my husband. I never knew he loved doing yard work. I was taking a nap when Deirdre told me that Mike was out trimming her trees—completely his idea. And he happened upon blackberry bushes she didn't even know about. Beck's loved helping his dad :)
Visiting the marshlands at low tide. The kids were kind of grossed out by the mud and the seaweed, but they loved catching crabs :)
What beautiful scenery
In his element: dirty playing with trucks!
The first crab I've caught.
Trying to find the kids Army shirts on base; unfortunately they were out of stock
Mike in his element: skatepark on base
It was so cool to be on base and to see how the military community lives.
The kids were pretty impressed with the guns and swords used to fight in battle
Reverence, respect, honor
It was pretty unreal to see these big tanks and missiles and to know they were once used in war.
Best picture!
LOVE this picture; especially with the kids looking at us
Awesome park on base
Boating here we come! We had fun watching Ashton and his amazing wake boarding skills; Mike had fun being on the lake doing his tricks; Beckahm had fun jumping in the water and getting on the tube; Amari was an all around trooper, and Dre and I had fun dancing.
What a little stud!
He loved every minute of being on the boat with his cousins!
Ashton is incredible talented; it was so fun watching him!!
Swimming in the lake
Of course they LOVED pretending to drive the boat!
I can't even say how impressed and proud I was of Becks. He totally opted to do this all on his own—first time—without seeing anyone else do it. He LOVED it. It was so cute to watch him out there singing to himself the entire way!
Mike loved being back on the wakeboard again
Watching Daddy doing his tricks
LOVE this pic: BROTHERS!
Gorgeous Mt. Rainer
This nightly boating trip wouldn't have been complete without a dance show from the two best dancers ever!
All tuckered out
Road trip to Seattle
Oh Seattle you will always be my second favorite city!
What a trip it was to be back in a city, at a place we'd eaten at many times, prior to having our two boys. It was incredible to re-experience our favorite memories with them! Top Pot Doughnuts—can't beat em!
Dining on some of the best donuts your tastebuds will ever taste :)
He pretends he doesn't love my kisses but I know otherwise :)
Incredible view!
Always and forever: SISTERS
This was the one place I wanted my boys to experience; so glad we got to take them there!
Becks was mesmerized by the fish throwing and all of the vendors he saw in busy Pikes Market
Love this little traveler of mine!
The kids did awesome in the city!
I LOVE this picture, and I love these different filters, hence the reason I posted three of them
Beck's shark souvenir
This was one of my favorite moments in the city: watching Amari watch and dance to the street musicians; he loves music—the city is perfect for him!
Stop for our take home dinner: best chowder in the world!
Seattle Aquarium
Dress up!!
Touching starfish and sea urchins
Jelly fish
It was pretty rad seeing an octopus up close like this
Touching a starfish on our way out of the aquarium
I love the art work in Seattle
Mike and I have been waiting ears to return to one of our favorite dives: Paseo. We waiting 45 minutes to get our food, but it was well worth it!
Happy man dining on the best Cuban sub you will ever eat
Playing in the alleyways of Seattle
Seeing the kids explore the Seattle docks made me MISS Seattle so much. I couldn't help but wish we were living in this beautiful city again and had the opportunity to have our kids experience this lifestyle for few years.
I am not going to lie, I was a bit panicked about some freak accident happening to us, like the door coming unlocked and the kids flying out. I had to keep a hold onto them during the moments they would lean against the door. They thought it was funny, me not so much :) (blame it on me falling out of a 3 story window when I was 3).
Off to Grants Pass. Deirdre and I loaded all 6 kids and all of our belongings and drove 10 hours (usually 6 but with the kids 10) to see Grandma, Grandpa, cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Amari and Beck's did awesome! Hardly a peep from either one of them. Curious George—ironically enough—saved us more than once.
First thing the boys did when they got to Grandmas: played cars with Grandpa; I have never seen Amari sit for so long
Beckahm was SOOO excited to finally be able to play with Tom
First night at Grandma's was a success :); total peace!
Becks picked out a postcard to send to his Dad
Church goers
Jenn made us orange chocolate cake
The LOVED Grandma's granola! YUM!
The were obsessed with this old vintage train I grew up playing with. It was fun to watch them play with a toy we used to play with as kids.
1st morning at Grandmas; the boys LOVED exploring her yard and looking at all of her flowers, fountains, bees, birds, and trinkets. It made me wish I had a yard for them to get lost in exploration.
Grandma surprised the boys by taking them to Farmers to pick out trucks; Amari was in HEAVEN!
Beck's first instrument: Harmonica (he was actually pretty good at it when he first played it :). Aunt Deirdre had one at her house and Beckahm loved playing it so when I saw the local music store in Grants Pass had them for $5, I bought him one.
Picking and eating strawberries and raspberries from Jenn's garden
Picking carrots for dinner
Picking potatoes for dinner
Feeding the chickens
Amari loved petting the chicken
Kids finding eggs
Jenn's Garden of Eden
It was so nice being able to eat REAL, FRESH food every day
For tonights dinner: roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes freshly picked from Aunt Jenn's garden
Lily was such a good sport giving the kids rides on the 4 wheeler all week.
Family hike
I don't think I have seen Beck's grin bigger than he did when I let him ride in the back of the pick up truck with his cousins. He had the time of his life!
On the Rouge River: a tad chilly but Beck's eventually got in
This little munchkin found a new best friend: Uncle Stace. He was attached at the hip the entire vacation; every where Stace went, Amari went.
Home made ice cream in the works
Dinner and FHE with family
Can't get any funner for a kid: 4 wheeling with cousins late at night :)
He was a bit timid of the 4 wheeler but Lily rode him around for a bit!
Nothing like homemade ice cream! YUM!
Nothing like eating blue ice cream cones with your cousins!
Playing "Smart Ass". Guess who lost?? Sore loser!
So my dad has never said a swear word in front of us and tonight playing cards we were talking about who came up with swear words and why they hold value or meaning. Well, after a long, silly, candid conversation about it my dad broke down and said "shit head." I thought I had seen it all; it totally made my year! Unfortunately, when I couldn't get him to say it again when I pulled out the camera.
The kids had such a fun time at Uncle Stacey's playing with all the toys, playing outside, jumping on the tramp, riding the ATV, and even watching "How to Train Your Dragon," outside under the stars.
Hawaiian shaved ice with ice cream :)
Paddington Station—fun to revisit the place I worked and to see old friends!
Breakfast at Dragonfly
The kids loved exploring around the restaurant and finding acorns
Watering Grandma's flowers
Beck's did just about everything he wanted to do on this trip, including catching a lizard; he is so sweet with animals, after one night he wanted to let it go so it wouldn't die.
They loved playing on Grandmas piano
Bees are incredible! And Aunt Jenn is incredible for producing honey on her farm. It was so fun to see her retrieve the honey in action; the kids were totally fascinated by the entire process and loved tasting the honey afterwards.
Jet Boat Tour, Rouge River
It was so fun having everyone together!
Best friends
Siblings
Here we go! Beck's and Amari did SO good; not one complaint from either of them!
One of the boys favorite parts: seeing the deer up close like this.
Yummy dinner at the lodge
The kiddos roaming the lodge with Auntie Jenn
Tractor fun
The Ladies
We were prepared for the wet ride home :)
This was BY far my favorite memory of our trip: watching them be chased, tickled, read to, and loved by Grandma. I dare to say it was their favorite as well!
Amari is obsessed with cars; Grandmas Mustang is no exception
It was so incredible to take the boys to such a magical place as the Redwoods; they loved climbing the trees, using their imaginations, and exploring the vast beauty around them!
You see the pictures, all serene, and this is how it really went down: the reality of having kids :)
NOTHING beats the Oregon coast. It is so beautiful hear. This was Amari's first time at the beach. Needless to say he LOVED it.
My little beach bums
It was so hilarious to watch Amari's initial reaction with sand. You would think he found gold or something. Right when his toes touched the sand he laid down in it and swam, swam in the sand. Funniest thing I ever saw.
Off the the tide pools to find hermit crabs
Breathtaking!
FAMILY
Grandma helping Beck's find hermit crabs
He LOVED being back at the beach
This little squirrel was hilarious; I was so impressed with how close he got to the kids and that he gently took the bread right out of their hands. He also sat right beside them and ate his dinner. Beckahm thought it was the neatest thing ever since he has always loved finding squirrels since he was little
Amari was obsessed with Uncle James despite the fact that he didn't really pay him much attention. He sat on him, put sand in his face, and even moved his hand over the truck to get him to play with him :)
Wild River Pizza in Brookings for dinner
Park in GP. Amari LOVED the jeep of course :)
Wild Life Refuge (Cave Junction). First time the kiddos saw a bear this close. It was pretty exciting!
Playing in Grandma's Yard; they loved doing this each morning. Forget the TV, they loved this endless playground that fostered endless exploration
For our service project for September we decided to do it with cousins/family. We ended up buying and planting a tree in Auntie Jenny's yard; the kids LOVED it!
The kids loved getting a rock to put around the tree. When it was time to leave Grandmas, Becks wanted to check on the tree one more time :)
Playing at the park
Becks LOVED meeting and playing with his cousins, especially the boys!
Beckahm has been wanting to ride on a motorcycle for as long as I can remember; he was so ecstatic about his first ride—on a BMW—with his uncle Stace!
Grandma Eastman makes a blanket out of batman material for Becks (he picked out the material)
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