The Summer of FUN!!!

  Our summer started the way any summer does, with expectations of fun, and the excitement of school being out.

  As school was coming to a close, we were also closing in on a transfer for the surrogacy.  So we didn't plan any summer activities until the end of July, in hopes of the transfer sticking, and me becoming pregnant!

   So we kicked off the summer with a week long camping trip at the end of July.  We met our friends, the Walkers, at Sun Set Bay, near Coos Bay, Oregon.  Between the 2 families we had 7 kids from 12 years old to 2 years old. 

  There were a lot of "warrior battles" with bows, swards, daggers, and sticks, all found, and carved around the camp sites.  I should mention, there is only 1 girl in the whole bunch.... poor thing.....

 

   We played on the beach, went on hikes, crabbing, bike riding, and so on.  Honestly, I could continue for far longer than you want to read!

   We were sad to see the Walkers head back to Washington, but are thankful for the time we got.  We drove at a leisurely pace all the way home, mostly to protect the awesome Japanese Maple tree we had found and bought!

   We were home for only a few days to wash clothes and bedding and leave again.  This time our destination was McMinneville for the Evergreen Air and Space Museum!

 

   We stayed at McMenamins, which is always fun, and had the annual King Jewelers Corporate meeting.

  The air and space museum were better than last time, only because they had added more stuff! 

  On Sunday, the day we arrived, they had the OSU Robotics team at the space museum with their robots they had used in competitions.  This interested Taylor the most, as he himself builds robots for competitions.  It was fun to see their ideas and watch the robots do what they were programmed to do.  It also helped Taylor see that this idea is used on a larger scale, such as the Mars Rover. 

  On Monday we spent the entire day at the Evergreen Wings and Waves Water Park.  This is a great water park with 4 slides that come out of a Boeing 747 that they have parked on the roof. 

   In addition to the slides, they have Smokey's Forrest, which is great for the littles in your life, a pool, a wave pool, lots of science activities, and of course, food.  I would recommend this stop for any family in need of a fun day out!  Did I mention this is an indoor park? 

 

  Then we headed back home for just a couple more days before leaving again, this time for the San Francisco 49ers pre game VS the Vikings.  This was our first real football game, besides high school.

   This was a GREAT trip with just the King and Walker adults.  ( I was here, I promise!) 
We had a short road trip to Petaluma, and stayed with Aunt Glee and Uncle Chuck, who were more than hospitable.  She was so kind to open her house to us and she made us a great breakfast so early in the morning!  The only downside to this whirlwind trip, was that we couldn't stay longer.

 

  









 
  The 49ers pummelled the Vikings, and had some GREAT plays!  It was fun to see La Michael James from Oregon out on the field with his new team as well.  (The 49ers, if you didn't know, #23)

  We got home just in time for my girls night out at our house.  Dancing, shopping, and talking.  What more could a girl want?

   The next fun adventure was the Hellgate Jetboats.  We do this every year as it is super fun, and now that the kids are old enough, we don't have to find a sitter and feel bad about coming home late.

  The Dinner trip leaves at 4:15pm and cruises down the Rogue River, where you will see and learn lots of historic facts and landmarks, wildlife, fish, etc.  You will also get drenched.  Just be prepared. 

   The Jetboat drivers have a lot of fun spinning the boat, slamming on brakes and having competitions with the other boat captains, as to whom can make their passengers the most wet.  IT IS A BLAST!!! 

   The next fun summer event was Arthur's 11th Birthday!!  He chose to have a small family get together and a family movie at the theater!  So I got my lazy butt out of bed at 5am to make Minnesota Blueberry Coffee Cake, get the shopping done and also had to stop in at work for some aquarium parts. 

   It was timed perfectly!  Everything was done and ready for brunch at 10am!  Arthur chose to see the new "Diary of A Wimpy Kid" in the theater.  As far as kid movies go, it wasn't too bad.  (I suffer through too many kid movies...)

  Summer is now over and the kids started school today!  We now have 3 boys in 3 schools, and they are all itching to start some extra curricular activities, which means my schedule is about to become even more cramped!

   Next adventure?  Man trip to Disneyland!  I get a whole week alone to work on my own projects and hang out with my Gram playing Bingo!  Can't wait, it's only a couple weeks away!

   What did you do for your summer vacation?