Last Summer beach trip

We decided to go to the beach one last time before it is officially fall.  It was such a gorgeous day, it was 75 at the beach and not a cloud in the sky.  We went to Lincoln city to the D river, and Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Tyler came with his kids.  It was nice we could all go together.

This was the one time at the beach where I actually let the kids wear swimsuits and didn't care if they got soaked because it was so warm.  They wanted to go into the water first thing, but they settled for playing in the sand while we set up our little spot.

We BBQ'd on the beach and made hot dogs and hamburgers.  I love BBQ food, it's so good!  We had fun just eating and chatting while the kids played to their hearts content.

The water was too cold for my taste, but the kids had no problem running in and getting wet.  They were having a blast playing in the ocean and in the river.  McKenna got buried in the sand by grandpa and Graysen got buried by McKenna.

I seriously love the beach and could be there every day.  I wish I lived closer so that I could do that, but it makes it extra special when we do get to go so I am happy.  It is just so beautiful and peaceful and all the worries that you may of had don't matter at that moment.

We stayed for a while and then packed up to head home so we wouldn't be home too late.  It was a really great day and I am so glad that we were able to go and spend the day having fun.  I look forward to our next beach trip and hope it will be just as nice of a day.

8 months

Mr. E is now 8 months old!  He is getting to be such a big boy!  We just love him so much and I especially love this age.
He is just figuring out how to crawl, before he was kind of twirling around with his feet and bum to get places. He is so funny because I try to get him to crawl to me which he will start doing but then he dramatically drops to his tummy as if he can't go on any more expecting me to pick him up.  I always have him crawl to me though if he wants me (haha), I know I am so mean. I just like to think it builds character. He is also trying to pull himself up on everything which tends to lead him to smacking his face on something.

He really loves food, no matter what it is.  I think one of his favorite things though is sweet potatoes.  When I first introduce a new food he is so happy and just goes "mmmm" and smacks his lips, it is too cute. He is hungry all the time, so he will pretty much eat me out of house and home.  He is just starting to get his first tooth on the bottom, so he is a little grumpy, but he is still such a good boy.

His sleeping habits are amazing, so naturally that makes me feel amazing which is good for everyone :).  I really love that I get a good nights sleep though, well that is when the other little boy isn't waking me up.
Easton loves to play with kids, any time there is one around he gets so excited and just smiles and tries to play with them.  It is so nice he has his big brother and sister around to keep him entertained.
He is always smiling and happy though, every where we go he just turns it on and everyone just fawns over him.

Bath time is still one of his favorite parts of the day, he absolutely loves it and gets so excited when I take him into the bathroom.  He also likes taking showers too.  It helps him get all wound down for bed.
My house is constantly in a state of dissaray because he loves to explore and dump and play with anything and everything.  He is very curious and loves to take things out.  If only I could teach him already to put them back when he is done.
He is such a cute and fun little boy, I can't get enough of him.  I am really enjoying every moment I have with him and not wishing he was at a different stage, I am loving the here and now. Easton is such a special little guy and we feel so blessed to have him in our lives.

Our first real tree

Ever since we have been married, we have had an artificial tree.  It has been really great because it is not messy, I can put it up and take it town whenever I want and we don't have to go anywhere to get it.
Last year we really wanted to take the kids to get a real tree, but with Travis schedule with school and everything, it didn't work out.  We decided that this year we would be sure to get a real one.  We have so many tree farms around and lets face it, it isn't like it is freezing cold here in Oregon so I think we could survive going to get a tree.
It was actually a really fun experience and I don't think I would want to do an artificial tree anymore after this.
We drove around our area a little bit until we found a nice tree farm.  We all filed out of the van and grabbed a saw and went to pick out the perfect tree.  There was so many to choose from, and the kids were so excited to pick out one.

After a little while of searching and finding pretty good trees, Travis spotted the perfect tree.  It really does seem like someone shines a light on it like in the movies with the music playing and all, so I totally get it now.

Travis cut it down and picked it up, lifted it over his head and carried it the whole way back to the car.  The kids were really impressed, they have a dad with super human strength.

He tied it to the car and then we all had hot chocolate to warm ourselves up a little bit.  It was a little cold outside, but nothing to complain about.

We got it home and the smell alone sold me on having a real tree.  I don't mind the shedding of the needles, a vacuum solves that, and it just looks so pretty!  I love it.  It will be our new tradition.
We decorated it while listening to Christmas music and having treats.  It was really fun, and my kids loved it so that is always a win when they enjoy it.  I love Christmas!

6 months

Easton is 6 months old and is getting so big!  He is such a strong little guy, and I can tell he is going to stay that way as he gets older.  He is so cute and so happy, we just love him to death.  His 6month stats are 27-1/2 inches, 18.8lb andhe pretty much has a big head.  It's funny because he is in the 70th percentile for height, 60% for weight, and 90% for his head so he pretty much has a big head.  I totally don't think that though when I look at him, so at least he is proportional right.

He can sit up on his own now and he is so proud of himself.  He can hold things really well and tries to put everything in his mouth.  He loves to sit and play with his toys on the floor, or wherever we are.  He will sometimes sit in his chair and watch me do my makeup or cook dinner.  He just has to be by someone at all times.

He laughs all the time and is experimenting with his voice.  He really likes to talk to everyone and copies you when you talk to him.
He absolutely loves bath time, it is his favorite thing.  He splashes with his hands and feet and tries to grab the water as it comes out of the faucet.  He can be grumpy and as soon as we take him in for a bath, he stops fussing and is happy as can be.
He sleeps through the night now which I am so happy about, and by this I mean that he doesn't wake up at all so I feel so good being able to sleep all night.  He was never bad before, he would just wake up and I would have to put his binky back in and he would go right back to sleep so I could handle it.  He takes two naps during the day which is awesome, so it makes me very happy because I can actually get things done.
He is starting to eat solids now, he started with rice cereal at 4 months, but now is onto foods like sweet potatoes, squash and peas.  He has loved everything he has tried so far.
He has had many fun adventures so far, he has gone to the beach, swimming, ridden on the carousel, gone to lots of parks, gone to the zoo, went to the state fair, and many other little things.
McKenna and Graysen adore him and love to play with him and hold him and make him laugh.  He really loves his older siblings and is so happy whenever they are around.

Easton is such a sweet baby and I absolutely love love love this age. Soon he will be crawling so I have to enjoy this non mobility while I can.

Mr. G turns 4

I can't believe my little boy turned 4 years old!  He is so grown up and I can't believe how fast it has gone by.  Graysen has been such a joy and blessing to our lives.  It seems like I just brought him home from the hospital, like he should still be little like Easton.
He is such a fun loving little boy.  He always makes me laughs with the funny things he does and says.  His smile just melts my heart, and every time I look at him it just makes me so happy and full of joy. His favorite color is blue and he loves  playing with any type of car/ball or anything that requires him to hit something else.  He is such a boy and is always playing with sticks and rocks and getting in the dirt.  He loves bugs and reading books and playing with his brother and sister.    He is such a smart little boy too, he uses big words all the time and actually uses them right which always surprises me.  I am constantly thinking how did you know that word, let alone how to use it.  He keeps us on our toes, but he is so fun to have around and we just love him to death.

We made cinnamon rolls for him when he woke up and decorated the kitchen for him.  We also had a ninja turtles bike waiting for him in the living room surrounded by a bunch blue balloons.  He was so excited when he woke up and found his bike and all he decorations.  He came into my room and said "it's my birthday!"  We had a nice breakfast together before dad went to work.  We are celebrating his birthday on Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa but we still did some fun things for him.
I took the kids to the carousel and let them ride it a couple of times because that is what Graysen wanted to do.

We got snow cones and played at the park afterwards which was really fun.  We stopped by Walmart and Graysen picked out a helmet so he could ride his new bike since the one we got him didn't fit.  He was so excited to get to ride his bike.

After lunch I took him out and him and sister rode bikes for a little while.  He fell a couple times when he tried to turn because he hadn't quite mastered balancing, but he got the hang of it and loved riding it around.  McKenna got a bike for her birthday too so they were happy to ride their new bikes together.

It will be fun to celebrate even more on Saturday, but I love my little man, he is the best!

Bonfire

As kind of a end of the summer hurrah, a bunch of us got together and had a bonfire down by the river.  Travis unfortunately was out of town, so I took the kids by myself.  I didn't want them to miss out on something fun just because dad couldn't come so I braved it and took them all by myself.
I love my friends though, because everyone was so helpful with the kids and everything so it made my life easier.

We brought some typical bonfire foods, hot dogs and s'mores.  We got there and set up our chairs and got the fire going while the kids threw rocks into the river.  It was so fun to have all our friends there.  The kids all played so nice together and it was fun to chat with all the adults while the kids were busy.

It was a really hot day, so the evening turned out to be perfect.  I love warm summer nights, they are the best. The kids had a blast feeding the ducks, eating hot dogs and s'mores, playing and running around playing games. 

  It was a perfect way to end the summer before school started.

Cape Lookout

Travis aunt Lori came to Oregon in July and we were so glad we got to spend a day with her.  We all went to cape lookout and Tillamook cheese factory.  It was a little overcast at the beach, but it was still quite pleasant.  We had such a fun time and the kids love the beach no matter what weather it is and still want to play in the water even if it is freezing cold.

The kids had so much fun riding in the back with Aunt Lori.  She was so nice and entertained them.
We went to the cheese factory first and got some Ice Cream.  It was so packed though, it was crazy!  There was no place to sit so we had to go outside, but it was still fine and the ice cream tasted so good as always.  I always have to get the chocolate peanut butter and strawberry, and my kids of course take after me and go for the chocolate too :)  After the cheese factory we headed over to the beach and set up our little area and the kids were off playing in the sand and the water.

We brought our kite to fly, but unfortunately it wasn't that windy at the beach so it wouldn't work.  The kids were so bummed, but hopefully we get to try it out again.  It was fun though playing around and talking and of course eating snacks and just being together.  I love the beach, it is just so peaceful and beautiful.

It was Easton's first beach trip, and he was such a good boy.  He loved it and was just so happy as usual.

We stayed there a while and then decided we better head out.  We stopped at this bbq place for dinner in Tillamook and it was sooo good.  It looks a little sketchy, but it was some of the best food I ever had.  I wish I could remember the name of it.  We all liked the food and were happy to have full tummies as we drove the long way home.
We had such a fun day and I am so glad we got to spend it with our family.  I can't wait to go to the beach again, I just love it!