We got there on Friday evening during a lull in the rain, but as soon as we got everything set up it started pouring again. Here's Reid hanging out nice and dry in his swing under our trailer awning...
Heidi got to come with us, too, although she spent most of the time in her cage or the back of the truck. She did get some pancakes and sausage for breakfast a few times, though. We kept her outside in her cage the first night because we were afraid she would go to the bathroom in the back of the truck. But that night it rained hard almost all night and we worried that she might be cold. Really, we did! So the next two nights she spent in the truck and she did great.
I came really close to running out of clothes for Emmett and Reid. R either puked or pooped on everything I dressed him in, and E was soaked and muddy almost immediately every time he left the trailer. The boys were seriously the dirtiest they have ever been in their lives, but I tried hard to just go with it. The trip was true shock therapy for my germ-phobia/mild obsessive-compulsive disorder and I was pretty proud that I didn't freak out about all of the dirt and germs. :) Here's E with his first of many s'mores and absolutely soaked jeans (from the rain, not from potty!). I didn't realize they were so wet until I went to change his diaper at the end of the night. Oops! But he never complained!
We brought the boys' bikes and they seriously rode them every second that they could. People were impressed with how fast they both moved on their bikes!
Just a look at our setup... we had a pull-through camping spot and had a nice area behind the camper with a firepit, picnic table, and a big space for a tent. And there were wild rhododendrons everywhere! They were as tall as trees and just beautiful!
The first morning we were there Phil got to go fishing with all of the guys. I didn't know that this was going to happen and I was a little upset about being left for 6 hours with three little ones in the rain! But I got over it because he's such a great dad and really deserves some time to himself and the four of us made it through the morning pretty well. There was a moment when I broke down a little, though... I was trying to nurse Reid in a chair out in the rain while I watched the boys ride their bikes. We were getting soaked and R was upset and I got a little upset, too. For some reason I have a hard time accepting help from other people sometimes (pride?), but I finally gave in and let the other moms watch J and E while I went into the trailer to finish nursing. Made things much better! Let other people help, Heather! Geez!
Later in the morning the sun came out for a bit and we decided to take a little hike over to the sand dunes behind our campground. Oregon has a stretch of these dunes along the coast and they are huge and amazing! In most areas you're allowed to ride ATVs all over them, but for some reason right near our campsite ATVs weren't allowed. It made for a nice, peaceful hike. Although the hike was a little longer and steeper than I originally thought it would be, and with Reid in the front pack I definitely got a workout. We went pretty far and I was so afraid that Emmett and Jackson wouldn't make it back and I would have to either try to carry them (and Reid) or wait on the trail for Phil to come rescue us!
Here are my friends Katie and Jen... and you can see the Pacific Ocean in the distance...
Jackson ran really far ahead with the other "big" kids. He did really well and was such a trooper!
Emmett just liked being by himself for a little bit...
It was easier (and more fun) for the little ones to come down the steep hill on their bottoms...
We turned back just at the right time... the kiddos had started asking for water (which we hadn't brought with us) and Emmett wanted to be held part of the way home. Just when I started to think we really might not make it back, DADDY appeared around a bend in the trail! He had just gotten home from fishing and came to find us on the trail. It was wonderful!
I was proud that I made it all that way carrying Reid and sometimes Emmett and holding Jackson's hand, so I wanted a picture. :)
Phil had a good time fishing, but they weren't hugely successful with their catch. He said he got a little queasy when they went out into the open ocean, and one guy even got so sick that they had to bring him back! They did catch several dungeness and rock crabs, which one of the guys cooked up and made into the most amazing fresh crab alfredo pasta for dinner! It was seriously so, so good. Phil said they actually did catch a ton of crabs, but most had to be thrown back because they were just a tad too small or female. Oh, and just for the record - J is terrified of live crabs. One of the daddies brought a crab over for Jackson to see and he fah-reaked out - screaming and crying like the crab had pinched him or something! The poor dad felt so bad! Every so often for the rest of the trip Jackson would pipe up and tell us that he doesn't like crabs. :)
The boys are totally into the movie "Cars" right now. We must have watched that movie about three times over the course of the weekend. They never got tired of it. Jackson calls it "White-ming" for Lightning McQueen, the main character. Here they are snuggling on our bed one morning...
Here's Emmett enjoying a freshly-roasted hot dog...
Phil gave me a break and held Reid several times throughout the weekend. It was really nice!
Here's Jackson showing off his cut lip that he got when he collided with another biker...
And here are the boys enjoying some juice while taking a break from bike riding...
I realized just recently that I don't have many pictures of Reid! I am trying to remedy that every day now. You may notice that he has a bib on quite a bit... he is such a crazy spitter-upper! I finally gave in and started keeping a bib on him a lot of the time after a few days of changing his outfit five or six times. Here he is hanging out in the camper waiting to get a much-needed bath...
On Sunday we took a short drive over to Sunset Bay Beach. It was so gorgeous! I had been to the Oregon Coast once when I was about three years old, but never again since then. So I was really excited to see it in person. We took a walk down to a rocky area on the beach and then Phil turned back with Emmett and Reid and I stayed and climbed over rocks and looked at sea creatures with Jackson.
Then we all met back at a picnic area and ate lunch and played in the sand. Emmett seemed to enjoy laying on the sand... it was a little warmer down there and I think his belly hurt a little bit.
Here's Jackson in front of the campsite on our last night...
And a huge slug/snail that was hanging out on our outdoor rug...
And here's Reid all cozy and asleep in his swing. Sweet, sweet baby!!
Here's a shot of the inside of our camper (taken from the door). Phil and I sleep on the bed in the back there and then the bunk beds for J and E are to the right. I was a little worried that they might not sleep too well, but they loved their cozy bunks and totally zonked out every night.
After dinner on our last night we had cupcakes to celebrate a birthday and the standard marshmallows and chocolate were brought out for s'mores. I had seen Emmett over by the marshmallows, but got sidetracked and didn't pay attention to what he was doing. A few minutes later one of the guys walks up with six strawberry marshmallows each with one bite taken out of them and says, "Okay, who's the one-bite marshmallow bandit?" We knew in a second that it was Emmett and everyone just cracked up. He has a habit lately of taking one bite out of something and then moving on to the next one, or wanting a new one. One of the other moms said, "I saw him doing it, but he was having such a great time that I didn't want to bother him!" :) Here's a video of the cupcake and marshmallow aftermath:
Untitled from Heather G on Vimeo.
And here's just a parting shot of Reid hanging out in the front seat of the truck after a diaper change and lunch break. I know I posted a while back that I was so sure he was a thumb-sucker, but he's been sucking on those two fingers quite a bit, too. He is so precious.
Wow! I didn't realize how long that post was going to be. We really did have such a wonderful time and can't wait to go again. I think we're going to head down to a pretty lake in California in two weeks. Needless to say, we think the camper was a good purchase! And Reid will make the whole experience that much better when he starts sleeping through the night. Hopefully he will before the summer is over!
