July: Adventures

July was one adventure after another with friends and family.  

We are exhausted now, but it sure was fun!

First up was a visit from Grandpa Jeff and Grandma Susan.  Grandma watched the kids so the rest of us could go to a Steely Dan concert!  Thanks for a fun night of music!

Early the next morning we all headed out to the Oregon Coast for some beach fun.

"Surfin' USA!" --Sam

Yikes, that's chilly.

Pacific NW beaches aren't the best for swimming, but the sand is great for castle building,

burying troublesome kids,

and sleeping :)

Eli wasn't thrilled with the beach at first

...until he saw all the rocks that he could collect and drop into his bucket.

Eli, the grumpy old man.

Afterwards, we made a short trek back to the house we were staying at for some dinner and (most importantly) delicious hot S'Mores.

Cute Grandma Susan and Aunt Catherine

Uncle Carson showing us how he really feels about Dr. Pepper

Grandpa, Grandma, and the boys dressed in their patriotic best!

We drove down to Newport to eat some breakfast and spend our 4th of July morning.

I demanded a photo in front of "my" cafe.  (Which was delicious, of course.)

After breakfast we went to explore the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  

It is a great aquarium, and we had a wonderful time!

Sam checking out the Jellies

Somehow, we caught the Giant Pacific Octopus at a good time.  I've NEVER seen one so active before!

Learning to spot the differences between sea lions and seals

JAWS!

Puffin Hugs

Only Grandma and the boys were brave enough to try out the Hurricane Simulator

Goodbye Aquarium!

We arrived back home just in time for a little BBQ, Duck Duck Goose, and...

Fireworks!  Please note Austin's awesome outfit.  Headphones & Rainboots were just meant to go together.

The fireworks in WA are ridiculous (in a good way).  You can see and hear huge mortars going up in every direction.  Austin is NOT a fan of the loud noises so once the sparklers were done, I went inside with the two younger boys.  Everyone else walked down to the neighbors for some giant firework displays.

Next up was a visit from Aunt Carly and her boyfriend Eric!

We were so happy to have them here for the weekend, especially when they bring fun gifts like this!

Carly and Eric love to be outside so we packed as many outdoor adventures in one weekend as possible.  Unfortunately for Carly, that meant having to sit in the way back squished between two giant car seats.  Sorry about that Carly!

We did some fishing off the dock,

Jumping off waterfalls,

ps Thanks Carly for this photo! 

No children were present for this activity, so I wasn't either :)

Hiking through the forest,

(Complete with all the "necessary" hiking gear!)

(Because I know you have been wondering...this is what EVERY picture sounds like)

Swimming in the lake,

and playing more Duck, Duck, Goose!

We were so sad to see Carly and Eric leave.  Please come again!

The following week was busy with Cub Scout Camp.  The boys got to come with me and be Jr. Campers.  The highlight of the day was a visit from the local K9 unit.  The boys loved seeing these smart and brave dogs in action!

To finish up our adventures for the month, we went camping at Ape Caves with our great friends the Kestner family.  The boys love camping more than anything.  There is something about being able to run around, throw sticks, play with fire, and eat obscene amounts of s'mores that just speaks to them.

Except Eli.  Eli wishes he could run around.  Sorry dude, you run straight for the road every SINGLE time.  You're stuck in the stroller for the foreseeable future.

The Kestner and Walker clans (minus Ryan and Todd, who were taking the pictures and Elder Dallin who is serving a mission).  This was right before we embarked on our adventure through Ape Caves, the longest known lava tube cave in North America.

So, now we know that there are 2 hikes through Ape Caves, the Upper Cave and the Lower Cave.  The Upper Cave "offers a challenging scramble with a surface return trail along its upper portion, while Lower Ape Cave is an easier out-and-back underground hike."  Thank you Trails.com.

We really should have read that beforehand.  Someone (ahem, Todd) assured us that we could definitely make it through the Upper Cave with our kids and a baby-carrier, no problem.

With lots and LOTS of help from the Kestners we survived the 2 hour "challenging scramble" over the boulders and up an 8 foot lava waterfall with our 5, 3, and 1 year olds and can now live to tell about it.

The kids were troopers through it all.  Eli even fell asleep (!) for about an hour inside the cave.  Apparently those Ergo carriers are pretty comfy :)

We did get a few funny looks and comments as we climbed up the ladder and out the top of the cave.  The kids were by far the youngest there, let alone in the Upper Cave.  But, we made it!

The hike back to the entrance was like a leisurely stroll in comparison.  Behind us is the very top of Mt. Saint Helens.  Don't worry, we didn't leave Sam in the cave.  He was running ahead with the bigger kids.

When we finally made it to the car, it didn't take long before everyone passed out.

This was right after leaving the parking lot.

After all that excitement and adventure, we are all a little tired.  

Time to relax, soak in the last month of summer, and play some games!