Camping at Ft. Stevens, Oregon

Our home away from home.


Camping isn't "camping" without smores!



Now THAT'S a cannon!



We thought about leaving them there - but they got out!! RATS!!!


Amanda's first "car".



Iredale Ship that wrecked over 100 years ago.


Over the Memorial Day Weekend, we decided to go camping. One of our favorite places to go is called Ft. Stevens, which is near Astoria, Oregon. It is such a fun place to visit. There are old military bunkers that are so much fun to look through. This last weekend they had a History Day Hunt. There were pictures of how things looked when they were built during the Civil War and used during the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. We've been there several times, but this was the first time they had displays set up with pictures, timelines, etc. It was incredible to look at pictures taken during the "active years" to compare with how it looks now. The girls absolutely loved learning about some history in the Pacific Northwest. There are also miles and miles of bike trails. We had a good time riding from the campsite to the various military bunkers and to the beach (where there was a shipwreck over 100 years ago). Part of the ship is still on (and under) the beach. We had a lot of fun spending time as a family and being in the outdoors for a few days.

HOT, HOT, HOT.......

Yesterday (Saturday) we hit record "highs". Our normal temperature for this time of year is in the mid 60's - but yesterday the temp was in the 90's!!! Of course, yesterdy Samantha also just happened to have 2 games (fastpitch) and the games were at 10:00 and 12:00! When we were leaving for the games (at 9:45) and the temp was already ,more than 10 degrees higher than the normal - we knew we were in trouble. Samantha and her friend, Amy, took the ice packs from the ice chest and put them on their heads to try and cool down in between the games. Amy's parents brought big umbrella's to sit under, so they took them over, too, before hitting the ballfield again. I was able to get the greatest picture of Sam sliding in to Home Base - so I couldn't resist adding that picture, too. Between all of us, I think we used about a gallon of sunblock! Even though it was hot, it was still great to see the sun out again. After we got home from the games, the girls ran in the sprinklers to get some sort of relief. The houses around here don't have air conditioners, so Andy and I just sat around "vegging".

Amanda's First Prom!

Amanda and 2 of her friends went to their first prom tonight! (I can't believe how fast time flies by. It seems like just yesterday she was a little girl......) Anyway, they went to the Priest/Laurel Prom (at the church). We thought finding a modest dress would be a huge challenge, but a friend of ours told us about a website that sells modest dresses for a pretty decent price. We checked it out and ended up ordering one. A lady we know from church is an amazing semstress, and Amanda just so happens to be their babysitter - so Amanda exchanged babysitting for alterations on the dress. It was a great deal! I took pictures of Amanda and Hannah getting ready for the dance, then when we got to Heather's house we took pictures of all three of them, and then after we got to the church I took yet MORE pictures!!! (I kept teasing Amanda by telling her I was going to follow them inside the building to take pictures of the dinner and then to the dance to take pictures there, too. For some reason she didn't want me to do that! Hmmmm....I wonder why!?!) Andy and I gave them a ride to the church building in Puyallup, which is where they ate dinner, and then Heather's Mom gave them a ride to the building in Sumner for the dance. All three of them looked so nice in their prom dress. It was fun for them to get all dressed up and make their hair look nice for a fun night out.

More weekend fun....

Samantha's soccer team held their end-of-the-season party at the local putt-putt golf place. They also have go-carts and batting cages, which are always fun to do, too. Samantha went off with her friends to play a round of golf, while Andy and I played a round of golf on a different course than her and her friends. (Apparantly, it's embarrassing to have your PARENTS golfing anywhere NEAR you!) I did sneak over to where she was at and took some pictures, though. (After-all, that IS my job!) On the go-carts, Sam had the misfortune to get a slow cart - which didn't set well with her at all! She's a little maniac on the go-carts! We've decided that she's never getting her drivers license - she has no fear! The first time she went on a go-cart, she wasn't tall enough to drive herself, so she rode with me. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN! She YELLED at me for having the nerve to slow down slightly so someone wouldn't run into me! She also kept yelling, "Faster, faster!!! What a whimpy driver!" Like I said.....never again! Anyway, here are some pictures from our afternoon of fun.

RV's Galore

The Puyallup RV Show is going on this weekend, so we decided to go check it out on Saturday. We love going to the RV shows to look around at all the different campers, trailers, motorhomes etc. It's fun to check out the different models, look at the huge motorhomes and dream. Amanda is babysitting a 1 1/2 year old girl this weekend for a friend of ours while she's out of town, so we took her along with us, too. We loved having a toddler around for the day, but we sure are glad it was only for a day!