Summer Vacation: Mt. Ranier

After our brief stop in Portland on our travel day, we headed out of Oregon and into Washington towards our first destination of the trip:  Mt. Ranier. 

We stayed in a (very) small town outside of Mt. Ranier called Morton, WA.  Our Air Bnb was a renovated apartment above a coffee shop.  It was very cute and cozy.  The town itself, although tiny, was charming and everyone we encountered was very friendly.  Adelie declared it the town that she is going to live in when she grows up.  I'm not putting stock in that, however, since she declares most places we go on vacation her future home.  But who knows...she may end up with a summer home in Morton.

We ate dinner at Papa Bears Restaurant, which was just across the street from our rental.  It was a local diner, but we were all starving, the food was good, and our waiter was very friendly.

We were only in this rental for one night, but it was clean, cozy, and comfortable...and it came with a gift card to the coffee shop downstairs.

The kids liked their bunk room, although Briggs' moving around in his sleep made Staley abandon her spot next to him and instead finished up her sleep on the sofa.

We REALLY enjoyed the Rivers Coffeehouse and Bistro, where we used our gift card to enjoy breakfast the next morning.  It was owned by the same people who run the Air Bnb, so it had the same charming, cozy air about it.  The food and smoothies were fantastic, and we enjoyed a good breakfast before heading off on our Mt. Ranier adventure for the day.

Our initial plan for our day in Mt. Ranier was to hike the Skyline Trail in the Paradise area of the park.  That plan was quickly kiboshed by the first ranger we met as we entered the park as that specific trail and area of the park was still under about 9-10 feet of snow.

Instead, we stopped at the Longmire visitor center and, after speaking with the ranger there, decided to hike part of the Wonderland Trail to Carter Falls and Madcap Falls.  There were two options for our hike:  driving up to Cougar Rock Campground and starting the hike there for a shorter duration or starting from Longmire and hiking the 5.9 mile out and back hike.  The first part of the hike was just a wooded trail according to the ranger.  And although Staley noted, "I can just walk in the woods at home", we decided to tackle the longer hiking duration and enjoy some walking in the woods to start our trek.

The first part of the hike was very pleasant.  It was shaded and quiet and we saw very few other people along the trail.  We had encountered a school bus full of kids on a field trip while at the restrooms at the visitor's center, so we were very pleased that our hike did not intersect with them.

Once we reached the Cougar Rock area, we found some breathtaking views of Mt. Ranier as we crossed a wooden bridge over this river and headed on a steeper ascent towards the waterfalls.

Carter Falls was our initial destination.

However, Madcap Falls was right there as well, so we got two waterfalls for the price of one on this hike.  Just as we were getting close to the falls we began to encounter some snow on the trail.  I'm glad we reached the falls when we did, because the trail became fully snow covered not far past where we stopped.

After hiking back to Longmire, we then took a quick pit stop to hike the .1 miles to the view point for Narada Falls.  This was made slightly more difficult by the fact that, although only .1 miles, it was fully covered in snow and quite slick in places.

However, the falls were very impressive.

After our pit stop, we continued up the mountain to the Paradise Visitor Center.  And although we couldn't do the Skyline Trail hike that we would have liked to, the kids still had a great time playing in the massive amounts of snow.  And for as snowy and wintery as it looked, the weather was actually quite pleasant with sunshine and temperatures in the 50s.

We played and explored in the snow for a bit, enjoying the majestic views of the snowcapped mountains.

We finished off our Mt. Ranier day heading back down to Longmire and walking the Trail of the Shadows.  It is just a flat .75 mile trail through the forest and marshlands with some historic landmarks and educational placards along the way.

It was a sweet little trail, although it took Zach and Adelie longer to hike it than the rest of us since they took more time to stop and read all the placards along the way...as well as to admire the skunk cabbage, which Adelie quickly deemed her new favorite plant.

We enjoyed a fun day of hiking and exploring in Mt. Ranier, but it was time for us to get back in the car and make the 4 hour trek to our next destination:  Forks, WA and Olympic National Park.

Summer Vacation: Travel and Portland

Although I'm a little delayed in actually posting about it, we kicked off our summer with a trip out to the Pacific Northwest.  Since Adelie is in 4th grade, one of her top national park choices for the year was Olympic National Park.  So we planned our May trip around her choice.

The kids had their last day of school on the Monday before Memorial Day.  After school, we got the van loaded up and headed up to Chicago.  We stayed in a hotel near the airport so that we could get up and to the airport in time for our VERY EARLY flight.

Our initial flight was from Chicago to Oakland with a short layover before heading to Portland.  We all read, listened to music, played, snacked, and watched movies on the plane. 

Because our initial flight was so early in the morning, we enjoyed some breakfast treats and coffee drinks in Oakland as a slightly belated breakfast.  Briggs chose the cinnamon roll as big as his head.

Our return flight was from Portland with a short stop in Phoenix and then returning to Chicago.   The kids enjoyed seeing the snowcapped mountains from the plane as we were entering and leaving Portland.

Katie, one of my best high school friends, lives in Portland with her family.  Part of the reason we wanted to fly in and out of Portland was to enjoy some visiting with Katie and her family.  It had been 4 or 5 years since I'd seen Katie, and it was definitely a highlight of our trip.

Upon flying into Portland on our first day, we immediately went to Katie's house where she had a yummy and healthy lunch waiting for us.  We lunched, decompressed, and visited a bit before starting off on our vacation.  After leaving Katie's house, we headed to the International Rose Test Garden in Portland to see a Portland site before heading out of town.

Most of the roses were not blooming yet, but the garden was still very pretty and relaxing and free, so it was the perfect way to decompress from our day of travel before heading off to our first destination.

After our week of adventures (which will be covered in the next blog posts), we returned to Portland for some more time with Katie and family before flying home.  We arrived in the early afternoon the day before our flight home, and Katie took us on a driving/walking tour of Portland.  The kids thought it was great that all the public fountains in town are made for people to interact, splash, and play.

We took the Portland Aerial Tram for some views of the city and a uniquely Portland experience.  The aerial tram is an odd combination of tourist attraction and commuter option for students and staff of the hospital in Portland.  So the top of the tram is a hospital AND a great way to see the city.

We had a clear view of Mt. St. Helen's from the hospital terrace.

We then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening taking a walk through Katie's neighborhood and just spending quality time with Katie and her family.  We had a great dinner at Steeplejack Brewing Company and enjoyed visiting and playing a few rounds of the Name Game before heading off to bed.  A good breakfast and a little more time with Katie rounded out our time in Portland before driving to the airport and heading for home the next day.

It was so nice to start and end our trip in a fun city.  Even better, it was great getting time to reconnect with Katie and her family and enjoy some time together.  

Truth

Saying "poop" in front of an 8 year old boy opens a door that is hard to shut.

#justdon'tdoit

#whyisitsofunny

#pottytalk

#thatdarnychromosome

Grandparents are the Best!

As I was going through all the pictures and reflecting on just how many activities were squeezed into those first few weeks of May, I was also acutely aware that the crazy schedule of activities for my kids were not just filling up our family calendar.  

My kids are so very blessed that they have two sets of grandparents who make it a priority to spend quality time with the kids, share in their daily lives, and be present at all the things my kids do.

For each drama production and athletic event and concert and performance and school activity...

there are typically 4 grandparents in the stands or the audience or the school to make my kids feel loved and supported.

They take the time to watch the live streamed events and recorded events, celebrating all the little victories and the fun things that my kids get to do.

They baby-sit and go on walks and plan special outings and pop by and chauffeur and bring special treats and play and call to chat and love.

My kids are so very blessed by the constant love and presence of their grandparents in their lives.  I don't know what we'd do without them!

Maycember

I recently heard the term 'Maycember' to describe the end of the school year craziness that likens to the flood of activities that lead up to Christmas.  And our Maycember was a doozy...but a good one.

Adelie participated in the Davenport 3rd and 4th grade track meet.  Apparently this track meet dates back at least over the past 30 years since Zach ran in it when he went to Davenport.

Adelie ran the 800 meter run, 4 X 100 relay, and standing broad jump.  She placed 6th in the 800 and her relay team got 2nd.  She ran hard in all her races, and I was proud of her determination.

It was a beautiful day, and Adelie had a lot of fun participating and cheering on her friends and classmates.

Staley played her flute in the 6th grade spring band concert.  Each time I hear her band perform, I am pleasantly surprised at their progress and improvement.

After the band concert, we also got to walk around and enjoy the middle school art show that was set up in the cafeteria.

Adelie and Briggs both signed up for a 10 minute slot to play the piano during the Davenport art show one evening.

They both played their songs well, demonstrated confidence in their willingness to perform as people looked at the art, and then enjoyed showing off their art projects that were on display.

We also stayed to listen to Adelie's friend, Stella, perform her piano songs when Adelie and Briggs were done.  The girls thought it was fun that they had the same piano book.

Briggs performed in the Peter Rabbit play that was put on by 2 of the second grade classrooms.  He was Owl.  He did a great job memorizing his lines and saying them loud and clear.  He also knew all the songs and motions to the songs.  The kids and teachers obviously put a lot of time and effort into preparing for this play, and it was very cute.  Not sure I loved the fact that, when I asked Briggs what they missed while they were practicing for the play, he said math.  (Seems like maybe it could have been during music or PE or computer time, but no one asked me.)

So Briggs may now be a few months behind on his second grade math skills, but he made a great owl.  The girls liked being pulled out of school/class for an hour so they could come watch him perform.  Guess if one of my kids is going to miss out on some learning, they all should.

Adelie won the honorable mention award for her Young Authors book this year.  She was very pleased, and her book titled 'The Clocks Are Doing Amazing Things' was very well written with cute illustrations.  I am always so impressed with her creativity with her writing.

Staley enjoyed her 6th grade field trip to Medieval Times.

Although I could have done without the collective 5+ hours on a school bus to get there and back, I enjoyed being chosen as a chaperone for this fun field trip and spending the day with Staley and her classmates.  (Now spending the day with the MULTIPLE other field trips also attending that day might have made the experience a little louder and more chaotic than I anticipated.)

Adelie performed in the 4th grade drama club production about the Pied Piper titled 'Rats.'  She was cast as Quigley, one of the mayor's advisors.  This was the part she specifically wanted, and she did great!  She had multiple lines, a few songs she sang with the mayor and the other advisor, and a few short solos within the songs.

They had been practicing 3 days/week after school since February, and all the time and effort paid off as the production was very cute and well done.

Staley had her school award's assembly.  She got awards for straight A's, ELA MAP growth, and highest ELA MAP test score in the grade (and, according to the principal, in the entire school).

Staley was also chosen by Mrs. Selvey, her 6th grade ELA teacher, as the ELA Outstanding Student of the Year.  I love that Staley enjoys school, and I am pleased that her hard work and attitude is appreciated by her teachers.

Adelie and Trevor were partners for their classroom Science Fair, where they did a disappearing colors experiment using water, food coloring, and bleach.

Although I wasn't able to attend the Science Fair, rumor has it that the smell of bleach mixed with the onion smell and burning paper smell from other students' experiments was pretty potent long before you ever reached the classroom.  I think that's a true testament to the greatness of this science fair.

Adelie performed in the Davenport 3rd and 4th grade talent show on the last day of school.  She performed a tumbling routine to the song 'Life Less Ordinary.'  She did somersaults, cartwheels, roundoffs, front walker-overs, and back walkovers.  Then she demonstrated her incredible flexibility with the splits and her hands-free back bend trick.

Her grand finale was demonstrating how she can brush her hair, put on a headband, and put on glasses with her feet.  She got a big response from the crowd!

I was so proud of Adelie for her bravery in performing in front of her whole school and for her uniquely Adelie way of showing her talents.  Since we had to miss the talent show for vacation last year, I had promised Adelie that we'd make sure she could perform this year.  I'm glad she made it happen!

The kids all had field day at their schools on the last day of school as well.  Staley and her school went to Eureka Lake where Staley mostly played sand volleyball with her friends.  Adelie and Briggs got to play on the playground, do water balloons, and eat popsicles.

It was a CRAZY end of the school year with so many activities squeezed into a few short weeks.  But it was also so much fun for the kids to do fun things, show off their hard work, spend extra time with friends, and close out the school year with a bang.

Oh Maycember.  You wore us down with ALL THE THINGS, but we made it out the other side...tired, but happy and ready for summer!!  

Different Definitions

 When you ask your son if he cleaned up after himself at breakfast and he assures you he did...

...it kind of makes you wonder what his definition of not cleaned up would be.

Mom Life...Continued

Unfortunately, the mopping of the kitchen floor after the spilled gallon of milk as mentioned in my last post was just the beginning of the story.  After I had blogged about the spilled milk incident, we discovered that not only had the milk covered the kitchen floor, it had also run under the wall and dripped down into the basement.  So a few days after the initial incident, the stench in our house was strong.  We threw out ceiling tiles and a chair that were milk soaked, rented a carpet cleaner, borrowed an air purifier, scrubbed, washed, and went through several boxes of baking soda in our attempt to rid ourselves of the milk...and its odor.

This year, my birthday and Mother's Day landed on the same day.  Instead of a relaxing day of outdoorsy fun with my family, my day was spent helping my husband rid ourselves of the milk spill.  It took some work, some time, and multiple cleanings, but I think it's gone.  And now my children are never allowed to handle a full gallon of milk on their own again.

#momlife

#milkistheworst

#happybirthdaytome

#mothersdayfun