Happy 60th Birthday, Dad/Grandpa!

We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday tonight at my parents house.  Of course, we just called it 'a small get-together with pie', because he didn't want a big deal made, but the rest of us were a little more honest about why we were there!  Can't believe I actually got him to smile for a couple of pictures!

He married into our family when I was 8 years old, and stepped into a very difficult situation... my dad had just died a few months prior, and my mom was now widowed with 4 young children, at the age of 27.  Tim was a family friend that we all loved dearly, he had planned on being a bachelor for life, and was definitely NOT going to have any children.  Thankfully, he had no idea what he was getting himself into, or he would have run away for sure!

He always told us kids that he would never try to replace our daddy, but did his best to fill the void that was left. He quickly became 'dad'.  It has now been over 25 years. He has shown us unconditional love, has always given 110% for us, and treated us as if we were his own biological children.  Him and I have always had a really good relationship.  We share a similar odd sense of humor, and love to tease each other. I don't know what I would do without my dad, or what my kids would do without Grandpa Bauer.  They love him to pieces, and he is crazy about them! He has never liked to be the center of attention, and often gets overlooked for it; but I wanted to take this opportunity to say how much I love and appreciate him.

So... Happy Birthday, Dad/Grandpa!  We hope you have a fabulous birthday, and we love you very much! 

No more training wheels!

Kaitlyn has finally mastered riding her bike without training wheels.  She now cruises around on her pink Hello Kitty bike!

Talon was too busy riding to have time for pictures, so he didn't get included in this photo session.

Little Bookworm

Talon started reading his first chapter book... The Hardy Boys.  He is quite the bookworm.  We are finding that we have to limit his reading to only a couple of hours a day, or he would spend the entire day with his nose buried in a book, and would get no exercise or socialization with this siblings.  I am very glad that he does like to read, though!

Family beach trip

(WARNING: This post contains a TON of pictures!)

We have been wanting to go to the beach all Summer, and it's been so busy, we haven't had a chance to go.  We finally set a date to go with my parents for the day, but that morning, my mom woke up sick.  The kids were a bit disappointed, so I went online, and found a hotel so we could stay overnight.  They were excited again!  We didn't get away as soon as we wanted, because I now had to pack overnight clothes, and we had to take the dogs to my parents' house.

We finally got to Lincoln City in the early evening as it was cooling down.  The kids agreed that it was probably a bit cold to play in the water, and everyone was hungry.  We decided to go to Mo's for dinner and clam chowder, and play on the beach in the morning. 

Dinner at Mo's- with coloring pages, and all the saltine crackers they wanted.  Score! 

(Not really sure what Natalie's face is all about.  I think she was mimicking something)

We had a view of the ocean from our room, and even though you couldn't really see it at night, the kids wanted to go out on the balcony and watch it.

Good thing I brought coloring books, because as soon as we got settled, they asked, "Can we color?".

A calm and quiet activity, that won't disturb our neighbors?  Sure!

Overcast morning on the balcony

Our view of the ocean

As we packed up to leave, and head to the beach, everyone had to carry their own backpack. I was going to carry Natalie's, but she wouldn't hear of it.

While it was overcast in the morning, it turned out to be a gorgeous day on the beach.  The temperature was mid-70's, and the wind was only about 7 mph.

Ready to tackle the sand!
Anthony's back went out from our not-so-friendly hotel bed, so he was only able to go down to the water for a little while. 

Natalie just had to taste the sand!

The water was actually warm!

I guess she didn't get enough of a taste the first time. Yuck!

Some action shots- jumping into the water

The kids found a crab.

It was dead, so they had to give it a proper burial

Natalie finally decided she was done playing, and ready to take a nap

So she cuddled up in my lap, and went right to sleep.

After we got done playing on the beach, we cleaned up, and decided to drive up the coastline, and enjoy the beautiful day.

All of the kids fell asleep in the car.

Our next stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

Watching the cheese-making process

Of course, we HAD to get ice cream!

The kids' response to the smell of the dairy cows.

It was a beautiful drive home.

The moon was so bright!

I thoroughly enjoy our family time. I love the way the kids interact and participate in what we are doing.  Car trips are more fun as they have gotten older, mainly because they understand we are actually going somewhere fun, and also because they can entertain themselves in the car.  

Looking back over the past 7 years, I see how time has flown by, and I want to slow it down.  I don't want them to grow up so fast.  I want them to still enjoy playing in the sand, splashing in the water, burying a dead crab, and just going to get ice cream.  In the car, I enjoy hearing, "Mom, do you want to sing songs?" and "Do you want to play the alphabet game?".  Then, to top it all off, looking in the back to find four exhausted children, with sunburned faces, sacked out in their car seats, completely spent from the days' activities.

Anthony used to tease me about all the pictures I take of the kids.  However, as they have gotten older, I see him going back through our pictures, and reminiscing about how cute they were and the fun times we've had.  I have realized how important it is to cherish all the time we get to spend as a family, and enjoy even the little things, because they grow up way too fast!