Oaks Park

Our family has a LOVE for amusement parks. The kids can't get enough. Last week we went to Portland's "Oaks Park". It isn't big...just larger then a county fair. But the price was right (Tuesday is buy one get one free and the entrance fee is only $11-$15 anyway) and the day was wonderful (a bit hot though hovering around 90 most of the day). The rides were perfectly geared toward the younger members of our group. I didn't bring my camera, but my dad snagged this photo of Brian, Cassidy and Brogan:

There were a couple "big kid" rides. Among them the Eagle Claw and the Spider. Both spin you in multiple ways and caused some impressive distress for a few members of our party. Riding once is great fun. Riding a second time decreases the fun factor dramatically. I've seen people feel sick on rides, but this was the first time witnessing anyone actually turning GREEN after the ride. Maybe spinning rides aren't for our whole family after all.

Return to OMSI

We visited the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry today (first time for Brian and Brogan) and had a great time!

EIGHT....

It is Cassidy's Birthday. August 25, 2002 she came into our lives. Screaming for the whole world to hear....but then winning hearts with her smile and laugh. She is a dream and wish come true.

Now we have 8 years of pictures like this and we are looking forward to many many more...
The first present was a bag of fun treats and treasures, including this little stuffed heart and duck set that once hung on my wall in my bedroom....and Cassidy LOVES it.
Her second gift was a wonderful and thoughtful gift of popcorn and movie rentals from Blockbuster! We are so excited to use this treat for "Friday Night Movie Night" and Cassidy will, of course, get to choose the movie.
Cass then scored another Our Generation Doll...this one is EVA who solves mysteries. She came with a spy kit. Very exciting.
Her final gift of the night was a new Our Generations Horse. She is excited that her first horse, FLICKA, now has a friend.
Earlier today we celebrated as a family. Cassidy decided we should go to SWEET TOMATOES, a local restaurant that is already a family favorite, for lunch. SOOO yummy! And then as another special treat we went to see Despicable Me. Which we highly recommend. It was hilarious. We came home and Brian took the kids swimming at the complex pool while I made dinner. NICE! Then it was time for the party (evidenced in the photos above). This was a special day for our very special girl. 8 years old. She is such a sweet little girl. She has a tender heard and loves people. She is kind and thoughtful. She loves to laugh and make others laugh. She wants to be a friend to everyone she meets. We are fortunate to have her in our family.

The Land of Tall Trees

Went for a walk last night in nearby Camas. We have arrived in the land of really tall trees and very impressive slugs.

Brian climbs at Portland Airshow

Army personnel set up a climbing tower at the Portland Airshow. Brian may have neglected to mention he just spent five weeks instructing rock climbing on a forty-foot wall in NH.

Portland Airshow!

Went to an airshow across the Columbia river in Portland, Oregon today. Busy, loud, and very cool with lots of planes, screaming jets, various military vehicles, AND LEGOS!

OMSI

We have discovered OMSI. What a magical place. It is located in Oregon and is the best science museum we have ever been too. The girls had a blast. (We left the boys home to get some "manly" projects done.) But we will be returning frequently. Very frequently, I think.

Below is a picture of Cassidy, Kenny, and Kayla dressed as Chipmunks (aren't those cute little fur vests?) pretending to eat the acorns they have collected.

This is our UBER-CUTE cousin/nephew, Ben. He is the happiest boy EVER . So cute. Willing to cheese it up for the camera. And he has the cutest little crawl I've ever seen. I'll try to post video of it later.
Cassidy and Kenny shooting air compressed bottle rockets off (lots of fun).
Kayla, Zoey, Uncle Bryce, Aunt Shantel, Abby and Kale all taking a moment to watch the balls roll and tumble down the spiral.
Cassidy and Kenny hanging out in the space ship. These 2 really get along and have so much fun together. We will miss Kenny and Kale when they return to Las Vegas on Thursday. I think there may be tears.

Day 8

FINAL DESTINATION: VANCOUVER WASHINGTON. WE HAVE ARRIVED.

We arrived on August 16th. The drive from Selah to Vancouver should have only took about 3.5 hours. But, thanks to some unexpected interstate road construction (paving) we ended up stretching out the drive to about 4.5 hours. Of course, one of our kids declared they needed to go to the bathroom. Since it wasn't the child in a diaper, we needed to stop as quickly and as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that was easier to think about then to complete. The first exit we made it to provided us the unexpected stop at Multnoma Falls. It deserved more time and attention and appreciation then we gave it. Really, this was all about a bathroom break and the first place we come to is a waterfall? It was pretty much torture for our little one. But, it was the perfect place to stop. We will be back when we can devote more time and properly appreciate this area. They do have nice bathrooms though, just in case you're wondering.

Day 7

Layton to Selah....10 hours.....688 miles. Whew! We are in Washington!!!!! We made great time. Assisted by the early start to the day (on the road by 7am) and infrequent stops (the kids were still tired from our Lagoon day yesterday) we made it to Selah by 5pm Pacific Standard Time. The now 3 hour time difference from when we LEFT the East Coast to now has made for some very early mornings. Unfortunately it doesn't also equal early evenings...the kids still manage to stay up until well past 9pm. Granted, it is usually because we are doing some sort of family activity. We are SO excited to be here and look forward to concluding our cross-country travels tomorrow with only a 4 hour drive. Visiting with Grandma Reynolds has been a highlight of the trip. She has a closet full of wonderful toys...among them a giant doll house with "my little ponies" AND a marble shoot. Brian and Brogan (mostly Brian) have enjoyed creating marble shoots and racing marbles down the creations. It will certainly be a family favorite during the next few months of visits.

Day 6 and HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today was Brian's 36th birthday. He doesn't look a day over 20 (some might even say 18). We spent the day at Lagoon. I didn't take my camera in with us. This was the first time we ever attempted an amusement park without a stroller...and it was WONDERFUL. We got there at 10am...and left at 10pm. The kids were asleep before we left the parking lot. However, we were cruel parents and made them take baths before crawling into bed. Seriously...the germs....EW! KK had some impressively stinky feet. It was better for everyone that this happen. Check out the photo below of our exhausted children.....yes, they are asleep. YES, that is a ginormous mug Cassidy is holding in her sleep. We bought it for $12 and were able to refill it at any of the vendors the WHOLE day. We drank a LOT of lemonade.

It's late, we're all tired and tomorrow brings us to the longest day of travel yet. SLC to Selah, WA. 10 hours of driving...with stops every 2 hours. We are hoping to arrive by 8pm, if we are lucky and make GREAT time, that is. Crossing our fingers.

Day 5

Laramie to Provo was a pretty great drive. We got up early and were finished by about 2:30. Which was good because we spent the evening celebrating Brian, who's birthday is tomorrow. We met up with friends and family. It was wonderful and so good to visit with so many people. We were lucky enough to stay the night at Grandpa and Grandma Harvey's home (Shannon's Maternal Grandparents). Thank you to those of you who met us at PIRATE ISLAND for the fun and celebration. In the photo below, the kids are modeling super stylish Raccoon Hats from a local truck stop in Wyoming.

This lovely guy is found at the entrance to PIRATE ISLAND. He was cool. He's holding a cup. There was a sign that said if you could toss a quarter into the cup, the living dead would rise from the moat surrounding him. It was obvious many others had tried and failed...we declined the offer.

Brian...enjoying his monster huge cup cake to celebrate his birthday (which is tomorrow).

Brian with his sister, cute and pregnant (ready to deliver any day now), Carrie (AKA: Bear). It was lovely to spend time with her and Pete. We join her in hopes of a speeding and SOON delivery.

Day Four

Lincoln, NE to Laramie, WY was long but really fast. We LOVE the 75 speed limit! It makes 65 feel soooooo slow! Constructions zones at 55 seem to just crawl. The kids are impressed with all the rocks and mountains. Cass has taken lots of pictures of each. We took a brief and unexpected detour into Colorado...6 miles in we figured out that we weren't on I-80 anymore. Fortunately, it was only 6 miles in. So we flipped around and popped back into Nebraska. That's one state more then we meant to visit...sadly, we did not get the girls a key chain. But...maybe some other time.

Below, the girls spend time in the pool. We went swimming every night we stayed in a hotel. This was something the kids looked forward to during each drive. This pool was the perfect size. Not too big. Not too deep. But, a little too cold. Mom and Dad watched from the side-lines this time.
Check out the clouds and the view. This is NOT something you see in New Hampshire. Ever.

We did manage to stop at this cool little locomotive in Laramie. Brogan, as you can imagine, was LOVIN' it. Check him out below sporting his red sunglasses ("I'm like Daddy.") and his customary fake gun. An outlaw in the making? We hope not, but he sure is cute.

Day 3

Today we traveled from Joliet to Omaha to Lincoln, NE. Another long day of driving...made longer by the frequent need to stop and "rest our areas". We seem to be able to travel for about 2 hours before someone insists on a break. We anticipated this. Today, for the first time in a long time, Brian was treated to one of his favorite places to eat: SONIC. Yummy.

We have lots of pictures from todays adventures, which include a stop in Omaha, NE at Winter Quarters. Very nostalgic experience. And now, we are at THE CORNHUSKER (Marriott Hotel) in Lincoln. The kids are changing to go swimming....they look forward to this part of the day ALL DAY long. Here are a few images from today's journey:

Day Two...updated

We try to find something fun for the kids to do at each place we stop for the night. We're not doing the big things like Rushmore or Bedrock or any of those fun but time consuming stops (we're on a tight schedule here). But, we were able to find this gem of a deal in Joliet. Today's fun was brought to us by "Haunted Trails Family Amusement". It was anything but haunted (except in decor and the pizza was awful). However, the place was an indoor amusement park and nickel game slots. Everyone had fun and, the best part is, they are now sound asleep. **We have hit our first time zone change. So although the clock says "9:30" it feels like "10:30". We expect them to be up early enough tomorrow that we may be on the road a tiny bit sooner then anticipated. Then again...maybe not.

Brogan was in HEAVEN with this fancy little race car. He was very put out that he was not allowed to drive the go carts and we fortunately were able to distract him (but not quite meet the desire to race the track) with this shiny red number.

Day Two

Today we drove from Erie to Joliet, IL. The girls have started collecting key chains for each state they visit. We got Ohio, and Indiana today (we'll purchase IL before leaving). Sadly we missed the boat on PA but will grab one on the way back next year.

Below is a photo somewhere in the middle of Indiana. Brogan had "had the radish" and was DONE for the day (unfortunately we still had hours to go). Cass was entertaining herself with an activity book that the Good's gave her before we left (Thank you!). The 2nd photo shows how easy it is to distract Brogan from his fit....we simply declare, "I see a water tower..." check out his face....

We took the photo below as evidence of our stop in Ohio. It was a lovely little rest area. We stop about every 2 hours to stretch and move about.

And the final picture of todays drive is : CLEVELAND. We're glad we got to see it from a distance. We were fortunate to completely skip Chicago but the traffic just going into the city was backed up and enough to let us know that we DID NOT want to go there either. Thank goodness for Joliet, IL.