October Break Camping Trip 2014: Butano State Park

This year I missed the chance to make our usual Yosemite reservations for October break, so we ended up going instead to Butano State Park in Pescadero, CA. The campground is in a redwood grove about 15 minutes off of Highway 101, and it's been one of our favorite places for many years. Kirk and I used to camp there in the pre-kid era, so it's fun to have those old memories blend with new ones.

This year we were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather, which totally contributed to the best family camping trip we've had in years! The boys and I went over on Wednesday evening and set up camp (Quite a challenge, I'm not going to lie...), and then Kirk joined us when he got off of work Thursday morning. 

A few highlights: Dillon & Koen spent some time practicing with the flint & steel sets they received for Christmas last year; Hayden and Lawson pushed their giant Tonka dump trucks all over the campsite; Hayden was the best banana slug spotter in the crew; Lawson used the "bear potty" (also known as a hole in the woods) A LOT; we all played a plenty of ladder ball; we were kicked off of our side of Bean Hollow Beach to make room for a film crew. All in all, it was a truly wonderful trip. As we were breaking camp, I was surprised to hear myself say to Kirk: "Let's go camping again soon!" 

Labor Day Adventure

I always get a little antsy when the boys have a 3-day weekend and Kirk is on shift. It's already challenging enough entertain them for the weekend alone; sometimes that extra day will put me over the edge! This year, Kirk had to work Labor Day weekend and the weather was supposed to be unbearably hot at home, so I decided an adventure was in order.  (Don't I always, though?) We don't get to visit Kirk at his station often enough, so I decided that definitely needed to be a priority.  Everything else was just spur-of-the-moment fun.

 First, we had lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory and finally saw "Planes: Search & Rescue." Then, after a swim at our hotel, we headed over to SMFD Station 21 to visit with Kirk.

 This was one of the sweetest moments of our trip (possibly of my life). We were walking back from buying our dinner and Kirk was carrying Lawson on his shoulders. A little boy shouted from a passing car, "Look! That firefighter has a baby!" 

 As always, the boys all had a wonderful time at the station; and, as always, I took too many pictures of them having fun. 

I'm not going to say I got a lot of sleep that night, but the big boys did. Thank goodness I had the iPad to entertain the little boys for a bit in the morning. I think I scored an extra 20 minutes of sleep... 

The next morning, we headed over to Santa Cruz, expecting the Boardwalk to be a madhouse. I'd already warned the boys that it would probably be too busy and that we'd likely just head north to one of the quieter beaches. It was surprisingly un-crowded, so we made a day of it. 

 The little guys even took a snooze on the beach, so I had a chance to relax a bit and the big boys had a chance to go explore the boardwalk at their  leisure. 

And when your kids look like this, you know it's time to load up and head home!

Oregon 2014

Sometimes I'm astonished when I get home from our annual Oregon trip and see how many photos I've actually taken. This year, even chasing Hayden nonstop, even having spent large chunks of time packing & cleaning my Gram's house, I still managed to capture so many sweet moments. Here are just a few of my favorites, images that I think capture what exactly makes our time up there so special. 

My trusty "Beach Mule." I actually surprise myself with the large assortment of gear I can haul with that big il' stroller. 

Giant holes! Uncle Dennis did the honors this year, as Kirk wasn't able to join us. 

Cousins! Grace's daughter, Rynn, was so sweet to Hayden. 

Aunties and hard work: my kids get a much-needed dose of both those things during our visits. Here are Katie & Koen getting it done. 

Pacific City was a highlight this year. All of the boys loved the sand hill, and we passed a lovely day digging in the sand. 

Afternoons at Shand Beach in Rockaway. 

Maui Madness, Week 2

And here are some favorite moments from our second week on Maui:

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Kenny & Karen showed up at the house early today with a plan to paint the retaining wall out front. Kirk and the big boys stayed to help, so I took the little boys to Kamaole I Beach so we wouldn't be underfoot. We had a great time, and later came home for them to have a nice nap while we visited with Kenny and Karen. Later that day the entire family went back to Kam I and had a great time, then headed to Kenn & Karen's for a BBQ dinner.

Thursday 3 July 2014

Today we got up early and headed over to the Hana Highway and the Twin Falls. We had a nice hike, and Koen, Kirk and Lawson even took a swim in the "Caveman Falls." We had yummy banana-coconut Popsicles at the fruit stand, and Kirk and I shared a bag of pineapple. After that we headed to Kahului to Costco (which is a much bigger adventure than it sounds like), then back to the house for some AC and video time. Later we went over to Kenny and Karen's for a pizza dinner.

Friday 4 July 2014

We got up early again today, and we went to Wailea Beach (next to the Four Seasons), where the guys did some fun snorkeling and even saw a sea turtle.  The littles and I sat on the beach and watched the resort guests learn to paddle the outrigger canoes. After that we headed home for a little guy nap, then went over to Kenn & Karen's for a 4th of July BBQ. We got to meet Karen’s sisters, and the boys even put on a fireworks show between cloudbursts!

Saturday 5 July 2014

Today was a long day! We got up early and headed upcountry to Makawao for the Annual Rodeo Parade. It was a fun parade, with lots of hot rods, political candidates, and beautiful horses. Then we went over to the rummage sale at the Buddhist church, where we just looked around and the boys played soccer on the grass parking lot. On the way home we stopped at the dump, then relaxed in the AC at the house for a while. Kirk, Lawson, and Koen went downtown to the skatepark and shave ice stand, while Dillon stayed with me and tried to adjust his attitude. We ended the night at the Old Lahaina Luau with Kenny and Karen, and we all had a wonderful time. Lawson and Hayden stayed home and played with the babysitter, Peggy.

Sunday 6 July 2014

This morning we played tourist a little bit and went to the Maui Tropical Plantation, where Hayden proceeded to ruin the tram tour for everyone with his screeching and kicking. Then we went to Tasty Crust in Wailuku, which is a famous local diner. Again, Hayden raised a ruckus, dumping coffee and wafer everywhere and screeching at every opportunity. Next we went to Kenn & Karen's for the afternoon, where Kenn taught Dillon the "floating hair trick" with a saucer full of catsup (That was a messy prank, but so worth it!). We ended the day down at Po'olenalena Beach, with some snorkeling, beach soccer, and fun in the sand.

Monday 7 July 2014

Karen and I spent the morning paddleboarding at the Cove next to Kalama Park. It was nice at first, but got pretty windy and choppy toward the end. We caught some fun little waves and saw some pretty rock & coral formations, but mostly just enjoyed each others’ company.  Kirk and the boys spent the morning across the street from the house at Charley Young Beach. After the little guys took a long nap, we all strolled down to the ABC store to souvenir shop, then back to the house where Kenn & Karen joined us for tacos. We had fun playing games, too! (Backgammon, Rummy, and even a little Go Fish.)

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Today has been such a busy day! Kirk and the big boys went on a snorkeling tour to Molokini on the boat the Frogman II, which they said was lots of fun. The little boys and I had our own adventure, taking the bus to Ma'Alea to the Maui Ocean Center. (2 transfers, and an hour a half) We got there right in time to see the diver presentation & feeding session in the shark and ray exhibit, which Hayden loved.

By the time we'd finished, Kirk and the boys were back, so we headed to Honolua Bay for them to do some more snorkeling. It was beautiful! The  little guys woke up after just a couple of minutes, so we walked down through the "jungle" to the bay to watch.

Next we headed to DT Fleming Beach, which I had read was amazing. Honestly, we were fairly unimpressed, but the big boys had a great time in the waves, and the little boys chased around the birds and fed them goldfish crackers.

We were headed back into Lahaina for a shave ice when I convinced Kirk to stop so I could check out the "Baby Beach" at the end of Pu'unoa Place. I was so excited when I saw the shallow water and gentle waves that I ran back to the car and told everyone we had to stay for a bit. Hayden and Lawson had so much fun! They found leaves to use as "boats" and we played for a while, and the big guys built a "village" on the shore.

We finally got our shave ice at Local Boys, then we headed over to Kenny & Karen’s for dinner and to watch a replay of the Germany-Brazil World Cup game.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Today was such a good way to close out our trip.  I got up early and started working on laundry and packing while the kids watched a movie. When Kenny got to the house, he, Kirk and the big boys went up to the Sports Page to watch the Netherlands/Argentina World Cup match.

The little guys napped and I packed, and when they woke up we headed out to find a beach. We went down to Makena first, (almost to La Perrouse Bay) to check the surf, and we even spotted some goats along the way. We ended up going to a beach along Makena Ai'na Street, between Polo Beach and Pu'ulenalena Beach, where everyone played in the sand. Kenny and the boys boogie boarded a lot, and they had a great game of sand soccer.

We ended the day with a sunset picnic at Kalama Park. We BBQ'd and the kids all had a great time running around in the dark, playing tag and hide and seek.

And the trip home...