The High Desert

Last week, the six of us loaded up and headed several hours south for a bit of vacation time in Central Oregon.  Our cousins who live three hours south of us, joined us as well.  There was a lot of fun and adventure between the nine of us!

Ready to hit the road -- more or less.

After an 8 hour journey, Stella couldn't wait to get out and puddle jump.

Heading out to explore the high desert.

Wandering among pinecones.

Preparing for our Lava River Cave explorations.

Getting the hang of the USFS lantern.

Reaching the "end" of the 1-mile-long cave marked with a cautionary sign.

Back to the 90 degree temperatures at the surface -- the depths of the cave are a cool 42 degrees.

Strolling near the Nature Center with the kiddos and an abundance of mosquitoes.

Heading out to whitewater raft on the Deschutes River.

Chillin' on the bus ride down to the river.

Rockin' and rollin' on the Big Eddy!

Quiet time on the front porch.

The Boys vs. The Girls Scavenger Hunt.

The Boys...

and The Girls show off their finds.

Reading new books in Sunriver.

Crusing along Bend's River Walk in our family-sized Surrey bike.

Iver and Stella in their prime front seating.

A quick stop in Maupin.

And Hood River.

Our drive home.

Spring 2015 -- So Far

Since our last post, we've started and finished three of the first Harry Potter books, had family day trips to Bainbridge Island and Skagit Wildlife Area, had the first track meet for the twins, witnessed the first steps of any kind for Stella, made multiple trips to Costco, and a whole lot more (none of this list is in any chronological order, of course).

In an effort to document some of this as quickly as possible, I'm just going to throw a bunch of photos up here before my iPhone rebels and tells me I am taking up too much of its memory with images that I haven't posted. More detailed posts to come.

Zeek

Or as he's known around our place, Mr. Moo Moo, has moved on to bigger and better things.  It's hard to imagine a bigger (we're a family of six) or better (all six of us showered him with love) place, but after a 1 -3 month life expectancy followed by a 2+ year routine of pills and subcutaneous Vitamin B shots, our littlest guy passed away peacefully in my arms this morning just shy of 10 am.  He was my sidekick for 15 years.

May you have unlimited amounts of wet food, an abundance of comforter covers to tear holes in, the warmth of the sun to lull you to sleep, and laps to lounge in.

We miss you Mr. Moo Moo.

The Happiest Place on Earth

After months of planning, waiting, and watching videos of the rides-we-would-soon-ride, we finally headed south to Disneyland for a whirlwind of magical moments.

Welcomed with sunshine and palm trees!

Disneyland with family.

Our Disneyland crew -- from Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.

Running wild in Tarzan's Treehouse.

Mickey's Soundsational Parade down Main Street -- a full-scale, sensory-heavy event.

Pluto time.  A and J had a great time spotting characters, asking for autographs, and posing for photos.

Locked up in Toon Town.

 Hanging with Goofy.

And Captain Hook.

Both A and J were choosen Padawans at the Jedi Training Academy.  With the "unexpected" arrival of Dath Vadar, Darth Maul, and an assortment of Stormtrooprs, Anders found himself battling Darth Maul -- light saber to light saber.

Jorja uses her skills to defeat the dark side of the Force.

Our Padawans receiving their official certificates announcing they've proven to be worthy of triaining to become a Jedi.

Welcome to Cars Land!

Buzz might not have been able to sign autographs (apparently his lasers burn paper), but he's quite photogenic.

 Watching the Pixar Parade on our last night.