Oregon Coast

In my previous post I mentioned that we drove through the Redwood National Forest on our way to the Oregon Coast. I had way too many pictures to share so I figured the coast needed a post of its own. The view was amazing! I think the pictures speak for themselves. It was so windy!!!!! Seriously as we were climbing to the top of a few of the rocks I honestly had a hard time keeping my balance. I felt like I could blow away. Hudson was not happy with all the wind especially when it blew sand in his face. Ethan didn't seem to notice the wind. All he was concerned about was getting in the ocean. The water was cold but he insisted on putting his feet in the water. If we had brought his swimsuit he would have been completely in the water. Crazy kid! The pictures were taken at Harris Beach near Brookings.




The view was gorgeous


simply gorgeous


My favorite picture of the day


the wind was out of control




gotta love the seagulls



Ethan was trying to get all wet


Sandy feet

Redwood National Forest

Today we decided to take Mom on a drive to the Oregon Coast. We couldn't make up our mind which coastal town we wanted to visit. Then we figured out if we went to Crescent City and Brookings we would have to drive through the Redwood National Forest. This turned out to be a great decision. The Redwood National Forest was absolutely beautiful. We took Howland Hill Road which is an unpaved, narrow, scenic drive through the forest. We stopped at Stout Grove to walk along the hiking trail loop. It even provided an entry to the Smith River. Words can not begin to describe how amazing the view was. The boys had a blast walking around and climbing on the trees. It was the BEST playground ever!


Information Center


These trees go on forever


Daddy and his boys


Check out the big log


Matt climbed pretty high


I look like a dwarf next to this tree


Trying to hide


Along the trail


Like Father like Son


Awwwww

Hudson's 18 month check up

Earlier this week Hudson had is 18 month check-up. The doctor's office is on the second floor. Hudson was not happy about riding in the elevator. He didn't cry immediately but he was very anxious for the doors to open. He still doesn't like small spaces. As I expected he wasn't very cooperative once the doctor came in the room. He started crying and just didn't want the doctor to look at ears or hear his heartbeat. This visit required two shots, I am sure you can imagine the tears that followed. Now for Hudson's stats:

Head circumference 19 3/4 (95th percentile)

Height 31 3/4 in (25th percentile)

Weight 28 lbs 2 oz (75th percentile)

An Afternoon in Jacksonville

Yesterday I took Mom to Jacksonville which is just 6 miles from our house. This is a cute little town that has worked really hard to preserve the historic buildings. We started off the afternoon at La Fiesta Restaurant for some great Mexican food and margarita of course! Then we walked around the main street and visited all the little shops. It was very interesting to see old houses turned into little gift shops. We also walked through the Britt Garden. Micheal McDonald was performing at the Britt Festival at 7:30 P.M. but as we were walking around at 1:30 people were already lined up!


View from the resturant patio



View from the resturant patio

I am really not mad......

Britt Gardens

This tree is 205 feet tall

Can't believe we were able to get this close.....

Oregon Caves Revisited

Last May we took a trip to the Oregon Caves but once we got to the visitor center we were told that Ethan was too short and we would not be able to take the tour. As many of you may remember this is when we hiked all around the caves and Ethan fell on a rock and busted his chin. Today we took my Mom who is visiting from Oklahoma to the caves. The tour was moderately strenuous and consisted of 526 stairs! I must say the inside of the cave was breathtaking. I was really nervous that I would feel claustrophobic. It was actually the opposite. After ducking through the cave entrance it opened into a large area. The inside temperature was a crisp 44 degrees. We learned a lot about the man that discovered the cave as well as the formations of the cave. Thankfully, we did not see any bats since it was warm enough for them to go outside!!! Below are a few pictures:


In front of The Chateau


Entrance to the Cave


Imagination Room


At the Spiral Stairs


Exit tunnel


Cliff nature trail up and around the cave

Bite me

Hudson has always been fascinated with electronics. As soon as he could grab onto objects the remote control was his favorite toy. Well now he has figured out how to turn off the tv. He knows better than to turn off Daddy's tv but he thought it was a good idea to turn off the tv in the playroom. Now you can imagine that this causes a fight with Ethan who is the one usually watching the tv. I do my best to catch Hudson BEFORE he actually hits the power button. Yesterday I was not so lucky. Ethan was very upset when the tv was turned off. He walked right up to Hudson, told him no, and turned the tv back on. Hudson may be the little brother but he is a bully. Next thing I know Ethan is crying. At first I thought it was no big deal and that maybe it was just nap time. Ethan had two shirts on (he dressed himself and forgot to take off his pajama) and you could still see bite marks and a red bruise! Ahhh, the adventures of raising boys! It is amazing how much Hudson has changed since we moved to Oregon. He used to be so quiet and easy going........

Tomorrow?

Ethan is always asking to play video games. That is pretty normal I guess. At times I think he is a little obsessed. Of course we limit the amount of minutes he can play. A few times he throws a fit when it is time to turn them off. Naturally that means he has to take a longer break and when he asks if he can play then I tell him No, not today. His reaction is always well then when can I play? To which I answer tomorrow. I never realized that tomorrow is a hard concept for a four year old. Because now every morning when he wakes up he asks "Is it tomorrow?" I try to explain what day of the week it really is but Ethan always comes back to "Is it tomorrow?" Matt answers there is always a tomorrow. I am sure by now you can imagine that this conversation never ends and Ethan gets very upset. He is still trying to figure out when it is going to be tomorrow!

JulieAnn Photography

Last week we had a family photo session. We found a fabulous photographer! Julie did an awesome job. I am so pleased with the results. I love our new pictures! For those you that live in the Medford area I highly recommend JulieAnn Photography. Below are a few of my favorites.

Ethan's new Hero

For the past four days Ethan has been glued to the t.v and for once it is not a rerun of the Power Rangers, SpongeBob or even Thomas the Tank Engine. He LOVES the Olympics. I am actually surprised at how interested he has been. He gives every sport a chance. He was amazed at the synchronized diving. He kept talking about how high they were jumping. Then he told me that he was never wanted to do that. He said "I just want to slide into the pool." (Slide as in the red slide they have in the pool at his school.) Last night I wanted to skip over the beach volleyball but Ethan would not hear of it. He watched every serve! Ethan's favorite event by far is swimming, therefore he is cheering on Micheal Phelps. It was hiliarous when we got to the medal ceremony for the 4X200 freestyle relay last night , Ethan said "hey he has already done this." I was cracking up and then had to explain that he gets a medal everytime he wins. As soon as he woke up this morning he asked me if it was time to watch Micheal Phelps swim.

2008 Summer Olympics

I have always loved watching the summer Olympics. As a kid I only remember watching the gymnastics. But now I realize there is so much more. Last night Ethan and I watched the opening ceremony. I knew he wouldn't be interested in all of it. But I called him into the room when it was time to light the cauldron. He was fascinated by the torch. We talked about how far the torch had traveled. Then I tried to explain that the best athletes in the world were going to compete the next two weeks. This really seemed to interest him. Out of no where he asked if there would be swimming. He was very excited when I said yes. We continued to watch the opening ceremony and when it was over he looked at me and said "I like the Olympics, thank you for letting me watch it." It was too cute!

LIFE

As most of you know Ethan split open his chin while we were hiking at the Oregon Caves back in May. A friend of mine came up with the perfect motivational poster using the picture of Ethan.

Just for fun

I showed my baby picture to Ethan and my 6 year old nephew. They actually thought it was Hudson.


Hudson



Marisa

Hudson @ 18 months

Hudson is now 18 months! He is so full of energy. I must say he is into everything. Hudson loves to climb. Sometimes we find him on the couch, in a chair or even on top of the table! His favorite toys lately have been the kitchen utensils. He loves to take out the wooden spoons and spatulas and pretend they are swords. I guess it is a boy thing.

My new haircut

At his last doctor appointment(May) Dr. Jones wanted to know how much he was talking. At that time Hudson wasn't saying anything. He would just point and whine for the items he wanted. Fast forward three months and Hudson won't stop talking! Half of the words are clear but the other half are just gibberish. But that doesn't stop Hudson. He loves to repeat everything we say. As a matter of fact, just a few days ago Ethan was eating a popsicle. I was telling Ethan that he needed to go eat the popsicle outside. All of a sudden we see Hudson pointing to the sliding glass door shouting OUTSIDE!

Daddy did my hair.



Just being silly.

Hudson is an easy going toddler, that is until it is time to eat. He doesn't mess around with his food. He loves to eat. He is constantly going in the kitchen to find snacks that he can get into. Of course when we try to take those snacks away there is a fight on our hands. For instance, one day Hudson was carrying an entire box of Ritz crackers. Ethan was trying to help me by taking the box away from Hudson. Well, he had a grip on the box like it was a football with one hand, and he put the other hand out in front of him to push Ethan away. Not to mention he was screaming. I could not stop laughing.



Loves the watermelon


Cookie monster

Last month Hudson broke his crib. He was shaking the end of the crib trying to get our attention to let him out. That was is normally routine. I guess he shook the crib one too many times. Thankfully the crib converted to a toddler bed. However, I was not sure he was ready to have so much freedom. Surprisingly he made the transition quickly. Only problem is he wakes up a lot earlier and then comes in to wake me up too. Just two weeks after he moved into a toddler bed, we decided it was time to take away the pacifier. He did great!


All snug is his bed.