July Moves On.....

Amelia and Cooper have reached the ages where they enjoy playing board games. 40-card Uno (they deal out the whole deck to each other), Life, Candyland, etc. They especially like Battleship, where the seriousness level reaches top proportions. They even try to"covertly" spy (or CHEAT) by sneaking glances at the other's board. Must be those Wilson genes! :-)

However, I bought Monopoly for them awhile back but I wasn't sure they were ready for it. Well, one of them was:

Another, not quite so much:

Cooper RULED the game, buying all the high-yield properties, dodging any jail time, and spending money so much (he was down to $11 once) I thought for sure he'd go bankrupt.

He ended up winning the whole game with $2,675 and all my and Amelia's mortgaged properties. If he's that good when he grows up--watch out world!

Another fun event was Missy having her colt:

Cooper also had scout day camp last week. He had so much fun, and it was nice for him to go somewhere without Amelia and I. He enjoyed it so much he's heading back next week for the water days!

While Cooper was hanging at scout camp, Amelia and I went to a lovely ladies lunch and spent the afternoon running errands and watching Property Brother's episodes:

She scored the front seat because we were having a "grown-up" day.

At Applebee's:

We're down to about 4 weeks of summer left, which is exciting and sad. These weeks tend to be the "dog days" of summer, but hopefully we'll get through them. Good news is the college kids will be gone for 7 weeks, so I don't have to worry about cussing out loud when we're driving around town. :-) We still have a ball game to attend and these three are visiting:

                                                            Hooray!

4th of July 2015!

After much debating, we decided to give the parade one more try this year. We attended a flag raising ceremony and breakfast put on by our ward, then sat down in our seats to wait for the parade. I chose a new place this year and it worked out really well. NO ONE stood in front of us! Of course, we were further up from the park and right in the sun. Luckily, no one was behind us either, so I could have my umbrella up the whole time. Not one burn! Here's some pictures of the parade:

This is our bagpipe brigade.

This is a giant shopping cart car.

 After we got home from the parade, the kiddos divvied up the candy:

 Cooper's pile is MUCH larger because Amelia couldn't eat most of the candy thrown. Cooper was gracious enough to take it off her hands.

After two of us took naps, we headed to the rodeo. It's the first year we've gone, and I'd love to make it a tradition. Amelia agrees, but Cooper isn't QUITE as sure. He loved the herding dogs during the mini bull riding, but wasn't impressed with the rest of the competitions. Part of the time he was trying to process the fact Uncle Ben used to ride bulls.

 It's difficult to take pictures of a rodeo, because everything moves so fast! Here's a quick on of the bareback broncs, after the cowboy fell off.

Ben, Kim, Matthew, and Conagher were also there. Things got a little crazy for a bit.....

After the rodeo was over, we stayed for a firework show. It was a fun night, and overall I think the kids really liked it. Hopefully we can do it again next year!

July So Far!

Summer is moving right along in our home. Amelia taught her summer ballet class with two friends on Tuesday. She did a GREAT job, and as I watched her I realized just how little I know about ballet!

It's been hot the last week. Really hot. So hot it's been hard to sleep at night, even with a fan blowing right on us. Amelia found a creative way to have a tent:

The heat has also made children a little silly:

What do you do in this crazy heat? Go to the spray park! Here we were having a picnic after playing. Right after I took this Cooper started chasing seagulls, waving his Go-gurt at them and yelling.

We also babysit our adorable little downstairs neighbor, Gwen. Amelia holds her while Cooper talks to her in a voice so high dogs begin barking. I wish my fat rolls were as cute as hers:

Finally, we visit family and play with cousins:

Onward to July! Here's hoping the heat dies down just a little bit!

Summer Adjustment

This last week we've tried to adjust to the new summer schedule---which varies from "I'm boooored!" to "I just want to RELAX and do nothing!!" There is little in between.

Amelia is going to summer ballet and is teaching a class next week. She's excited and a little nervous, but I know she'll do well. I offered to enroll Cooper in gymnastics or soccer for the summer, but he just wants to "have  a nice, relaxing, calm summer so I can watch TV and play." Guess which child is constantly telling him he's bored?!

We've also been normal summer things, like going to the movies with friends:

Climbing trees at the park (notice the gloves to ward off prickles and sap):

Playing at the spray park:

And getting treats while dressed as Ironman:

As for me, I have a Praxis test on Thursday, which I'm not entirely sure I'll pass. But hey, re-taking a 6-hour test isn't so bad, right?

The Great Oregon Coast Call Reunion 2015

Yes, the week deserves that long, prestigious title! We'd planned this reunion for over a year, and made sure EVERYONE in our family could attend. We tried a few years ago, but the imminent arrival of two new cousins kind of made the whole thing fold. This year, however, we managed to keep to our resolve and get together for a week on the Oregon coast. It. Was. Epic. And yes, we all still love each other! I have ALOT of pictures (and didn't even upload them all) so sit back and prepare to scroll awhile!

It began with a loooooong 14-hour drive. We broke it up by spending the night in Redmond, OR. When we checked in, we were upgraded to a suite! The kiddos were tired, but Amelia adapted very well, immediately checking her email and trying out each chair:

Cooper, not so much. The kid likes to be home, and has a little difficulty with changes, even if Amelia and I are with him. He did great, though:

The car ride down was not as bad as I expected. Once we crossed over into Oregon, it's illegal to talk on the phone while driving, so I handed it back to Amelia and Cooper to field any phone calls. They also used it to take a few selfies:

The next day we drove only a short 4 hours and arrived in Waldport, OR about 4pm. We walked out to the beach and just took a breath. Ah, the ocean........

Over the next couple days we played with cousins, went to the aquarium, lighthouses, Cape Perpetua, and played on the beach. We also had late nights playing games, talking, laughing and enjoying being with each other. Here's a couple hundred photos of all our fun:

Aquarium:
 

Lighthouse:

Cobble Beach:

I know what you're going to say, Katie, but it's a very flattering picture of me........

Eating at Mo's (best chicken strips I ever had!):

Andy's breakfast.

THE BEACH:

Dad wanted to walk out to the water--at low tide. It took him awhile, but he did it, with the help of David, Andy, and Ben. In this picture he was tasting the water.

Coltman kept us company in the early morning hours!

Saying goodbye:

(Lynnli had hurt her hand I think. Everyone was kinda tired!)

Random pics:

On the drive home we overnight-ed in Ontario and got home Sunday afternoon. I can't say we've done much the last couple days (other than laundry) but relax and rest from our vacation! We had a fabulous time and are already planning the next one---which will be within single-digit driving distance!

Summer is in full-swing and not slowing down much. Amelia is taking summer ballet lessons, Cooper has scouts, and we have the usual movies, picnics, spray park, riding bikes and other activities. Fall will be here before we know it. (Hopefully--it's HOT!)