Like A Fat Kid Loves Cake

Friday, September 7, 2012

Flashback Friday

Come September, my thoughts go to sweet little Mara...

Your auntie loves you, sweet angel.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Adams Family Reunion: Lava Butte

On one of the last days during the family reunion, everyone planned on rafting down the Deschutes river, but since we couldn't take little Daxton on that adventure we decided to take a drive up to Lava Butte with mom and dad. Lava Butte is a cinder cone located just north of Sunriver. The cone is capped with a crater that is about 60 feet deep with a trail that runs around the rim.

It erupted about 7,000 years ago and left behind a lava flow on the west side of the cone. It's amazing how it has totally changed the make of the land, allowing no vegetation to grow for several miles.

Once again we were very grateful for our trusty BOB stroller that can pretty much handle everything. Once we drove to the top, we all figured a nice stroll around the rim would be perfect. About two minutes onto the trail it became pretty apparent that it would be quite the slippery slope. The views were incredible though.

It was a beautiful morning with mom and dad.

Thanks again, for the fun outing!

Adams Family Reunion: River Walk

This reunion was much different for Dallas and I than those of the past. It was the first one with our own child. It was such a weird feeling to not be free to run off with each activity everyone was doing, or stop everything to take cute pictures of the grand kids. We were responsible parents now and not just the crazy, fun aunt and uncle. One afternoon, most of the others had gone out riding bikes, so we thought we would go on a little family walk along the Deschutes River. Sunriver is located right along the riverbed and our lodge was about a half mile up the road. As we were leaving the house little Ellis came running up wanting to join us. Who would ever want to say no to such an adorable little face!?

Ellis wearing my sunglasses. She loved making funny faces at Daxton and he sure loves her. He'd immediately smile in return.

We couldn't find a path that lead to the river at first, so we were very grateful for our off-roading stroller and paved our own way out to the riverbed. Of course Daxton slept through most of it...

It was so fun to watch little Ellie run through the forest, climb trees, and jump over logs. I'm sure Erik and Heather were glad we helped get out some of her energy. She was so exhausted after all the running that she caught a ride with little Dax on the walk home.

Adams Family Reunion: Paulina Creek Falls

Our last stop of the day was a short hike to see Paulina Creek Falls. The falls are 80 feet high and have a 90 degree drop. There wasn't too much water, but I love waterfalls so I thought it was gorgeous. Daxton had just woken up from his nap and was ready to see the sights so we put him in the baby carrier. We didn't stay too long; just long enough to see the sights, take a few pictures, and stretch our legs a bit. We were all pretty exhausted from the adventurous day we already had, so we headed back to the house for dinner and games.

LOVE that smile!

Adams Family Reunion: Obsidian Flow

The Newberry National Volcanic Monument was pretty amazing. We loved exploring Paulina Lake, so when Dad pulled off towards signs saying Big Obsidian Flow we were all interested in what we might find. The hike was pretty intense through sharp rocks and it didn't help that obsidian is black so it made everything that much hotter, but it was pretty incredible. It felt like we were hiking through a deserted wasteland or on another planet. The kids thought it was incredible running and jumping off the huge rocks. Daxton was napping in his car seat so Dallas opted to stay back to watch him. After about 70 stairs straight up the hill, I was wondering why my post pregnant body wasn't back with Daxton instead of being out in the blistering sun! It turned out to be quite the experience though and I kept telling myself that if Richard could hike with both his kids in tow, than I could manage with only my camera in hand. I was glad I went and even more glad when I got back to the car, but the kids loved it!

Emma and Ellis taking a break on the rocks.

Stuart was so funny.

I would turn around and he would be posing, just waiting for me to snap a shot. If I waited too long he would move to the next spot just waiting for me to take a picture. I think his new career should be modeling, what do you think?

These pictures don't really do the hike justice. It was pretty crazy to try and not twist my ankle among the rocks. Looking back it's like looking at a Where's Waldo book trying to find everyone in each picture.

Can you find Richard carrying Emma and Nora in each arm??

Adams Family Reunion: Paulina Lake

While at the Adams Family Reunion in Sunriver, OR we decided to explore the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This large caldera last erupted in 640 A.D. leaving behind two different lakes and a large obsidian rock flow. We spent the day checking out all the interesting things, starting with Paulina Lake.

There were several docks built off one of the beaches along Paulina Lake holding lots of different boats. We all thought it would be the perfect place to let the kids run around a bit before checking out the next location. It was fun to see everyone jump along the docks, skip rocks in the lake, and enjoy the beautiful weather. It was the perfect day to be out on the water.

We are loving our stroller! It seriously can go anywhere, including a sandy beach and swaying dock. Mom hates the picture below because she was so nervous about a sleeping Daxton slipping into the water, but the emergency breaks are amazing (and Dallas only stepped away for a quick second to snap a picture :)

We loved the colorful canoes lining the shore.

After piling several of us out onto the end of the dock we quickly realized, as water splashed above the surface, that it may not be able to hold all our weight! Daxton pretty much slept through the whole experience...

It took less than five minutes for the grandkids to realize how fun it was to jump on the docks and make waves along the lake. The below pictures are my favorite from the day. I have the best nieces and nephews!

Loving the perfect weather and gorgeous scenery!

Adams Family Reunion: Sunriver, OR

At the end of July we had our big Adams Family Reunion.

My immediate family has gotten so large that every two years we plan for a reunion so everyone can see each other. Of course there are always other reasons to get together throughout the years in between each visit, but at least we know that every couple years EVERYONE will be together under one roof for at least a week.

In the summer of 2007, our first official immediate Adams family reunion, we all met up in Lincoln City, Oregon. But we quickly concluded that while the ocean was gorgeous, it was freezing for all the kids to swim in. Our next reunion was the summer of 2010 in the vacation capitol of central Oregon, Sunriver. I wrote several different blog posts about our adventures here, here, here, here, and here. (If you click on the links it will take you back through those memories.) We fell in love with Sunriver. It was the perfect 'inbetween' location for those living in Washington and those living in Northern California. It was warm and located right along the Deschutes River with lots of activities (biking, tubing, rafting, hiking, swimming, etc.) Mom and dad decided that since it was such a hit, we should return this summer. It was so much fun and we couldn't have been more spoiled from mom and dad!

12 adults and 12 grandkids were able to stay at the Bittern Lodge with room to spare. There were several spacious rooms; including a game room and bathrooms adjoining each bedroom. A hot tub and grill on the deck along with a huge living area, kitchen, and dining room. It was perfect for our family!

Here are several pictures of everyone around the home throughout the week...

Arriving at the house...Daxton already has grandma and grandpa wrapped around his little finger!

Lots of cousin time!

It's always so fun to see how well all the grandkids play together. They loved looking for bugs and deer in the woods and all the girls LOVED playing dress ups. There were several princesses walking around our home.

Lots of different games and crafts were provided for the grandkids. Leisha came up with the idea of laminating closeups of the kids that they could draw silly additions to. It was such a fun idea and the kids had a blast with their expo pens. Mom and I made a memory game with several different funny pictures throughout the year that they could match. Aunt Heather brought wooden letters they kids could make collages and paint on to represent their names. It was quite the crafty kitchen.

One of the best surprises was little Olive joining us. I'm still shocked that Heather, after giving birth three weeks prior, joined us at the reunion with little Olive. She's one tough cookie! Much tougher than I was at three weeks post delivery.

Lots of opportunities to snuggle!

The hot tub was again a huge hit with all the grandkids. Being a new mom, I wasn't quite ready to put Daxton in a hot tub for too long, even though it wasn't a very 'hot' hot tub...more like a warm bath, so we opted for hanging out on the edge while dipping our toes in the water. He loved watching all the kids and loved feeling the water on his feet.

It wouldn't be a true family reunion without BUBBLES!

Always a hit with the kiddos!

Uncle Stuart lucked out with being the one in charge of blowing all the bubbles. He was pretty exhausted after an hour of straight bubble blowing.

Quite the little performers, Nora and Will got along great and turned into close little buddies throughout the week together.

Grandpa loved snuggling with little Olive and Daxton. They are only three months apart and yet it's crazy to see how much Daxton has grown within that time frame. I love all the different facial expressions they both made

There was lots of games, wrestling, singing, dancing, and snuggling that took place while we were in Sunriver. I loved watching everyone interact with Daxton. It'll be fun to see him at the next reunion running around with everyone.

I was super nervous about how Daxton would do in a loud house full of so many people he had never met. But it turned out great. We were able to keep up with his schedule, which helped a TON. As long as he ate and got his naps, he was perfectly content to sit back and watch all the kiddos play around him.

I love the picture below.

It melts my heart to see Dallas playing with Daxton.

What an incredible daddy.