Coast to Coast

Our family has been across the country, from coast to coast since we've been married. From the beaches of the Gulf, Daytona, South Carolina to the Northern Oregon Coast...

3 Passes
Saturday, July 17
Early Saturday morning, we began our trek to the Oregon coast. The plan was to leave early enough to have a mid-morning snack at Wheat Montana…some of the finest pastries and cinnamon rolls as big as your head! Derrick asked Madison if she was going to share hers with him. She looked at the roll, looked and him and just smiled. She decided Breanne could share with Aliya.
We after 11 hours of driving and three mountain passes (Bozeman, Butte and Lookout) , we arrived in TriCities, WA. We tried to hunt for Washington cherries to no avail! We did succeed in a couple of dips in the pool at the Holiday Inn and driving around TriCities three times trying to find the right place to eat. (Note to the family…just don’t let mom decide.)

“So long..”

Sunday, July 18

The drive across Oregon alongside the Columbia River was very interesting to Derrick and me. We enjoyed seeing the agriculture, the bluffs, the wind surfers and amazing view of Mt Hood and Mt. St. Helen’s (volcanoes).

We drove through state parks and national forests through Oregon’s gorge and saw some cool waterfalls and tried to do a little hiking. (As much as the girls would allow…when all they can think about is swimming at the hotel.

While we were hiking, Madison says, “Is it 4 o’clock yet?” She knew that was check in time at the hotel. We explained that we didn’t need to be there at 4 o’clock exactly. She answered quickly, “Yea, we can get there at 5 o’clock then.”
The big girls couldn’t wait until we made it to the ocean. “Who’s going to see it first?” On the last 50 miles to the coast (that takes forever!) Madison says, “I just can’t wait to see the ocean again! It’s just been so long since we’ve been to the ocean.” Cue mom and dad. “Yea, it’s been like a year and a half….you know Madison mom and dad were 21 and 22 before we ever saw the ocean. And she’s so lucky to have seen the ocean 4 times already…” Man we’re starting to sound like our parents.
Dad beat us all to seeing the ocean first. Aliya was absolutely giddy running around on the beach and I’m sure Breanne was delighted to not fall in this time around. (She had told me that when we went to the beach she was going to wear her swimsuit because then if she fell in like last time, she wouldn’t be cold.)

Sandcastles and kites

Monday, July 19
Ahhh! A day to relax. As much as you can relax with three active kiddos. We’ve had a great day recreating with our girls and the Ottenbachers. Derrick made breakfast this morning (and he let me sleep in!) and then we headed out to the beach to build the sandcastles!

We soon coined Aliya, “The Destroyer.” She loved to cave in the moat and wreck the castles. Clearly it was time for mommy and Aliya to go sea creature hunting. We walked out and found some cool new tide washed treasures. Lots of broken sand dollars, crab shells, seashell fragments, a crab leg and even a jellyfish! Steer Aliya clear, she would most definitely poked her finger right in the middle of that poisonous thing.
After lunch, we joined up with our friends and went kite shopping. Madison explained, “I worked long and hard to find us a kite Breanne.” Derrick rolled his eyes, “Madison, I worked long and hard to make the money to buy the kite.” Derrick had fun watching the girls figure out how to fly the kite. We enjoyed lots of time playing in the sand and I even got to do my favorite thing of all…take a nap on the beach!

We even got a glimpse of blue sky for a brief time before heading back to the pool. They even got me in the pool this evening. That’s crazy on like 10 different levels…sixty-five degrees out and swimming. I’ll be in the hot tub!

Hot Chocolate, Macchiato
Tuesday, July 20
Today started out at 100% humidity and misting rain. Delighted to try something new, I got to run on the beach this morning and spied three jellyfish. We packed a lunch and headed down shore to Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park.

In the State Park, we got to experience the Oregon coast forests full of HUGE Sitka spruce trees. Compared to the lodge pole pine in the Beartooths, these trees are wider than our minds can even comprehend. The hike offered some great views of the ocean (after the clouds lifted a bit.) We enjoyed the hike and if we’re lucky, no one will break out with poison ivy.
After a quick lunch, we were disappointed to find only one starfish at the tide pools at Haystack Rock.

Also discouraged that the forecast predicted sunny and 70 and we didn’t break 60 degrees, we were freezing. We headed back into Cannon Beach and found a quaint coffee house and filled up on hot chocolate and macchiatos (so good they took me back to Ethiopia where I first fell in love with them..by the way, CoffeeMate doesn’t do them justice, Gail) Madison and Breanne thought they were the best hot chocolates ever too. Again, disappointed by the Farmer’s Market in Cannon Beach, I will be buying the same cherries at Safeway for $3 a pound, not $5 a pound. Oh well, we headed back to Seaside and enjoyed a game of pool and air hockey. Before bed, it’s a quick dip in the pool for Madison and Breanne and if mom and dad are lucky, a dip in the hot tub after kiddos are fast asleep.

Suicide March
Wednesday, July 21
Onward to Fort Stevens State Park to take in the sights. We saw the site of the Peter Iredale shipwreck, the mouth of the Columbia emptying into the Pacific, and the military batteries that protected the West coast from Japan during WWII.

On our way out of the park, we stopped for a family photo op and Eagle-eyes Jon spotted a whale about 100 yds out from shore. A pair of binoculars in hand, everyone got a chance to watch him swimming in the ocean.

After returning to the resort, we got the girls situated with the Ottenbacher family and Derrick and I headed out for a date! Not every girl would choose to go hiking on a date, but hiking without kids sounds dreamy to me. We drove about 20 miles out of Seaside toward the mountains (where the sun was shining). We hiked to the summit of Saddle Mountain (the highest point in the Coast Mountain Range). The hike was 5 miles round trip and gained almost 1700ft in elevation. Derrick coined it, “the suicide march.” It was tough but an amazing view from the top! From there we went into Cannon Beach for dinner and enjoyed some time walking around Seaside the rest of the evening.

Happy Birthday!

Thursday, July 22, 2010Two years ago today, Madison asked Jesus to be the boss of her life! We had to celebrate. So this evening (after a day of laying low and hanging out at the resort) we went to a Blast from the Past 50’s café for icecream and rootbeer. When we finished, Madison said, “You know what my tummy is telling me? My tummy says we should come back here again!” I think everyone was in agreement.

We walked down to the beach, saw a few rays of sunshine, then the wind came up. Breanne and I tucked Aliya in bed while Madison and dad headed out to the beach to fly the kite.
Ah, now kids are in bed and time for another dip in the hot tub!

Birthday, Birthday!

Friday, July 23
Birthdays all around! Today is Miss Christy’s birthday. We started our day with our own rendition of Pig ‘N Pancake (a popular restaurant along the Oregon coast) at the resort. After everyone was ready, we started off to Astoria to the Maritime Museum. We were delighted to bask in the warm sunshine there--best weather we’ve had. The kids loved playing on all the ships in the museum (they could’ve stayed for hours) and we also got to climb aboard a Lighthouse ship that was docked on the Columbia River.

We were amazed at the treachery the mouth of the Columbia posed on passing ships and barges, amazed at the saving work of the Coast Guard.
At lunch, we found a big playground park for the kids to run around on before and after a quick sandwich. We set our course to cross the 4.1-mile bridge that crosses the Columbia and head into Washington to Cape Disappointment to check out a lighthouse up close. When deciding which lighthouse we should walk/hike to, Breanne stopped sucking her thumb long enough to say, “We better do the short one or else I’m gonna whine.” We found the North Head Lighthouse on the Pacific.

Back to the resort to swim and have dinner. We were fortunate to have Toby and Karissa join us for the evening so Jon and Christy could go on a date.

We had fun playing Frisbee, playing in the sand and watching our first sunset on the beach. Beautiful!

Gone Fishin'

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Apparently a bad day fishing isn’t necessarily better than a good day at work. Jon and Derrick went fishing on the Columbia today for sturgeon with no luck! The kids, Christy and I had a relaxing day at the resort. Our last night on the beach was commemorated by a campfire and s’mores of which I was the Gestapo making sure no one got sand in the s’more supplies. What a terrific way to say goodbye to the beach! So long Oregon Coast.

Mud Puddle Pie

Breanne got a Mud Puddle Pie recipe kit for her birthday that she and Madison made for dessert tonight. Derrick and I were enjoying a great conversation over dinner (the big girls had gone over to play with a neighbor's granddaughter, Stella) when we looked over and saw first hand why they call it Mud Puddle Pie. Aliya was just playing in her bowl of mud pie just like a kid would in the backyard. The first words out of my mouth were, "Derrick, get the camera!" After the cute pictures, my next words were, "Okay, don't touch anything Aliya," as I carried her to the bathroom to hose her down.
Madison and Breanne finished their second week of swim lessons today. We celebrated by going to the pool this afternoon. Actually getting to jump in the pool with them, I was surprised to see how well they are both doing. I'm sure their skills will improve even more during vacation. Everyone knows that the best part of ANY vacation for a young child is swimming (as we learned on our last vacation.)

Attack of the mosquitos!

Breanne's 5th birthday was a splash! She woke up and opened her presents. She was thrilled to get open her very own camera. (Since then, she's very carefully documented every moment of our lives.) She got to open presents from her sisters and grandparents too before having her breakfast of choice: chocolate chip pancakes! Followed by her first Happy Birthday song of the day complete with candles to blow out.She got lots of birthday phone calls and we even squeezed in a 4th of July pedicure by mom. Her birthday party started at Big Splash waterpark. She had 4 friends who got to join her and they had lots of fun swimming for about an hour until the park got closed because a big windstorm blew in. We had prayed repeatedly that God wouldn't let the thunderstorm come (at least not until later Breanne prayed.) God answered that prayer and we just moved the party to our house. They played, had cake and did cannon balls into our backyard pool!

The mosquitos didn't show up until Melissa and her fiance arrived from Tucson. Saturday morning, our entire family participated in the Freedom 5K sponsored by our church. Derrick ran with Madison and she completed the race in 42 minutes. I walked with Breanne who finished in 59 minutes. We're proud of them for finishing! Go girls!

Right after the race, Melissa and Ben flew into town. We packed a picnic and went fishing at Riverfront park where the first swarm of mosquitos about drove us nuts! However, Madison and Ben were really catching quite a lot of sunfish, so it was worth the bite. Bites. We did some mini golfing and go-kart racing at Geyser Park, enjoyed some yummy pork ribs and homemade icecream and finished our day watching Toy Story 3 at the drive in.

Celebrate Freedom at Castle Rock Park was great. The girls had fun and the fireworks show was terrific! On Monday, we drove to Cooke City up the Beartooth Highway (which Ben called a rollercoaster you can drive on). Our plan was to hike to Rock Island Lake (6 miles roundtrip, relatively little incline) until the mosquitos were too thick we had to turn back. So, instead we drove back through the mountains and headed home. Oh well, the views were great!

3-miles and hour

I am so bummed out that I forgot my camera yesterday. We took a day trip to Tongue River Reservoir and even got to borrow a friend's boat. I turned out that it was just the 5 of us for the day, but we had a blast! The big girls were very helpful "flag girls," when mom or dad would fall in the water while skiing. The girls gave mom grief because she isn't as good as daddy skiing. And Aliya caught onto boat etiquette very quickly. She figured out where her spot was and when to stay sitting.

After lunch sometime, Madison said, "I'm gonna tube." And just like that, she wasn't scared or anything. We talked Breanne into tubbing with mom. We tried to do a little fishing and since I don't have a license, I was sitting on the back of the boat and Aliya was standing on the back platform, squatting down into the water when all of a sudden I started to slip and we both landed in the water. Aliya was a little shaken up, but it almost seemed to me after she settled down that she thought it was funny. I do love that about her personality. She is strong-willed but she's quick to get over a scratched up kneed and "brush it off," laugh about it and move on.

After we found some ice cream at the marina, Breanne decided that she would tube by herself. She did great! Then Madison decided that she would jump off the back of the boat and swim back in. After dinner, the two girls decided that they would double tube; Madi on the big tube and Breanne in the donut tube. It was so fun to watch them build their courage. It's officially began the season of 45-minute tube rides! When they were riding, Breanne gave the cue to slow down. She informed her dad that he was going a "little crazy, so..." To which Derrick replied, "Yea, we wouldn't want to break 3-miles an hour!"

Lakefront property

Funny thing, I was just wondering what I would blog about this week. Well, let me tell you... It's a bad feeling when you look out your window and wonder if you're on a houseboat.
We were relaxing and resting on a pleasant Father's Day Sunday. Derrick and I woke up about 4:15, a thunderstorm was brewing. As we watched the rain turn into hail, Derrick watching from the garage, I from the front porch, we heard sirens. We grab our sleeping girls and headed for cover. Derrick took along the laptop (back in the day, it was a radio). Online, we found out a tornado had been spotted in the Heights area. Later we found out that it hit a couple businesses about 3 miles from our house. After a prayer with the girls and explaination as to what the world a tornado is, Derrick headed upstairs to check things out. When he returned, his report was, "we got problems!" I think the pictures speak for themselves.
The window wells were all completely filled with water. The water washed down the street, into our front lawn and wrapped around the north side of our house.Can you say mudslide?Water was pouring in the window in the living room.First time I've seen hail in Billings.This is a picture of where the water crested in the creek in the backyard.After the dust settled, we bailed out the water from the girls' egress window well and started pulling up carpet. We feel so blessed as we look at these pictures tonight and realize how bad it really was! We had great friends that came to help us haul out sopping wet carpet pads, shopvac carpet, bring us fans, watch the girls and even brought us dinner so we could focus on clean up all day Monday! Praise the Lord, no one was hurt in the storm. The girls were a little shook up in the midst of everything on Sunday. They seem to have adjusted and even like their "new room" (the guest room). Madison told one of my friends today, "Yea, and we even got a TV in our new room (it's not even plugged in...)." God is so good! The backfill under the north window in our living room completely washed away....MUDDY!

Where's the snow?

What summer vacation? Since Madison's last day of school, it's been quite a rat race at our house. Now, this week, we hope to settle into a summer routine. First off, Madison's class celebrated their last day of school with a party. They sang songs, got a certificate and we got Mrs. Watson's famous punch and lots of sugary goodies!

After our last weekend of t-ball, it was time for summer to really begin. The girls and I began our week with a trip to Garrison, North Dakota to see our friends, the Giffey's from Tennessee (there visiting family.) We stopped off in the North Dakota Badlands at a rest area. Madison noticed the coal in the soil. I told her a little bit about how the coal is mined and pointed out the numerous mines and power plants in the area. She thought that was really cool. She's a sponge just waiting to soak up information. We enjoyed our time with the Giffey boys (they outnumber us now: Grady, Gavin, Gunnar and Gage.) The first thing Madison told Derrick was that Gage was so cute and she said he thought the DeWilde girls were his sisters.

The DeWilde ladies returned to Billings Thursday evening only to leave again Friday morning for our first weekend of camping. We were excited to explore a new area of Montana! We left early for the Lewis and Clark Caverns. On the guided tour, there were a lot of areas that were tight to say the least. Breanne was especially nervous on the first "butt-slide," but after that, she couldn't wait to be the first in the group to lead the way.

We headed down into gold mining country from there. Made a loop through several ghost towns that circle the Tobacco Root Mountains. We finally made our way to the campground (through lots of slip, sliding and mud!) in the heart of the mountains. We were the only people in the campground. All day we kept waiting to see the snow. For the past two years, our first expedition out has been with a little (or a lot) of snow. We didn't find any until we drove up further into the mountains. "Should you be concerned when all you see driving up past your campsite is snowmobiles?" Derrick wondered.

After parking the camper, Breanne breathed a sigh of relief, opened up the camper and pulled out her blankie, "She was so sad because she missed me so much on that LONG car ride." (Letting the thumbsucking begin!)

After "Linner" that evening, Breanne snuggled up next to Derrick at the campfire and said, "Ah, this is the best part of camping! Just sittin' by the fire." Time for s'mores, right? A half-hour into the roasting, Madison requests another oreo (she's a s'mOREO fan). Derrick asks, how many is that for you now? Madison shrugs her shoulders, "I don't know...."

Saturday morning, we headed out to explore the Tobacco Roots...mountains that is. I had packed 3 bandanas for the big girls and I. Until Aliya insisted that she sport the third one, not mom. Sure does make for a cute picture though!

I thought about entitling this entry, "Next year will be so easy!" I feel like I say this every year we go camping (in regards the girls). I have to admit while this year is different with Aliya camping (she's not crawling around in the dirt, sticking pine needles in her mouth) she is definitely trying in her own special way with the constant, "Mum...Mum...Mum...Mum....," skinning up her hands and knees, crying, whining, temper trantuming.... You get the point. Next year will be so much easier...

We enjoyed our time touring some ghost towns (Virginia City, Nevada City to name a few). And dad, just so you know, we read EVERY Historic Point sign along the road! Madison, Breanne and Aliya had their first run in with a buffalo at a museum. YIKES!

We loved the area mostly because in every direction you look, you're surrounded by a different mountain range. The first picture in the entry is the Tobacco Roots. Here you can see the Pioneer Mountains in the distance.

On Sunday, we clean up camp and headed for the Missouri Headwaters State Park. Madison and Breanne were educated. What three rivers make up the Missouri River? "The Madison, the Jefferson Rivers and the Gallatin." Speaking of Madison, here she is by HER river (and if you look close you can see Her mountain range in the background)!

We tried to learn more and see more and ended our time there with a picnic...and Aliya feeding Derrick chips!

Ah, summer is HERE!