In your Batman jammies!
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
The circus
Jonathan has been doing baby yoga a lot lately. Babies are so flexible!!
I bought this tent from a gal at church for $5. Awesome deal! Jonathan really seems to love it, as does Sissy!
Monday, August 28, 2017
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Vacation to Wallowa Lake
We have returned from an amazing week in Joseph, Oregon near Wallowa Lake. This was a much needed vacation for our family! Papa and Grammy took Zoe for us, so not having to worry about her was an added bonus.
The car ride was about 6 hours there. Emma was loaded up with technology and drawing supplies, and Jonathan is still at a good age where he was able to nap for at least half the drive! He had on this Road Trip shirt that says it all!
Emma took a little video while we were driving:
When we arrived in Joseph and saw all the cute little cabins, shops and tourist activities (lots of mini golf!), I felt like this was going to be a summer vacation to remember. Kind of like in the movies! As we unpacked in the cabin, Ed said "The neighbors have a funny looking dog!" Emma and I looked out the window and whoa, look at this guy!! We would come to see many more of them every day out on the grass.
Directly across the street there was a go kart and arcade place. We walked over there after dinner and you could play basketball, so it was Emma vs. the guys!
On Friday, we went into the small town of Joseph to explore the cute shops and have lunch. I was impressed to see the Ten Commandments - you sure don't see that everywhere you go! I loved the saying on the café wall - "The Mountains are calling and I must go." I would later see that around town a lot!
On Saturday, Al wanted to take us for a drive up into the mountains to see his cabin. What a view!!
On the way back into town, we stopped at the Little Bear Drive-In and had milkshakes. Obviously there were a lot of bears around!
Another big buck, right near the cabin!
On Sunday morning, we went to church with Al and Darlene. Then we stopped at the local park which we heard had an amazing children's playground. Jonathan was asleep in the car, so Emma and I got out to check it out. We would come back another day so Jonathan could play! The lake monster is the legend of Wally, of Wallowa Lake.
While Jonathan finished his nap at the cabin, Ed and Emma walked down to one of the mini golf places. When he woke up a short time later, we strolled on down to watch! Emma got a hole in one!
There was a candy shop at the golf center. Check out these sweet kids!!
Jonathan's first horsey ride!
Another visitor back at the cabin. Emma was getting brave!
We were right across the street from an arcade and go kart place, and we *finally* got over so Emma could drive. You had to be 9 and up to drive your own car. Emma presumed beforehand that she would ride with one of us - nope, she got to drive her own car! Wonder Woman! She was a bit nervous but after the race, she wanted to go back every. single. day!
Monday was Eclipse day!! We had planned this trip before we realized it would be during the eclipse, and so we went down to the lake to see what we could see! It was not 100% totality, but 98.3%. Not bad! We were among a dozen or so families along the lake, and probably the most notable part of it all was how chilly it got right at the exact moment of eclipse. Brr!! I didn't know to expect that.
We saw this guy flying around and then way up high on the tree!
Our spot by the lake.
There were these really cool crescent shaped shadows all over the ground instead of regular leaf shadows from the trees.
We took a timed family photo but rest assured Jonathan was never looking up at the eclipse. He was mostly on the blanket behind a tree!
We hadn't seen many fawns, in fact this may have been the first doe/fawn pair that visited us!
There was one big bedroom in the cabin. Both Emma and us had full size beds, and we had Jonathan's port-a-crib set up in there in the middle. When he would get fussy in the living room, she would whisk him away to her bed so he could be flipped around and see himself in the mirror! He loved it!
Tuesday morning we noticed that Jonathan had cut his two top teeth! He did pretty good considering how that must have felt. Then, we headed up the Wallowa Lake Tramway. It ascends 3,700 vertical feet to the top of Mt. Howard, elevation 8,150+!
We ate lunch at the Summit Grill. These little chipmunks are everywhere! Emma did not feed one, rather this was paper she was waving at him. We even saw one climbing up a man sitting in a wheelchair!
We brought the umbrella stroller since it was compact and easy to pack, and so we brought it up the tram. I didn't anticipate going on hiking trails, but wouldn't you know the rocky, bumpy trails put Jonathan right to sleep!
On the way down:
You can see the go kart track and our cabin down there on the left, and you can see much of Wallowa Lake!
Emma liked to practice her new toy - a Chinese yoyo - out front. Sometimes we would set up a blanket out there and watch the show!
As she did every day, Emma wanted to drive a go kart again. This time she got me to ride along, in Spiderman!
On Wednesday morning, we went over to Al and Darlene's house, and Jonathan got to stay and play with Darlene. They loved sitting on the porch watching the chipmunks, birds and butterflies!
The rest of us went out on Wallowa Lake on Al's boat. The air was smoky the whole week we were there from all the forest fires, so the view of the mountains was a bit obscured.
Emma took a video of Al and Daddy catching a fish!
Do you see the bird right in front of the nest?!
Emma got to sit at the helm and drive for awhile! She listened carefully to instructions, and she loved it!
Ah, a relaxing day on the lake!
Captain Emma driving!
On our way back to land, we saw two sets of does/fawns on the bank of the lake!
A quick picture at the end of the trip!
Naturally one more trip around the go kart track once we got back!
Emma took a picture of this bug on the outside of our cabin window screen!
Thursday we went for a drive up to Buckhorn Lookout. It was a bumpy trip, so naturally Jonathan fell asleep in the car! Again, it was pretty smoky so we couldn't see as far as you normally might. Another person there said it was about 1/3rd of the normal visibility.
On the way back through town, we stopped at the playground again so Jonathan could also enjoy it. They have this amazing double swing so a bigger person can swing with a smaller person. SO FUN!!!
Daddy tried it out in the other swing!
Wally strikes again!
Well look who I woke up to Friday morning...! I could see this getting old if you lived here and had to pick up after them and have them eat your trees, etc. But as a visitor, they are pretty cool!
On Friday, we had scheduled a trip on the Railriders from Joseph to Enterprise. It's a 12 mile round trip run on pedal powered railcars. YOU pedal the cars! We had time to spare in town before our ride, so we went to the local museum called Wallowagy. It contained a lot of history on the area and information about local animals. A bear paw is a little bigger than Jonathan's hand!
These baby birds caught a big fish!!
We got to the Railriders and loaded up. Our car was called "Get U"! After taking our picture, the guide mentioned that the adults should be balanced so Ed and Emma switched seats up front so one of us would be on both sides, and thus not pedaling more on one side vs. the other. The scenery was beautiful! The first 6 miles was easy breezy and mostly coasting. The return 6 miles, however, was a lot more difficult as there is a slight incline. Who would have thought that a 1.5% grade would be so challenging? Of course, our car was the only 4 seater so it was a bit heavier than the others. We also switched up our seats and put the kids in front and both of us in the back. Emma did pedal most of the time! They offer an assisted push on the return trip if you need, so about halfway back we pulled our car off the rails and waited for the guide to get behind us. That made a huge difference!
We were so hot and tired when we returned, that ice cream sounded perfect! First we needed to eat lunch so we had lunch and then ice cream cones. There was a Thunder Run motorcycle rally in Joseph that weekend, and we heard there would be a parade at 4, so we stuck around after our late lunch. It was actually a very quick parade, but fun nonetheless! We had heard about the Bronze Bike, and that was the first thing that went by on a trailer pulled by the fire dept. Joseph is known for bronze art.
The car ride was about 6 hours there. Emma was loaded up with technology and drawing supplies, and Jonathan is still at a good age where he was able to nap for at least half the drive! He had on this Road Trip shirt that says it all!
Emma took a little video while we were driving:
When we arrived in Joseph and saw all the cute little cabins, shops and tourist activities (lots of mini golf!), I felt like this was going to be a summer vacation to remember. Kind of like in the movies! As we unpacked in the cabin, Ed said "The neighbors have a funny looking dog!" Emma and I looked out the window and whoa, look at this guy!! We would come to see many more of them every day out on the grass.
Directly across the street there was a go kart and arcade place. We walked over there after dinner and you could play basketball, so it was Emma vs. the guys!
On Friday, we went into the small town of Joseph to explore the cute shops and have lunch. I was impressed to see the Ten Commandments - you sure don't see that everywhere you go! I loved the saying on the café wall - "The Mountains are calling and I must go." I would later see that around town a lot!
We had dinner in town with Al and Darlene, who live nearby. Al was Papa John's longtime best friend, and fishing and hunting buddy and they've known Ed's parents since the 70s! Then, back at the cabin we had a nice relaxing evening.
On Saturday, Al wanted to take us for a drive up into the mountains to see his cabin. What a view!!
On the way back into town, we stopped at the Little Bear Drive-In and had milkshakes. Obviously there were a lot of bears around!
Another big buck, right near the cabin!
On Sunday morning, we went to church with Al and Darlene. Then we stopped at the local park which we heard had an amazing children's playground. Jonathan was asleep in the car, so Emma and I got out to check it out. We would come back another day so Jonathan could play! The lake monster is the legend of Wally, of Wallowa Lake.
While Jonathan finished his nap at the cabin, Ed and Emma walked down to one of the mini golf places. When he woke up a short time later, we strolled on down to watch! Emma got a hole in one!
There was a candy shop at the golf center. Check out these sweet kids!!
Jonathan's first horsey ride!
Another visitor back at the cabin. Emma was getting brave!
We were right across the street from an arcade and go kart place, and we *finally* got over so Emma could drive. You had to be 9 and up to drive your own car. Emma presumed beforehand that she would ride with one of us - nope, she got to drive her own car! Wonder Woman! She was a bit nervous but after the race, she wanted to go back every. single. day!
Monday was Eclipse day!! We had planned this trip before we realized it would be during the eclipse, and so we went down to the lake to see what we could see! It was not 100% totality, but 98.3%. Not bad! We were among a dozen or so families along the lake, and probably the most notable part of it all was how chilly it got right at the exact moment of eclipse. Brr!! I didn't know to expect that.
We saw this guy flying around and then way up high on the tree!
Our spot by the lake.
There were these really cool crescent shaped shadows all over the ground instead of regular leaf shadows from the trees.
We took a timed family photo but rest assured Jonathan was never looking up at the eclipse. He was mostly on the blanket behind a tree!
We hadn't seen many fawns, in fact this may have been the first doe/fawn pair that visited us!
There was one big bedroom in the cabin. Both Emma and us had full size beds, and we had Jonathan's port-a-crib set up in there in the middle. When he would get fussy in the living room, she would whisk him away to her bed so he could be flipped around and see himself in the mirror! He loved it!
Tuesday morning we noticed that Jonathan had cut his two top teeth! He did pretty good considering how that must have felt. Then, we headed up the Wallowa Lake Tramway. It ascends 3,700 vertical feet to the top of Mt. Howard, elevation 8,150+!
We ate lunch at the Summit Grill. These little chipmunks are everywhere! Emma did not feed one, rather this was paper she was waving at him. We even saw one climbing up a man sitting in a wheelchair!
We brought the umbrella stroller since it was compact and easy to pack, and so we brought it up the tram. I didn't anticipate going on hiking trails, but wouldn't you know the rocky, bumpy trails put Jonathan right to sleep!
On the way down:
You can see the go kart track and our cabin down there on the left, and you can see much of Wallowa Lake!
Emma liked to practice her new toy - a Chinese yoyo - out front. Sometimes we would set up a blanket out there and watch the show!
As she did every day, Emma wanted to drive a go kart again. This time she got me to ride along, in Spiderman!
On Wednesday morning, we went over to Al and Darlene's house, and Jonathan got to stay and play with Darlene. They loved sitting on the porch watching the chipmunks, birds and butterflies!
The rest of us went out on Wallowa Lake on Al's boat. The air was smoky the whole week we were there from all the forest fires, so the view of the mountains was a bit obscured.
Emma took a video of Al and Daddy catching a fish!
Do you see the bird right in front of the nest?!
Emma got to sit at the helm and drive for awhile! She listened carefully to instructions, and she loved it!
Ah, a relaxing day on the lake!
Captain Emma driving!
On our way back to land, we saw two sets of does/fawns on the bank of the lake!
A quick picture at the end of the trip!
Naturally one more trip around the go kart track once we got back!
Emma took a picture of this bug on the outside of our cabin window screen!
Thursday we went for a drive up to Buckhorn Lookout. It was a bumpy trip, so naturally Jonathan fell asleep in the car! Again, it was pretty smoky so we couldn't see as far as you normally might. Another person there said it was about 1/3rd of the normal visibility.
On the way back through town, we stopped at the playground again so Jonathan could also enjoy it. They have this amazing double swing so a bigger person can swing with a smaller person. SO FUN!!!
Wally strikes again!
Well look who I woke up to Friday morning...! I could see this getting old if you lived here and had to pick up after them and have them eat your trees, etc. But as a visitor, they are pretty cool!
On Friday, we had scheduled a trip on the Railriders from Joseph to Enterprise. It's a 12 mile round trip run on pedal powered railcars. YOU pedal the cars! We had time to spare in town before our ride, so we went to the local museum called Wallowagy. It contained a lot of history on the area and information about local animals. A bear paw is a little bigger than Jonathan's hand!
These baby birds caught a big fish!!
We got to the Railriders and loaded up. Our car was called "Get U"! After taking our picture, the guide mentioned that the adults should be balanced so Ed and Emma switched seats up front so one of us would be on both sides, and thus not pedaling more on one side vs. the other. The scenery was beautiful! The first 6 miles was easy breezy and mostly coasting. The return 6 miles, however, was a lot more difficult as there is a slight incline. Who would have thought that a 1.5% grade would be so challenging? Of course, our car was the only 4 seater so it was a bit heavier than the others. We also switched up our seats and put the kids in front and both of us in the back. Emma did pedal most of the time! They offer an assisted push on the return trip if you need, so about halfway back we pulled our car off the rails and waited for the guide to get behind us. That made a huge difference!
We were so hot and tired when we returned, that ice cream sounded perfect! First we needed to eat lunch so we had lunch and then ice cream cones. There was a Thunder Run motorcycle rally in Joseph that weekend, and we heard there would be a parade at 4, so we stuck around after our late lunch. It was actually a very quick parade, but fun nonetheless! We had heard about the Bronze Bike, and that was the first thing that went by on a trailer pulled by the fire dept. Joseph is known for bronze art.
Before we left town there was one thing that I kept wanting to get a picture of. The giant rocking chair down the road!!
Saturday was our last morning there, so we got up and packed and then had breakfast on the way out of town with Al and Darlene. Darlene took this photo of us in front of the Red Rooster Café! The drive home went well, and we were home by dinner time. Phew! Now that's a road trip. It was a wonderful vacation for us and exactly what our family needed after the past year :)
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