It all began with a birthday...
Remember that baby girl I brought home from the hospital three years ago? Well, she loves the Ocean more than just about anything, so we decided to wrangle up the relatives and head to the Oregon Coast.
Along the way, we stopped at the Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery
Here, John is doing the official pose from the poster for Bailey
Bonneville Dam is not just a lovely place to stretch your legs and gawk at fish, it is also home to Herman the Sturgeon...who may or may not be 'the' largest Stergeon alive (who can prove that anyway?) Either way, Grandma G was suitably impressed.
...as were Audrey and I
The whole gang had a picnic by the river while we let the kids get out some energy before strapping them back into their car seats for the rest of the day.
This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. I love how flippy Audrey's skirt is and how Bailey is trying to keep up with big sis. This photo pretty well sums up our life right now.
Classic. All pictures taken of me at this age were of me squatting on the ground. I don't know...maybe it's genetic?
Little A gazing out at the Gorge. I love how she's up on her tippy toes.
So, about twenty fresh produce stands that Joe refused to stop at, fifty 'I smell a farmer''s and several hours later, we made it to our vacation house. It was about two blocks from the ocean and aside from the plethora of stairs that could be referred to as a death-trap for toddlers, was absolutely wonderful.
Our first order of business after checking out our new digs was to hoof it to the beach. Bailey was not a big fan of having to walk in the sand. It ain't easy when your legs are that little!
Audrey, of course, was super excited. The number one uttered phrase from her was: "The ocean's going to get me!!!"
Marine Biologist Emma also immediately stepped in to identify the first of our oceanic creatures. A crab. You got off easy, dude...but thanks for holding it, because no one else wanted to.
Ok, now, let's not all get distracted by the Gorge and the house and the ocean and that dead cat floating in the ocean in the last picture. (seriously, what else did you think John was pointing at?) This post is about someone's Birthday...and we're about to mess up some delicious Kelley's (half-price!!!) cake.
It rocked the house. I wish I could eat that stuff for breakfast.
After CAKE! we opened Audrey's birthday presents. She got two new kites some sweet beach toys, an awesome handmade sweater and a package of about eight hundred and seventy six things that Uncle Joe knows Audrey loves and her Mother hates finding flung around the house: lip gloss, crowns, scepters, bracelets, rings, flashing microphones, earrings, and these lovely sashes. I love that B is rocking a robotics shirt and diaper under that diva sash.
Because it was her birthday and being a three year-old means you're pretty much a big girl, we let Audrey stay up late with us in her Grandma G pajamas. She wanted to take those bubbles to bed with her; she kept telling me they were 'comfortable'. Ah, logic!
Can you see the excited gleam in her eyes? The sugar-induced mania? The sheen from freshly applied lip gloss? I'd say it was a great birthday. And that's only the beginning! Mwahahaha! There's another post for our trip that almost entirely consists of pictures headed your way! In the mean time, remember to hydrate and fortify yourselves with high-protein foods. You're going to need the energy!
*insert evil cackling here*
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