These pics don't do it justice, but the day was gorgeous...a balmy 40 degrees with wicked wind that subsided once you got down behind the dunes. Obviously, the tide was IN and the winter winds had been at work to create a much smaller "beach" than usual. The kids loved running from the waves and even got home with relatively dry shoes (but yes, I was smart enough to bring "beach shoes, " just in case). The little girls were crazy enough to put their hands in the wet sand and throw it for awhile...until the hypothermia set in. That was fun. Don't you just hate it when your mom says, "The sand is too cold; leave it alone or your hands will be freezing!" and then she's right?!

Good times! I have other fun pics, but they're oriented horizontally and I can't get them to go vertical for me. Too bad for you; you'll miss the one of M standing alone on this huge tree stump as the waves lap around the bottom. Do you think that was P's idea, or mine?! Hey, what counts is we made it home with lots of "treasures," which are still sitting in our van along with the beach shoes. Maybe we'll just leave them there til next time?!

Oregon Cousins

We took advantage of the 3 day weekend and went to visit my brother and his family (http://brionicman.blogspot.com/). Here are the girls with their cousin, E, who is also crazy about "Island Princess Barbie." My girls were estatic to find out that E had it on DVD, as they hadn't seen it yet. They were also enthralled by their Wii, as that was a new thrill as well, especially once M figured out which tennis player she was!

Highlights for me included seeing our other brother who lives in town, Matt, and meeting his girlfriend, Holly (how come I didn't take a pic?!? I hate it when I do that!) and riding in B's sweet GTI. That thing accelerates a lot faster than my minivan. I also enjoyed attending church there. I know fewer and fewer people each time we visit, but it's always fun to see the "old" folks. I'm old enough now that there are kids on missions and getting married that I remember as babies. YIKES. I got to visit a lot with my SIL and we also spent a little while with my BF from high school and her kiddos. And, I never tire of visiting the beach. I'll post separate pics on that, though.

It was great to see everybody...thanks for letting us invite ourselves, B&L!

Ferries vs Fairies

We had a great weekend visiting my brother and his family on the Oregon Coast. Pics to come, but I wanted to share this gem...

We were driving down a very steep hill and were facing the water. E said, "Daddy! Look out! You're going to run right into the ferries!"

I said, "They don't have any ferries here, just bridges."

With panic in her voice, she answered, "No ferries?!? Do they have tooth fairies?!"

Almost, but Not Quite

I was reprimanding the girls for eating bowls of dry cereal in the living room (hmmm, Mom's gone for 2 hrs and look what happens?!) b/c it was ALL over the house. I was particularly annoyed at a large pile next to M. I said, "From now on, all dry cereal must be eaten at table!" (Personally, I thought we pretty much had a rule that all food was at the table. Apparently, I was mistaken.)

Anyhow, M replied, "It's not my fault Dad stepped on the bowl and spilled it all."

I said, "If you had BEEN at the TABLE, he couldn't have STEPPED on it!"

To which she replied, "Crochet."

"Crochet?!"

"Yeah, Mom, crochet!"

"Do you mean, 'Touche?!'"

"Oh, yeah. That's what I meant. Touche."

How do you stay mad at a kid like that?!? It's just not fair.

Who to Vote For?

I just took this quiz on a friends' blog and thought I'd share it with you, too. I've always thought I was a Demo-can or a Republi-cat and this confirms it! If it's an unbiased test, I think the results are pretty interesting. See what you think...
http://www.gotoquiz.com/candidates/2008-quiz.html

Busted!

Tonight after baths, I was trimming a very squirmy 4 yr old's toenails and her daddy said, "Be still! Don't you know that's a professional mommy you've got there, taking care of you?!" to which she replied, (and you have to read this to yourself w/o "saying" any 'r's)

"Well, she's not a very good one 'cause she didn't even get up and make me breakfast this morning!"

OOPS! In my defense, this same angel has been getting me up about 3 times a night the past few nights and, when the girls came in my room this morning, the 8 yr old said, "OOO, Mommy, how about I make cereal for me and E?!?" And, she was so excited, and I was so tired, that I agreed quite readily.

I better be careful. I might get my professional credentials revoked! And, believe me, we'd have to pay another professional a LOT more than I make to run this joint! ;)

*sigh* I love my job.

It's Not Easy Being Green

At last night's PTA mtg, an update was given about the school's ongoing fundraiser to recycle shopping bags. Apparently, for every 60 gallon container they fill up, Wal-Mart gives the school $5. The schools in the area compete, with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place of $3000, $2000, and $1000.

I was feeling a little uncomfortable with this program but was telling myself, "OK, so it is a good thing to encourage kids to bring in bags and recycle them, right? Better to do that than to have those bags wind up in the trash, yes?" Then the principal said,

"You know how to get more bags, don't you? Every time I go to Fred Meyer, I go through the self-check lane and put one item in a bag."

I (inwardly) gasped while everyone else smiled, and the room filled with "Why didn't I think of that? What a great idea!"

Now, maybe they're a bunch of teacher's pets, but I was - and am - horrified! Um, isn't the idea to REDUCE, reuse, and recycle? Wouldn't we be better off teaching our children to reuse the plastic bags they have, or better yet, use cloth bags for shopping? (*unsolicited plug: I LOVE my reusable grocery bags. I can get a week's worth of groceries in just 5 bags, instead of 15 plastic! It took a little while to get in the habit of bringing them with me and into the store, but I've got it now and it's great! And, only one or two trips from the car to the door. Plus, I get $.05 back for each bag every time I use them at every store I shop at so far! Bonus!*)

So, that's my rant for the evening. I am going to express my concern to the PTA, the principal, and maybe even to Wal-Mart in a very tactful and diplomatic...maybe even charming... way, but I'm still working my approach. Any ideas? I'll entertain all submissions...