Oregon Coast

We didn't set out to take a Goonies superfan tour, but that's kind of what this vacation turned in to.

We crossed the Oregon/Washington border via that awesome bridge behind us. 

You can see it in the movie during that one scene where the corporate guys come to the Goonie house to deliver the foreclosure papers. 

We explored Astoria a bit to stretch our legs, 

and oh since we're in the neighborhood, we should swing by the Goonie house, right? 

We pulled up to the neighborhood and there were signs all around saying you COULD NOT park here: not for 2 minutes, not for 30 seconds, not ever, and there was a sign saying access to the Goonie house was closed.

So we were kind of embarrassed gawkers, and kinda confused because we thought it was a pretty common tourist spot.

Cut to a day later, Jim saw a headline in the news: 

"Goonies House Shut Down After Owner Gets Sick of People Doing Truffle Shuffle on Lawn".

!!

This is mere days before we made the pilgrimage. Can you believe that luck?

I guess there is a new generations of gawkers that don't respect the house and don't have the same connection that our generation had to the sentimentality of the house, so they go there and be rude and sloppy and entitled. 

Sad. 

Moving on. 

Think of a family vacation where you can see something new, that doesn't involve hiking (because Andrew is at a terrible stage where he is too heavy to carry and too oblivious to danger for hiking), but involves the outdoors and the beauty of the PNW.

Oregon Coast. Nailed it. 

There is nothing more kid friendly than a sandy beach.

They had so much fun.

It's funny because even with all that this vacation had to offer, there were still times when the Mendoza was hovered (like: rowdy kids in restaurants, awake baby at 11pm in a hotel room, pouting/whining children for whatever reason)...yet all I can really remember is the fun and beauty and I loved it. It was the perfect thing to end a fantastic summer. 

That first day we watched the sun go down at this beach in Seaside, got totally wet playing in the surf, then went hunting for dinner. Many u turns later, we landed on a place called "Family Restaurant" with Pearl Jam playing in the background. 

side note: we also drove through Aberdeen, home town of Kurt Cobain. There's a big welcome sign that says:

"Aberdeen:

Come As You Are"

So, yeah this vacation was a walk down Jr High lane for the adults.

The next day, upon entering Ecola State Park, 

I paid the lady with a Fifty Dollar bill. Fifty dollar bill! Fifty dollar BILL!

I never have 50$s. There was no avoiding Goonies at this point.

I didn't realize it, but Ecola SP is where that whole scene is filmed when they are going to the restaurant.

This scene.

It is breath taking. You can't help but say "whoa!"

This is "the rock, the light house, and the restaurant. They all line up!"

Did you know they built the restaurant for the movie and tore it down when they finished filming?

We wandered down to the Cannon Beach shops. Such a cute area. 

Ate some pizza. Evan got lost for a minute. Avery pouted because she didn't get a beanie boo from the toy shop.

Ate some ice cream. 

While eating ice cream, some people got out of a car with their little dog, fit a contraption with two wheels on the back end of the dog (think: training wheels), and then we watched the dog run/roll down the sidewalk.

We all looked at each other and laughed and laughed.

Evan keeps reminding us about the dog with training wheels. 

Next we went to Hug Point.

We didn't really know what to expect here, but it turned out to be the perfect place to play. 

We had this amazing, beautiful sandy beach practically to ourselves. It's just incredible.

Then I got it in my head that we needed to go back to Cannon Beach and stand at the foot of that iconic huge sea stack. So we packed up and headed back to that beach after hours and hours playing at this beach.

Andrew and Avery took a little car nap on the way.

And we resumed sand play on Cannon.

See that thing beckoning? It was so close, but so far. Too far to walk with the kids. They were not interested in it at all. 

I stood and looked at it longingly until Jim said, "go walk to it". 

"just me?"

"yeah"

And I was like. "Um, yes!"

And I walked/ran to it. 

It was pretty awesome.

There are so many birds living on it.

But all I could really concentrate on was getting back to my family. 

This sandy hill side was fun to climb - run down - repeat.

When I was a kid I used to roll down sand mountain, so I did so, here in my 35 year old body.

About 6 rolls into it, I sat up and the world was spinning and I was dying - sick and dizzy.

What happens to the human body that it can't roll down a sandy hill anymore? 

Because, whoa. 

I can NOT roll down hills any. more.

It's always hard to pack up and leave the beach when you know it's your last time for a while.

We lingered and had a truly fabulous last couple of hours there in the sand.

Everyone was happy.

That is a family vacation gift.

And then we went and got a second round of ice cream.

Driving home, Avery had the camera and took lots of  pictures. It was a play by play of the whole 6 hours.

This is a good one.

As an aside, we are very rusty at this whole "road trip" thing. For some reason I threw my usual travel rules into the air, one of which is to cue up the check list on my phone to make sure I pack all the easily forgettables. 

So I forgot many important things like, oh, my garments. 

(Which means, yes, I have forgotten them while on a vacation before. That's why they are on my check list of items easily forgotten.)

Right Now

Everybody freeze while I blog about you.

*

I have what I call my "summer house". It's a perpetual mess. There's nothing I can do to stop it, so I've given it a name. 

*

At the corner of Birch-Lynden Drive and the freeway, we have our resident "homeless guy". 

His name is Kevin and he's an old Vet who sits with his walker and cardboard sign. 

"Hi I'm Kevin, etc etc"

One day he wasn't sitting out there, and Evan asks from the back seat, "where's Kevin today?"

*

Some new fantastic milestones that make my job easier - 

Evan buckles his own seatbelt!

and Avery takes her own shower! Start to finish, she does it all. I send her in, and 15 minutes later she comes down with wet hair and jammies on. It really does happen. 

*

At bed time when routine a, b, and c, and d and f are finished and the kids are finally making the slog to their actual rooms, Evan and Andrew jump into bed, lay on their bellies, and giggle. I stand in the doorway and smile at them for about thirty seconds, then it's off to the crib for Andrew.

Andrew becomes "angry baby" after I change his poopy diaper. He starts out as a perfectly happy child, la la la...

then I change the stink burrito...

wherein he morphs into a different animal, and cries and wants me to hold him and everything is wrong in the world. 

Meanwhile I am trying to dispose of the stink bomb and wash my hands and he follows me whining/screaming to be held. 

Soooo, THAT makes that already fun chore REALLY fun.

*

It seems like whenever me and the kids are out running errands or whatever, 

this song comes on the radio:

"a blade of grass, 

a grain of sand,

the moonlit sea,

to hold your hand,

I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, I want it all"

and then we have that song in our heads for hours afterwards - we bust out singing it any random time as we go about our day. 

It is our summer anthem. 

*

We usually have some kind of snack before bed time. 

Avery calls it "bed-frust".

I heard Evan from the bathroom, in frustration, say "good grief!...bad grief."

I hope in a few years I can hear in my mind how Andrew sounds when he says,

"hi mommy, hi'

or 

"here mommy, here"

It's just so cute. 

*

Ok lets get serious here. Kind of serious. Not too serious.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on this earth who blogs this much. It's sooo old fashioned and I'm stuck in the 2000s with this kind of technology stunt. I might as well be sending you emails via AOL. Your computer probably makes the dial up noise and you wait 10 minutes for things to connect.

 I don't know what that is supposed to mean, but my point is, I know it's not a "thing" anymore. 

And sometimes I get a little self conscious when I post day after day. So many pictures.

 Like: look at us! See what we did? Neat, huh?! 

But here's the thing. I like doing it and I love looking back at what we've done and how we've changed. 

I recently read some posts circa 2010, and I can't believe how much I've changed as a mom. I said something like, "I'm so thankful I get to be a mom." And now days I'm like, "I'm so thankful for bed time."

 It's amazing to see how our lives have evolved. If I hadn't blogged obnoxiously and studiously 5 years ago, all those memories would have disappeared like a fart in the wind. 

Does saying "fart" make you uncomfortable?

Blogging is a "creative" outlet for me. I don't use my super brain a ton now that I'm 8 years into being a stay at home mom, and this has been somewhat of a pencil sharpener for my soul. 

I'm not sure why I am writing this. I guess I'm just embracing my blog-hood.

Also, I'm not in search of praise or comments or whatever, so don't comment about this. If you do, I swear I will delete it. I will squirm first and then delete it.

And. I am still thankful to be a mom. 

Wring, Wring

There is a point late in the afternoon when we just need to get out of the house.

Either it's because the kids have been cooped up too long, watched too much tv and are starting to fight,

or 

they have been playing with neighbor friends all day and I feel like we just need to get out and reconnect,

or

I feel a sense of urgency to take advantage of these waning sunny summer days. 

This was a family bike ride,  before Jim's shoulder got broke...

One day we went to Whatcom Falls.

Last night we went to the C Shop for some ice cream etc...

Then some beach goers walked by with their dogs, and the kids climbed me like a tree to ensure their safety from the animals,

and the sun was shining in my eyes,

so I said, "ok I'm over this situation. Lets go somewhere else."

So we went to a park/forest and the kids just kind of entertained themselves with their own little games,

which is my favorite result of a family outing.

No sun. No dogs. No climbing me.

Evan found a big log thingy he dragged around and called a "pointer finger".

Avery walked around being the "Queen of Nature", finding tree thrones to sit on,

and Andrew threw Buzz in the dirt over and over, exclaiming something in a language I don't speak.