Highlights and then, The End.

So, even I am like "Ok, already! We get it, you went on vacation to the beach, it was great, grand, wonderful, you loved it."

In other words, I am going to share the highlights of the last few days and stop with the play-by-play.

Day 8: We went to the aquarium and Izzy's. Izzy's is a yummy little restaurant that over looks the ocean.

Day 9: We went shopping at the outlet mall and took a walk on the beach, all 16 0f us. A perfect way to end the last day at the beach.

Day 10: Packed it up and headed back to the zoo. We said goodbye to Amy, Jason, the kids and my parents. Then headed over to my aunt and uncles with Steve, Lisa, and the kids.

Day 11: We (lLandoni family and us) stayed at the Holiday Inn. Steve, Lisa, Me, and all of the kids headed down to the continental breakfast as Kent kept sleeping of course! We totally looked like Steve was the husband and Lisa and I the wives with our 6 kids! After breakfast was over I almost left Aubrey downstairs and took the elevator 3 floors up. Thank goodness that didn't happen. We went to the Nike employee store which was the most stressful, un-fun part of the whole vacation for me. But, never fail, it was all rectified when we ended our trip with Kung Fu Panda at the IMAX theatre! Colton didn't take his eyes of the screen from the moment it started till the very end. Then we drove home.

The End.


Colton LOVED getting the pressed pennies at the zoo and the aquarium.


Aubrey tried to walk out with about 10 lanyards around her neck as we were leaving the zoo gift shop.

Seventh Day

Sunday June 8, 2008

We started out our day going to a Captain Dans Pirate Pastry Shop. It was decorated pretty cute, but that is as far as it goes for me. The selection was small and the prices were high. And the names, questionable. I had a muffin top. Enough said.

After we finished up there, we headed down to the lake to rent some paddle boats. Once we got there, we scratched that idea and rented 2 pontoon boats instead. The lake, was of course gorgeous and the houses, amazing. It was a little cold, but the sun was out and that was good enough. I think the most memorable part of this little trip for me will be Aubrey and her life jacket. She freaked out. And that is an understatement. She cried, screamed, tried to rip it off, flung herself on the ground, cried, screamed......massive fit. Crazy enough, she finally decided to just get over it.

We went home, had a little lunch, and met Amy and Jason down at the bay. The boys were having a blast, and Sophie threw herself into the sand on more than one occasion. Amy brought a blow up shark and alligator and Colton and Spencer rode them in a puddle. It was pretty cute. After a awhile I started throwing them in the bay and Colton would run after them and save them. He totally could have been on Baywatch. Seriously, one of my favorites things to watch on our whole vacation. Aubrey of course had fun playing in the sand and putting her feet in the water. And her most favorite past time, eating chips and chugging soda.

We were all relaxing, having fun, my parents showed up, more relaxing....and then we went from 4 to 8. Steve and Lisa show up and are number of kids automatically double! Which can only mean double the fun? Yep, it's all fun and games til someone loses the floaty shark(Easton)! But thanks to Cranpa, the Shark made it back to us, we will forever be in debt to him for wading in up to his calves clear across the bay for our $14 shark!

One of my favorite parts about this day at the bay, was watching Colton play all by himself. He had Graycie's bouncy ball and he would throw it as far as he could, run after it, and throw it again. He did this forever. I don't know what it was about it, but I so loved just watching him enjoy something so simple.


The Short Boat(you know, like the short bus!)


The oh-so fun and enjoyable fit.


Once she got over it. I think they look so cute together.


We should all aspire to look that cool just sitting there.


Uh, does anybody else notice what's wrong with this picture?


Do you notice all of the crap we bring with us? That is just a little bit compared to what was actually there. We could have stayed a week.


There is something about them playing together that always makes me smile...

THE BIG RESCUE

Who needs commercials when you have a son like mine!

Colton: "Mom, you should get an aqua ball(actual product name unknown). It helps you not give your plants too much water. And it lasts up to 2 weeks. I think even kids could do it."
*after doing a little research, I found the aqua 'globe' he was talking about!

I was dying! I called Amy and we both cracked up. So same day, after soccer practice...

Colton: "Mom, can we buy some Pancake Pops?"

Me: "What are Pancake Pops?"

Colton: " If you like pancakes, you will love Pancake Pops. That's what the commercial says. So can we get some?"

I think he was talking about Pancake Puffs!

Sixth Day

Saturday June 7, 2008

All of the boys plus Lisa, got up this fine Saturday morning and went fishing. Amy, Sophie, my mom, me, and Aubrey all went a little later. Too bad a little later meant we missed out on all 18 of the fish they caught. Colton caught 3 fish. Apparently, at first he refused to let Kent help him so my dad had to get him started.

So, on our way back to the house Kent and I drove along Devils Lake. Crazy Beautiful. It was so gorgeous. And lots of properties for sale. And I want one.

Later that afternoon, we took the kids to a park my parents had found earlier in the week. It was an awesome park. It was right on the Lake, gorgeous setting, fun toys, and great weather.

One more stop for the day, a nice flat beach with waves that were begging us to get wet!


The Park


These swings were Aubrey's favorite part of the whole park, they were made out of tires.


Uh, How freakin cute is my son?!


Colton's favorite part was the zip line.


I love this picture because if you look at his hands, he isn't even hanging on anymore!


Seriously, who knows what she is talking about!


The water was so freakin cold!


But, we has SO much fun! Definitely one of the highlights for me...

Fifth Day

Friday June 6, 2008

It rained all day again. But that did not slow us girls down, we all went to do a little shopping. We found some awesome stores, with some awesome stuff, and not so awesome price tags! Holy cow, some of the stuff was expensive. I think the most expensive thing I ended up buying was a $20 hoodie that says Oregon down the side. It was so cold! And of course, I did not leave the house prepared. We ended up in Depoe Bay again, and while we were walking down the sidewalk, we saw some people get soaked by the spray of a huge wave. Right as we were all saying, "Oh Man!" We watched the water bounce in the middle of the street and soak us as well. Did we cry? Did we run inside? Uh, No Freakin Way! We called our husbands and told them to bring the kids down in their rain gear! We are such tourists!

While all the girls had been shopping the guys had taken the kids to an arcade. This is the very spot where Colton found his most treasured possession of the entire trip. Fake Teeth. Ugly fake teeth that he wore all the time. Spencer kept telling him , "I don't like for you to talk to me when you are like that". You see, Colton thinks Easton is the Bee's Knees, and Easton had bought a joke box earlier in the week that had fake teeth in it. I am so glad that since we have been home, the teeth have lost their luster.

When we got back to the house my dad, Lisa, and myself took all the kids for a walk on the beach. We found a cool little stream back up away from the ocean. When I say stream, I mean like it just always looked like someone hadn't turned their hose off! But the kids liked it, and we all know that's what counts.

It was another great day.


Said teeth...Just think he wore them for at least 3 or 4 days straight

Uh? Are You Kidding Me?

This is why Kent should never have the camera....


No, I am not trying to eat her face.


"Hey what's that smell.....Mom do you have any snacks?..."


Uh, Gag me. Seriously, get a room....Do you see how traumatized the kids are??


Hey, people we don't know! How are you?!


Wow, look at that! More people we don't know!


We rode the train at the zoo, this man talked to us when we stopped at the park....Yeah, I don't get it either...


There was clearly some kid that had pooped on the train, so we all of course start smelling our kids. Once we all came up clean, Kent zoomed in on this kid, about 3 or 4 rows in front of us, and declared him the guilty one.

So that brings us up to 4 pictures of people we don't know. Maybe next time I'll post about why Kent should never be left to use the video camera.

Today the kids and I threw rocks in the river, played on some swings, jumped on a trampoline, played air hockey, and watched a movie. We did this all in one place just 2 minutes away from home. Thanks Heather, for letting us come to your house!


Throwing rocks in the river, the sky looks so pretty.


On her way down to the water.


Aubrey LOVES to go swinging!


Colton thought he was pretty cool on the rings.

Fourth Day

Thursday June 5, 2008

Raining. Windy. Cold. But who even cares! Hello! We were at the beach! So we all put on some rain gear and headed to Depoe Bay. We were all at the tiny, yummy candy store on the corner, some of us were outside, so my dad offered Steve an umbrella. Steve put it up and it imediately blew inside out! It might not sound that funny, but watching it happen and seeing Steve standing there, with that stupid umbrella had me cracking up. A few minutes after that, Kent calls me over and tells me to smell this little restaurant. Holy cow! It smelled so good. It was called "Avast, a Pirates Bite". It had the yummiest brownies and grilled cheese that was to die for. We didn't stay in Depoe Bay long because it was so freakin cold. Kent and I headed to the outlet mall to find the kids some warmer clothes.

If I remember right, we all just hung out at the house the rest of the day....I should have blogged about our vacation as it happened. My memory is horrible. Either way, it was a good day. Good food, family, and some shopping. What more could a girl ask for.

Third Day

Wednesday June 4, 2008

Once we got up and showered, we set off to the beach. We planned on taking our time and stopping at the local fruit stands in search for berries. The first place we stopped at had awesome outdoor decorations, old windows, old doors, some really cool stuff, but we had no room in our car. So sad! And their stawberries were Dole. So we set out for the next stand, which was another strike out. Finally our third stop we found some strawberries and Kent got some strawberry rhubarb jam. The next place we stopped at had a huge sign for milkshakes, smoothies, and shortcake. We thought a smoothie sounded so good, and after we saw how good their berries looked we were sold. Huge mistake. They blended stawberries and ice and called it good. It was a total let down. Colton's ice cream cone however, was super good. Our next stop was in McMinnville at the air plane museum. We were driving around the parking lot when Colton says "There's Spencer" I told him Spencer wasn't there, and Kent was like, "Ah, yeah they are right there." I couldn't believe it! They has just parked their car! Amy left from Pasco, we left from Beaverton, we hadn't talked to eachother at all, and we showed up at the same place at the same time. So we walked around and took pictures of the boys and about half an hour later, I realize Amy and I are wearing the same shirt. Crazy.

We all finally made it to the beach, thank goodness my kids aren't light weights, we had no puking like the other families. We unpacked a little and all headed down to the bay. It was one of the nicest days we had all week. The kids ran around in the water, Colton stripped down to his t-shirt and his boxer briefs! His fleece pants would not stay rolled up. We got the kids changed after awhile and headed down the beach to where my dad and Jason were crabbing. A little Burger King later, and we had some tired, full, still running around like crazy kids. It was a great day.


They ran from plane to plane, and if they paused a minute Aubrey could almost catch up.


My beautiful daughter....don't mind her hair, it was a long day....


Following suit with her brother, if Colton does it Aubrey is sure to follow!


This is me being an amazing subject, I can't get over how natural I look...

Happy Fathers Day Kent

Kent is an amazing dad. I am so grateful we are such a team. He often reminds me just through his example, to be patient and follow through, I am so thankful for that.

I decided I would ask Colton some questions about his Dad, here are the results!

What is dad's name? Kent

What is dad's favorite color? Green

What is dad's favorite sport? Basketball

Who is his favorite team? Arizona

How old is dad? 15

What does dad call you? Shmotey

What is dad's favorite food? Peppers

What do you like to do with dad? Play Lego Star Wars

What kind of car does dad drive? a white car

Where does dad work? He works at the office

What is his favorite thing to do? To play his "M's"

What do you love about your dad? Cause he makes money so I can get toys

How do you know dad loves you? Cause he gets money so I can get toys for my birthday

Happy Father's Day Kent, we love you very much!

My Dad

I have been sitting here for forever trying to figure out where to even start. I love my dad so much, he is seriously all I could have ever asked for. I think because so many random thoughts pop into my head when I think about this post I am just going to make a list....

*I will forever remember, whenever I was in trouble growing up, he would always come and talk to me in my room afterwards. He would tell me the story of when I was born, and how he held me first. I always knew he loved me beyond measure.

*I remember him rocking me to sleep until I was about 6 years old

*I always think he has all the answers, I can't imagine making a major decision without asking his opinion first

*I have definitely inherited his "worry" gene. When I was in High School, and I would ask him if I could go to a friends house, he would ALWAYS say "Uh, no your already home, just stay here." It would drive me insane! But now I know exactly what he meant. When your family is all there, and you know they are safe, you just breathe better.

*Till this day, If I am driving home and Kent isn't there, I have to call him when I get home. I have always known if my car broke down my dad would come looking for me before too long.

*He has provided me with security my whole, entire life.

*One time I went with him to get some new work boots, I think it was in Hermiston, and he bought me a beanie bear, I still have it....I love the memories of just him and I.

*I drove with him to take my brother back to Central one day, on the way home he told me "I think you just talk to hear your own voice" I asked him every question under the sun that day.

*He is the kind of dad that would go hungry because I wanted more.

*He went to bed alot earlier than the rest of us usually did, He would always get up and re-check the locks on all of the doors, you could always hear him coming because his ankles would crack, mine do that too. Unfortunately, when I am getting up in the middle of the night it is isn't to check the doors, it's to get in the fridge.

Truly, this list could go on and on. I am so blessed to have my dad. I don't know what I would do without him. I love him. I know I said that already, but I am just so grateful to have him as my dad. He has taught me selflessness, and how to always put my children first.

Second Day

Tuesday June 3, 2008

We spent the good chunk of our day at the Zoo. I paid $5.99 for a stupid pair of socks as soon as we got there because I forgot to take some out of my suitcase. When we first got there Aubrey made me carry her and she covered her eyes with her hands. She finally warmed up when she got to see the sea lions swim. The first part of our visit sucked because there were a ton of classes there on field trips. I totally could have punched out a couple grade schoolers that day. It was insane. The polar bears were pretty fun to watch, they were actually playing with some toys and jumped in the water. The Zoo made you pay extra to see the dinosaur exhibit. It was pretty cool, T-Rex scared Colton enough he wouldn't take his picture in front of it with me! We were held up at the hippos because Aubrey would not leave. The hippos just sat there, and she just stared. We would start to leave, and she would run back. And they continued to just sit there looking dumb and boring and massive. I ended up carrying her away against her will. So, a million animals later we are all hungry and tired, I just wanted to leave but Colton insisted on seeing the tigers. He had begged us all day, and so sad, we finally get there and they are asleep in the very back of their "habitat". We looked at them for about 10 seconds and moved on.

As much fun as we had at the zoo, nothing compared(for me anyway) to the yummiest lunch I had. The Cheesecake Factory has changed my life. I think I might move just to be close to one. Seriously. Heaven on Earth. Colton was so warn out from the zoo he slept in the booth the whole time. Unfortunately Aubrey was awake and with us. And naughty. Big Surprise. After we finished up there, my wonderful Aunt and Uncle let us come crash there house. Colton played the Wii (one of the highlights of his whole vacation) and Aubrey got to run around and play the piano. We were supposed to go to Chuck E Cheese with Steve and Lisa, but Lisa "forgot" to call us, so we just hung out there and put the kids to bed. We had a great time, and were happy to be in a house, even after one night at a hotel.


Aubrey in the wagon we rented, don't be fooled it was a big waste of money. She sat in it for maybe 5 minutes total


The gigantic T-Rex. It roared so crazy loud.


Colton standing by a dinosaur that just stood there and didn't make a sound. Their eyes blinked though, sometimes it was kinda creepy.


The cutie polar bear that kept playing, it was so fun to watch.


The huge, massive, lazy hippos


On our way out we got to watch the sea lions get fed, it was pretty cool. It was outta control how big they looked when they got all of the way out of the water.

First Day

Monday June 2, 2008

We made it all the way to Portland without having to stop so Colton could go to the bathroom. Too bad I had to go twice and Kent had to go once. When we first got there we checked in to our hotel. Colton thought it was the coolest thing. We ate at Olive Garden, Colton kept calling it "All of A Garden". After that we went to Washington Square Mall. Lucky for us they had a Disney Store, so our kids left with more toys and our wallets left a little lighter. We stopped in the Lucky Brand store, they had a 6-12 month hoodie for $88! Seriously! Aubrey was getting tired, so about every ten steps she would throw her new puppy on the floor and hold her arms out like she couldn't reach it. If puppy wouldn't have just cost us $12 bucks, puppy would have found a new home right there on the mall floor in front of Gap Kids. After that we went to Fred Myer and picked up some snacks and headed back to the hotel, Colton loved going in and out of the hotel room so he could use the card key. The best part of that day was when Colton took a bite of his yogo roll-up, and said "This is the perfect cherry flavor".

And We're Off.....

We are on our way to the beach

PEACE SUCKA'S!!!!