Ocean Vacation Time!

I'm never sure how to share about our vacation. I take a lot of photos! We have a lot of fun!

Last year I wrote about each special place or activity that we enjoy while at the beach. This year I'm not quite sure how to go about it.

I'm going to start with sharing some boogie boarding photos. As the kids have gotten older and become better swimmers they spend more time in the ocean.

This year almost everyone wanted to try boogie boarding. Sis and Tuba are still plenty happy to wade in the waves or dig in the sand. But the rest of the kids loved getting in the ocean and riding the waves.

We had bought Mr. P and George wetsuits for their birthdays this summer in preparation for the COLD ocean. Moses wanted one too so we rented one for the week. Cam owns a suit along with boots, gloves and head cover. That water is seriously cold!

Several times a day the kids and Cam would suit up in their wetsuits and head out to, "shred some waves". After about an hour they would head up to the house, strip their suits off, rinse off in the outdoor shower (yes, I'm sure the neighbors got tired of the Wright boys in their wet undies), and then have a warm shower. This makes for a fun day...and a lot of wet towels.

Be still my heart. These pics are so cute!! I love my guys! 

You could hear them all up and down the beach hooting and hollering as they caught the waves and rode them in. 

Sis danced and splashed and played while watching the boys. 

Tuba loves the music of the ocean and he really loves to watch his family boogie board. 

My happy place is on the beach. The dogs loved it too. 

We are planning lots of wetsuit accessories for Christmas gifts this year. It really helps you stay warm to have gloves and boots on. 

New Family Member

Introducing Freddie Rocket! We've actually had him 2.5 months but I'm WAYYYYY behind in blogging. 

First let me say....I don't know what Cam and I were thinking saying yes to a puppy. A PUPPY!!  There have been lots of ups and downs with him and our adjustment to A PUPPY. But, we all love him and he is doing well now. Mostly well. Mostly. 

He was a stray that was found by my dad and stepmom's neighbor kids. They brought him on a long journey across the USA in their camper to give him to my uncle. My uncle was wanting a new dog. Then turns out  A PUPPY was too much for the uncle. AND....so....my kids had met the adorable baby PUPPY and wanted him BADDDDDDDD!! And...like I said, Cam and I said yes. Uh-huh. 

The first 24 hrs. were so stressful that I had an acid attack from anxiety. I wish I were exaggerating. I had to start taking meds to calm my stomach acid. Picture this. Puppy running, barking, chasing, jumping all over my sweet Kali. Kali DID NOT like it one bit. Then puppy barking, chasing and trying to attack cat. Cat was (still is) totally freaked out!! Tuba was totally freaked out and would shriek loudly every time the puppy came bounding up to him. Then, puppy crying and howling in the night waking us all up. Oh!! I am too old to get up in the night any more. 

But, he was also sweet and the kids LOVED him.

In about a week things mellowed a bit. My acid calmed....either from the meds or things were actually calmer. 

Kali adjusted to him and started playing with him. 

He was the new baby in the house and everyone carried him all around. 

Fast forward to now and he is doing well. He is really smart and mostly obeys....except for the barking and chasing the poor cat (she now lives under a bed and only comes out at night while he is locked in his kennel). 

Our biggest challenge now is chewing. Ugh! Lock up your stuff...all of it! He is especially fond of Nerf bullets. Yum!

He is a great watch dog! He likes to sit in the front window on the window seat and watch the world go by...and wait for someone to bark at.

He is great for my exercise. He walks REALLY fast which means I do too! And he never gets tired. Whew! 

He and Kali are great buddies now. They lay together and play together.

The kids love, love, love him. And Cam loves him too. Which is awesome since Cam only "likes" Kali and he hates the cat. Well, the cat is evil. Really. 

Oh, and what breed is he you ask? The vets best guess is Cattle Dog and some kind of Terrier...and perhaps some Dalmatian.

More to come on the dog topic. We've had two dogs in cones and one of them in a cone for 8 weeks. Good times!

Tuba's 19th Birthday!

For Tuba's birthday we headed into the big city for some fun! We rode The Ducks! This is an amphibious bus....so we toured the city and then drove right into the lake and then toured the lake. It was SO MUCH FUN!!!!

The trip starts with the option of purchasing these REALLY LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS duck quackers. Ummm....I bought 5 of them. Seriously, what is wrong with me! I was sick of the noise before we got onto the ride. Uh-huh.

I think that Cam wanted to kill me. I wanted to kill me.

Once on the ride the driver dons various crazy hats, blasts fun music, and tells really bad hilarious jokes while giving touristy info.

We sang and danced and hollered....and quacked our hearts out. Tuba LOVED it!!

They took this cute photo of us...so of course I had to buy it. Tourist trap!! I LOVE it!

After our city tour we went out for burgers and fries....Tuba's favorite!

My BIGGEST baby is 19! How on earth did that happen. I don't feel like I've been a mama for that many years. Oh! It's going so fast. My heart!

Happy Birthday Sweet Tuba. You are my sunshine! 

George's Kid Party

This was the first year that George has had a "kid" party. He was REALLY excited! We planned it all out way back in June. Finally when the day came he was so excited!

We had an old fashioned backyard party. We set up the slip and slide, the sprinkler and let the kids go at it. The weather was HOT HOT HOT!! 

George picked this cake....from Pinterest. What was I thinking letting him look at Pinterest?! But, it was delicious! Layers of chocolate cake and confetti cake with ganache poured over the top and finished with sprinkles. 

Then the kids did a piñata. I felt kinda bad watching the kids whack this cute Minion!

And outdoor present opening. Did I mention the day was hot? Oh, swelteringly hot. 

It was a really fun party and George is looking forward to next year already!

Camping Part 2

It took me awhile to get part 2 of our camping trip posted. I had to get photos off of Cam's phone so I could post them. Turns out he took some good ones of the camp site and the trailer we rented. Look how cute it is?!

Sis especially loved her bunk. She sat in there listening to music.

Like I said....George got to celebrate his 7th birthday while camping. Fun!! We had cupcakes at Grandma and Grandpa's campsite.

Fun party in the outdoors. Notice the racing theme at G&G's campsite? They are big Nascar fans. 

The campground had Shuffleboard and everyone had a great time playing. We'd all like a big court in our backyard!

We got to have Grandpa's amazing grilled chicken. My dad is a serious MASTER of charcoal grilling! I was taking notes!

And we are looking forward to more camping next year!

Look how much fun we are having!! Barb, what is the thumbs down for? I cannot remember. And why am I showing my beer? We are a strange bunch. 

Camping Adventure

We rented a little camping trailer and set off on a camping adventure! Our van can tow a trailer....and renting the trailer was a great price! Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the outside of the trailer but it was a 17' trailer with a double bed, bunk beds, bathroom and kitchen. We LOVED it!!!

The three biggest boys slept in a tent while Cam and I and the littles slept inside the trailer. It was cozy and fun!! And...the bathroom got used A LOT! That was worth the price of the rental just so I didn't have to walk to the restrooms in the middle of the night....in the dark....with the boogeyman. 

My dad and stepmom were also camping with us. It was a fun time! 

Sis loved them trailer more than any of us! Her life long dream is to grow up, buy a truck, a camper and a horse. She spent hours sweeping the floor of the trailer so it would be neat and tidy! She loved laying in the bunk listening to music.

Everyone loved the toilet in the trailer....maybe a bit too much. It was a novelty for sure. Cam and I learned ALL about grey water and black water. And after learning that we would have to connect the drainage hose to empty the tanks we decided NO poopy in the trailer toilet...only pee. Sorry, TMI. 

On to the best part of camping....the food! We have had an extremely dry summer and a burn ban was in place so no campfire! That was such a bummer. But, we still ate lots of yummy food. My favorite summer breakfast was the perfect thing to bring camping....yogurt, fresh berries and sliced almonds. So delicious!

Eating outside was fun too! What's better than drinking hot tea/coffee in your pjs while hanging out in the woods?!

Morning doggy snuggles. 

The highlight for the boys was riding on Grandpa's tailgate. 

Happy Hour Camping Style. 

And more about food. Cheetos Baby! Grandma and Grandpa gave George some Cheetos for his birthday. He declared, "you may kiss the bride", and then hugged and kissed the bag. Ha! Now, that's love. 

Good thing I brought some too for everyone else to eat. 

Cheetos are perfect for the woods....where no orange fingers can make things yucky. 

The campground was at the beach which was fun. There were also putt putt golf, shuffleboard, and a big hot tub for entertainment. 

Everyone loved putt putt golf! 

Part 2 of Camping coming up tomorrow. George got to celebrate his birthday while camping!

A Few Of My Favorite....Camping Things

Wearing PJ pants all day...notice Tuba wearing his while golfing.

Walking through the campsites and looking at everyone's setup. I especially love campsites that have a vase of flowers on the picnic table. 

S'mores.

Flipping pancakes on my outdoor gas grill while Cam cooked kielbasa on the webber. 

Laying in my cozy bed in the morning while Cam put the kettle on...and then kids coming to snuggle with me. 

Sitting around and visiting.