The Beach Boys

We spent the weekend camping at Beverly Beach campsite, just north of Newport.
Sure, bringing a curious 2-yr-old who doesn't listen to a word you say near a land full of dangers is a perfect idea.
All in all, this camping trip was 100% better than last year's trip. Only 1 throw up (Kyle), no diarrhea or croup. Only 1 injury: me versus a marshmallow roasting stick.
"Umm, is anyone going to let me walk on this camping trip?"

"Thar she blowwws." We saw the resident gray whales off the coast 3 times. They were quite close to shore and every time I saw the blast from the blow hole I excitedly shouted, "There. There. I see the whale. Did you see it?" After about 15 times, people got annoyed.

We spent Saturday exploring the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Kyle and Doug got to climb the stairs up to the actual light.

Saturday Nap Time. This is how we roll after a terrible night's sleep and a busy day exploring a lighthouse.

Not quite sure what to say about this photo, except to say that Kyle continues to be silly. I don't know what he's doing here, but it is odd, I can guarantee that.

Family photo at the tidepools. Kona is hiding - she didn't want to be seen with this side show.

Kyle and Ryan got some rock climbing in.

Ryan is perfectly suited for rock climbing: his strength to weight ratio is out of this world and he feels no pain.

"Mmmm. Camp cereal. Oatey with a hint of ... dirt and... spider."

"Seriously? I've protected you from what could be rabid squirrels and barked at every person who walked by our campsite and you STILL won't give me a mini-wheat? I wish you had never adopted me. I'm going to try and contact my birth parents as soon as we return home."

"Apparently this kid inherited the mini-Wheat stingy gene from his parents."

This was a big root and tree (and skunk cabbage) right next to our campsite that provided some much needed climb time for the boys.

Not sure Yuen Liu would ever have a photo subject wearing size 2T, stripey performance underwear and camping socks... but this is a sweet portrait.

More playing, more portraits.

Remember back to this photo, Uncle Matt?...

Yet another grumpy Gresham guy.

Three key ingredients for beach fun: the beach, brothers, and a lean to.

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention (by several concerned blog watchers) that this is a horrifying photo due to the potential of "sneaker waves" to crush my children as they sit under logs that would become child tortilla presses in the tsunami-like waves. I scoffed at these warnings until I YouTubed "sneaker wave" and the deal was sealed. Not only am I never going to allow my children to play on logs again... I am going to put them in life jackets for walks along the beach from this day forward. Move over typhoid, make room in the irrational and paranoid portion of my mom brain for sneaker waves.

This photo cracks me up so much that I zoomed in on Doug's face. Kyle and Ryan watch as Kona rolls in fetid, rotting kelp (why are dogs so weird) and Doug runs faster than he has since he was on the track team in high school to prevent her from smelling putrid for the whole ride home... while I take a photo of the whole thing and don't help at all.

Doug's nemesis: stinky kelp.