The Getaway

Chris had another class in Portland last Friday so we did what we did the last time. We took the whole family and called it a vacation! I love when we can get these (almost) all expense paid trips, courtesy of you, the taxpayer. Gotta love the federal government. Don't worry, I paid my taxes this year too. First we went to the zoo with my mom and sisters. I can't believe how much the zoo has changed since the last time I was there. It took us all day to go through it. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. Here's a picture of Carson trying to feed his cousin, Jace. He loves to hold him and take care of him. He'll be a great dad someday.

Here's a picture of the elusive Messy Hair Jantzen. We saw her just after feeding time, when her mouth was still blue. The zoo keepers say that she is very cute, but she knows it and that creates a problem for the other zoo animals. She uses her blond hair and blue eyes to get away with all sorts of things. The zoo keepers are contemplating keeping her separate from the other animals until she is 18. Then they will turn her loose, hold their breath and hope for the best.Here is a picture of Messy Hair Jantzen's family. Some of them made their mouths blue, too. They are a little weird, but they always have fun together.

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Ape Caves on Mt. St. Helens with Jen and Brian and company. It was nice and cool in there, about 40 degrees. We hiked in about 3/4 mile to the end, then proceeded to take pictures in the total darkness. And I do mean TOTAL DARKNESS! This is black like you've never experienced before. You keep thinking that your eyes will adjust and be able to see something, but it's just too dark! We were a little nervous because the batteries on our head lamps started to die but we made it out.

This is where you have to crawl on your hands and knees to get to the very end. I stayed out of there, thank you very much. From left is Brenley, Cole, Keaton, Carson, Chris, Brian, Brenley and Blake. I'd like to tell you where Jennifer and Jantzen were, but like I said earlier it was pretty dark in there. I couldn't even tell who was in my viewfinder until after I took the picture.

This is right outside the caves.

On the way home we saw a U-Pick Blueberries sign. This is one of my favorite things about summer. I love all the fresh fruits, vegetables and especially berries. We normally buy about 6 flats of blueberries in the summer, then freeze them for use throughout the year. This year we ran out in March. It's been a long four months without blueberries! This is our work crew with their buckets ready for some serious picking. We probably ate almost as much as we picked.

This is me, one seriously happy berry lovin' mama! The only thing that made me happier was when we made blueberry cobbler that night in the dutch oven. Mmmm.

The kids organized a guitar hero tournament that night while we waited for the dessert. I think it was rigged. I played against Keaton and lost in a matter of about 5 seconds. They should have paired me up with someone more equal to my ability, like maybe a turkey.

Chris and Brian have way better skills than their wives. I think they secretly practice while they're at work or something.

We also spent a day at Seaside. On the way there, Chris and I were talking about how long it had been since we went to the beach. The statistics are pretty sad. I was pregnant with Jantzen the last time we were there, and she is now almost five! The first time she saw the ocean was when she was three and we went on a cruise to the Bahamas. So she saw the Atlantic before the Pacific. And my mom (hi mom!) had the honors of showing her the Pacific for the first time a few weeks ago when they were with her for "Mom's sanity week." Yes, we are terrible at going to the beach. But keep in mind that it is at least four hours away. So that redeems us a little bit, doesn't it?

Here's Carson flying a kite. He LOVED this, and did it for most of the time that we were there.

Keaton and Blake digging a hole. What is it with boys and digging? They could do this for hours. Maybe even days. I think they would dig to China if they could.

This is the elusive Jantzen, trying to run away again. We learned that she thrives in a coastal habitat, dining on saltwater taffy and ice cream.

We rented the car of the future. Not only does it take care of the problem with high gas prices, but also helps with the obesity epidemic. This was a bicycle for 11, and it was so much fun! We powered up a little hill, then cruised down screaming the whole way. We got a lot of stares, mostly because Chris was zig zagging the whole way down. They required that the driver have an actual driver's license, but I think maybe they should have done a psychological evaluation too! We went on more than one sidewalk, and I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. I'm in the market for a five seater. Let me know if you see any.