Memorial Day Weekend

As you may have caught in that last post, we had Ken's parents visiting for the weekend and it was such a great time!!  They were so sweet to get on their hands & knees and play with the kids, chase them around the house, and be open to whatever fit for the day.  Even though we did do a lot, it felt so rejuvinating & relaxing, too.  We hit the wildlife safari, watched The King's Speech after the kids went down, had meals together at home, they took us to dinner out one night, and perhaps the highlight of our weekend was the first official family hike into cougar territory.  (need I remind you of my comical fears over those creatures?!).  No wildlife to be seen at all, actually.  Probably thanks to the steep terrain & rain and the grace of God watchin' out. ;)  I was flat out, AMAZED how fun the trail was & how many other people were out doing the exact same thing.  Seemingly in the middle of nowhere on the side of a mountain!  To see the way Ken responds when he's in his element and soaking in nature, was contagious and made it all the more meaningful.  We hiked to Tokatee Falls, a rather gorgeous tiered waterfall not too far of a trek in.  It was the perfect "first" hike, especially with kids and slick/muddy trails for all of us.  It was sad to see Jim & Wendy leave --- we're increasingly more and more sensitive to goodbyes because we feel the distance even more now that things are settling and the reality of life here -- away from loved ones & dear friends home --- feels, a little more...well, just settled I suppose.  Monday, after Ken's parents' left, we spontaneously loaded up in the car and headed West about an hour to play at the beach.  Talk about refreshing!!  It was chilly & windy, but still such a gorgeous drive & fun to run on the sand with the kids.  We all commented that this felt like the best weekend yet down here.  Hope you all enjoyed your long weekends doing things you love, and enjoying time with those near & dear.

Ken with his Mom, Wendy, and Dad, Jim

Tokatee Falls

Just a river creek we passed along the drive - the colors are so vibrant in real life

Always fun trying to build sand castles





The kids were so much fun all weekend!  Logan was pretty tired, so he was asleep in our arms most of the time at the beach - if you wondered where he is in the pics. ;)

Dune races -- can't wait til we can rent ATVs with the kids & hit the dunes off-roading style!

:)