Sticks, Pine Cones, and Water

Alright, this is a cooperative post. Val chose and pasted the pictures and I (Dave) get to comment while she is in the shower. We keep saying we are going to start things early but that doesn't seem to be the speed at which we move on vacation. No big deal, we got to run 4 miles again together this morning for the 6th time since we got here. No pictures of that but it's worth mentioning because it's one of my favorite things about coming to Bend.

After our run we got everything packed up and drove about 40 minutes to Suttle Lake which is near Sisters (OR) and Black Butte Ranch. I'm a big fan of their beer, so maybe we'll check out the ranch too sometime. Suttle Lake was a serene little lake about 3-4 miles around with a nice even walking path. the kids had their goodie bags and we proceeded to walk approximately 300 yards in perhaps an hour and a half. Stops to collect things and throw things in the water were numerous. Thankfully, unlike the day prior at Benham Falls, NO MOSQUITOS!!!! There was only one moment of terror when Hailey almost slipped off the trail and into the water. She was a little put off by my dive and catch of her but I'm pretty sure had I let her go in the drink things would have been worse. As it was we had a good time and got some good photos. Ice cream cones on the way home never hurts either.

Suttle Lake

Trail Leader

The stop and throw, followed by another stop and throw, etc.....

I may be getting old but I can still balance on a tree floating in the lake for a good photo op.

Snack break....blueberries I believe.

Unfortunately my getting old means my knees were shaking as my family climbed the log.

I need to relax, clearly.

Tyler's Day - Bend 2010

Tyler's special day this year was bike riding in Sunriver. It's so nice that his favorite thing on vacation, bike riding with Mom and Dad, benefits our favorite thing which is looking at homes in Sunriver and planning for a retirement home there!

The last couple of days saw some strange weather; thunderstorms, hail and rain. Tyler's day saw the beginning of true Bend, OR weather. Sunny and hot! We decided to head out for Benham Falls, a site we have talked about for years but had never been to. It turned out to be about a 4 mile one-way ride on a dusty dirt road. I almost feel bad for using mountain gear at some points since Tyler has a 1-gear dirtbike. Almost....It must have been quite the workout for him because I know I was tired in the end.

When we got to Benham Falls we found two amazing things. #1 - The Falls. #2 - MOSQUITOS! And when I say MOSQUITOS, I mean a lot of MOSQUITOS. The pictures you see took up our entire time of looking at The Falls so that we could skedaddle out of there. Next time, BUG SPRAY! It really was beautiful though and we are definitely going to go back...in the car...with chemical protection.

When we made it back to the town we headed straight for the ice cream shop. Tyler is right in his element with a double scoop of chocolate chip mint ice cream. After re-energizing, we rode back to a park and the car for some lunch, a little bit of playtime, and then went to Bend where Grammy brought Hailey and we cooled off at Juniper Water Park. Thanks to Grammy for giving Hailey a great Grammy & Hailey Day and for dinner at Pilot Butte Drive-in which always includes Root Beer Milkshakes!

We have been having the debate of whether our family is what it is or will grow by another human in the near future. We both have thoughts both ways and it has been hard to come to a final conclusion. One thing I know is that we are clearly blessed with Tyler and Hailey. They are intelligent, fun loving, energetic and hilarious kids and I cannot imagine life without them. We are so excited to see who they grow up to be, what they grow up to do, and hope that we can retire somewhere warm and sunny and have it benefit them, their children and our need to be close to our family as the years go by.

I'm ready to go, and maybe ready for a bigger Mt. Bike?!

Looking good!

No rear view shots allowed of Val, by Val, so here you go everyone! We're on our way.

A quick, hug, then a swipe at the Mosquitos and we were gone.

As close as we could get to Benham Falls.

It really was a beautiful setting.

Sitting down for lunch after 8-10 miles of bike riding.

Double scoop joy. Well earned.

Cooling off at the pool.

All in all, a very good and tiring day.

H2O Quigglekids - Bend 2010

We have had the kids in swim lessons for a few months now. Tyler's is a return to swimming and Hailey's was the beginning, having just turned three with us having an eye on this very trip and trying to make the pool a more joyful and less stressful experience. Both of the kids have become fish, for their age level. Tyler is totally self-sufficient.

"No, Val, I won't take a nap poolside, but he is pretty good. Hailey, of course, is nutts and good."

She has learned fast, is very comfortable in the water (perhaps too comfortable) and is having a blast practicing her strokes and going under water. Tyler can go on the water slide by himself this year...and I mean no other family member going up with him. For a boy who wants someone near him constantly this is a pretty cool thing. Hailey is having fun going down on my lap. If only it weren't so chilly standing there at the top waiting our turn!

The first slide of the summer!

Getting ready to crawl stroke like mad to the poolside.

Ok, Dad, I am diggin' the slide this year!

Well, Hailey, I'm diggin' you!

Introducing Tyler to the warming properties of pool cement in the sun.

Just the cutest thing ever!

Land of Lava - Bend 2010

Yesterday was the day of lava. Or, at least, a tour of things created by lava 7,000 years ago. Just south of Bend is the Lava Lands, a National Park dedicated to some interesting lava formations. We decided to take a tour of the Lava River Cave and then to go up Lava Butte. The cave itself is a 1.5 mile long tube that goes down into the ground and runs under the freeway. It was warming up outside, but inside it remained a chilly 42 degrees. Our fingers were frozen when we finally came back up. The kids were fascinated, which is a great thing, and they did a great job navigating by lantern light.

The Entrance....You could feel the cloud billowing out of the cave as you walked in. Glad we came prepared with Seattle clothes.

Tyler and I, leading the descent.

Going down and getting colder!

Funny that in this photo everything looks great but when you were inside your lantern only lit up so much. Complete and utter blackness.

This looks rather ominous now that you think about it.

All bundled up.

After emerging back into the sunlight, we drove about 1 mile up the highway to the Lava Butte park site. Lava Butte is an inactive volcano that has a large A' A' lava field at its base and a large crater on top from its last eruption. We took a brief jaunt through the lava field and then drove up to the Top of the Butte for some photos and rock discovery. It was an amazing view from up top and we may go back again. We are now going to make it a point to visit some of the natural wonders sites in WA now that we know the kids are interested in this kind of stuff.

Lava Butte and Lava field below.

Tyler at the top of the crater.

Walking through the lava field. Notice Hailey already poses with attitude and meaning.

Apparently my family is the most beautiful in the presence of lava. These are some of my favorite pictures ever!

Hailey's Day

We thought it would be fun to have a special day with the kids this year while we are in Bend. Neither Tyler or Hailey ever get to have both Dave and I to themselves. It's either two kids to one parent or each of us has one child. We are taking advantage of Grammy and having some special time with the kids. Today was Hailey's day. She wanted to go bike riding so we headed down to the Old Mill. The Old Mill is one of our favorite places. There are plenty of paths for biking, they all run right along the river, lots of restaurants for eating, and even a playground and lots of big grassy areas. We headed out for biking first.

Daddy's girl
We also love all the wild flowers they have everywhere!

Not too long into the ride, Hailey needed a snack.

Then it was back to bike riding. We took a break about halfway through so Hailey could play at the playground.

Finally we ended up at Red Robin for lunch. Hailey wanted a milkshake and was very pleased to see that it came with whip cream and sprinkles.

Right about the time we finished lunch another storm arrived. Hailey wanted to go swimming but swimming and thunder and lightening don't go great together. So we headed to the store and picked up a slip'n'slide for another sunny day. Hailey also got a cookie monster shirt and some colored pencils. Both made her very happy. I really cherish that we were able to spend some time just with her.

Evenings in the Yard

It's just a vacation thing I guess. In the evenings, usually a little before and a little after dinner, me and the kids do something active in the front yard. We play at home, but it's never as free and unencumbered like on vacation. Val is usually watching from the porch steps, THANKS FOR MAKING DINNER GRAMMY, or down on the lawn with us taking photos. This year appears to be the year of the soft sided frisbee (it can still cause issues when it misses the hand and hits the face) and on our first night we also got into a game called 'Bowl You Over' which is where the kids take running leaps at me to knock me to the ground. On one occasion Tyler suckered me and I wasn't ready and had to repel him by swinging his momentum up and launching him safely backwards and into the soft grass. Well, guess what? Hailey says, "I want to do that!" Thus, bowl you overs morphed into throw your kids in the air high enough to entertain them but not so high as to upset their mother and cause them permanent or serious injury. It is a delicate balancing act.

It begins so innocently....

And so cutely...

Then Quigglekids come flying at you!

And I mean flying!