The Enchanted Forest

Jeff and I took the kids to the Enchanted Forest. It is a great once-a-year trip and the kids had a great time.

They went down the slide about 100 times.

Clare was a newish crawler when we went and she was really confused in the crocked house.

We always take a picture in front of Jack and Jill. This is obviously the best picture ever.

We made it to the Enchanted Forest!

Road House

We went to listen to some music at the Road House. We really can't spend any time at home at the weekend- it would be too relaxing for us.

Ronan got his arm painted.

And Nora got her face painted.

They band was a lot of fun. There weren't many children dancing, but it was still a great little outing for the family.

Safety Town Graduation

Nora graduated from Safety Town. It was a wonderful program and I know that Nora was really proud of everything she learned. Since Safety Town she will remind of ways we can be safe.

They showed up all of the songs that they learned about safety.

We were the first ones to arrive in the classroom so I was able to get a few pictures of Nora in front of the "town."

All three of my little ones in the back of a cop car.

This was a fire truck, but not like any one I had seen before. It actually simulated a fire and the children learned how to get down low to avoid the smoke and then climbed out the back end. It was pretty realistic.

Of course my kids were really excited to climb out the back.

She graduated!

Smith Rock

The highlight of our camping trip was going to Smith Rock. We hadn't been there and we were surprised how much we liked it. We spent the morning hiking around hoping to see some climbers.

Nora spotted a snake under a rock. She has such sharp eyes and never misses anything.

One of the many views.

Nora and Ronan loved climbing into all these little crevices.

We even managed to get a family picture.

Tumalo Yurt

So I really didn't take many pictures during this trip...
We camped in a yurt at Tumalo with our friends, the Culligans. It is soooo nice to camp with another family: it just makes everything easier. Nora, Ronan, and Aubrey ran around like crazy, and Kiley was adorable hanging out with Clare and running around with the big kids.
This was our best trip of the year. Almost makes me one to try one more....

Zoo Concert

And our first zoo concert of the year. We will actually only be able to go to two of them this year, so we are really going to enjoy them. We were really worried about the weather because it had rained on and off all day. We had a great time, but left in typical Olson style: tears. Oh well, we tired.

Kett Cars

Finally! After watching other kids ride on the kett cars for years, Nora finally was old enough to be a part of Safety Town. It was so fun to see her riding on the kett car the first day!

Aunts

Katie May and Sheila came to spend a week with us. It was a really crazy week for us, in fact the busiest week of the summer. Nora was in two camps, and I had a dentist and a hair appointment.....the list never ends. I felt like I hardly spent any time with them.
The kids had a great time snuggling with their aunts. We can't wait to see them again next week.

Oregon Country Fair

This was the first year we took the kids to the Oregon Country Fair. The last and only time Jeff and I went was when I was pregnant with Nora. Jeff took Friday off work so that we could beat the crowds. I can't imagine what it was like on the weekend because there were so many people we could hardly walk.

We thought that tie die would be a fitting trend for the fair.

We spent a lot of time in one of the children areas. There was a woman that was putting on puppet shows for the kids. Her energy level was amazing. She was so patient and willing to put on show after show with the kids. Nora has been putting on puppet shows since!

Ronan refused to eat while we were there. I finally found some watermelon for him and he gobbled it up.

Ronan was dressed as a bumble bee and Nora was a fairy and they were caught by a giant net!

The kids also enjoyed a climbing area for the kids.

After the fair we went and stayed in Florence in a great little hotel with an indoor water park. The kids had a great time swimming. That night Clare came down with a cough and threw up a few times. It was a miserable night, but we survived and made it home.

Oaks Park

We went to Oaks Park during the summer toddler time. The kids were so excited to go on all the rides. The first ride we got in line for was a tea pot style ride and when it was Nora and Ronan's turn we were told that I would have to ride with them, but that Clare couldn't come with us. It was a major defeat that resulted in Ronan breaking down in tears. I was worried that many of the other rides would have these same restrictions, but as it worked out this was the only one and we were able to enjoy the rest of the rides!

Clare was a great observer and loved watching the big kids go on rides. She enjoyed a few of them too!

The one time I have ever captured a GREAT picture! Check out Nora and Ronan on this roller coaster, by themselves, in the front! The LOVED the ride and couldn't believe they did it!

Nora was really looking forward to the "frog hopper." She told Ronan right before it started that it was just like Tower of Terror.

The first ride we went on was the carousel. Nora carefully choose her pony, while Ronan just wanted to get on one that wasn't "low."

Sunset Wading Pool

We took our first trip to the Sunset Pool this year. The kids had a great time wading in the water. It was so cute to see Clare playing in it too.

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July.

We ended the night by going to Terra Linda Park to watch the Oak Hills fireworks. I can't believe the kids stayed up this late, but it was so worth it!

We had a ton of fireworks that we got from Costco and set off in front of our house. The kids loved watching the show that Jeff put on for them.

Our neighbors, Joanne and Ken, came over to watch the fireworks with us. The kids were so excited to invite them. I think they enjoyed spending time with the kids while the fireworks went off.

The Parade!!! The kids have been talking about this parade for a year! Jeff helped them decorate their bikes in the morning and then we all marched in the parade.

On the way to the parade.

This is a dress that my mom and I made for Nora for her first 4th of July. I was so excited to put Clare in it.

Tryon Creek Hike

With summer comes weekend morning hikes!

We hiked around Tryon Creek State Park. The kids had a great time and did a ton of running.

Clare loves this backpack, which is great! Hopefully we can start to hike for longer distances.

Tillamock Cheese Factory

We resisted the urge to stop by the Tillamock Cheese Factory the first time we drove by, but not the second time! We did a quick tour and spent an hour in line for ice cream.

Ronan actually dropped his ice cream, but Nora came to the rescue and gave him hers. It was so sweet.

A happy little ice cream eating family.

Tillamock Air Museum

We stopped by the Tillamock Air Museum. We thought that Ronan would really enjoy it and that we would be able to get into some of the planes. But in typical Oregon Coast Style, things did not work out that way. The museum had a bunch of planes, but they weren't for touching. The one plane that we could tour was closed that day, and Ronan didn't want to see half of the planes. I wouldn't recommend this museum.