Beach Bums!

We just got back from a week-long Rogers' Family Reunion in Oceanside, CA on Friday. I think a good way to sum it up would be with Danika's question she asked during our drive home,
Danika: "Where are we going now?"
Mom: "Home."
Danika: "Then in the morning can we go to the beach again?" :)

I think we'd all love to go back. And to Debbie's parents- a big THANK YOU! We had a lot of fun at the beachhouse- being at the ocean & with family-- although I still expect to keep my siblings up all night talking sometime soon, since I didn't get to there (you old fogies go to sleep too early!)!! he he he!
But we still had fun together during the day... Here's a sample of our fun...

(Danika & cousin Isaac)

Harrison played in the sand a lot- He even did 'sand angels'- laying on his tummy - because he loved the feel of the smooth sand so much! He just kept laying down to feel it!

3 Sisters boogie boarding together!
(left to right: Liz, Kathy & Debbie)
Boogie boarding's especially fun when 2 sisters aim at the 3rd sister trapped inbetween them-- Kathy almost got nailed by my board! If you can see Liz & I close up- we were laughing SO hard! LOL Forever!!!!

Jacqueline & Danika helping Cameron search for sand crabs (Cameron found lots, the girls made sure they never did! They made some cute mud cookies though!)

Who's that hunk boogie boardin'?!

Ryan, of course! :) He enjoyed having time to grow his goatee during the time off work- Debbie enjoyed it, too! (The night before returning to work, he shaved it off in parts- I'm gladhe doesn't keep a moustache! I should've taken pictures... next time!)

We had a great view from the beachhouse, and had fun watching the different pods of dolphins & orca whales that swam by. I don't even know which this is- I'll make you figure it out! The kids even found a pirate treasure map in a bottle that had washed up on the beach with the waves. (Can you believe they found one 2 years ago, too?! What are the chances?!) :)

They had a blast running up & down the beach, searching for the next clue-

- and of course looting the treasure box after they dug it up!

Yep, lots of fun!

Harrison liked picking up the rocks on the beach, then throwing them into the ocean. We liked seeing the cute baby footprints he left behind...

Gold Panning at Lynx Creek

Ryan getting the gold panning moves down!

Thar's gold in that thar pan!

If only we could get her to smile like that for every picture!

OK, since I am still playing 'catch-up' with posting on here, I'm gonna have to throw in some pictures every once in a while that aren't brand-new... like these. This was a trip we did to Lynx Creek in March with Debbie's parents- Debbie's dad gave us all a refresher course on gold panning, and taught Ryan since it was his first time ever. SO fun! I LOVE gold panning! It was freezing cold this day though- but by the end of the day we all had a couple little gold flakes in our jars! And Ryan learned well, because when he came back the following weekend with the scouts, he was able to teach them, and they all were able to leave with gold in their jars, too! Way to go, Ryan! (and Dad, too!) :)

This area -with big boulders & little waterfalls - is right near the cave.

There's a little cave nearby that I'm sure my siblings all remember from our gold panning trips growing up- I really wanted to go back to it & see it again, if it had changed or anything. My mom was wonderful & took care of Harrison the whole time we hiked to the cave. (And she took care of him pretty much the whole day we were there while I gold panned & helped the kids gold pan and dig holes in the ground for going potty, etc.! Thank you, Mom!) We found the cave, and the main difference was that there were a lot more bugs flying around, and a lot less bats. There was only one bat in the cave- but Ryan got a great picture of it! I was right under it looking at it- but never saw it so clearly as you can in the picture!

Cameron & Jacqueline entering the cave

Little lonely bat

Down almost at the very end of the cave, there was a pile of scat/droppings - and all I know is it wasn't people poop, it was pretty fresh- didn't look old at all, and was pretty big! I was glad the animal wasn't still in the cave- Ryan & I were in there with 3 kids- I was in a little rush to exit after that! I'm wishing now that we had taken a picture so we could post it too (I know you're bummed-just think, you could be looking at a poop picture right now!) but that would've involved staying in the cave a moment longer! But I looked around at different pictures online, & it sounds like it's probably mountain lion / lynx poop. Hmm... Lynx Creek... go figure! The kids thought it was pretty cool to go through the cave though- Cameron & Jacqueline both talked in "show & tell" in their school classes about it later- and were proud to show off the gold that they had found themselves!

Harrison & His Buds

We went up to Kanab in June to visit with family. 2 others in the Douglass famly (Adam & Mandy & Jarrett & Jessica) had their babies just weeks before Harrison was born. It's so fun when we get to see all 3 of them together! Those poor boys are going to be posed together at every gathering for the rest of their lives! :) They've already had to quite a few times! Posed above, they are: (left to right) Harrison, Kason, & Bryson. Nice little posse of mess-makers, eh?!