Working Towards a Sandy Future

Sometimes, when confronted by new things,

it is hard to let down your guard at first.

But slowly, if you give them a try, you realize that they

might not be too bad after all.

They might be soft and warm

and squishy in between your toes.

They may even contain new objects to taste.

Yes, they might be mighty nice after all.

More March Beach Days

After our eventful day at the beach last week,

Orin and I decided to take a little vacation to see the other coast.

Actually,  our trip to the Atlantic had been planned months prior

when we first heard that my father and sister would be spending 

March at the beach house in North Carolina.

(Remember from last year, the site of the 

catastrophic van engine collapse?)

Well, Orin and I were heading back, and this time he would get to 

appreciate the beach from a different vantage point.

We arrived on Thursday night and were greeted at the airport by 

Aunt Andy, Grandpa Jack, and deliciously warm weather.

The next morning we set out early for a long day of walking on the

beach and enjoying the sunshine.

Orin wasted no time in getting comfortable in his temporary home.

Maybe he was just still tired from the plane ride,

or maybe he was taking pointers from Indy, my sister's greyhound.

When we planned the trip, we made sure to be in NC during 

a time when Uncle Alex might have a break from his SF training.

However, the break was contingent upon his performance in the field

for the five weeks prior, 

so we weren't sure if we would get to see him.

So, on Friday night when he called to say he had been released 

for the weekend, we were all thrilled.

It was great having all the siblings together,

and the weather was beautiful the whole weekend.

My brother brought his friend from training, Brad, 

and his wife, Brandi, with him for the visit.

Orin enjoyed the extra attention he got from Brad, 

who clearly had a soft spot for babies.

Orin also enjoyed taking full advantage of a non-baby-proofed house,

complete with exciting new things to play with

like pieces of dog food and cabinets without locks.

My brother, Brad, and Brandi left on Sunday afternoon.

The boys will have two more weeks of field training before they

start language training (they have both been assigned to learn French)

Good luck guys,

Andy, Orin, and I are off to the beach.

Whales, blue skies, and other things you don't see in Oregon

A few days ago Casey heard on the news that this week 

was the gray whale spring migration.

Thousands of people would be rushing to the coast

wielding their binoculars and and wide-brimmed hats,

frantic to join the whale-watching extravaganza.

We couldn't help ourselves, we had to get in on the action,

so on Monday, we packed up our rain gear and headed to the coast.

When we arrived it was pouring, 

so we decided to get a bite to eat first,

 in hopes that the rain would subside by the end of our meal.

We chose a fun little diner in the center of town.

Orin was a little nervous at first that Sue would come charging 

out of the back room and take his cookie away,

but we reassured him that, if necessary, 

we would help him ward her off.

As it turns out, it was not necessary,

"Cranky Sue" turned out to be a nice old woman, whose only offense

was trying to set Ori up with the girl baby at the next table over.

After lunch, despite the fact that it was still pouring,

we ventured out onto the beach.

The other whale watchers were less adventurous, 

and mostly stayed in their cars,

so we had the beach to ourselves.

The dogs were in heaven.

Orin wasn't quite as excited,

but was (as always) extremely tolerant of his parent's crazy ideas.

If it hadn't been for the wind, 

it actually wouldn't have been too bad out,

but when the big gusts came, we had to put some effort

into not being blown away.

Despite our attempts, we did not see any whales,

we did however, see a lot of kelp...

...and barnacles...

And eggie got to go swimming (his favorite)

so, all things considered, it turned out to be a good trip.

On the way home, we stopped by the Pittock Masion,

built by the man who owed the "Oregonian,"

(this was back when newspapers used to make money).

Orin thought it was nice, but not quite big enough

for a second home.

He is more of a castle kid, I think.

I will leave you with a picture that in no way fits into this post,

but that I love.

Because everyone needs a fan club.

The First Album

It occurred to me after writing the last post

that I had not chosen the right photo to show off

Orin's "rock star hair."

The photo in the last post made him look like 

the soft acoustic guitar type,

when really Orin would fit in better with the punk rock scene.

He even has that whiny look down pat.

But Orin isn't always a punk rock emblem.

Normally his hair is much more tame,

but when he has just woken up from a nap and he is a little sweaty 

from his mommy putting too many blankets over him

he gets the most amazing hair-dos. 

One of a kind.

Blink 182, here we come.

The Many Faces of Orin

This morning I was flipping through some of the pictures that 

Casey and I have taken of Orin recently

 that haven't made it on the blog

and I came across this set that Casey took a couple days ago

while we were attempting to put Orin to bed.

The shots made me realize the multitude of expressions that Orin

is capable of producing. Expressions I hardly even notice 

unless they are caught on camera.

Here are a few of the best:

Interested

Doubtful

Smug

Self righteous

Playful

Hesitant

Deranged

and, last but not least, 

Asleep

Oh, and I have to throw in this one as well even though it doesn't 

really highlight a particular expression,

because I want you to see the rock star hair up close.

Some people say that he might be in need of a trim,

I think the only thing he needs is an electric guitar 

and some leather pants.

What do you think?

Bowling with Babies

Yesterday evening we went over to our friend's house

for a little dinner/ baby play time.

The night began in its usual way...

We ate dinner, the babies ate the remote.

Just as it looked like it was going to end up being a 

plain sort of evening, Layne came up with an idea. 

"Let's go bowling!"

"Good thinking, I love bowling!" Orin exclaimed

"We could even bowl with the babies,"

Casey suggested.

"...or just let them bowl themselves"

And that's how it happened.

Broken

The other day, Orin broke one of his favorite toys.

Despite me reassuring him that 

his daddy would fix it when he got home, 

he decided that he could not wait one minute longer to hear 

his Rainforest Song.

So he tackled the problem himself. 

After much grunting, banging, and muttering,

Orin sat back and happily basked in his handyman triumph

to the tinkling sounds of waterfalls and toucans.