Back to School!

School started for us last week on Wednesday and we are off to such a great start!  I had been feeling kind of stressed and unsettled the week or so before, but once the boys came home that very first day my fears were put to rest.  They were both SO happy and enthusiastic about the school year and it completely rubbed off on me.  I've been feeling optimistic and have had just a really good feeling about this school year ever since.  Daniel even came home that first day saying, "Second grade is awesome!"

Lucas started preschool this year and although it was an agonizing decision for me, we're doing a co-op with a group of 4 other moms (5 kids total).  It's pretty much the same scenario as with the older two; I was feeling stressed and unsettled beforehand, but once the co-op actually started, a really good feeling settled in and I've been feeling so optimistic ever since.  It's just a great group of moms and we're all dedicated to making sure the kids have a great experience.  And Luacs is so just darn happy and excited about it all, it's great to see!

 And I didn't want to leave Caden out of this post, even though he's not starting school of any kind this year.  After he and I dropped Lucas off for preschool yesterday morning, we headed to the doctor's office for his 18-month check up.  He's doing great and we had a really nice visit with his pediatrician.  He was pretty sad about the three shots he got at the end, though.  Seeing big, fat tears rolling down those cheeks coupled with his feelings of betrayal was hard for me, but I handled it like the seasoned momma that I am (lots of cuddling, sympathy and reassurance with a distraction thrown in at the right time).  He is such a sweetie and it was nice to only have one child with me at the pediatrician's office.  I really did like getting to focus all my attention on him.

And we couldn't end our amazing summer without one last hurrah.  So the day before school started (Tuesday) we made the obvious choice and met Jake at Round Table for the lunch buffet.   We had a super fun time and of course Daniel came home with an obscene number of gumballs.  I shudder to think that the entire stash had disappeared by that night...!!!  Should have kept a closer eye on that one!  Oh well, I hope he enjoyed himself and felt like he was really getting away with something ;)

Cannon Beach Day 2

*If you're just joining in, you may want to scroll down a few posts to view things in chronological order (Cannon Beach Trip!, Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach Day 2).  Yes I'm a bit ocd this way.

We got some great beach time in our second day. The morning was very clear -- no fog in sight!  I fell in love with Cannon Beach and know we'll be coming back often.  Not only was it incredibly beautiful but it also held a very comfortable and familiar feeling for me.  I'm not sure why, it just did.

I hate to say it but I pretty much compare every beach to La Jolla Shores, our local beach we went to all the time when we lived in San Diego.  It is the gold standard of beaches for me and I'm happy to report Cannon Beach stacked up very favorably.  I'm so glad!

Caden played so earnestly in the sand pretty much the whole time:

I thought this was a good shot of Haystack Rock since the morning was nice and clear.  Thar she blows!

I like this shot of Jake and Joshua working with Haystack in the background:

Love Daniel's use of feather!

Joshua would have kept playing out there in the waves all day if we could have stayed that long.  Don't worry Josh -- we'll be back!

Love this one.  He's so happy!

The waves tickling Caden's toes.  His little feet kept getting buried in the sand as the waves moved out and he'd be stuck 'til Jake "rescued" him.

Here's a shot of the coastal range...

...and looking on south down Cannon Beach...

...it is seriously so beautiful here!

Haystack Rock

Cannon Beach is home to Haystack Rock and we were lucky to be staying at a cottage not far from it (about a 10 minute walk up the beach).  After we spent some time playing at the beach that first afternoon, we relaxed at our cottage a bit and then ventured out for a visit to Haystack that evening.  There are neat tide pools at the base you can explore during low tide and we had timed things just right.

I posted this one because I thought it gives a good idea of how massive it is (rises 235 feet above the water)

Here is Lucas being a zombie on the  beach.  He was enamored with his zombie shadow.

Here's a view of one of the "needles" in the distance:

A random girl pried this big starfish from its rock.  I felt bad for it but took advantage of the opportunity to snap a picture:

 

 

Here's a shot of the coastal range that comes right up to the beach.  I think it is so beautiful.  This is the view if you're looking east from Haystack Rock:

Ahh...those quintessential beach stairs that I love.  From this angle they lead straight back up to the series of cottages we stayed at.  We had such awesome beach access.  It was a super benefit of staying at this place.  I didn't get any pictures of our cottage itself (darn) but this might give you a pretty good idea of what it was like.

There goes Lucas!

Cannon Beach Trip!

We headed to Cannon Beach for our annual week-before-labor-day-beach-trip. We had such a great time! The boys were ready to hit the waves immediately upon arrival and I'm so glad they could (the weather had threatened non-cooperation on the way there).  I felt pure joy watching my children enjoying themselves so completely. I got lots of fun shots --  just looking at these pictures makes me happy all over again!

Lucas with Haystack Rock in the background.  He always refers to it as "Big Haystack Rock" with urgency in his voice.  It's cute!

Like I said...happy all over again!