Family Vacation to Oroville, Washington - August 2013

 We have just come back from a family vacation to Oroville, Washington.  The city is right on the US/Canada border (Osoyoos, BC is directly north), and the southern end of Lake Osoyoos is on the US side of the border.  Collin rented us a 3-bedroom, 3 bathroom house right on the lake, and we had a great week-long family vacation.

 The boys were constantly in the water.  Collin brought some water toys and floaties, and everyone had a good time.

 Even Finnian was feeling comfortable in the lake, which meant we had to keep a extra super-close watch on him (although the boys were watched at all times).  One day he climbed onto one of the floaties and within 10 seconds was 10 feet away from shore.  Yikes!  I was supervising and saw the whole ordeal so he was safely brought back to shore.

We spent hours in the water.

 We visited the ghost town of Molson, 20 minutes from Oroville.

 The boys ran around exploring the old farm machinery and abandoned buildings. 

An old water pump

 The town bell

 There were old cabins complete with furnishings and fixtures.

 Latham was fascinated by an old wash basin and laundry gizmo.

 Baby Vaughn needed a refreshment break.

 The boys ran from one building to the next, having a good ol' time.

 Ronan playing a teller in the old bank building.

 We also visited the nearby old Molson School (now a museum).  The building was the center of the community when it was built in 1913, so it was more than just a school -   there was also a barber shop on an upper floor as well as the town's post office.

 The three older boys playing school in one of the classrooms.

 Teacher Ronan

 4 brothers on a couch

Ronan is a wonderful helper with Baby Vaughn.

 Auntie Delta arrived on Thursday, and we took her back to Molson.  We also went out for ice cream everyday.  Here she is with the younger two at our favorite ice cream spot.

 Finn-Finn with a bowl of strawberry ice cream that was almost bigger than his head.

 Latham had some ice cream but then his dairy sensitivity acted up so he had M&Ms instead on subsequent ice cream trips.

 Of course Ronan had chocolate.

 Look closely, Mommy and Finnian are wearing sombero sunglasses at Prince's Department Store in Oroville.

Daddy showing the older boys the new work-related project that was alluded to in my Wednesday post.  It's still under wraps, so you'll have to wait for the launch date to find out any more details!

Northwest Washington Fair 2013

I love the Northwest Washington Fair!  The first time I had gone was last year, and I realized how fun it was.  Delta & I vowed to go every year with the boys.  There are animals, exhibits, rides, cotton candy, the works!  We try to get there first thing in the morning and we stay until our ride tickets are gone and we are thoroughly pooped out. 

The first thing we saw were the barns and barns of different animals: cows, pigs, horses, we even saw two camels!

 

There were also these crazy-looking guys, Alpacas.  I love how huge their noggins are on their pencil-thin necks!

Mommy and Boy #3

The older boys took turns holding a guinea pig.

Latham's turn

A mommy pig nursing her piglets - and, yes, they made the connection between nursing piglets and nursing baby Vaughn.

The piglets were absolutely adorable.

We also watched chicks hatching.  Although I had seen this before, I always find it fascinating!

The rides are always a hit with the boys.  Our first ride was the carousel.  Delta went with Finnian, and I went with Ronan and Latham.  We took turns since someone had to stay with Vaughn and the stroller.

The boys had fun climbing all over this big truck.  I think it was allowed - there weren't any signs saying not to.

The boys were super excited for the big ferris wheel.

Patiently waiting in line...

You can see so much from the top of the wheel!

We will definitely be back next year!

Baby Vaughn

Collin fixed the computer, so now I can post some pictures on the blog!  He's the best!

Sorry that's it's been so long since I've posted pictures of Baby Vaughn.  He is now almost seven weeks old, and growing so big already!  Here are some pictures of him over the last several weeks.  Isn't he adorable?!?...not that I'm biased or anything  :)

Computer Problems again!

We have had a great, though slow-paced summer.  I had been hesitant to plan many activities since I knew we'd have a newborn around and didn't know how I would be feeling with night-time feedings taking up valuable sleep time.  Thankfully, Vaughn is a great baby (just as easy as Ronan was, if not easier), and together we have been able to master breastfeeding while laying down, which is a wonderful way to still get enough sleep to face the day with three very active little brothers running around.

 

There have been a few highlights this summer.  First, was our annual trip to the Northwest Washington Fair in nearby Lynden.  We go with Auntie Delta and try to get there first thing in the morning and spend all day there.  I have lots of pics, but for some reason our computer is acting up, so I can't post any (yet).  Fingers crossed that I can soon.  Another highlight was a family vacation in Oroville, Washington (the southern tip of Lake Osoyoos).  We rented a house right on the lake, which was great since the boys could play at the water while we watched from the patio.  Delta came out for a few days.  Again, pics to come if I can get the computer to co-operate.  The biggest highlight this summer continues to be our new baby, Vaughn, and we are all glad he's here and getting so big already!  Smiles and coos have started in the last few weeks, and they are so precious.  I love the baby stage!

 

School starts on the 3rd of September for Ronan (2nd grade already!) and Latham's preschool starts in the middle of September.  It will be quite interesting having the two oldest out of the house for large chunks of time.  I don't know if it will necessarily be quieter since Finnian talks non-stop (seriously folks, NON-STOP) when his older brothers aren't around.

 

Check back in a few to see if pics are up yet.  I hope Collin has time to fiddle with the computer before another business trip to Australia/New Zealand.  He had a few months of no business trips around Vaughn's birth, but now he's back to his busy traveling schedule.  So far this year he has been to Australia/New Zealand, Phoenix, Argentina, Japan and Winnipeg.  There have been some exciting things happening on the work-front, more details to come in another blog post in the fairly near future.  Hopefully, pics can be included.

 

Have a happy rest-of-the-summer!

Better Late than Never - Finnian's big boy bed

Several months ago we switched Finnian over to a big boy bed in the older boys' room (their room is massive, so there's plenty of room for all three of them).  We moved him a long time ago so that he wouldn't feel displaced once the new baby came.  He was very proud to be in with his brothers!

 

The transition was great, although many nights we have the older boys fall asleep in other rooms because Finn-Finn keeps them awake - he still needs a nap during the day which means he's not as tired as his brothers are and he tends to keep them up.

 

Of course, he got his very own rocketship blanket to match his brothers.  Yay for a big boy bed!