Hood to Coast 2010!

197 miles
34 hours
12 people
2 vans
not nearly enough sleep
and entirely too much fun

That's our Hood to Coast experience in a nutshell.  Here is a team pic at the finish line in Seaside to back it up: 

Hopefully we will be owners of a healthy computer later this week and will be able to post the rest of the pics from the weekend.  Thanks for a great weekend Team "Cornerstone"!  Seriously need to work on that name for the next go'round....

Miles and the tissue

We were at my Aunt and Uncles house one morning over vacation. Miles found the kleenex...apparently I did the same thing at his age while "resting" on my Grandparents bed. Since those Grandparents were present also that morning, no one stopped him. Nostalgia, you know.

Camping: the 'rents.

Aren't we so adorable? Sleepy camping eyes...dirty clothing...wind blown hair....
BUT, we did take a pic. And that is a huge improvement over the last several vacations our family has been on.

Eric, SUPER passionate about his S'more. S'mores...S'mores....everybody loves S'mores....

Did you know that there are manicured gardens at the beach? I didn't. But I do now. Any they were gorgeous!

Our gracious hosts.were

My parents were gracious to let us tag along on their camping adventure this August again. We hit Bullards Beach in Bandon, Oregon for five nights. Seeing as last year Miles was not crawling, there was not way that this year would be easier than last year. And inded it wasn't. BUT, Mom and Dad were very patient and flexed with us throughout the day. Thanks for a great week in the dirt and campfire smoke, Mom and Dad! We had a great time.

Here are some pics of our hosts....with their favorite little campers.

In case you didn't know where that first pic was taken...here's the full shot.
I have great memories of hitting Trees of Mystery growing up, and this year Sam and Maggie LOVED it. They got a Paul Bunyan book this last year and were thrilled to see the ridiculous statues. I loved getting to share that memory with them.

Camping: Sam!

Sam is such a cutie (don't tell him I call him that....). He stopped right when we hit the sand at the beach and rolled his SHORTS up. Wouldn't want to get those things dirty. Too cute.

Jack and Jill??
We encouraged Jack head up the hill 15 times before we left the beach....to get his energy out, duh. :-)

Mmmm, marshmallows....mmmmm...

While Maggie was glued to Grandpa's binoculars, Sam was doing this.
Don't ask me what this is....but it sure was fun.

Camping: Maggie Style!

Maggie loves the ocean. She loves camping. She loves everything about it.
Here's the girl showing off the beginnings of her seashell collection.

Maggie and s'mores. Do you see the lack of sleep in her eyes? :-) She and Sam loved getting to stay up "late" - as in until it got dark. So fun...!

She's spying some crazy geological action, as well as some sea-lions. Oh, and she thinks she saw a whale. and a shark. and an octopus.

Isn't she just a cutie!?!
Maybe I'm just partial...

Camping: Miles edition

Miles did well camping (notice I didn't say good, great, or amazing...). We're thinking that for a kid who is pretty much officially in the Special Ed category, he did REALLY well. But this Mama has higher expectations for him than "well" or "okay". Miles' parents want to see Great! and Amazing! out of him. So, with that being said there is room for improvement in the camping category for Mi. BUT, he did sleep through the night every night, he did attempt a nap each day, and he did eat food outdoors and play in the sand without skipping a beat. Which for a child who (we've been told) has "Sensory Integration" issues, is a small miracle.

Now for the pics:
After adjusting to the sound of the ocean, Miles loved the beach. He would have stayed all day if we would have let him.

He spent his time around camp walking the perimeter of the picnic table, which worked out great for the rest of us- he stayed clean and got lots of practice walking without anyone else breaking their back. ;-)

Miles and Grandpa reading in the sun.

Okay, picture disclaimer: I try to avoid posting pics that show off Miles in his "special"-ness. But really, all his covered-in-sand-from-head-to-toe pictures were like this, so oh well. :-)

Priorities

Sam shared his favorite things to do with us this afternoon:

First: Cleaning.
Second: Fighting
Third: Racing

Seriously, cleaning?!?!  You're not even five, dude.  Settle it down a bit, eh?