Gone Fishin'

Our neighbors Paul and Mathias took Damon and the girls fishing in their boat one evening. It was the first time for Adah & Maggie, and only Damon's second. Everyone caught a fish!

Only Adah was brave enough to pose with the trout that they brought home. However, only Maggie was brave enough to actually eat it. Mathias cleaned the fish for us and the next night I fried it up. Adah tasted it, but only Maggie and I finished our fish. Damon did not partake. (He doesn't eat things that swim.)

Note: Paul and Mathias are not the same neighbors that let my family stay in their house during the reunion. These are other neighbors. We have lots of nice neighbors!

Goo-goo Goggles

Damon and the kids did a little sunglasses shopping together and Gunnar chose these fun tiger glasses. Damon said he tried to talk him out of choosing these. Maybe he wanted him to get something a little more sophisticated and understated . . .

. . . but, seriously, aren't they hysterically cute? He just loves to open them and play peek-a-boo. They make me pretty happy, too. You can't help but laugh and smile when you see this face. (Thanks to the glasses and this whale shirt, orange is Gunnar's new favorite color.)

And he LOVES them so much he sleeps with them.

Wangsgard Reunion...to be continued

"Wangsgard Reunion 2010" officially ended on Saturday, July 17 when most of the family was scheduled to depart White Salmon. (My parents were supposed to leave Sunday.) Well, owing to Anya's seizure on Friday, the Texas Wangsgards needed to stay a little longer. The doctor didn't want Anya flying until she'd been fever-free for 48 hours. So, Jed & Joette rescheduled their flight for Tuesday and we got to spend a few more days together.

It got a bit crowded at our house on Saturday night. The neighbors came home so my family had to vacate their place and we managed to fit our family of six plus SEVEN house guests. Not bad, eh? The best part was when I woke up around 4 a.m. to see Gunnar's and Holly's bedroom light on. I assumed Gunnar had gotten up and turned on the light before coming into our room, which he often does. Worried that it would wake up Holly, I jumped out of bed only to find Anya in their bedroom playing with one of our electronic music toys (her favorite thing). I persuaded her to come out in the hall, but then didn't know where to have her play since EVERY room in the house had someone sleeping in it (minus the kitchen, but it's not blocked off from where my parents were sleeping). I didn't want to wake Jed & Joette unless necessary, and at first Anya seemed content to play in the hallway. But when I told her I was going back to bed and shut my bedroom door, she cried out. That's when I woke up Jed. I think they got her back in bed.

The cousins were more than happy to have extra time together. Adah, Maggie, and Christian spent much of Monday outside planning for a "war" which they eventually waged on their fathers. It was a battle of pinecones and sticks. The children were pretty well fortified with their bike helmets, snow mittens, and backpacks of supplies.

Maggie began by lobbing pinecones from behind a workbench, but was drawn out into hand-to-hand combat with her dad. Adah's position was atop the playhouse, which she maintained throughout the battle.

Christian was perched amidst tree branches with his bucket of ammunition (more pinecones). Jed tried to dislodge Christian with his own barrage of pinecones, but . . .

. . . reinforcements were required, in the form of Damon and his battering ram! This, too, failed, and the children won the day! (Note Jillaire and Holly staying at a safe distance on the patio.)

Gunnar was just happy to be included as a lowly foot soldier.

This pretty much constituted our Family Home Evening activity for the night. They loved it.

The best part was that I later discovered this "Chek List for wor!" which Adah created. Hysterical.

We only wish the cousins lived closer so we could play more often. Although...I'd be happier if they'd make checklists for peace. (Not sure where such warlike tendencies in my children came from....)

Wangsgard Reunion--Part 8: Other Fun

Here are a few more fun things (and photos) from the week:

On Saturday afternoon after everyone had arrived and eaten something, we walked down the hill to "downtown" White Salmon for a small local fair. Our neighbor was playing the fiddle in her old time band and we went to hear her play, see some local vendors, and get balloon animals. (Joette, aka Cotton Candy, had fun talking shop with our local balloon artist.)

We spent a lot of time just hanging out in the front yard, thanks to that great front porch and such a shady lawn.

All the Wangsgard men relaxing on the front porch,

(l. to r. Jed, Dad, Logan, & Peter)

Mom & Joette, holding Holly, chatting on the bench in the shade.

Anya and Kiera tickling the ivories.

Before moving over to the neighbors' house for the rest of the week, Pete (my oldest brother) spent one night in our family room. His nieces and nephews just loved waking him up Sunday morning. Attack! Notice Adah on the couch to the right--just her arms and legs--about to catapult something at Peter. Soren is tossing a pillow at him. We're not sure if Gunnar is coming or going. Maggie is on top of Peter.

It's too bad that there are no photos of mealtimes, but it shouldn't surprise me since it could get pretty hectic getting all 17 of us seated and fed. We ate lots of excellent food during the week. Each household took a turn making dinner for the rest of us. Even Adah made dinner one night (with Aunt Joette's help). It was her speciality--pancakes. Katie made us some really fabulous cupcakes, her speciality. Here she is with the coconut banana cream cupcakes (that's actually whipped coconut milk on top instead of whipped cream) and some of the most chocolatey cupcakes I've ever had. She is generous with her frosting. Yum-mo!

One un-fun part of the reunion was when almost all of the kids got sick! It started on Thursday morning when Christian had a fever. We had already planned on having a lazy day since everyone was tired out from full days and late nights, so Christian was able to relax on the couch. He did miss out on afternoon golfing. All the Wangsgard men took Adah & Maggie to a small local golf course. No photos of that, though.

Friday morning Christian was fever-free and we were getting ready to go to a mountain lake for a picnic and canoeing when my almost-4-year-old niece Anya had a febrile seizure. She is prone to them, but it was pretty unexpected since no one had yet realized that she also had come down with a fever. A visit from the paramedics and ride in an ambulance derailed our plans. Jed & Joette went to the ER with Anya while the rest of us stayed behind. By this time Kiera was also displaying signs of fever, while Christian was feeling much better...except for being worried about his sister. We let him choose the activities for the rest of the day. He voted for kite flying and swimming. Peter, Damon, and I took the 3 big kids kite flying by the river while Katie stayed behind for Kiera and Soren to nap and Logan and the folks went to Hood River for some errands and tour of the Tofurky HQ. (Gunnar was supposed to be kite flying, too, but ended up napping in the car.)

Anya returned from the hospital that afternoon and slept for most of the rest of the day. She was feeling much better by the next day, as was Kiera. Soren's fever started Friday night. Maggie and Gunnar were hit on Sunday. I don't think we'd ever gone through so much children's Tylenol so fast! Adah and Holly and all the adults escaped the week with no fevers. It was kind of a bummer way to end our week, but overall I think we all remember the fun over the fevers.

Gunnar and Anya both sleeping on the family room floor.

I'm really grateful to all my family members for making the effort to come to White Salmon for our reunion. I, of course, know what a challenge it can be to travel with little kids. I also appreciate the financial sacrifice it took for most of the family to fly across all or most of the country to get here. I think it was worth it and I hope everyone agrees...and is ready to try a new destination in 2012!

Wangsgard Reunion--Part 7: The Beach

We chose the warmest day of our unseasonably cool July week to go to the beach. Now, this isn't the beach that most of you may be thinking of. The Pacific coast is about 3 hours away. I'm talking about the Columbia River beach.

The Gorge is huge for windsurfing and kite boarding, but Hood River has carved out a little spot on the shore just for swimmers. Even though it is in a slight cove, it can still get hit with all the wind used by the surfers. Fortunately, we went on a calm day and were able to enjoy the water and sand--without it blowing in our eyes.

The water was pretty chilly. Once I got hot enough I got brave and did a big run down the beach and plunge into the water. It was...refreshing. Anya, on the other hand, did not hesitate to dive repeatedly in the water. We were quick to get a life jacket on her and Jed stood with her the whole time. She just loved it, despite her chattering teeth.

Jed & Anya standing in the Columbia River; the Washington shore is in the background. White Salmon is up on that bluff. Don't I live in a beautiful place?

Gunnar also loved playing in the water, though he was less bold. For as adventurous as Gunnar can be, water is one thing that makes him a little timid gratefully. He just enjoyed filling his bucket, splashing with his shovel, and playing in the sand--never going in above his knees.

Soren, Nana, Kiera, and Joette lingered just at the water's edge playing with rocks and watching Anya and the other crazies (me) swim in the cold water. Because of the lack of wind, there was also a lack of windsurfers and kiteboarders to watch, but there were stand-up paddle boarders out in the river, trains on the opposite shore, and the occasional boat (maybe even a barge).

The three big cousins spent lots of time in and out of the water and building sand castles:

One of the greatest parts of this beach is that just off the street (before you actually get to the beach) is a playground. It's not your typical swings and slides playground, but one with some climbing walls, unusual seesaws, spinning toys, and giant musical instruments. It's a great grassy place to dry off and brush off the sand before getting in your car. It even makes beach visits doable when I'm alone with the kids (without another set of adult hands) because it's a safe place for the kids to play within site while I'm loading up the car.

Soren scaling the small climbing wall.

Jed triumphantly atop the bigger climbing wall.

Soren and Logan play the giant xylophone.

Soren, Nana, and Gunnar play the pipe drums.

Wangsgard Reunion--Part 6: Cotton Candy

My sister-in-law is a clown. Literally. She went to clown school. How cool is that?

When she's not clowning, she is mild-mannered (well, not really) mother of three, Joette. When she is clowning, she's Cotton Candy! (Isn't she a great-looking clown? She designed and made her costume herself.)

We were totally excited when Cotton Candy offered to do a show during the family reunion, and totally grateful because in this age of paying for each piece of luggage on an airline, it required an additional suitcase for Cotton Candy to make her appearance. The new porch acted as the perfect stage and on Wednesday morning we all assembled on the grass for her fantastically funny and magical show.

First off, she had help from uncles/dads and Gumpin (my dad) to tell the story of "The 3 Little Pigs."

Here's Gumpin, the "Big Bad Wolf:, who eventually dropped down into the chimney of a magic book and got "burned" (well, his little card did).

Cotton Candy had some funny mind-reading jokes that were just as entertaining for the adults as for the kids--a definite plus in a clown.

She told an excellent story about when she was just a little clown and needed a rope to swing hiiiigh into the sky. She magically made 3 ropes of different lengths into the same length. (How did she do that? And, isn't her face make-up so great?)

She was able to use several volunteers from the audience to help her with her different tricks. Christian was helping with her magic wand . . .

. . . but new wands kept slipping out of it and he began to have a little trouble holding onto all of them.

At the conclusion of the show Cotton Candy made balloon animals (and swords and flowers) for all the kiddos.

The best part? She taught me to make them, too! Now I just need to buy a supply of special balloons and get practicing! I seriously think being a balloon artist is a valuable skill to have.

So....if you're in the San Antonio area and are looking for some great birthday party entertainment, let me know. I can help you book Cotton Candy.

Wahclella Falls: Then & Now

In August 2006, before I ever had a blog (or had ever heard of them?), Damon, Adah, Maggie, and I hiked the Wahclella Falls trail. So, here's a little comparison.

Then: Jillaire carries Maggie, aged 19 months, across the bridge in the backpack. Adah, aged 3 years 10 months, looks over the edge.

Now: Jed carries Kiera, aged 17 months, across the bridge in the backpack.

At the falls, then:

And now: Here are Christian, Jed, and Kiera at the falls. I wanted to get a photo of the girls and me in the same spot as the 2006 photo, especially because we had that picture made into a puzzle for my mom...but everyone got moving too quickly and I never got the girls assembled for a photo at the falls on our 2010 hike.

Here's my best shot from now: My 3 big hikers (the littlest McMillan rode, sleeping, in the Baby Bjorn the whole way). I love these kiddos. They were great hikers now...and we hope next time, too!

Backpacks at Wahclella Falls

The subject of backpacks deserved a post all its own. There were several different backpacks on our Wahclella Falls hike.

Logan and Jed carried their children Soren and Kiera.

My dad carried water (and a camera?) in his.

Here's a shot of Soren and Logan standing next to Peter with his own orange backpack.

And then there was Gunnar.

We brought the backpack that is Gunnar's backpack and he absolutely insisted on carrying it when we got out of the car. He took one look at it, recognized it as his, and had to be the one to carry it. Now, I can't remember exactly what was in there, but I remember that it was heavy. I know it had at least two Nalgene bottles full of water--possibly 3 or 4 (2 large, 2 small), 2 boxes of granola bars, and some fruit leathers.

It was downright comical watching him try to handle himself. The thing nearly tipped him over as he started on the trail, although he eventually got the hang of it.

He also insisted on carrying his Lightning McQueen flashlight in his hand. (Is that boy adorable, or what?)

He made it pretty far along the trail carrying the backpack. We were all amazed at how strong he was. He did not tire out.

Eventually, though, he did relinquish the backpack to his dad so he could concentrate his energy on some more lofty hiking goals.

I came around a corner in the trail to find him scaling this:

This view is a little more realistic as to the angle of the rock, but it was still pretty steep. Damon didn't help him at all. He merely acted as a spotter. Gunnar made his way to the top finding each grip and foothold himself, climbing right up to where his 7-year-old cousin was waiting.

Finally, he made it. Here's the photo I took from the trail, if it gives you an idea of the height.

And we hadn't even made it to the falls yet! This little guy did not stop and never once asked to be carried. You can be sure he fell asleep on the car ride home. What a kid!