Warning: Picture Overload!

First of all, Happy Independence Day to all! Isn't it great to live in this wonderful country? Well, sometimes it is... depends on who is leading us! Anyway, we went to a flag raising ceremony this morning and had a nice breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit. Here is Jack being force-fed some delicious watermelon!

And here is the happy family enjoying the sunshine. Actually, it is extremely hot right now in Corvallis and we would love a break from the sunshine. Yuck.

So here is where the picture overload begins. We decided since it has been SOOO incredibly hot around here, we would head out to the coast in Newport to enjoy the cooler weather and the beach. Jack has never been to the beach or set foot in the ocean, so we thought it would be fun for him (and for us!). This picture shows him trying to figure out what to make of this weird stuff on his finger called "sand." Hmm...

He didn't like it on his feet at first and couldn't figure out how to get it off! What in the world did you do to me, parents?

We broke out the beach toys Jack received for his birthday and made some fun shapes and a little castle-type structure. He seemed to think that was pretty cool, but wasn't quite convinced.

So we thought we might as well head out to the ocean to let Jack dip his feet in the water. It was very windy and relatively cool out; probably about 65-70 degrees (a great change from the mid-90's).

On the way, we had to leave his mark on the sand so everyone would know Jack had visited!

Here is the approach. We figured he would feel the cold water, whine a little, and be done with it. At least we could say he has touched the ocean!

And there it is! Jack's first steps in the water! Well, contrary to what we thought would happen, he loved the water. In fact, we couldn't get him out of it! He kept walking farther in to feel more of the cool liquid floating around his legs!

Then he went and sat in the ocean. Hmm... We did not plan for this... His pants were soaked! He actually thought it was pretty funny, and continued to try to get farther into the ocean. He is making his, "I'm excited, Hee hee!" face in this picture, even though it looks like he is upset.

This picture shows his "upset" face. Oops! Face-plant in the sand! That felt a little weird!

"Oh, okay, it's not so bad. Now I have sand and water everywhere! Cool!"





Here's Dad showing Jack how to brush the sand off his hands. It didn't really work since the sand was very wet and sticky.



Then we carried him back (carefully) so we could clean him off. And, of course, we didn't bring any extra clothes because we figured he wouldn't like the cold water!




After we attempted to clean him off, he ran away. Back to the ocean. As fast as he could. Dad had to run after him, and this is as far as he got away from his Mom.




And finally Dad returns with the runaway. He looks pretty happy with himself. He likes to play "Catch me if you can!" with Dad and Mom.



And this is the end result of our trip. Jack with no pants, no jacket and sand everywhere. Since we planned to stay in Newport for a little while, and it's an hour drive home, we decided to stop by the local Fred Meyer and buy Jack some new pants. He needed some more anyway...



And here is Jack's first experience in a McDonald's Play Place. He didn't actually play on anything, but he still thought it was pretty cool.




He even got to see a giant mural of Ronald on a whale. Not really sure why he is on a whale... but whatever.

And that was our first beach trip! Jack has now been in the ocean on the West Coast. Soon he'll get the chance on the East Coast! We hope to explore and travel all over the region once we move to New York since we have never had the opportunity before! When exactly is the move happening, you ask? Ugh. Don't ask. It keeps getting pushed back farther and farther into August. Someday, we will be done with school...