Change of Command

And upon returning, we got to go to Dad's Change of Command. Who doesn't love a nice Marine Corps Ceremony.

That's Dad on the left, giving his company to Captain Abelson. Dad's up in the 3 shop now. Yeah, Reeder here, and I know what that means.


Talking to his Marines. Oh, and we got to see Dad tear up! And he gave us a shout out, too, saying we were good to our awesome Mom while he deployed.

The fam, the LAV, the flowers.

And we celebrated by getting ice cream. But I had a loose tooth so didnt want to bite the cone. Another story awaits...

Mt. St. Helens

The last of the ranger badge trip. Mt St Helens and Reeder here. This place was INCREDIBLE! Volcano?!!! What? So super cool.


Is this not completely amazing?

Yep, you got it. And this was the easiest badge I earned. I attended a class (yes, please!) and earned my badge within 30 minutes! Now that's remarkable! I learned about different rock and did you know that not all volcanos have lava in them? Well, now you do.

We hung out, went on a short hike, and spent an awesome night in a little cabin in that lay within the 1980 blast zone. Pretty cool.


And then we headed for home. Mom and Dad called Hayes "first class".

And the last night of our trip...

That's it, friends. I hope you enjoyed tagging along as we retold our awesome vacation. I wonder what we'll do next December when Dad gets back?

Olympic National Park

Hayesyboy here folks! Reeder told me how boring Mom was being, so we're steppin in here on behalf or you, our faithful fans. All 6 of you.

OK, off to another national park. Wahoo! Yipee!

First stop, a lil lunch.

Oh, remember how Mom hates slugs and snails? Check out what we're riding!


And you know my sis is OBSESSED with ranger badges. Well, we had to go on ranger led hike. Let's go! PS. Notice where Dad and Reeder are.....in the front, holding hands. I'm more of the back of the line type kid.

And I was told that trees aren't for climbing, and I get it. Kind of. I mean I GET that we're supposed to protect them and all. But can't we climb just a little bit? What if I smile really big?

So thoughtful. Dad tries his best to find peace in the chaos. Good luck, old man.

I'm trying to listen, I'm trying to listen. But sometimes my legs just won't stop moving. At least Reeder's paying attention.

I can't stop climbing. This time I got in real trouble by the ranger. I decided enough is enough. Mom, please put me in the stroller and I'll take a nap during the rest of this boring hike.

Those were some big trees (I like to point out the obvious).

Dad checking out all the moss. I think Y was pretty bored, too. He slept most of the time.

And Reeder took notes so that she could ensure another badge. At this moment she was drawing a picture of her favorite part of the forest.

The moss. Did you know that the trees actually grow little roots up into all the moss? Me neither, but Reeder wanted me to type that.

More scenic moss...

And the ceremony.

And the proud rangers (I'm not letting it go that he didn't want me climbing that ONE tree).

I did have my rents PROMISE that on the way out of the park we could stop and play in the river. Your welcome.

Those two at the river....

Oh, this was cool. We made an awesome picnic and drove to Hurricane Ridge. Pretty nice spot for lunch, don't you think?

And when you gotta go, you gotta go. I think the deer was impressed.

Then Dad took Reed and me on a nice snowy adventure. We went hiking in our "snow gear" for a long time. Gotta give Y some Momma time, ya know?

Wait! Y!!! You're supposed to be bonding with your mother!!!

Then, we were leaving. And there were cars pulled over on the side of the road where you're not supposed to stop. And we did. HOLY MOLY!!!! A BEAR!!!!

We got this great idea from Ms. Karla. A restaurant. So, I named it, and Mom did the rest.

And it worked so well cuz this little house had a sunroom that made the perfect restaurant.

Until you stick your finger in a lighthouse and can't get it out. Mom brought over a knife. Very funny, mother, very funny.

And s'mores!!!!

So, Lefty likes fetch. And she'll try to get anyone to play with her. Poor dog. I'll be right Lefty!

Another flower field for our Mom, who aspires to be a photographer. Maybe some day, Mom, but you should think about not having anymore children. You carry around enough as it is.

This pic is a sneak preview of things to come. Got uploaded out of order. Just wait.....

In her attempt to get a pic of Y, they thought you wouldn't notice y's tripod. Don't worry, they were laughing through it all.

Lime Kiln Point State Park. Amazing. Another best hike of 2011. Remember how much Mom loves slugs? I FREAKED HER OUT!

We made it all the way to the lighthouse. Looong hike. But, we're getting pretty good at long hikes.

family portrait time. And when I nicely explain that I don't want anymore pics taken of me, this is what happens.

Thw most amazing cove was along this trail. So, we hiked even further and enjoyed what most people just look at, but we were here for the experience!

The rock climbing was amazing!

The water was a touch chilly. OK, it was freezing! But, we love water!

Dad, going to his happy place.

Ahhh, aren't they a cute couple?

That's a wrap. No, not of our trip, just this portion! Handin' it back to Reed, now!

Sekui

Forget it. We took back the reins. This is, after all, OUR blog. And, well, Mom just isn't funny enough. So, Reeder here to take you through Sekui, Washington. You know that map of the US? Well, go as North (up) and West (left) as you can go and right before you get to as far as you can in the US, you'll find Sekui. It was pretty amazing. I don't think many people go there, and that made it even better for us. Mom frantically found us yet another great house as our home base. Huge yard, more love for the dogs.





And the best, what you don't read about, what no one tells you! We went exploring to the shore near our place. IT WAS THE MOST SPECTACULAR TIDEPOOL EVER!!!!





First, though, I hung back with Dad. See, I don't like him out of my sight. In fact, I like to hold his hand constantly, sleep with him, be AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE. So, when Mom and Hayes had a random dog following them on the beach, I stayed back with my Dad and Y.






Hayes was the first to spot the sea urchins. We had no idea what was yet in store...

Mom doesn't bore us with scenery pics often but thought you'd like to see this amazing place.

And the investigation begins.

How cool is this sea star? Oh, and how cute am I?

And the anemones! Now, I'm not one to just touch stuff, but luckily for me my brother is. So, he just knelt down and touched the anemones!!!!!!!! Can you believe it? And the shrunk back. It was so cool. So, after Hayes taught me (yes, every so often he teaches me something) that I shouldn't be a fraid of a gooey green thing living in the sea, I touched it!!! Can you believe it? And it was SO amazing!

Look closely and you'll see dad with living sea urchins. I'm telling you, this day was fabulous!

And when we got to the tip of the beach, you could see where there used to be a lighthouse. No longer, but we still got to climb around and explore.

Ahhh, my mother. I love her. Dearly. Where's Dad?

Gotta run, gonna go play with some neighbors and have Hayes take over the next post. You can thank me later for taking over from boring Mom. Where's Dad?