Owen, Sara &
Andrew Hoelter

I think Wamic is at its best in May. The grass is still green and the lupine blooms. Lily thinks so too.

The Wing/Watson/Hoelters were all there to “camp” at Grampa’s house and learn important things, like how to unlock the gate and make the toilets flush.

While we were there, we made sure the rocks hadn’t all been rolled down the hill and the cave is still there. Sara and Owen got to sleep with real dogs (!) in Adam and Jen’s tent.

We tested the water at White River Falls State Park (yep-cold).

We tested a new fire pit (yep-will cook a marshmallow).

And here is the whole lot of us. Next year: same time, same place?

Thanks to an extra-busy spring, I got way behind on sorting and posting photos to our site. With over 2,000 photos to go through across many events and months, the task seemed best suited for the lazy days of Summer. Plus, with Jenny blogging about most major events, you, our faithful reader, probably have the gist of what we’ve been up to.

Well, here we are in the Dog Days, and I’m officially caught up. I’ve posted not one but four galleries, dating from mid-March to mid-July.

So, sit back for a spell and enjoy a window into the last four months of our lives.

	Spring Break We gathered up the troops for a Spring Break adventure to Spokane, Washington, Wallace, Idaho, and Union, Oregon. One reoccurring theme: Getting wet-either in form of swimming (water park!) or the constant rain and/or snow falling from the sky. Good times!
	Rites of Spring Spring brought with it familiar experiences (Awesome 3000!), but also some special events, including Grandma and Grandpa’s 40th anniversary, the birth of cousin Carson, and the acquisition of three cute little backyard chickens.
	Scenes from Two Days on the Coast Over Memorial Day weekend we escaped to the Oregon Coast, visiting the beautiful stretch between Lincoln City and Florence. We were greeted by sunshine, blue skies, and Moe’s clam chowder.
	June and July Ah, summertime – a chance to get outside and do all of the things you dreamed about doing during the damp of winter. Our adventures so far include a Marsh/Wing trip to Medford (with side trip to Ashland), Owen’s first backpacking trip, Sara’s 4th birthday party, 4th of July celebrations, and a few (short) hikes.

Grampa in his “baby meeting sweater” with a twinkle in his eye (and looking a little terrified?) holding his first great grandchild (Owen) at our apartment in Portland, almost 8 years ago. I miss that twinkle! And the chuckle that went along with it…

Hooray for beaches and cousins! The Hoelters, Watsons, and Wings x 3 converged in a (large!!) house in Lincoln City for some family togetherness. Ben and Owen explored and learned how to skateboard, and the “little” cousins stole trains and blocks from each other and were generally herded around by Sara. Lily smiled and crawled and crawled and crawled.

And of course, there was the beach! Sunny, clear, windy and a smidgen chilly, great for sand dune jumping,

And dragging around kelp,

And “accidentally” getting caught by waves!

For next time:

1. 5 bedrooms is VERY nice.

2. Remember the waffle iron and the dice.

3. Nobody eats salad, but EVERYBODY eats grapes and cheese crackers.

Now we all have to get over the viruses we swapped and send packages with left/misplaced pajamas, glasses and doggies back across the Pacific NW!

Here are some other favorites!

The Wings gathered in Union this past weekend to celebrate Auntie Karen’s graduation! She’s pretty amazing and we are proud of HER. We had all been looking forward to having a party and gathering all of the cousins together, because none of us were quite sure exactly what it looks like to have seven grandchildren all in the same place.

The SEPTAVERENT (with grandparents)

Pretty adorable… from the left: Alex, Sara, Ben, Drew, Owen, Henry and Lily.

My kids were really excited to meet their newest cousin Lily, whom Sara insists is called “lOOly, like Looly poops” (Hula hoops, I’m guessing), and sleep in the bunkhouse. We had beautiful weather, particularly the early mornings–crystalline blue sky, bright sun, and the Grande Ronde Valley spring at it’s finest with green hills and fields. Luckily, no one missed these beautiful hours, as it’s pretty much impossible to convince the kids that it’s still nighttime when the sun comes blazing over the hills just before 0600.

Hugs before breakfast

There was a hike with Uncle Adam and Auntie Jen to collect rocks in a completely legal and permitted manner.

Catherine Creek, near the summit

There was a Bird-a-thon at Ladd Marsh with several bird-related activities

Making birdhouses

Ladd Marsh with Mt. Fanny

There were lots of stories, naps and snacks. Nobody takes pictures of naps, but with 5 nappers, the strategic coordination of napping locations and shushing of the non-napping was epic.

Stories

There was an amazing amount of food, including a REALLY good Prime Rib, courtesy of Adam.

Meat!

And here’s a picture of the whole clan at our Eastern Oregon Luau!

The crowd