Beach bums

The last two Sundays we've driven out to the coast to spend the day at Arcadia Beach.  It's just south of Cannon Beach, away from the shopping and the resturaunts, it's really just a little parking lot off the highway, blink and you'll miss it.  The first two times we came out to the coast we went to Seaside and on the way home drove south to Tillamook then home and we passed the little sign that said "Arcadia Beach access" and thought we'd check it out.  So, last week we did and discovered the BEST BEACH EVER!!!  John has declared it "Our beach" and likely will never consider trying out another beach again because he loves it so much. In fact, I wasn't really feeling up to going again on Sunday, but John got up bright and early and declared we were going to our beach and that was that.

This is the same guy I had to DRAG to the beach practically kicking and screaming anytime we were in California, Panama, Hawaii...he just isn't into beaches, and here's he's shooing us out the door so we can get "our spot" on "our beach".

The drive itself is actually quite nice, it's an hour and a half, first through farmland and then over the mountain (which, at 1600 ft, to us Utahns, it's really just a hill). Our boys are both really good in the car, Alex has always been great on road trips and Max usually falls asleep. 

Once we got there the tide was low and we were able to spend about a half hour exploring the tide pools which was really cool.  We saw all sorts of creatures, several sea stars, hermit crabs, anemones, barnacles, mussles and limpets. 

Once the tide came in we retired to "our spot" which is just up the beach next to one of the freshwater streams running into the sea.  We like to setup camp next to the stream because the boys can play in the water and build sandcastles well away from the waves.  We do let them play in the waves, but only with one of us right next to them.  They can play in the stream without us having to worry, so we can let them do their thing while John throws the ball for Fancy and I collect sand dollars.

 

As we were watching the waves yesterday, the boys squealing every time the water came in at them, I turned to John and said, for probably the 500th time that afternoon, "I LOVE it here!".  "I do too" he said, "It feels like we're on vacation"

On our way back we decided to go through Cannon beach so I could get a picture of Alex pretending to be One Eyed Willie by Haystack rock.

 

And feeling Goonieish, decided to take the long way home by going north to Astoria to see if we could find the Goonie House (we couldn't).  The boys both fell asleep once we left Astoria and John and I enjoyed the winding road back home, stopping at Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area to look at the Elk.

 

I really can't imagine a better way to spend a day.

Morning

"DAAAAADDDDDDYYYYYYY!" comes the call from the boys room. I look at the clock.  2:54. In 6 minutes I have to get up and get ready for work.

"DAAAAADDDDYYYYYYY!" It's Alex. That's unusual. Usually it's Max screaming for one of us in the middle of the night.

"I don't have to get up yet" I grumble to John and he grunts and gets up to see what Alex needs before he wakes the Hulk (aka Max).  JOhn and I have a deal, whoever has to get up in the morning gets to sleep through the night time wake up calls.  John's been doing the get-ups at night since I've been working.

I can hear John whispering to Alex through the baby montor, I guess Alex had to pee. The kid is 4 and a half and has no idea he can just get out of bed whenever he wants. He always yells for us to get him up.  He doesn't even have a gate on the side of his bed anymore.

My alarm goes off.  It's set to a country music station at full blast. Ensuring I don't just hit the snooze and go back to sleep because I can't STAND that music and I can only stomach it for the split second it takes for me to switch it off.

I get up and take a quick shower and dress, then shuffle to the boys' bathroom to see if Alex is ok. I'm worried he's sick. He only ever gets up at night if he's sick. I meet him and John in the hallway and Alex is perfectly fine, yet inexplicably  wide eyed, dragging his blankie behind him with his thumb in his mouth.  He looks up at me and smiles.  Without a word, he holds up his arms. A silent request to pick him up.  I do and ask him if he wants to get into bed with Daddy for the rest of the night, I have to work and would he like to keep my spot warm for me?  "Yes" he says.

John falls back into bed and I tuck Alex into my spot in the bed. "Do you want the towel side or soft side?" I ask him, referring to his blakie which has a rough worn side and a soft fluffy side, which side to put close to his body.  "Soft side" he says.  "I'll get you a drink sweetie" I tell him and go get a cup of juice.

Whe I return he's laying down and in the dark, looks like he's asleep. "Do you want a sip?" I whisper.  "Yes" he whispers back and sits up.  I give him the cup and he takes a small sip.

"Thank you" he says  
"You're welcome" I reply.

"Mommy?"
"Yes baby?"
"I miss you when you're gone"
"I miss you when I'm gone too"
"Can I have a hug and a kiss?"

He reaches for me and kisses me, then gives me a tight squeeze.

"Can I have an eskimo kiss?"

We rub noses.

"I love you Alex"
"I love you Mommy"

I don't want to go. I want to snuggle into bed with him and hold him until morning. I can't. I have to go to work.  I kiss him again on the forehead and walk out of the room.

"Daddy" I hear Alex whisper to John
"Yeah" John grunts
"Can I snuggle?"
"Sure Buddy"