It really feels like we are hitting our stride. Kids are old enough to be self sufficient but also super fun. We’re able to do family, bike rides, hikes, not bring a diaper bag everywhere. Although we have mourned the loss of our “little kids“. It’s also been super fun to have older age kids that can do more activities. With having two big siblings, Fiona has grown up super fast and acts way older than her age. She’s always in the heat of things. Elliot is like a little big human being, asking such intelligent and thoughtful questions and testing us. I was like the vibrating energy bunny. But also has the ability to slow down, snuggle, and be one of the sweetest kids I’ve ever met.
Elliot has gotten super into baking and it is one of her favorite hobbies now
Elliot is absolutely in love with her fourth grade teacher, Miss Abbott. We get a weekly newsletter with all the happenings of the classroom.
Fall Apple, picking with Au Pair Wendolyne at Mount Hood, annual tradition.
Thor’s game with Elliot’s best friend Amaia
Pumpkin!
Someone looks a little hot!
Fiona date day.
It is an anal tradition to try to get to the sunflower farm, Apple Orchard and pumpkin patch In the fall. I love fall! Some years we make it all happen others it’s just too much.
I got to join Fiona’s classroom for Halloween dress up party.
Another annual tradition to do family Halloween costumes. This year by making the kids watch Princess bride over and over we convinced them to do Princess bride. Fiona and Elliot both wanted to be buttercup so Fiona was a “pink buttercup“ and Elliot was “red buttercup“. Of course, Wes was Wesley He was mostly excited to carry a sword! I’ve been waiting my whole life to be able to say “my name is Indigo Montoya you killed my father prepared to die.” And of course, Mac was a natural physic with a pillow in his tummy.
Wes and his soccer coach, I don’t know how the coach did not lose his voice with how much he yelled during the games.
We were able to welcome over a few of Wendolyne’s friends and Au Pair’s to share Thanksgiving traditions with them. The kids loved being able to share with them and educate them on the holiday.
Kids showing Cooper some love.
Over Thanksgiving, we were able to travel to Costa Rica for a family vacation. We went a few days early, just our family and later joined by the rest of Crystal‘s extended family. He spent the first few days on the Osa Peninsula. The small nonpressurized playing to get us to Porto Jimenez. We did an evening kayak trip to see the bioluminescent water. The kids absolutely loved it, the guy cut us fresh fruit and we relaxed on the beach before it was dark enough to see the bioluminescent. The next morning we loaded up all our luggage onto small boats to head over to the Corcovado national Park. We knew that this area was the most very remote, but we may have underestimated the boat right there. The boat bouncing over the huge waves was quite an event as well as getting pulled over by the Costa Rican Coast Guard. Trying to hold up a sleeping Fiona in her chair while going over huge waves was quite the challenge. Mac was trying so hard to deal with his motion sickness from the waves. But the last we got there, got to see at least the butt of a taper, survived the heat and humidity. By some miracle, our luggage had been transitioned at sea from the portal Jimenez boat to the Drake Bay boat successfully and we headed back to Drake Bay.
We had a lovely cabin rental overlooking the bay in town in Drake Bay. We had decided not to do a luxury hotel and instead enjoyed buying our own groceries and relaxing on the front porch looking at the bay in our hammocks. We went to local restaurants and a lot at night and enjoyed the time in the small local community.
We were able to find time to walk along the coastline to several other beaches That we would have to ourselves or maybe with just one or two other people. Kids love mostly playing in the sand as the undertow was strong enough that we didn’t feel comfortable fully swimming.
We were able to take a boat ride up the Sierpe river, where by some miracle we had arranged for a rental car to meet us where the boat let off. There was definitely a moment of anxiety as we ate breakfast at the restaurant that the car whatever arrive and how we would get from the small town, the boat let off and to Manuel Antonio, but it all worked out. We were able to drive up to Manuel Antonio and meet the rest of the Weis crew! We had rented a large home with a cook and a surprise bartender which was an extra special treat. I spent the next few days seeing the animals and Manuel Antonio, spending the day at the beach, hiking to waterfalls and ziplining. The monkeys from the house were absolutely crazy. At one point, they stole the sugar from the house, coffee and we were able to watch the monkeys all try to open up the Tupperware. The kids got an absolute hit out of the monkeys coming into the house since it was an open air house.
From zip lining, we were off to the Rafiki Safari Lodge. Well, a bit more off the beaten path, the camping type feel with looks over the jungle were absolutely fabulous. They took us white water rafting the second day where we were able to walk down from our lodge. Elliot was put at the helm of the Raft and had fun taking after Crystal being the guide for a while.
The time at the Safari Lodge closed out our trip and we had an early morning drive back to the airport. We arrive back in Portland just to see Christmas season already in full swing. We usually cut down our tree, but this year with being in Costa Rica we went to pick one up at the local Boy Scouts tree yard. We decided that the bunch bike was the best way to bring it up the hill back to our house which was an adventure in itself.
We have decided that Loch Lolly is our favorite Christmas tree farm, mostly because of the Santa Claus :). Overall, as a smaller tree farm that has an absolutely lovely and friendly Santa Claus. The kids get to spend a lot of time talking to Santa, talking about what they’d like for Christmas and it’s overall a great experience. We get to cut down our tree afterwards and all in all of relaxing, fun day. Now that the kids are getting bigger, everyone wants to help with the Christmas tree.
We participated in wrestling again this year. There’s something about seven year-old boys and controlled wrestling. We’re not sure if it will be his sport long-term, but it definitely gets that wrestling energy out of them makes our lives easier :-)
Elliot’s chorus had a concert at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland. It was such a special event for them to be able to perform in this venue.
We were able to do some other traditional Christmas events for us, such as going to zoo, lights, making gingerbread houses, And taking the girls to the Nutcracker ballet. We of course, offered for Wes to go to the ballet, but he chose to go to the arcade with dad instead :-). Cooper is getting up there in years but was able to spend one more Christmas with us.
Quiktrip up to timberline to enjoy the scenery and to be able to ski out the next morning without having to do an early morning drive to the mountain. We were blessed with an early morning sunrise and get snow. Of course Elli enjoyed the sunset window to read her books.
Christmas is always tricky for us with Both of our work schedule. We both worked this Christmas, but we were able to alternate so that the kids had a parent with them for the whole holiday. For Christmas Eve, we were able to go to Trinity Episcopal Church, where they do a Christmas pageant, and the kids can choose who they want to dress up as. Elliot chose a shepherd, Fiona and Angel, we decided to not participate this year, but after seeing it decided that next year he might be in.
Christmas Day tends to be very relaxed for our crew. Christmas pajamas has definitely become a tradition, A little ridiculous, but we like it. A calm morning opening presents, playing with them, eating brunch.
After Christmas, we were off to celebrate the holidays with the Cook family on the East Coast. Unfortunately, with the passing of Macs grandma We devoted our trip to Albany, New York to be able to see Macs’ extended family and attend the funeral. Things took a turn the other direction when Ellie started to have high fevers, abdominal pain and vomiting. While Mac attended the services, Elliot, West, and Fiona spent the day in the emergency department. Ellie had Pyelonephritis. We left the emergency department and attempted to keep her hydrated with nausea medication’s and comfortable with Tylenol and ibuprofen but ultimately she couldn’t keep anything down and we were back in the air and getting admitted the next day. We had a late day discharge on December 31 after Elliot was eventually able to keep down fluids and stay hydrated. Although many thought we were crazy, That evening, we decided we needed to get out of Albany and start our trip back to Maine to bring in the new year at Cook Camp. So if we went to drive from Albany to Maine to bring in the new year…..
Turns out we didn’t quite make it to Maine by midnight and ended up celebrating the new year in a gas station outside Freeport Maine. We did the countdown with a gas station attendant and had some gas station shakes. We will never forget the new year of 2025!
Finally back at Cook Camp, we were able to settle in and relax. With all the happenings, we extended our trip on the East Coast and unfortunately, had to cancel our time in Wisconsin with the Weis family. Elliot finally got some time with Malcolm, her new baby nephew. Cousin time and relaxing at Cooks camp before heading back to Oregon. This was the trip that just kept giving, and on a return flight home we also missed our plane in Philadelphia. After some classic “good cop, back cop” With the airline Customer service, we were able to eventually get a flight to Dallas Texas that arrive late that night. Our flight to Portland wouldn’t leave until the next morning so we ended up doing a four hour stay in an airport hotel in Dallas. What a trip! We decided that the travel gods had saved up all the bad juju for this one trip and that we were good for a while :-)
