Sur-Prise!

So Kevin pretty much works every day and was needing a break from it all, no phone, no labtop, just a break, so we had to get out of Redding to make that possible! We had been talking all summer about going to Marine World/Discovery Kingdom and it was time. But Kevin decided not to tell the girls. Kevin had remembered a time when he was kid and his mom put him in the car and they ended up at Disneyland, and he loved the surprise. So that is all he told the girls, "It's a Surprise." The car ride down was full of questions and guesses, none which were as cool as the outcome- Chuck E. Cheese, a walk, Sun Oaks (our gym where the girls love to swim), and so on. "How do you spell it?" "Starts with sur, ends with prise" and on and on the game went. And then, a few hours later, we took an exit off the freeway, the girls were looking all around for hints, and then they saw them- the towering, brightly colored roller coasters that you can't miss, and you would not believe the excitement that erupted in our car! We had an incredible day together, an incredibly hot day, but a great, fun day! Kacia has always loved rides, but we weren't sure how our cautious, "timid with anything new" Rylin would do- but she loved it! I think she was at the perfect age to comprehend that the fun would outweigh the fear!

The "scrambler" (which ended up being Kacia's favorite of the day) has somehow gotten a lot faster than it was when I was 16, how'd that happen?This picture just doesn't look complete without Lincoln, although we are very happy that Grandma and Grandpa agreed to hang out with our guy for the day since he's not a fan of car rides, strollers, or naps without his bed.

Rylin enjoying her first roller coaster with Daddy

I love that they have a ton of animals here too, so it's like getting to go the zoo without having to pay 2 separate admission tickets. However, when rides are right across from the animals, suddenly they don't look that exciting anymore.It was cool that Sawyer and Kacia were both tall enough to go on a lot of the rides without a parent because it meant that the 2 of them got to go together, which was way fun to them

Me and my little hopper

We ended the day with Shouka. This whale is pretty cool, did some neat tricks and ate a ton of fish for her "treats." The sun had finally started to go down so we could sit and watch the show without sticking to the bleachers, which was a nice bonus, since we didn't make it through the entire dolphin or tiger show due to the relentless heat! It was fun to watch my girls get such a kick out of this truly enormous animal! A great way to end a fun day!

Swim Lessons

So the girls did swim lessons the first 2 weeks of July. Kacia has always loved being in the water and can hold her breath for very long periods of time. She can get just about wherever she wants with her head under, behind in the air and feet kicking like crazy. But it was time to learn some strokes. Her class was perhaps a little too challenging for her, but she does well being pushed. They learned a bunch of different strokes, breathing techniques, and even began diving. She loved it, but was exhausted every time since they would swim the full length of the pool many times. She would often say to me, "Why does Sam work us so hard?" But he was a very kind and patient instructor and Kacia came away knowing quite a bit more than she had started with, as well as a little case of swimmer's ear!

Now Rylin has never liked the water. It has been a fairly recent thing for her to even enjoy bath time, so we knew lessons were very needed for her, but also, would not be easy! I opted to do them at 5 so that Kevin could be there with me in case my little blondie caused some problems. And she did... the first 2 lessons she cried, and sometimes even screamed through. But once she learned that her teacher, although she made her dunk her head, would not let her drown- she began to have fun! By the end of the first week she was sad we didn't have lessons on the weekend, and week 2 she had a total blast! I can now not keep her little head above water, she just wants to swim, swim, swim! And this is a very good thing since summers in Redding are best spent in water!

My Sentimental Safeway Club Card

So you know how there are those things in life that you don't even realize you like until you are questioned about them? So I was in Safeway yesterday with all 3 kiddos, frantically picking up a few things before heading to a birthday party I was already late for, when I realized that I was attached to my Safeway clubcard. I have always used my mom's clubcard, and I always just punch in the old phone # without even really thinking about it. And I guess this time the # didn't register when I punched it, so the cashier asked me my #, I say it and he says "that's an invalid #" and I'm instantly puzzled then, he starts to repeat it back, "530.." "no 253..." "Oh, where is that area code?" to which I reply, "washington, it's my mom's" "well, do you want your own?" and I'm instantly struck by the fact, that no I don't want my own! I like the smile it brings to my face when I see her name printed at the bottom of the reciept, I like that the simple act of going to the grocery store reminds me of her, and yes, I know that it has been 7 years, but apparently I'm attached to my Safeway clubcard, or rather my mom's card! But how do you tell the checker all of these thoughts that are so rapidly going through my mind, so I reply "no thanks, not today, maybe sometime when I don't have all 3 kids with me." "totally understandable, thanks Miss Hetland, or rather, Miss Hetland's daughter." to which another smile is instantly brought to my face since I also like the fact that they always call me Miss Hetland, until they notice Burns from my debit card and they are confused every time, and every time I get a silent kick out of it! So there you have it, my attachment issues to a card I don't actually even have in my wallet, but a card I have no intentions of replacing any time soon, and the funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only Hetland still using it!

My Favorite Place

Me and my boy
Big sis helping her very independent brother

She's looking a little like a child from the 80's with the side ponytail (great for protecting the scalp from sunburn) and bright retro heart bathing suit!

Got to love the sand!

Enjoying some tide pools at Harris State Beach (and no I'm not pregnant, that's the camera case!!!)

Grandma and Grandpa Burns with my 3 and cousin Alayna

Kacia and Sawyer playing in the water

Wow, a mussel, you don't find many of those :)!

My sandman looking for more trouble

Our church family camp this year moved to the Oregon coast. I was thrilled with this decision as the beach is my absolute favorite place to be. It doesn't really matter which ocean or which part of the coastline, there is something totally breathtaking about standing before a body of water that is so enormous it just goes on as far as you can see. Then you add in the sound of the crashing waves and the salty air, and I find myself lost in a world of utter amazement at the enormous and powerful Creator I love and total heartache as I miss my mom. There is no other place that makes me think of her more. My mom loved the ocean. So many of my childhood memories take place in various cities along the Oregon coastline, some good, some not. But there is one constant in all of those family vacations, my mom's huge smile as she would stand ankle deep in the water with her pants rolled up and we would swing my younger siblings up to avoid the waves. She would laugh as we would do it over and over again. There is a very selfish side of me that would love to experience the ocean with her and my kids. So much of what I do with my kids, I do in memory and in honor of her, and we talk about Grandma Michele often, although its not quite the same...
Okay, so I didn't mean to go off on that tangent, I just meant to share pictures with you of our very fun trip to Brookings. Here is a brief taste of the difference in my kids. Kacia- drawn to the water, would run and play in the waves for hours. Also enjoyed the tide pools, holding the various animals. Rylin- scared by a wave the first day, refused to go in the water (by that I mean toes) again until day 3. She would play in the sand for hours, her bathing suit still has sand ingrained into the material that refuses to come out. I think she managed to touch with a starfish with one finger. Lincoln- busy one year old, ate handfuls of sand, driftwood, rocks, etc. When I tried to remove him from eating the sand, by playing in the water, he was quickly distracted, and continued to try to go into the water, further and further. Didn't want to be held, wanted to be down exploring, mostly with his mouth. He was also a big fan of all of the dogs and birds that are found at the beach.

All in all, we had a great time as a family and with our church friends. Sorry this post got so long!