Tag: fishing

a day at the fishin’ hole

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today i got to spend the morning fishing with a bunch of kindergartners and it was perfect…well, almost.

there was one kid who fell in the water. he was in our group. luckily, he just got wet. the teacher wasn’t surprised.

the little guy rode the school bus for the very first time and liked it. he was nervous, but got right on and waved from the window when we arrived at the fishing hole. {although, he did tell me that he will only ride school buses on field trips until he is in college}

sunshine and blue skies overhead, jumping fish, and happy kids.

our group of three boys each caught a fish.

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the mom leading our group was, obviously, a fisherwoman. between the two of us we had no problem baiting the hook, casting the line, holding the fish, and getting the hooks out of the mouths. so much fun!!

the boys were as patient as three kindergarten boys will be. luckily, there were salamanders to look for, osprey overhead, and other groups to compare fish with!

they eagerly watched the fish get cleaned and were excited to take them home. {the pond is stocked with trout and there is no catch and release}

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baby girl came along and had just as much fun watching the boys and playing with all the kids. i can’t wait to go again with her in two years!

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i absolutely love being able to be a part of these opportunities with them. i am one blessed momma.

home is…a sunny day at the fishin’ hole.

wishing it was summer break

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I woke up this morning, tried to figure out what day it was, and wished that it was summer break.

Reece wished for the same thing when I reminded him that it was a school day.

Just a few weeks ago our summer was WIDE open.

No plans.

We had a summer full of travel last year thanks to Ryan having extra time off between jobs, but this year we thought we would just stick close to home for our adventures.

Within the last week or so our summer calendar has begun to fill up…all road trips within the Pacific Northwest (except for Ryan’s cross country trip to New York for a wedding).

JUNE

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan’s parents booked their trip to visit us in Portland. They arrive the day after the kids get out of school and will stay for a week! I am hoping they will get some nice weather during their visit as June can be a temperamental month here in Oregon. Some of the adventures during their visit may include a trip to Multnomah Falls and a visit to the Historic Timberline Lodge up on Mt. Hood. As always, a trip to Powell’s, a brewpub, coffee consumption, and Nana’s awesome kid activities will ensue.

JULY

This week, our 3rd annual trip to Lake Pend Oreille with my parents and my sister’s family came together. My aunt and uncle graciously open up their summer home on the lake for family to come play. My parents rent a house for all of us to stay in and we head over to my aunt and uncles house each day to have fun at the beach, sail, kayak, fish, jet ski, and explore the lake by boat. It is definitely a memory making trip for our family.

AUGUST

Yesterday, with both kids up before 5:30, I booked a beach house on the Oregon Coast. It’s been a few years since we have had a vacation at the coast and our day trip during spring break “sealed the deal” for me. The kids are at a perfect age to get out and enjoy what the coast has to offer. We have stayed at a few different locations over the years, but tend to like Bella Beach. We have stayed in 3 different houses there and I booked a different one for this stay. We usually spend time on the beach, explore Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, and head to to Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.

 

The Pacific Northwest offers so much during the summer. In between the big plans we will have a lot of small adventures:

It’s going to be a good summer…we just need to get through the last month of school!

home is…making summer plans.

 

 

 

life at the lake

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the kids, my parents, my sister, my niece and i spent a week at lake pend oreille in beautiful northern idaho.

the first night, reece was throwing his hook into the water…

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by the next day, he was catching fish all by himself with one of topher’s mepps spinners!

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uncle buzz and aunt michele have tons of water toys at their lake house…

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reece and sasha got out on the jet skis with topher and uncle buzz…

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while lorelai played on the beach with meme.

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reece also go out on one of the hobie cats with uncle buzz…

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and meme got some time on the water, too.

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my 95 year old grandfather was up there with us, too. he couldn’t make it down the stairs to the water, but enjoyed the view from the patio…

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my parents rented a house for all of us about 6 miles away and we ate dinner there every other night…it was a way for all of us to have some quiet time, but we still had a beautiful view of garfield bay and the lake.

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i ran three times while on vacation…this was my halfway/turn around point on my first run.

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and, here is where it ended (near the house where we were staying).

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running errands by boat is awesome…

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on sunday, topher took my sister and i into town by boat so we could do a little birthday shopping for sasha. the girls rode into town with us and back to my aunt and uncle’s house with topher.

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reece and sasha made the trip back to town with topher to pick us up.

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returning to the lake house, we were greeted by these two little dock dogs…lily and elmo belong to my cousin and his wife…

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that’s my cousin, greg…

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and, this is his beautiful wife, natalie. our first visit to the lake was for their wedding last august. they just celebrated their first wedding anniversary! (you can see the posts from their wedding here, here, here, and here)

home si

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we took the boat out to watch greg on the air chair…he makes it looks way easier than it is.

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you can see topher on a jet ski in the background…marley, who is the original dock dog, was sad that she couldn’t come on the boat, so he took her for a ride on the jet ski.

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i can’t wait to see the go pro video of all my cousins giving it a try next week (we missed their visit by a week…maybe we can all be there again together next year)!

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we celebrated the kids birthdays…july 5th, august 1st, and september 8th.

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and, watched the baby bald eagle…

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watch us.

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the days of playing on the lake melded together…slow, relaxing, fun…i have more photos and video on my phone that i think i will need to add in another post.

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looking good for 95…

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we took the boat into town for dinner and were joined by my cousin and his wife.

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uncle buzz, topher, meme, and aunt michele…a good looking bunch that make this family fun possible.

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seriously, life is good at the lake.

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saying goodbye is hard, so instead i say, “see you next time.”

home is…one of my happy places.

10 days

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Since my last post.

Where did the time go?!

I’ve wanted to write, but I’ve been doing things.

Working on projects, exploring Portland, and enjoying a visit from Ryan’s parents.

{12 days}

Until school starts for my kiddos.

That means we have 12 days to soak up the rest that summer break has to offer.

Pool time, backyard fun, and maybe some additional adventures that we still need to cross off our summer list.

{8 days}

Until Ryan turns 40.

No party planned.

He didn’t want one.

I am kicking him out of the house this weekend.

I told him he had to go do something for himself and he had to be gone at least two nights.

It sounds like he has a perfect getaway planned.

{4 days}

Until college football starts.

Our house will be filled with the sights and sounds of college football all weekend.

I am so excited.

{10 days}

Until baby girl turns 3.

Where did the time go?!

photos from {m}iphone

MORE…photos from {m}iphone

home is…having too much fun to blog about it.

life is good

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When I started this post on Sunday night, I was sitting on a deck, with a glass of wine, watching my dad fish as the sun was setting behind a “mountain”.

Meme and Aunt Betsy were snuggling with the kids while they watch a TinkerBell Movie.

We had been at my aunt and uncle’s lake house from 9 am until 5 pm.

Yesterday was pretty much the same…except we stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house for dinner and a bonfire.

The kids have played non-stop.

Reece is not afraid of being in the water.

He is swimming, jumping off docks and rock cliffs, getting on rafts, instigator of water fights, sharing rafts, riding on paddle boards.

He is a social butterfly who makes fast friends with our extended family.

Lorelai is a little bit more timid.

She stands or sits on the rocky beach collecting rocks with her chosen friends…Natalie, Suzanne, and Alyssa.

She won’t put her swimsuit on until the end of the day, and is refusing to put her life vest on to get in the water, but she LOVES to watch her brother…fishing, swimming, playing.

He taught her how to skip rocks…

{winner}

I didn’t forget about the giveaway…

Reece picked a number between 1 and 7…

Kell, you win!

Please e-mail me, homeis(at)stephanytaddeo(dot)com, with your shipping address and I will get the mason jar pendant light to you as soon as we return from vacation!

home is…lakeside.

gone fishin’

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Ryan gathered some of his buddies and their kids and took them fishing on Saturday.

It’s one of our favorite morning activities during the summer.

The river is just minutes from our house.

Crawfish, Bass, Carp…it really doesn’t matter what you are catching.

Baby girl and I brought some crumb cake and coffee and just watched the action.

home is…sharing fun with friends.

worth it

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We had such a perfect lazy day today that I gave in to a beer (or two) this evening in the beautiful Pacific Northwest sunlight.

I’ve already forgiven myself, so I hope you won’t hold it against me.

My workout today was paddling up the Tualatin River with Ryan and the kiddos.

The little guy caught his first wild fish this morning with Ryan, and we ventured out in a canoe up the Tualatin River this afternoon.

I never thought we would get a four year old and an almost two year old in a boat, but we did it!

It was spur of the moment decision when we saw the Tualatin River Keepers renting canoes and kayaks at the boat launch at Cook Park today.

It was worth it.

Later, we played in the backyard in a tent, made the cozy coupe into a Batmobile, and ate elk for dinner.

On this Saturday night, life is good.

home is…a fun day down at the river.