The kids woke so early each morning that it was not possible to grab pictures of their sleeping arrangements.  The activities of the week FINALLY tired them enough that we got some shots.

The boys had the living room…

and the girls spread out in Ella’s room.

Another breakfast feast blessed us, including homemade cinnamon rolls.  The grown-ups immersed themselves in conversations and the kids squeezed in more games as the clock seemed to speed along whisking away our time with the Steins. 

We’d been discussing this trip since February and as we all pushed through weeks and weeks of school looking forward to our gathering, it FINALLY happened.  And before we blinked, it seems, the time was over. 

Three homeschool moms.   You can tell by the skirts? 

There were tears and long faces.  Tara said later that her youngest daughter wanted to live with the Maxfields.  ME TOO, Mary!!  I must admit, that even when Tara and I lived in the same county, most of our communicating and friendship-building has occurred over email.  For she and I, we both know we can just slip back into the long-distance support system we are both grateful for.  It is sadder for our kids.  My kids have had limited time with the Stein kids, but they’ve thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity to play and I am sad our families can’t frolic more frequently.  We’ve tried hard not to ruminate on this.

We waved as their big van drove away and turned to reenter the house.  There was a hint of what we would face ourselves on Tuesday.

It took a bit to mobilize, but we made our way to the beach on the Willamette River.  This water was a bit warmer than Siletz Bay, but the sand was more of a fine dirt.  I’d forgotten to pack any sand toys, but we politely asked if we could share toys with other families and after a false start, we hit the jackpot.  (Seriously – WHO wouldn’t let some little kids share sand toys?  Right?  We didn’t ask to use their Jet Skis or water bottles!)

A quick thumbs-up to Lauren.  When they lived in Victor, it was predominantly Ella who liked to love on my little girls.  However, on this trip, I VERY frequently found Lauren showing loving-kindness to Johanna and Katriel.  The girls basked in her attention.  What a blessing to have this young woman to look up to. 

Silliness ensued.

As did some resting.

But the real deal was paddle boarding. 

The kids bemoaned how few pictures I took of them paddle boarding.  The beach was moderately crowded as was the first few feet of the water.  Getting good shots was hard.

The little girls got rides on the boogie board.

After a delicious lunch and more water play we took our filthy selves back home.  “Tubbies” and showers kept folks busy as Mrs. Maxfield and I pulled out succulent leftovers.  We rounded out this night with ice cream sundaes, followed by popcorn and one of my favorite movies: Maleficent.