My husband and Lilah checking out Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
Cousin Kelly all decked out in a safari hat from the Spring 2007 'Ship Ahoy!' collection
Last weekend my family (including parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) all took a quick road trip to beautiful Gold Beach, Oregon; it is on the coast, just 45 miles beyond the California border. After a full day of driving, we made a pit stop at The Trees of Mystery in Klamath, CA and had a photo op with the statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox before driving the final stretch. Though we were in Oregon for only a couple days, our plan was to pack in as much fun as possible.
We stopped after 32 miles in the small community of Agness. Those of us that had young children took a breather, warmed up, and had some lunch while the ‘grandparents’ all chose to go as far as the jet boats were able to take them (an additional 20 miles). When they returned, they regaled us with tales of rapids, rock cliffs and warm weather declaring it to be the most stunning part of the trip. Of course, isn’t that the way it always is?
We were told this bridge was only 4 ft. above the water line during the 1964 flood.
The sign on the roof reads “High Water December 22, 1964” that was the high water mark during the flood.
On the way back down the river the weather was beautiful and Lilah stood up next to me almost the whole time. She was excited to see deer and river otters along the banks. There were so many fishermen hoping to catch King Salmon or Steelhead that we made a game of looking for dogs on the small boats on our way down (there were many). Our guide informed us that during the flooding in December 1964 the river almost flooded over many of the bridges (hard to imagine). All-in-all it was a beautiful day and a fabulous boat trip with my amazing family. There is so much more to tell you about, like our ocean voyage to the St. George’s Reef Lighthouse and our tour of the Coast Guard Station but I think I’ll save the rest for another day! Stay tuned.
My cousin, Joslyn, is getting ready to have Baby #2 (a girl, Haven Bella) soon and this weekend, we are holding her baby shower! Since I work at a baby and kids clothing company, it’s no secret that most of my baby shower gifts are going to be our gorgeous baby clothes from 
I have come across a lot of these online, but was never sure exactly how they did it. So the other night, I YouTube’d it, and sure enough there was a cheesy – though resourceful – How-To video. I bought the diapers, the ribbon, the jewels, the rubber bands, and the pins (my variation from double-stick tape), and went to work. I had to roll the diapers slightly differently than the video explained because the cute “character scene” on the front was turning my white cake into a blue one. All in all it took about 45 minutes to roll 92 diapers (size 1 & 2) and assemble them in the cake layers; about 30 minutes to put the ribbons and the jewels on; and 5 seconds to lay the shoes on the top as the cake topper.
Last weekend we went to a birthday party for our friend’s 5-year old son. The invitation was cowboy-themed. The party was decked out in Western decor. The host gave away cowboy hats and bandanas, and there were even pony rides. YES, pony rides! It was the BEST party my daughter has ever been to (she exclaims this after every party she attends). It seems like children’s birthday parties are getting fancier each year, and it’s becoming a challenge to “top” the next party – not that these kids are competing. But as a parent, you don’t want to be outdone (recently, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were in the news, having hosted a $100,000.00 birthday party for their daughter, Suri, where the cake alone cost over $15 thousand!). The pressure is on if you’re only going to have a simple “cake and ice cream” birthday gathering.
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