Oregon Day 7 - Hockinson

We stayed in Vancouver one last day before we left for home.  Josh drove us around to some of his favorite spots from when he was a kid.  This gas station used to be called Bud's and Josh used to ride his bike there as a kid and get treats and ice cream.  So we decided to stop in and do the same!

He even looked up one of his favorite teachers as a boy and we got to spend some time with her at her house.  She was super sweet and had a great yard for all of us to hang out and play.

It was such a fun ending to our trip and Josh was so happy to have been able to see her!

Goodbye Oregon and Washington!  We had an amazing week and can't wait to come back!

Oregon Day 6 - Shipwreck Beach

Friday morning we got up and headed out.  The Hammers left really early to try and get home that night and the Browns left for home going south and making their way through the Redwoods before going back to Utah.  We were planning on staying one more day and night in Vancouver with Sid and Dan before leaving for home.  But we had to get a picture of our beach house before we left.  It was such a perfect house for us - big enough for all of us to stay together and have our own space.  Lots of rooms and lots of places for the kids to play.

We headed north along the coast and made our way all the way the north end of the state Astoria and to Fort Stevens and the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale.  It was a pretty cool beach and fun to see the actual ship that wrecked.

Josh brought our kite with us and we spent the next couple hour just hanging out and flying the kite.  It was a really fun but windy beach so it was perfect for kite flying.  We had such a great day together and left with our ears and hair full of sand!

We found a little restaurant right on the water in Astoria and had fish and chips while looking out across the Columbia River.  Josh and I both felt so grateful to have brought our kids on this unique vacation and to have had such a fun time with friends and family.  I know it's a trip that we will all remember!

Oregon Day 5 - Tillamook

Good morning everyone!  Rhen was really excited to start another day in Oregon!  The kids were having such a great time together and did not want to go to bed.  I'm not sure how much sleep they got last night so that's why the sleepy face.  So cute anyway!

We headed up to Tillamook to go through the cheese factory on Thursday.  It was about an hour drive and we got to drive through all the small coastal towns on the way.  The scenery was beautiful and green.  Once we got there is was a little bit of a chore to keep our big group together but we managed it and had a fun time walking through the factory.

It really is amazing the process they have to make the cheese.  It was really fun to see.  

And of course we ate a delicious lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and Tillamook ice cream before we left.  

That evening was our last night in our beach house and we wanted to have one more time at the beach.  This is the road from our house that leads to the beach and the kids were excited to be able to go back.

We got some firewood and had a bonfire on the beach that night.  It was really fun to let the kids play and be able to just relax and enjoy each other's company.  We had such a fun week together and such good friends with us.

Once again the kids couldn't stay out of the water - you can see that most of us are in sweatshirts but those crazy ones are in their suits and jumping in and out of the cold water!

Baby Desh stayed all bundled up with me and Beck.

And these two cuties had a great time just playing in the sand!

One last picture of our group together before we all go our separate ways tomorrow!

Oregon Day 4 - Tide Pools

Wednesday morning we woke up and the kids were itching to get down to the beach.  So after a quick breakfast some of us adults walked down to the beach with all the little kids.  It wasn't super warm so everyone had jackets on - but they didn't care one bit!  They were just excited to see the ocean and play in the sand.  Once we got there though, the draw to the water was too strong and most of the kids ended up playing in the water and trying to run away from the waves.  The water was FREEZING so I'm not sure how they stayed in as long as they did, but they had a ball playing together.  

Beck was so cute in his pjs and jacket just watching the other kids play in the water.  He was the smart on though and didn't get wet or cold!

After a couple hours at the beach we headed back home and everyone promptly jumped into the hot tub to warm up.

After the beach we went into Depoe Bay and walked around the cute little coastal town for a bit.  

Right across the street from all the shops we sat on the grass and watched the whales.  For some reason the whales were right up close to the shore and we were able to see them while we sat there.  It was so awesome and amazing to see those huge creatures!

No matter where we go Liev always manages to find a tree to climb in.  He's such a funny boy.

We spent that afternoon at the tide pools and we all had a blast!  We searched for little creatures and plants for hours in all the crevices and holes in the rocks.  It was so fun and the kids couldn't get enough.  

And we did end up finding quite a variety of things!

It was such a fun day and we have such a fun group!

On the way back home we stopped at the local taffy shop and watched them make salt water taffy and then came home with a bag of it to munch on the rest of the week.  A perfect day on the Oregon Coast!

Oregon - Day 3 Beach house and Merwin Bridge/Moulton Falls

Tuesday morning we all met up at Sidnee's house to start our day bright and early.  Josh wanted to take the big kids and adults on a hike and bridge jumping where he used to go as a kid.  And Melissa and I were going to take the little kids and go grocery shopping and then head out the the beach house.  So we got together, split into our two groups and went our separate ways.  We went grocery shopping and then stopped for lunch before leaving for the beach house.  It was quite the crew we had.

 Melissa's sister Ally lives in Eugene and met up with us to spend the rest of the week with us.  Between Ally's car and our van, we were able to squeeze all 10 kids in along with all the food for the week.  It was a tight squeeze and there wasn't a lot of wiggle room, but we managed!  We had a couple hour drive out to Depoe Bay and our beach house and the way was full of windy, small roads.  But we were able to see the beautiful Oregon countryside and we had a great time.  The kids were ready to be out of the car by the time we got there but they did so great!  And our beach house was perfect.  Big enough for all of us to stay together and had a hot tub and fire pit too.  The rest of the week is going to be so fun!

 The other part of our group went to Merwin bridge and Moulton falls where they bridge and cliff jumped.  No one got very many pictures of their adventures so this is all I have, but they said they had a great time.  They met up with us at the beach house later that night and we had a fun night together eating and catching up after a long day.

Oregon Day 2 - Fish Hatchery and Punchbowl

Monday morning we met up with the Browns who had gotten to town.  Sid recommended taking everyone to the fish hatchery so that's where we went.  The kids loved seeing all the fish and had a great time!

 There were some huge sturgeon that we watched through the glass and lots of other types of fish we got to see.

 All these cute kiddos were so excited to be together!

 After the hatchery we drove up to the trailhead to Punchbowl.  As we were getting all the kids unloaded and unpacked for the hike, Beck fell and cracked the back of his head.  He had a pretty good sized gash that was bleeding quite a bit.  Luckily for us Dr. Brown was with us and had supplies to clean him up and superglue the wound shut.  After that though Beck was not excited about hiking so I stayed with him and Desh in the car while the rest of the group hiked and swam at Punchbowl.   Josh said all the kids did great on the hike and loved being able to swim.

Such a fun day and a great start to our vacation!

Oregon Day 1 - Vancouver

Our trip to Oregon has arrived at long last!  We have been wanting to take a trip out there for a couple years now and decided that this year is the year to make it happen.  We wanted to see Sid and Dan and their family and also spend some time on the Oregon coast.  So we planned and saved and here we are on our way!  Two families from our neighborhood are joining us and we are looking forward to a great family vacation together.  Our van is perfect for a road trip and especially a 12 hour drive like we have ahead of us.  This is an hour into our long drive - we didn't get far but we stopped for a picnic at the park and so we could feed Desh before we get back in the car.  We decided to drive through the night for a few reasons: the kids are asleep for most of it so that means less whining and fighting, Baby Desh is now sleeping through the night so no need to stop every 3 hours to feed him, and Josh is a pro night time driver so he gets us there quickly and safely without any hassle!  So off we go! 

We made it to Sid and Dan's about 6 am Sunday morning.  Too early for us to wake them up so we ate breakfast at McDonald's and fed Desh while we were there.  Our driving through the night plan worked like a charm and Desh and the other kids slept all night and woke up just as we were about 20 minutes from Vancouver.  Josh was a champ and drove the whole way and now gets to look forward to an afternoon of sleeping and catching up!

Sid lives just down the road from the Columbia River so we took a walk down there Sunday afternoon and let the kids play.  The boys had a blast throwing rocks in the river and we had a fun day catching up with Sid and her family.

And Baby Desh loved every snuggle he could get from Aunt Sidnee!  We are so glad we're here and have such a fun week ahead!

Rhen's Book

Rhen wrote this cute little book this week and showed it to me.  I love how creative she is and love her drawings!

Mr. Beck

Cute Beck out enjoying a summer night with dad.  He should be in bed I'm sure but who can resist that face?

And I can't get enough of Beck and his cheesy grin!  Love this boy.

2 months

2 months old already?!?  Here are some cute pics of our baby that is growing up too fast!

One of our late nights together before bedtime.  Mama loves this boy!

 Desh didn't last very long in his swaddle.  He never really did like it all that much so I've just started putting him to bed without it.  He does much better!

 The smiles are getting pretty good these days.

 And just before he turned 2 months he started sleeping through the night!  Wohoo for all of us!  Once in a while he'll start to fuss a little bit early.  I've started bringing him into my bed with me if its before 6:00 and letting him fall back asleep with me.  I can do that since he's my last right?  

2 month stats from Dr. Erickson:

Weight: 13.27 lbs - 84%

Height: 23.42 inches - 68%

Head: 16.1 inches - 70%