Trip to Oregon

We had a week and a half of summer at home before leaving for a trip to Oregon.  We mostly worked A LOT.  We tried to get Emmett some time with his friends that he wouldn't see for the 8 weeks that he is gone this summer.  We got together with one of my work friends and her family for dinner and Jim went with her husband and his dad and grandpa to get some pictures of the three generations fishing together.  We also went to a travelling circus that supports Shriners hospitals.

We had an uneventful drive to Oregon, went on highway 20 through Idaho and Oregon which took a little longer.  The Idaho part seemed to slow us down a bit, but it was less miles overall than the freeway and slightly more scenic.  We arrived in time for a late dinner and let the boys stay up pretty late getting their wiggles out.

On Friday we played around Jim's parents' house and did a walk/bike ride around the 3 mile loop.  Beth and Audrey came over while we were on the loop and we saw Audrey driving, she just passed drivers ed.  They met us at the end of our walk with their dog Sadie.  The boys played on the swings, zip line, and Ezra especially enjoyed hunting for lizards.  We also went into town and met my parents at a park.  The boys had fun playing and were really happy that Audrey had come along to play with them.  We also went to a store to get a few things and couldn't pass up giant marshmallows.  After dinner we got to have a fire outside and roast our giant marshmallows.

Emmett scaling the Corvallis Court House

Successful lizard hunting

On Saturday we drove up to Cascadia State Park.  Winn is working at a camp near there and was able to get the day off to join us!  Aaron, Beth, Audrey, Sadie, and Jim's parents were all with us as well.  We hiked into Soda Creek Falls which was a really nice hike.  Afterwards we had a picnic lunch and then played on the bedrock and in the river.  After spending most of the day there we headed back and stopped for treats at A&W.

On Sunday we went to the beach at Newport.  Beth and Audrey rode with us and we started off at the bay front and walked around the docks with the fishing boats.  We saw lots of jellyfish in the bay, right near the docks.  We saw a few seals swimming around, but no sea lions, which are often in the area making a lot of noise.  We watched shrimp being loaded into a truck and fisherman cleaning fish caught on a fishing charter.  Then we headed for Otter Rock and ate lunch at the Moe's out there. Jim's parents joined us and then we headed down to the beach.  We have enjoyed this beach the last several years that we have gone because there is a good cove that serves as a wind break if the tide is low enough to get there.  The tide was low and we had a nice place to relax.  There was a bank of fog off the coast, but the beach was sunny and out of the wind it almost felt hot.  The kids enjoyed jumping in the surf and exploring the rocky areas for crabs and other sea life.  Elliott was nervous and kept his distance.  We worked on a sand castle, played Frisbee and tried our kite.  Late in the afternoon the clouds rolled in and it got a little chilly.  Aaron was working in the ER at Newport so we delivered him some coffee and the kids went in and got stickers and foam airplanes.  They thought it was pretty cool to see him at work.  We stopped at the Dairy Queen in Toledo for dinner.  Many friends checked on us via text to make sure we were ok because of this news story.

On Monday the boys started a week of VBS at my parents' church.  The theme was "Shipwrecked" and they had a great week learning about how God rescues us and having lots of fun.  It was a big commitment for a vacation, but ended up being a great way to wear them out a little and give me some extra time with my parents and Jim.  Monday my mom and I went out for brunch and did a little shopping.  After VBS I took the boys back to Jim's parents' and they spent the afternoon playing in the yard.  Audrey and Beth joined us too.  We played some croquet, and Jim and his dad cut down a dead tree and cut it up for firewood.  The kids also went down to the creek for a little while.  We had a BBQ outside and cooked more giant marshmallows.

Tuesday morning we finished packing for our move to my parents' and got out the door early to take the boys to VBS.  My parents had offered to watch them afterward so Jim and I could spend a childless day together.  We went up to Salem to meet Beth and got to go to the new Sierra Trading Post there.  We also went in Hobby Lobby and Home Goods and then out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant.  Then we drove up to the outlet mall in Woodburn and did more shopping.  Afterwards we took Beth back to Salem and continued on to Corvallis.  We went to a couple stores there and then out to dinner at a wood fired pizza place.  It was a really fun day for us.  The boys had fun with their grandparents, going to a couple parks and playing at their house.  They were just finishing dinner when we got back.

On Wednesday Jim left early for a bike ride and rode to the top of Mary's Peak.  While the boys were at VBS my mom and I went to Garland's Nursery and the Grocery Outlet.  After lunch we took the boys to the library for a rock painting thing and to get Emmett some books.  We played a little at Central Park.  That night we went to a Knight's baseball game.  The week included lots of baseball because the OSU Beavers were playing in the college world series in Nebraska.  We watched at least a portion of 4 of their games.  The ended up the National Champions which is pretty exciting!

On Thursday Jim and I ran some errands while the boys were at VBS.  We brought the kids home for lunch and then went to the aquatic center.  It was in the 70s, which was a little on the cool side for the outdoor Otter Beach swimming area, especially when the sun went behind the clouds.  But we had fun and it wasn't very crowded.  We also swam inside, where the warm small pool was especially nice.  We went back to my parents' and the boys watched the baseball game while my mom and I went to her Zumba class.

On Friday Jim went on another bike ride in the morning and I went with my Dad to Albany to donate a box spring.  There was an end of VBS celebration with a slide show and lunch.  Emmett went with my dad to a welcome back ceremony for the Beaver baseball team.  While they were there we took Elliott and Ezra to Avery Park to play.  Ryan came over for dinner and the boys were excited to go with us to take him home and see where he lives.  They loved seeing his room and the birds that live there.

On Saturday we went to Alsea Falls with my family.  We hiked around the falls and river for a bit and then had our lunch.  Then we hiked more, stopping a couple places along the river for the kids to play.  We really wore Elliott out, he fell asleep pretty quickly in the car and slept all the way to my parents house, through stopping at my parents house for about 20 minutes and the entire drive to Jim's parents' too.  We went over for one last dinner with Jim's family and to say goodbye.  Beth, Audrey and Winn joined us.  The kids had fun with bubbles and sparklers.

Sunday morning we left very early and left one very important thing behind....Emmett.  Emmett gets to spend most of the rest of his summer in Oregon, bouncing between grandparents.  He has been excited about this opportunity for quite a while and is signed up for a couple soccer camps.  He had absolutely no hesitation about staying without us and I'm sure it will be an incredibly memorable summer for him!  Our trip home was uneventful ad Jim thinks we set a record for the trip with kids...11 hours 45 minutes.