Oregon!

I have no idea how we managed to fit but we did! We are riding low but ready or not here we go! 16 hour drive to Seaside, Oregon!

Tim ended up getting called into work at 2:57 am :( So we left a little later than expected that afternoon. We meet Grandma and Grandpa Diamond in Brigham City for lunch/dinner so they could pick up Hunter.  Then we continued on our 5 hour drive to Mountain Home to stay and visit with Cisco and Brittney. 

We woke up at 3 am loaded the kids and dog in the car and headed onto Oregon!  

Nine hours later we arrived at Multnomah Falls -where we met Papa, Nana, Amy, and baby Charlotte.

This place was amazing! There were waterfalls everywhere you looked! We all had so much fun hiking and it was even better with family! We loved the weeping rock waterfall that was on the trail on our way to Multnomah Falls -downside is the water didn't make for the best pictures there. 

We then headed on to Newburg to visit Jimmer, Amy and Charlotte -and see their house. The girls had so much fun being together and out exploring. They were instantly drinking buddies ;)

Near their home was a fun playground that they boys were able to get out some built up energy from the long drive.

The girls and the boys were enthralled when Jimmer would sing and play the guitar. The girls liked joining in. Ava was also a little concerned that Charlotte left her cup behind.

The next morning I took the boys and the dog for a short walk around the neighborhood. I had told them lets see what we can find...like a cool rock, bug, or something. Little did I know a few of their neighbors were having yard sales. The boys "found" these guitars and were so excited to play just like Jimmer. It is no surprise to see why this video below happened a lot the remainder of our trip.

We headed out late the afternoon for some raspberry picking. Aaron and Nana made quite the team!

We were all in raspberry heaven! We came home with five buckets full of delicious, juicy raspberries.  That is not even including the insane amount of berries we ate while we were picking them.

Later that evening we headed to Seaside. Of course the first thing we had to do when we arrived was go play at the beach. Our kids may have been slightly confused :/ They were making snow angels in the sand...haha.

 The next morning we woke up and headed to Pig n'Pancake for breakfast. The boys loved it! It was a breakfast favorite.

Then it was back to the beach for some sandcastle building!

Jimmer, Amy and Charlotte arrived later that evening just in time to help the boys with a little seashell sorting. Say that fast five times ;)

Jim and Nan rented an amazing beach house that was oceanfront! To say that we were at the beach morning, afternoon, and evening is not an understatement. We absolutely loved it! Thank you :)

I think Ryder may have enjoyed it more than anyone. Beside playing fetch into the ocean (which he had to warm up to since he was afraid of the waves at first) he loved casing the seagulls.

Beautiful sunset and one happy dog on his first day at the beach!

While in Oregon we of course still had some rainy days, but nothing too bad. The kids still had a lot of fun playing inside and were so excited to help Uncle Jimmer restring his guitar. 

Charlotte, Jimmer, and Ava

With or without rainy days this puzzle still continued. This was not your average puzzle either. It was incredibly difficult. For instance, straight pieces were also inside pieces. I love puzzles but not this kind of puzzle. After a week the the puzzle was finally complete -we all of course jumped in and helped at the end :)

The babies also had to nap which gave us some free time to either head to the beach or play at the house. The boys and Ryder liked trying to catch the bubbles.

One of our favorite adventures was hiking from Ecola State Park to Indiana Beach. We had a little picnic before we started and it was a good thing we needed the energy! The hike was beautiful and the kids had a blast. Unfortunately they learned from the adults that hiking can sometimes be frustrating. We could not figure out why we kept heading up when the beach was down 1.5 miles later we arrived at the beach! Thankfully the guys decided to hike back and get the cars so the kids didn't have to hike back as well.  

Ian decided to make a little slip n slide out of a mud hole while on our hike. He managed to catch himself very well with his hands. The baby girls had the most fun! Who wouldn't being carried the whole way and having everyone pass admire them and all their cuteness. 

Eventually we made it to Indian Beach!

We loved Indian Beach so much that the last day of our trip we decided to head back! It had been raining and storming that day but we didn't mind. It warmed up right as we pulled up to the beach and we were the only ones there! The boys had so much fun building sandcastles everywhere. The nice thing about the Oregon coast is you are not melting! The kids could stay at the beach for hours and hours -so could we!

While the little boys were building sandcastles. The big boys had fun hiking around to different tide pools. And apparently doing yoga on top of tall giant rocks :)

 Indian beach was beautiful and I think our favorite place! The drive down to the beach through Ecola State Park was amazing, plus Indian Beach is inside a small cove so it is somewhat protected from the Oregon wind.

We also drove a little further south along the Oregon coast and headed to the Tillamook factory. 

The kids had no problem eating Ice Cream and cheese for lunch! Daddy did -not the place for lactose intolerant people to go :(

That afternoon we drove back up the coast to head back to Seaside and play at the beach.

At first Ava did not care to venture onto the sand. She like staying put on my JJ Cole outdoor blanket. Yes, I had to name it because it was one of those must haves! It was perfect for Oregon and despite the amount of sand, water, and everything it still looks brand new! I am so glad I decided to get that before going. Good ole Logan, UT based company! Anyway....after the first couple a days Ava decided to figure out why everyone else was having so much fun. Who says you can't get dirty in a dress?!

After a long afternoon playing at the beach we decided to head into the main part of Seaside. I am not sure who was more excited to ride the old fashion bumper cars....Papa, or the boys? Can you see the joy on everyones faces? And also that evil smirk when they are about to slam into you!

While the girls couldn't ride in the bumper cars they rocked the strollers :) And mostly had fun watching us and staring at each other.

Remember when I mentioned that guitar playing happened a lot. These kids had way too much fun!

The next day we headed to Astoria and visited Fort Stevens. The boys had so much fun running around and learning all about the military and how it was built during the Civil War. 

From there we headed to a shipwreck of Peter Iredale at Fort Stevens State Park. This ship was heading to the Columbia River (which was one of the most dangerous area known for hundreds of shipwrecks) when it ran ashore in 1906. On our way there we bumped into a 10 year old that informed us it was kind of boring because, "the natural elements have consumed it." It was still pretty amazing to look at. Especially when looking at the before picture.

The boys also saw a pay phone there and clearly had no idea what it was. When we explained that it was a phone and you have to put a quarter into it they thought it was amazing and were determined to call someone. Then they keep trying to put the quarter into the phone -it was hilarious!

We also loved eating in Oregon! The burgers were the size of your head! We seriously should have had Tim hold it up to compare. 

We ate at the house quite a bit as well -clearly we still loved the food at the house!

One of my favorite pictures I snapped of Tim and Ava. Ava was very into mimicking facial expression and we all had way to much fun with it!

One morning we headed to the Aquarium at Seaside. The boys had a lot of fun feeding the seals. But we were all in awe watching the octopus. They are amazing and slightly creepy. 

The kids had a lot of fun learning about all of the things we saw throughout Oregon in the tide pools. Ava just enjoyed the coloring activity at the end.

We came home and all the kids took naps then we got ready to head to one of our next favorites Cannon Beach! The girls were looking super cute in their matching swimsuits.

Aaron had to get in on all of the camera action as well!

Haystack rock at Cannon Beach was beautiful! Unfortunately we had just missed low tide. Amy and Nan heading back the next morning during low low tide and were able to spot a few starfish. Unfortunately they are all getting some kind of virus and dying off at Haystack rock. The boys enjoyed look at the anemones for a few minutes then they were jumping in the water. They also loved making different drawings in the sand.

I love Aaron's little water dance. The tide was starting to come in so the boys were having fun making mini castles for the waves to destroy.

Daddy and Ava -She loves her daddy!

The boys also enjoyed heading to the Maritime Museum in Astoria. They had a lot of fun exploring the ships and touching everything that was allowed. As you can see some spaces in the ship were a little tight!

We also watched a 3D movie at the museum called Sea Rex. I was surprised how much the boys loved it! The baby girls not so much. Although while writing this I am also not sure why we watched a Dinosaur movie at the Maritime museum? Maybe because it had to do with the sea? 

As you can see all activities either started or ended with the Beach! I don't know how people who actually live here get anything done?! Oregon was absolutely beautiful and I am sure if it was allowed the kids would have just lived on the beach.

Since we had been to the Maritime Museum that day it was only fitting that we build a "sandship."

The kids also loved making "drip" castles that Nan showed them. Water, sand, mix and drip!

While we absolutely loved Oregon....after nearly two weeks nothing was better than seeing this sign! 

We put the kids to bed Friday night and loaded up the car. We then decided instead of waking up in a few hours we might as well just start the journey home. So we loaded the kids in the car at midnight and made it to Idaho Saturday afternoon. After a couple hours passed out at the Castillo's house we got back in the car and headed home. The kids did amazingly well and slept majority of the ride! Ava did not seem to be feeling to well -teething, ears, she was ready to be home. The last thirty minutes Aaron completely lost it :( We could see the house (in the distance) but he was done! No one could blame him- we all were! By the time we pulled in the driveway a couple of us had a stomach bug, and the rest of us enjoyed it that night. Long story short- next time I am flying ;)

We had so much fun with family all together in Oregon. We loved meeting baby Charlotte and watching the girls play -well mostly stare at each other. All too soon the girls will be running around chatting up a storm. Besides being with family the house that we stayed at was absolutley perfect!  Not to mention Oregon is so beautiful! Tim enjoyed going out for a couple bikes rides along the coast early in the morning. We loved being right on the beach. We cannot wait to return and look forward to finding even more places to hike and explore.