Autumn Leaves

We had a fun, soccer filled fall.  Jacob and Micah both played on some "Surf" competition teams this year.  Micah's team made great improvements as the season progressed and won 3/4 of their last games.  It was so fun to see them learn to work together as a team.

 Jacob's team had a rough go of it...never been on a team that had so many odd struggles.  The great thing about it though, is that Jacob didn't seem to mind.  There are years when it would have really bothered him, but he just persevered and tried to get better.  We'll see what the spring brings.

We were able to catch some fall leaves early this year.  Always makes me so happy!

 Love these handsome boys!

What a beautiful rock skipping spot!!

 And Phil's classmate Molly from UW came to visit.  We enjoyed a Saturday (after a snow in the mountains storm) up at Silver Lake.  It was gorgeous!!

Grateful to live in such a beautiful part of this world!

It's beginning to look a lot like fall!

We are seeing signs of fall around here!

First Day of School

Micah in 5th, Ben in 8th, and our big 10th grader at the High School escaped the picture!

 Micah with Millennium Falcon (which we take credit for naming)

They had Star Wars music playing etc.  It was awesome.  Going to be a great year!

 Ben's Birthday (celebrated all week again!)

Lots of soccer games and practices

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival

Our last Hurrah of summer, we joined Ben and Phil for the "Laugh Night" and it lived up to it's name.  Add a fun hotel stay and we had a great weekend.

 Celebrate America Show!  

Lynette and I were dates this year!

 What? A driver in our house?  Jacob got his Learner's Permit.  Watch out world!

 And last but not least, FALL LEAVES!!  

I got my fall fix this weekend after a long few days without Phil at home.  It was the perfect day and weather.  We had a great time!

 Love this one!

 Love these boys!

 Which path would you take?  The one less traveled?

 Payson Lake was gorgeous!

 And with some skipped rocks!

 So Autumn, in two days we are ready for you!  Just no winter yet?  Got it??

Happy Fall!!!

Oregon Coast

We just got back from an adventure in the Arctic, uh I mean Oregon Coast.  It was a great trip, but we all agreed if the sea is going to call to us, it had better chase away the wind and cold next time!  Brrrr!!  We still managed to have a lot of fun with several of my family members and are glad to see another beautiful part of this world!!

This crew talked non-stop for about 3 hours on the way out.  I love how close they are to their cousins!

 Little did we know, this was the last time they would be comfortable in their swimsuits!

 Our hotel had a great little lawn spot for weary travelers that needed to get some energy out after a long day of driving.

 Brian and I enjoyed running together 3 times during the trip.  He has long legs!

 Our first stop was a hike to Punch Bowl Falls

 The Pied Piper

 Only a few of us ended up making it to the Falls, a bit more of a hike than we thought it would be!

 Multnomah Falls was a lot more reasonable (right off the parking lot)

 Our ride down to the coast was very picturesque and quaint once you got past the traffic.  Micah obliged me with a covered bridge picture.  I love these.

 Tillamook Cheese Factory was the First stop on the Coast Saturday morning.

 The Cheese was good, but the Ice Cream was even better!

 Then to the Octopus Tree and Mears Lighthouse!

 Sadly, no Jakes allowed.  So meet Robert!

 On to Crabbing at Kelly's Marina.  I wasn't so sure about this (neither was anyone else) when we got there.  But it turned out to be a highlight for our kids.

 Our trusty motor boat driver

 And our Man Power!!

 I think this one is George.

 We caught a bunch (40) but could only keep the males that were 5 3/4 inches or more. We kept 2!

 Everyone got in on the fun, look at these two brave ladies!!

 We stopped at the beach at Haystack Rock that night.  It was beautiful.

 Sunday was cold and we couldn't seem to decide where to go to find warmth and fun!!  Well, this little stop was a bit warmer and provided some great pictures: Fogerty Creek! The kids loved climbing on the rocks!

 My favorite picture of the trip!

 Another unexpected delight was finding Depoe Bay for Whale Watching.  Now we didn't really think we'd see any Whales, but we did!!  It was awesome!!  Sunday's Highlight!

 If you don't count fun cousin time around the table and watching Olympics together!!

 Monday's morning run.

 This was our beach across the street from our house.  Quite lovely.

 They are so much braver than me!!

 And warmer, in their hot tub!

 In our search for more wildlife, we found fog and wind at Seal Rock!!!  Dang it!  But it was great wind for Kite Flying.  Love this picture of Jacob!

 Thanks to the Fudge lady, we were able to find the seals under a bridge in Waldport.  Who knew!?  They were sure fun to watch.  Thanks Fudge lady!!

 The kids were resilient in the cold and just enjoyed each moment together!

 Another Light(on a)house!

Thanks everyone for a great trip!!  Beautiful, green country.  It was so nice to share the incredible northwest with some of our favorite people!!