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!!

Summer

This summer as flown by.  We can't believe school will start in 2 1/2 weeks!  It has been a different summer though.  It has been a working summer!  We've all worked hard this summer and played a little bit.

Benjamin, Micah and I were able to do a few little summer camps at the Day Care Center where I teach preschool.  It was a lot of fun and a lot of work!!  It was so nice to have the boys with me to help out, give ideas and to meet these cute kids that I have talked so much about!

Arts and Crafts

Sports and Outdoor Fun

Princess & Knight Week

 Lego Camp

 Mad Scientist Camp (Lemon Volcanoes)

 

 Arts & Crafts II - These Fairy Gardens were my favorite!

Jacob has also been working hard this summer.  He's had a job at a local Shaved Ice place and has worked really hard on his golf game this summer.  That has been fun!

We've also all spent some time at our separate camps this summer.  5 of us at 5 different camps!!  (Well, Micah and I got to spend a day together at Webelos Camp at Camp Tracey)

 

 The boys and I hit up the Mt. Timpanogos Temple for Baptisms while Micah was gone the first day!

Jacob went golfing, to do baptisms and to the Manti Pageant this year for his camp.

 

Benjamin went on a week long backpacking trip to the Uintahs!  He came back dirty and exhausted, but had a great time!

 Phil spent a week in the Navajo Nation working on gardens etc. with his priests.  They had an amazing trip.  Phil grew to love and appreciate these boys so much as they worked and served together.  So grateful it all went well.

 I was able to go to our Stake Girls Camp this year as a cook.  It was so much fun and so much work!!  We laughed a lot as we served these young women.  What a great week!

 Micah spent the first week of summer working hard in Rexburg playing soccer.  He had so much fun with Max and they were once again the champs of the Yellowstone Cup for their division.  Way to go Maniacs!

We have also managed to have some fun this summer in between all our working.  We hung out with these guys while they were here from Italy!

Love them and happy they are finally back together and officially official in Rome!

Phil and I got to go to Chicago together as part of his last Academy Board meeting in June.  That has been a great chapter of life for Phil and it was fun to get to see those people one more time.  He is a part of a wonderful profession with amazing people.

We enjoyed a beautiful concert in the park.

I loved my morning runs along the shore.

I also got to hang out with some of the other wives and families.  Loved it!

We enjoyed Draper Days with the Brian Baird Girls.

We also enjoyed the Draper Rodeo in July.  It was lovely venue and a fun summer night.

Phil and I got a surprise date from his coworkers for a concert at Deer Valley.  It was a lot of fun.

We enjoyed the Fourth of July with a Patriotic Breakfast followed by Paddleboarding/Kayaking at Utah Lake.  We love living in Beautiful America!

 Jacob celebrated his 15th birthday!  (New golf clubs!)

We had a fun FHE with kickball and smores with some neighborhood friends.

 Can you say Hobbit Movie Marathon?  The cousins were wanting to get together all summer and do this.  They made it through all 3 movies and a lot of food and laughs!

 This last week we got Natalie for a few days.  We enjoyed the zoo, a movie, ice cream and lots of puzzles.  Natalie always keeps us moving while she is with us.

 The annual neighborhood (and friends) campout was a great success.  It was wonderful to catch up with some of our friends from the 5th ward.  Jacob also got to go golfing with the men this go around.

 After a stop in Bear Lake for the Family Reunion, we made it home last night.  

I'm usually ready for school to start in August, but with it just 2 1/2 weeks away, I'm hoping to make the most of those 17 days!  Yikes.  We hope you've had a great summer too!!