Oregon - Part 1

We sort of had our hands full this trip, and I haven't hijacked everyone else's pictures yet, so I don't have the best picture representation of the trip. I'll just have to try to fill in the gaps with 1000 words here and there.
We arrived in Oregon Wednesday June 9 (Ellie's 1-month birthday). Fortunately Mom made the trip with us. We absolutely couldn't have done it without her! The kids did well in the airports and on the planes, and for the most part enjoyed it. All of us, and all of our bags arrived safely, and that's saying a lot!
Thursday was spent recovering from the trip, catching up, and hanging out. By Thursday evening almost everyone had arrived and Michelle hosted a dinner at her house. The kids LOVED LOVED LOVED hanging out with their cousins, and it only got better as the trip went on.
Friday we drove to Salem, then to the camp where Christopher and Kendra's wedding was, Silver Falls. It's absolutely beautiful there! After record-breaking rainfall in Portland/Salem, etc, the sun finally made an appearance on Friday for a beautiful day! Unfortunately Mom realized early in the morning she had gotten pink eye, so she stayed back in Portland to have some fun on her own. While Buck spent the afternoon rehearsing, we spent the afternoon in the pool at the hotel with Uncle Tom and Aunt Roe. The kids loved it. We made it out to the camp for the rehearsal dinner. It was freezing, but beautiful, and a great place for the kids to play. By this time Eve and David had become good friends. He was so good keeping up with her, helping her up the stairs (even though she didn't really need it), entertaining her, and keeping her out of trouble. They really were kindred spirits, and he was so so sweet to her.
Saturday was the wedding. Another sunny and cool day. Beautiful! Unfortunately John had a bit of a rough time adjusting to the time, different places, lots of people, etc. and wasn't in the best mood. We had so much help from family, but I was still a bit frazzled, so, no pictures from the wedding. I did get a few of the kids afterward, but nothing great.

The kids did have a great time at the reception dancing and playing with cousins, as did we all. Sunday was also spent at the camp enjoying the beauty. We also made it out to a great waterfall within the Silver Falls park. A short hike to walk under the falls was well worth it! Unfortunately, no pictures.

Monday we headed to Canon Beach. The sun said it's goodbyes, and it was FREEZING, but none-the-less, we had lots of fun!

John, Aunt Sue, Grandma, and Grandma Bucky. Only in the Pacific Northwest do people dress this way to head to the beach in June! We definitely needed every layer. John did manage to talk Grandma Bucky into buying him ice cream. Personally, I would've tried to talk her into some hot chocolate!

Sure the beach was cold, but the haystack is beautiful, and the sand is still fun.

Since it was the kids' first time to the Pacific ocean, we had to dip our feet in for a picture. To our surprise, John and Eve kept heading out into the waves! Crazy kids! As soon as we got the picture, we ran out of the water and John screamed "AGAIN!" Their pants were soaked and it started to rain, so we headed back toward the car to stay the night in some other beach (can't remember the name) about 30 minutes south. The overlooks along the drive are beautiful.
We couldn't justify pulling poor Ellie back into the cold.

At night Buck took the kids into the warm indoor pool, and Michelle, Mom, and I caught the sunset. A gorgeous end to a fun day.

Michelle, Tully (Michelle's dog), and me

When we got up Tuesday morning, the sun showed it's face, and so did Buck.

The last time he shaved was while we were dating...Halloween 8 years ago!

He decided to shave a little bit each day until it was all gone. It was great entertainment for the whole family. Believe it or not, this picture was in no way staged.

Here's proof that Ellie slept in the dresser drawer. They didn't have cribs at the hotel, but she slept just fine. Buck, Mom, John and Eve headed out for some more beach time while Ellie and I packed.

All bundled up for a better shot of her first trip to the Pacific ocean.

After checking out, we headed back up north, past Canon Beach to another beach (Seaside? oh well, can't remember the name of this one either...I'm blaming pregnant brain and the fog of traveling with 3 kids under the age of 4, one only one month old). Anyway, we saw the end of Lewis and Clark's trail, got a few pictures beside the beach, had a great lunch at a restaurant with a picture window out toward the beach (great entertainment for the kids while we waited for food).

Somehow we managed to get all 5 within the frame. At this point, I consider that a victory
When we finished lunch, we headed back into town to the arcade (hours of free fun...they don't know yet that money goes into the machine, and they still have a blast!)

Checkout that game face!

And my Harley girl with her redneck Daddy
There was also a carousel in town that John and Eve enjoyed. You would've thought Eve was on parade. She waved the entire time!

Grrrrr!

After that, we were all ready for a nap. We headed back to Portland for a nice relaxed dinner at Michelle's house.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!