Family VACATION!

We just got back from the best vacation we've ever taken. We took 2 weeks off (which we've never done before), and toured the Oregon and northern California coasts. The weather was kind of crummy, but we didn't care. We had a great time together, leaving our worries behind, exploring new places, spoiling our kids. Here are some pics from our trip.

This was our first stop, Cannon Beach in northern Oregon. Great sandcastle beach!

This is Cannon Beach, too. Our last day there, we finally had a break in the clouds, and got this amazing shot. That's me, holding the baby, and the boys running in the surf.

This was our second stop in Florence. We stayed at a beach house that was about a 1/2 mile trek through this cave-like path, then a hike up a huge sand dune to get to the beach. Great fun!

Next we stayed in Fortuna, CA with some friends of ours, Scotty and Tahoe West. They took us to a great Redwood grove. Here's Ian in a Redwood "cave".

Then, we stayed in a cabin on the Smith River, just outside Jedediah Smith State Redwood Park. We did a short hike through the biggest trees I've ever seen.

This was the view of the Smith River from the backyard of our cabin.

Then, on our way home, we stopped at the Oregon caves, just above the CA border. If you're wondering why the boys are wearing jackets, it was 84 outside, and 44 in the caves!

Then, in Salem, we had to do our token amusement park. What's a family vacation without an amusement park, right? This was taken just after the log flume - yes, Sylas got his cast soaking wet, which wasn't the first time on this trip!

And, I just thought I'd wrap it up with a cute picture of Alexandra on the beach.

Broken arm, birthday and 4th of July!

So, about a month ago, my husband taught our kids how to jump off the swing at the park. My mom flew out here to take care of my sister's kids back in June, and offered (bless her!) to keep our boys overnight at their cousins. Well, the cousins have a swing in their backyard - not a playground swing with nice soft mulch underneath. A wooden swing hanging from a tree, with hard ground underneath and a firepit nearby. Not that that would be a problem for the typical swinging child. But, remember, my husband taught our kids to jump OFF swings. Long story short, Sylas was standing on the swing, and jumped off, hit the edge of the firepit, and broke his arm. This occurred 3 days before Brent & I left for Sonoma, so my mom had to take him to get his cool red cast.

Brent & I enjoyed a 4-day pastor's retreat to sunny Sonoma, CA last month, then jumped right back into action when we got home, planning a birthday party for Sylas. He turned 4 on the 1st, and had about 18 kids come to his party at a park after church. It was one of the most fun days of his life!

Brent's parents flew in on the 2nd for a too-short 5 day visit. On the 4th, we went to a block party-type barbecue at Dan's house. They rented a bouncy house, popcorn maker & sno-cone machine for the kids, and the guys put on probably the best amateur fireworks show I've seen. Thanks, Uncle Sam, for giving us a reason to party!



All caught up for another month or so, for the 2 people who read this blog. =)