Oregon trip

On Saturday (Travis' birthday), we drove to Portland. Scott's high school friend Jason and his wife, Kristen, invited us to stay with them for a couple of days. We had a blast! Our kids loved playing with their cute daughters, Georgia & Alice, and we had a great time catching up. In all the fun, my camera stayed tucked away most of the time. Oops.

That Sunday, we took a little break during Georgia & Alice's naptime and headed over to the Portland Temple. We wanted to show the kids where we were married. Since our last visit, they added a beautiful visitors center. Sister missionaries guided us around the stunning grounds. I love visiting the place where our family began.

The next morning, we took the longer, more scenic route to the coast. This naturally included the Tillamook Cheese factory.

After a gorgeous drive down the 101, we arrived at in Yachats. Our cottage was across the street from the ocean, and we spent the evening settling in as we listened to the crashing waves. 

Mornings there were beautiful and chilly-- a bit too chilly for the beach, as we discovered our first day.

Since most of our activities burned a ton of energy, we took little breaks during the day to let everyone rest a bit. The boys always spent that time drawing together.

After that first day, we dedicated afternoons as beach time. The beaches closest to our house were fabulous at low tide.

Libby and I tried to snap a decent selfie...

...when Leo photobombed us.

Roasting marshmallows over our camp stove:

One foggy morning, we drove to Heceda Head.

View from the top:

Sandy beach and bridge below the lighthouse:

After lunch in Florence, we came back to Yachats and explored the Smelt Sands.

Travis walked the 804 Trail with me while everyone else stayed at the Smelt Sands beach. In his usual style, he posed for pictures nonstop.

Another morning, we hiked the Devil's Churn Trail down to Cape Cove.

Our whole family later trekked the 804 since three of us had missed it earlier. The waterspouts inspired Libby to bust out some sweet moves.

Ben loved the superfine sand.

Such dramatic views.

At the end of the trail lies a gem of a beach-- sandy and, best of all, uncrowded due to limited access.

Jamin asked me to bury him in the sand. Against my advice, he insisted on lying face-down. I think he learned that sometimes, mom does actually know best.

The perspective on this shot kills me.

After a week of sand, seafood, and salty air, our vacation came to a close. We drove home to Boise in one day, with a long lunchtime stop in Portland. My dear friend Char met up with us in the park to chat and paint the kids' faces.

Libby's butterfly:

(Libby acted like a butterfly for the rest of the day.)

Travis' Angry Bird (the first one, before he smeared it and Char painted another):

Goofy Benjamin thought it would be hilarious to have a pizza on his face since we had pizza for lunch.

We arrived in Boise very late and crashed. Whew, what a fantastic trip!