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!

Trav's first day

Kindergarten

2013-2014

Mrs. Thayer

Ben's first day

Second grade

2013-2014

Mr. Oliver

Travis turned 5

Dear Travis,

We celebrated your birthday a little early this year.

Then on your big day, our family headed to Oregon. 

We had a wonderful week, and life has gotten pretty busy as we're settling in again. So please forgive me for writing this nearly two weeks late, okay? Okay. 

Let's talk a bit about you at age five.

You love:

Drawing. You create volumes of new cards, books, and pictures each day. In the morning, I walk into a kitchen covered in art supplies while you and your brother draw feverishly.

Swimming. You're figuring out how to swim independently and always have a blast in the water.

Being a "mooey." About six months ago, you announced that you are a mooey. When we asked you what a mooey is, you explained that they're guys with wings and a bunch of powers. They never get hungry, cold, thirsty, or sleepy. (But they do like to eat, wear warm clothes, drink, and sleep if we ask.) Mooeys live in Travis-the-Mooey city. Every now and then, you'll shout out, "Travis the MOOEY!" as loudly as you can. It's awesome.

Playing outside. The yard is your playground. You make up games on the trampoline, explore cool hideouts, dig for bugs, and run around with Leo.

Making people laugh. Humor comes naturally to you, and boy... you know how to ham it up!

Your favorites include:

 Jake and the Neverland Pirates, popsicles, Legos, Mario Brothers, parties, Leo, bathtime, giant breakfasts, your teddy bears, and Halloween (dressing up + getting candy + talking to everyone in the neighborhood).

You're fantastic at: 
 Making up hilarious songs. "Meedy-moody-see" cracks us up every time.

 Melting hearts. You often say things to me like, "Why do I keep loving you and loving you and loving you? Oh, because you make me feel so comfy." You have a friendly, silly, talkative way about you that we just adore.

Seeing and approaching life in a unique way. Your plate after dinner totally epitomizes this.

Figuring out mechanical/computer-related things. Our printer has settings Daddy and I never knew about. You quickly discovered how to operate each of them. Then you turned Google Earth into the Death Star.

 You are five!

 These years have passed so quickly, yet we can't imagine our lives without you. Travis, you light up our world. We love you.

Snowcones & sand