Fun in Oregon - Wednesday

Our plan on Wednesday was to head to Cannon Beach. We had promised Sofia a crepe bigger than her head, so we were all pretty excited.

It was so fun to drive around Tillamook and see all of the different quilting squares on the various businesses and barns.

Traveling at its finest.

We got to the crepery and were so sad to see a sign in the window saying it was closed on Wednesday's. No! Of course it was. Oh well. Sof rebounded pretty well and was happy to have a giant plate of Fries for lunch instead.

After eating, we told the girls they could buy 1 souvenir from Oregon. What did they both choose? Stuffed animals. But, in their defense, they were pretty unique. Next we went to the candy shop. Our poor girls are so used to being limited on what they can get that they both only chose one item, again, to get from the candy shop. Oh well. I got my candy apple, and we frequented the Tillamook Factory every time we were in town, so they weren't as deprived as it sounds.

There was the coolest nest outside this toy store, but the mama bird sitting on her egg was ticked to have so may people coming and going.

This deserves a permanent spot on the blog.

We stopped and played at this park. It was crazy to think last time we were there, that Sofi was 4 and Claire was almost 2. How time flies.

The girls found the best climbing tree.

and made it all the way to the top.

Taking a break to lay on the bench like a lizard. Can you see her blue tongue?

Greg and the girls stopped at the Tillamook Factory while Quincey and I did some shopping ...

Greg got a kick watching these nuns walking up to the Factory. Ice Cream is no respector of persons.

More sunning on a bench.

Sleeping Beauty.

Greg caught this pic of Claire and I reading books one night. It makes me smile.

Cannon Beach was so fun! We didn't go see the iconic Goonie Rock, simply because we knew our kids wouldn't care and we really didn't want to make the hike over to it. It will be nice to be able to actually walk through and enjoy the shops one day in Oregon, but that was not for this trip, and that is okay. It sure is fun exploring Oregon and watching the girls take in all the splendor, because I know their childhood wonder won't always be around for us to enjoy.

Fun in Oregon - Tuesday

Tuesday was just another day ... until Greg's Grandma went to the hospital. She was severely dehydrated but ended up being okay. She is the sweetest lady! It was a huge relief to know all was well. Her family rallied around her and offered a prayer. One thing I have always admired about Greg's extended family, is how connected they all are in fasting and prayer for each other. They aren't afraid to ask each other for help, and a family prayer was offered for Grandma in the middle of the Oregon Coast. Prayer is such an important thing, and I'm glad Greg has such a faithful family.

A foggy morning stroll ...

with my beautiful Quincey 💜

We were surrounded by the coolest trees!

This squirell was such a menace! It ate so much of our food!

She spent hours on the beach every day with her cousins. Here she is looking too skinny for the wetsuit. Only Sofi could do that :).

We were eating dinner and all of the sudden we hear Claire say, "Oh, hey guys." We look around and found her in the neighboring campsites tree. She is hilarious and so sneaky!

Fun in Oregon - Sunday night and Monday

We got to Oregon on Sunday with plenty of time to play at the beach. We barely had time to park and get out of the van before Greg demanded we go to the beach. His reasoning, "I didn't drive clear to Oregon just to sit around ..." or something of that nature. But, he was right. So we got the scooters out, found some shoes, and headed down to the beach. The smell is unmistakeable, but it is the ocean. The girls loved it, and we were all excited to be there!

Sof was in cousin heaven!

One of those rare moments where Claire wants me to take her picture.

We were used to Mountain Time, so we had an extra hour of daylight each day to enjoy. This also meant the girls woke up earlier than usual. So, we took the extra time to go down before breakfast and walk the beach before the tide came back in. Walking in the mornings is my #1 favorite thing to do in Oregon!

Claire found a cave!

And modeled it for me.

Hunting for sand dollars.

and we found a crab. It was huge!

Later that morning, Greg informed me he was going exercising. He had a spectacular view!

Meanwhile, Claire's dreams came true when she was finally able to get her kite in the air! Hooray for windy beach days!!

Sofi eventually joined in.

Still exercising. Greg said he took this picture to show the size of the log. I think he took it just so he could document his manly legs.

It was a big deal for Claire to don a wetsuit and ask Uncle Dan to help her ride the boogie board. It isn't common knowledge, but Claire is actually a cold body, so this was her one and only time in the frigid Ocean water.

Sof found a fish head!

We learned that the noise of the ocean knocked this little girl out every time! She had a 2+ hour nap this afternoon, so I left her sleeping on the beach in her stroller while I drove 10 min up the road to pick Greg up from his hike. She's the best! And everyone was thrilled to hold her, because she's just the cutest!

We learned Abby's dad is a pro at making mermaid tails.

Claire did some awesome tricks on her scooter. She would fly down the road .... 

The first of many trips to the Tillamook Factory for ice cream. Sof was so exccited to get a picture picking the cows nose.

Our home away from home.

Having the time of their lives!

Snuggling before bed. We had a good first day!