Oregon Coast Top 10

This past week we went on vacation to the Oregon Coast. The rates were cheaper to go before the busy summer season, and although the crowds were small, the weather was still a bit..."springy". It was wet, windy, and cold (50's) the majority of our trip! We tried not to let it dampen our spirits, and made the best of it. Here's our top 10:


10.) Family time with Dad - Josh has been so busy with work and his new job. If nothing else, this trip was a nice break away from the office. Hopefully a week with us was a "break". :)

Diddles has clung to her Daddy all week.
I'm not sure what she's going to do when he heads back to work!

Lots of fun smiles and laughs.

9.) Beach - We visited Cannon Beach and the Oceanfront at Lincoln City.

We practiced writing letters in the sand, and building sandcastles

Diddles had her first sample of sand. She didn't care for the texture.

Despite the chilly temps, we spent the whole trip trying to convince Yaks to dress warmly.
You'll see from these pictures how much he listens.

Josh, our resident Boy Scout, was prepared in every way, on every outing. He had coats, gloves, hats and water. He thought of every little thing. I really appreciate it, and often take it for granted. Check out this awesome homebase for us to use: A warm, smoky fire, hot chocolate, chairs, and a tent gave some comfort and protection from the wind.

Yaks: "I'll save you!"
I love this clip because I totally missed this outing due to a sleeping baby in the car,
so I'm glad I got to see it on the camera!

8.) BBQ

This may have been one of my personal favorites. The skies cleared and we finally got to experience a pretty sunset at the beach! Josh built us another fire, and we roasted marshmallows and had some s'mores for dessert while watching the sun go down. The pit had some great sand and deck chairs, so the kids could build castles close by and stay warm.

Beautiful, peaceful and secluded, and right next to our hotel.

7.) Celebrations

Diddle-brains celebrated her nine month birthday!

Boo lost her first tooth!

Boo finally lost that wiggly tooth. It was classic. It was so loose it was practically just sitting in her mouth, but she refused to let us pull it out. Josh finally had enough. He asked to take a look at it, and just reached in there and picked it up right out of her mouth. She didn't even feel it or realize it was gone! We put it in this great, labeled ziplock bag, which the cleaning people accidentally mistook for garbage and threw away. Fortunately, she didn't care at all.


This was Diddles' first vacation! She did pretty well. We tried to keep her on schedule, and she did okay sleeping on the floor and in a port-a-crib and in her carseat. I think she missed her crib, though. Well, maybe I missed her crib.


6.) Hikes

We enjoyed several little hikes and walks while we were there.
This little walk to the Cape Meares Lighthouse.

The Clatsop Loop Trail

The Multnomah Falls - This was as far as I went. Yaks and Josh made it all the way up and back.
They had a great time, but Yaks took a spill and skinned up his knee.

5.) Kites
Josh got a kite a couple years ago for his birthday, and he's been collecting them ever since. The beach is the perfect place to let them loose and see what they can do!

Even the kids got in on the action.
Yaks propped his kite string under a rock and just let it fly there!

The entire beach had to be subjected to me singing "Let's Go Fly a Kite".
I can't help it. It just needs to be sung.

4.) Hotels

Our kids love to stay in hotels (pronounced HOLE-tels). The first place we stayed was a quaint (small) cottage on Cannon Beach. It had a little kitchen and a hide-away bed for the kids, and our bedroom was around the corner. When the bed folded out, it was inches away from the gas fireplace (yikes), which made it a little tricky to maneuver from our bedroom around the corner to the kitchen. Can you imagine me holding the baby and scooting in between there? It was funny.

Our second hotel (the Coho) was awesome. They had a kids' room, complete with bunkbeds and a Playstation 3. The hotel had an indoor swimming pool, which the kids requested anytime we said, "what would you like to do?"

Our video game deprived kids had a great time playing Playstation!

The king-sized bed was big enough for all of us to fit in and enjoy popcorn and a movie, while listening to the waves outside on the deck. Heaven.

3.) Local Tourist Attractions

The Air Museum - I was hoping they would have a B-17 there, so I could see one up close, but no such luck. It was still really cool. The kids enjoyed reading all of the signs and choosing their favorite plane.

We watched this lady blow glass. What an amazing process!

The Tillamook Cheese Factory! Loved the free samples of squeaky cheese, and a double-dip ice cream cone!

We were watching them package the blocks of cheese and Yaks just said,
"Look mom, that's just like the kinds at our grocery store!" It's truly amazing!

This kite shop was owned by a Vietnam Veteran. The Grateful Dead was playing on a record player while we were there. It was a funny little shop. Each of the kids chose a pirate ball cap.

At another kite shop, which must have been owned by the other guy's brother,
we saw this funny sign.

2.)Wildlife - There was plenty of wildlife to see and enjoy.

We rode on whales and turtles

Fed the sharks

Swam with the sharks

Tread on the same slimy paths as the slugs did (shudder)

Greeted the local seagulls. Yaks kept calling them Pigeons.
"Come here, Pigeons! Hey you pigeons!"
I think they were a bit offended.

On our way home, we spotted the Portland Temple off of the freeway. It was nice to get out and stretch our legs on the beautiful temple grounds (I felt totally underdressed). I miss living close by the temple. Boo was entranced with the Bride and Groom who suddenly appeared through the front doors for pictures. It was a nice way to wrap up a vacation - a reminder that through happy times and sad, we're building memories and our eternal family!