Oregon Coast

On the last week of August we decided to go and take a camping trip to the Oregon Coast. It has been a while since we have been there camping and I have been wanting to go for a while now so Larry was able to get some time off of work and on August 23rd we hooked up the trailer and off we left to Pacific City Oregon. It is only about a half hour south of Tillamook and we stayed at a Thousand Trails so we didn't have to pay for the campsite since we were members so who could resist that. I remember all the times that we went to the coast as a kid and I loved it and I just want my kids to experience the same things that I did. Those were great times as a kid and I want my kids to remember the great times that we had there as well.

After about five hours of driving we made it and got settled and had dinner and just hung out because we got there at about four. The kids rode their bikes for a little while and then we drove around the camp ground and looked at where everything was. They had a swimming pool and a little miniature golf course and some play grounds and they had a ton of bunnies. The bunnies were really quite friendly and didn't run away when you got close to them. There were signs though that they had a bear that sometimes roamed the camp ground and that we shouldn't approach it. I wouldn't approach it anyway. We never did see the bear but that is just fine with me.

We had a great time and unfortunately as I was just about finished uploading my picture blogger wouldn't let me down load anymore, I don't know why but I couldn't so I don't have any pictures of our very first day on the beach.

On our first full day of in Oregon I really wanted to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory so we went ahead and did that. We went and looked at what they did with the cheese basically. I really think the main reason you go to the tillamook cheese factory is to get their squeaky cheese and the ice cream, so of course we got some squeaky cheese and ice cream.

We had to get some pictures of the kids in these as we were heading into the cheese factory.

On our way back to the campsite after the tillamook cheese factory we saw an Air Museum and so we stopped and looked at all the planes that they used in the war. In this hanger they were able to fit 8 blimps in it, this hanger was HUGE. It was so amazing. It was all made out of wood here in the northwest, there wasn't enough metal during the war so they used the local wood. Like I said this was amazing. The kids enjoyed it and so did Larry, he really loves these kinds of things and I am glad that my kids like this as well.

One night Larry and I took a walk to the beach by ourselves and wanted to watch the sunset. We got some really great pictures of the sky and how it changed. It was great.

This is what it looked like on our way to the beach.

Larry and I

And this is when the sky started to change.

I love the pink in the sky.

More pink, I love these pictures

The next day we decided to just play at the beach the whole day because it was supposed to be nice. So that is exactly what we did, we just played at the beach and played in the wave. I brought some boogie boards so the kids might play in the water with them but the water was way to cold, even for me to do that. So we played in the sand and just hung out on the beach.

They buried each others legs.

And then dad got involved and said that he would help them dig a hole so that they could bury someone in it, of course not all the way they had to be able to breath but just deep enough so that their legs were covered basically. So then Zach volunteered to be the first and he was the only one that was actually buried. As you can tell by this picture he loved it.

Madison eventually got in but didn't want to be buried.

Me and my hubby

I love this picture of me and the kids because they are laughing at something and I don't know what.

My boys

On our last day it was cloudy and we thought that we the clouds were going to burn off, at least that is what the news said it was supposed to do so I told everyone that I wanted to go and climb the sand dune that was near the beach. So we headed to the beach thinking that the clouds would go away and then after our climb that we would play on the beach again. Well when got to the beach it looked like it would start to clear because in the picture you can see a little bit of blue in the sky.

Off to the sand dune we go.

On our way up we had to stop and take a break after the first part of it. I didn't get a before this is the first one that I took on the sand dune.

We made it to the top. Carson did it all by himself and it was steep.

This is from the top of the sand dune.

The clouds still haven't cleared, and I don't think that they will.

On our way down.

This is the view going up.

After the sand dune we explored the rocks a little bit on the beach.

It never did get nice that day but we had fun anyway and we definately want to go back again next year.

Done

So I know that I am skipping ahead a bunch and I haven't been very good about blogging on a regular basis but I will catch up another time, I just have to blog that day when the pictures are done. So I will try and do better.

Well some of you may know that back at the beginning of July (I think) maybe it was towards the end of July we decided to put a deck on the our house. We would have liked to go out the back and have french doors but we just weren't going to have enough space that we would like so we went out the side of the house in the kitchen area. We had a great contracter that did it. I thought that it wouldn't take that long to build a deck but it did and that is o.k because it is done right. So everything is completely finished as of Saturday and we love having our deck so we can go and sit on it and eat out there when it is nice. The kids love it and the dog likes it as well because now we don't have to go all the way to the basement to take her outside and she loves to be outside anyway so we can leave the door open and she can come and go as she pleases. So here are some pictures of the begining to the end of it.

Here is the start of the deck. I couldn't wait for it to get done.

He had only put railing up on that one side and the side by the grass wasn't put up yet and we didn't have the door in yet but we couldn't help and not try it out so we took the screen off of the window and climbed out the window when we wanted to go out there but the kids weren't aloud out there without us because of fear tha they might fall off of the deck.
Here is the day that he was putting the door in. We have hole in the wall that looks like a window.

And now we have the hole in the wall that looks like the door.

And I don't know why I didn't get a picture of the door actually in, probably because it wasn't completely done, but here is the deck done we just had to wait to get the siding put back on and the door to get finished and then it would be complete.

And Ta da, here is the finished door going onto the deck

Here it is from the outside going in.

This is a picture from the stairs

From the other side.

Larr outside enjoying the deck.

My first 5k

I know I haven't blogged about the 4th of July yet but I was on the lap top and had these pictures on there and I thought that I would blog about my first 5k I did.

On July 24th I ran/walked the Summer Fun Run sponsored by Swedish hospital for overian cancer. Last year I saw something about it on t.v but it was after the fact and I hadn't done anything to get ready for it anyway so I told Larry that the next year I was going to do it. As many of you know my mom passed away from overian cancer about two and half years ago so I really wanted to do this. They had all kinds of groups walking for certain people and it was amazing to see. I didn't have a team and I didn't raise any money because I signed up at the last minute. Next year I told my sisters that they are doing it with me and they don't have to raise any money but I am going to try and raise some money next year. They raised over five hundred thousand dollars and I think that is amazing.

So in March when we got Missy I decided that was a good time for me to start my training. So I had started running and walking outside. Now I have ran on the treadmill before and I found that it was easier for me. It was hard for me to run on the pavement and I know that may sound weird because when you run on a treadmill you aren't going anywhere. Well anyway I trained for it and I think that I got pretty good at it. Now I couldn't run the whole thing but I ran alot of it and I think that I got a good time for me. I finished the race in 41 minutes and 20 seconds. I was lucky enough to have a great friend do it as well. My neighbor and friend Jennifer Shevitz ran the race as well. Thank you Jen for doing that with me.

After doing the 5k I now know that I can do another one and I really want to. I don't think I will do a marathon but for right now I am going to stick with the 5k's and knowing that I can do it is a great feeling and accomplishment.

This is the start and don't worry there were a ton more people this was just before everyone got ready.

Jen and I before the race. Here I am after the race. They gave away these beads before the race.

Silverwood/ Our first camping trip of the summer

On the last day of school after the kids got home we packed up and left for our first camping trip of the summer. We decided that we would take the kids to Silverwood theme park in Idaho. The kids got out at 11:30 and we were going to leave as soon as they got home so we could make it there at a reasonable time. Well we didn't get going until later because we had to take the dog to someones house so they could watch her and we fed the kids before we left and finished some stuff on the trailer. So we really leave until 1:00. We headed off and the traffic was great, we didn't run into any which was really nice. Long about 4:00 Larry and I started talking that maybe we should stop somewhere instead of pushing through all the way to Idaho that night. So we decided to stop in Moses Lake and camp there for the night. We stopped at a campsite that we have stayed at before and is nice and has a pool so the kids could swim and stretch their legs.

We had a great time there, the kids swam and we had dinner and just kind of hung out and went for a walk. They had a park their for the kids as well and they played on that for a little while as well.

The next day we headed to Silverwood and made it there in the late morning, enough time to get the trailer ready and have lunch and meet up with our friends that we went with. Our friends didn't leave until Friday. So we had lunch and we all headed to the park to have some fun. We all had a great time. Madison was more adventurous then I thought she would be and Zach well he wasn't quite adventurous but he went on some rides anyway. Carson wanted to go on all the rides even the ones that he couldn't.

We had a good time and it was nice to get away and have some fun. I didn't take any pictures of the water park part because it wasn't really that nice. I shouldn't say it wasn't nice it was in the high sixty's but there was wind which made it seem colder and the kids were cold and complaining so we only ended up staying in the water park for about an hour and a half at the most. So here are some pictures of our trip.

Madison and Zach in Moses Lake during dinner eating their watermelon.

Carson being Carson

We don't have bunk beds in our trailer so we thought we would try putting all three kids on the extra bed in the back. It is a queen size bed so it fit all the kids. They seemed like they had enough room.

Sorry about the picture I thought I fixed it but then it downloaded like this, anyway this is a picture of me and Madison and our friend Colleen on a ride that takes you way up in the sky and then it drops you really fast. I usually don't go on these kinds of rides but if I want my kids to be more adventurous then I should be as well. This us first getting on the ride.

Here is another one that I thought I fixed the picture but it downloaded like this. Anyway here we go way up high.

And this is us after the ride. I was laughing really hard and Madison even though it looks like she didn't like it she actually did.

Next the dads went on it and this is Carson watching them go on.

Larry after the ride.

Carson loved this ride the most. He kept on riding it over and over. He probably could have rode it a thousand more times but we had to stop some time.

Carson like this one as well.

We are getting ready to watch a magic show. This is me in all my camping glory. :)

This was another one of Carson favorites until he got squirt by water and was done with it. You get a bucket of balls and put them in this machine and you can try and hit the targets that they have or sometimes they have boats that are in there that people can go in and if people are in them then they can squirt you. So one of the boats squirt Carson and he was done.

Carson didn't want to get the picture done.

Carson being silly with Larry's hat.