Big Fish and a Birthday!

As Mom and I drove home from our excursion Craig and Bo were on a birthday excrusion of their own. They went to Riggins and fished ALL day! The smiles tell the story and we now have smoked salmon in the fridge. A good birthday indeed!!

Depoe Bay.....

We stopped in Depoe Bay and checked out the whale watching museum. The kids got to touch whale bones, look through the binoculars, and chat it up with the volunteer lady that explained what we were supposed to be watching for. We didn't get our eyeballs on any whales but we did get to see a group of sea lions on the buoy. Not a complete loss, we'll take it!

I loved this protective big brother shot. Sawyer was worried that Maggie would just fall right over the wall at Depoe Bay watching for whales!

I was having a hard time catching Tallis at the whale museum. She would look at something and then run to the next thing as fast as her little legs would carry her.

This picture was 'supposed' to be a happy one, it was NOT happy!

Salt Water Taffy, A Must...........

We have visited this candy shop before but not with so many curious minds in tow! We happened to get there when they were wrapping the chocolate mint taffy and pouring a batch of red hot cinnamon onto the table. We stayed long enough to watch them form the log of cinnamon, with stripes intact, and pour a batch of molasses. Sidon was again full of questions for the candy makere and Miss Ruth, who was running the counter! He wanted to know what would happen if all of that taffy got off the track while it was being pulled. Miss Ruth assured him that it had never gotten off track in all of the time she had been there, the candy maker (we didn't get his name) was very good at keeping it on track! One more fun experience..............

Roads End Beach......

This was our second trip to play at the beach. On this outing we met up with Levi and Sach and the boys, Cass and Tahoe and the girls, Lori and Greg and their boys and girls, and me and Mom and my boys and girls, Grandpa John and Grandma Karlie with Dan the Man (the dog)! We had thirteen kids under the age of twelve and all of the adults that went with the children! It was CRAZY and FUN!!!!


Tallis Rose....

Gaige Dale..........

Sawyer and Asher........

Lori and Sacha........

Molly Tate.....

Eli and Asher........

Tallis getting in on the digging action!

Too many kids to list (with a few 'big' kids in there too)!


Cass taking a picture of me taking a picture!

Happy Fathers Day!!

This didn't come off quite how I planned it. The sand reads 'WE Love U DAD!'. We celebrated Fathers Day away from Dad but I'm thinking all of that peace and quiet might have been a nice present after all!

Hatfield Marine Science Center...............

We found this on one of our last trips to the ocean but Sawyer was the only one who remembered much of it. Mom and I took the kids down the coast to Newport and checked OSU's marine science center. I'm so glad we did this! The touch pool was fun and all the interactive displays kept me scolding kids to please not run off to something new until we were all ready to move on!


Molly being VERY brave at the touch pool!

Sidon and Maggie testing the water.

Molly and her animated version of what she is seeing.

Sawyer was in heaven here. This station was a microscope with different slides to look at.

The smile says it all!

Sidon LOVED the touch pool. He asked so many questions that I think he exhausted the knowledge of the volunteer lady. He could have stayed here for hours.

This was one of the interactive displays where you watch the water fill up the wheel and then dump when it gets full. Wait for it.........

The clapping hands of Molly, I wish you could hear the squeal that went with it!

Tallis finally woke up at the end of our visit and tried her hand (literally) at the touch pool!


Sidon was very concerned that this Halibut had only one eye. It was a crazy sight.

Molly checking out the walrus skull.

All of the kids getting 'eaten' by the killer whale.

Print Foots..........

I loved this. As we were walking out onto to the beach for the first time Molly kept asking me, "You are getting sand in your flip flops too Mom?", as if to make sure this was normal for walking on the beach. I assured her that I was also getting sand in my flip flops and didn't it feel good?! She smiled and nodded. As the sand changed from dry to damp and then to wet Molly started laughing and yelled 'Look Mom, print foots!'. I laughed and told her to make some more 'print foots' in the sand so this picture is Molly jumping up as high as she could to make a good 'print foot'!

Stepping on the beach, doodle doot do doo......

We are at the beach!!! The kids all screamed when they saw that unmistakable water on the horizon! Words cannot describe how much fun this is, or I just haven't gotten to bed before midnight any night since we have been here and therefore am too tired to come up with anything witty or clever to say! Either way we are having fun!!!


Sidon and Maggie with their first real glimpse!

Maggie calling her Daddy to tell him she was at the beach.

Breathing in that ocean air.


Ok, this was the trip to the grocery store in (gasp) pajamas!
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De-sanding before going on to other things!!