August 2016

August was full of friends and family and fun!  We had a "Friends Reunion" at the beach house with our good friends the Chen Family and the Chaves Family.  Ryan, Tim, Aubrey, Johnny, and Melyssa all grew up together in Draper, Utah.  Now our kids are all buddies too :)

The Chaves family stopped in Bend on their long drive to the coast.  To help stretch the kids legs we went for a little walk next to the river.  Climbing every rock we saw was essential....

...as was catching any Pokemon along the trail.

After a brief break, we all loaded back up into our cars and drove to the beach.  

We made it just in time to watch the sunset.

Early the next morning, the guys went deep sea fishing.  

There was some sea-sickness, but they all survived.  (Looking at you Tim.)

Gorgeous sunrise view from the boat.

On the way out of the bay, they also laid some crab pots.  Everyone was excited to see all the crab they pulled up at the end of the day!

Johnny showing off some of their catch.  We had crab for days.  Fresh crab dipped in butter, crab chowder, crab cakes, you name it we ate it.

The kids were mostly interested in having s'mores every day.

Beach Day!

The ocean is coming!!!

All the bikes and all the scooters were put to good use.

One day we took a drive down to Newport.  Along the way we had to take our favorite detour, Otter Crest Loop.  The views are amazing!

The whole gang.  Tim & Aubrey, Ryan & Me, Johnny & Melyssa, and our many kids :)

Once down in Newport, we went to the OSU marine science center.  The kids loved it.  My favorite was the hands on topographical map that changes when you move the sand around.  So cool!

Sunset Bike Rides may be one of the best traditions at the beach.

Ryan and Sam went for an early-morning beach walk all the way down to the jetty.  They climbed up on the jetty and took a celebratory pic.

10 kids?  No problem!  From L to R: Ean, Serena, Maya, Ezra, Kierra, Eli, Austin, Sam, Khaisen, and Emmon.  So much fun to have so many friends!

Little Serena decided that Ryan was her favorite.  She followed him around all week and insisted he hold her all the time.  She would even wave off her dad if he tried to take her from Ryan.  Haha!

This is what serving breakfast to 10 kids looks like.  It was quite the operation!

Back again in Newport, we had a yummy dinner and walked down the road to say hello to the sea lions.

The week ended too quickly and we had to say goodbye to our friends.  What a fun trip!  To console ourselves, we grabbed some donuts for breakfast and ate them while watching the waves at Depoe Bay.

Luckily, Grandma & Grandpa came later that day with Aunt Lew and cousins Lincoln and Ben to play with.  We don't get to see them very often, so the boys were excited!

Back in Bend, we were treated to a Jackson Browne concert at the outdoor amphitheater.  The music was great and the venue was awesome!

Sam LOVES cousins!  Poor Ben doesn't quite feel as enthusiastic...yet.

Eli hamming it up for the camera.  So hard to resist those sweet smiles!

As summer started to wind down, I was getting desperate for school to start again.  

The Final Countdown!

To save my sanity, we got a visit from Uncle Chris and Uncle Paul.  Thank goodness!  The boys adore my brothers and were thrilled to play with them.

They went swimming (Sam & Austin even did the high dive!), played cars, wrestled, played minecraft, and laughed a lot.

Finally, this is what my kids looked like almost every day of summer.  They teamed up with our cute neighbors Brooks and Ella to go adventuring armed to the teeth with nerf guns and in Ella's case, a tutu.

Don't let my countdown fool you, Summer was a BLAST!