Oregon Coast

After the game we headed to Newport. Connor, Logan and Ashlyn always love the beach. They are entertained for hours running and playing in the sand. We had great weather in the morning but the afternoon got windy. We started out at Agate Beach. The kids had a blast at this beach. There were big dunes to play on, logs to walk across and shells to collect. After a couple of hours at Agate we decided to drive to some tide pools. We headed to Yaquina Head--The lighthouse seen in a distance in some of the beach pictures. This beach was composed of smooth black rocks. The tide was really high which made it beautiful but made it difficult to find tide pools. Although we were disappointed, there were some seals playing in the water, which made up for the lack of other sea life. After lunch we headed back to Agate, but we weren't able to stay long because the wind was blowing sand into the kids eyes. We decided that we were all vacationed out so we decided to hop in the car and drive to Boise so we wouldn't have to drive 14 hours straight the next day. We had so much fun on our trip. The kids are all asking when we are going on vacation again. I always love spending together without the other stresses of life.

Utes vs. Ducks

We were hoping that this would be the highlight of our trip but all good things must come to an end. The Utes lost for the first time in Logan's season ticket holding experience. Logan was very disappointed in his team. He thought they needed a new team. He even suggested that they would be better if he played for them. I didn't have much hope for our team this year. The game was actually closer than I expected. It rained almost the entire game so the game was ugly--a lot of dropped balls. We did actually have fun. There were moments of excitement. The Ducks fans were so nice to our kids. Many different fans stopped us before and after the game. One lady after the game asked if she could shake their hands to thank them for coming (granted she was very drunk). We appreciated the kindness because it teaches our kids that it really is just a game and that we should be good sports no matter what. After the game Ashlyn was crying about changing hotels and a bunch of Utah fans consoled her, telling her that it was ok that we would win the next one. It was funny considering she spent the entire game under her poncho watching Scooby Doo on my Ipod. What would we do without technology. The only thing about the game that interests her is what she is going to wear. She was especially happy with the red streaks I put in her hair. We all had fun at the game despite the loss. Hopefully we'll have a bowl game to travel to.

Oregon Zoo

The kids are used to our small zoo. This zoo was a little to big for them. It had some cool animals that we don't often see and enclosures were very viewer friendly. At Hogle Zoo it seems like the animals are often hard to see. At the Oregon Zoo they seemed to have windows wherever the animals spend most of their time. After several hours, the kids were all definitely ready to leave.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

This was the highlight of the kids trip. OMSI is a hands on science museum. We spent all day at there. The kids begged to go back after lunch. They were able to be weatherman, chemists and physicists. Their favorite part was touching the Vandergraph generator. You touch the ball and your hair stands straight up but the coolest part is when the pie tins fly off your hand. I think the kids would have spent days at the museum. It was fun for all of us. I wish we had a museum like OMSI.

Oregon--Waterfalls

After 11 hours of driving the kids were anxious to get to Aunt Leah and Uncle Don's but once again we made them stop. We went to the beautiful Horsetail and Multnomah falls. Ashlyn really loved the waterfalls. She talked about them the whole trip. She kept asking if we could go back and see them again. Luckily on the way home we were able to see waterfalls from the freeway. The kids all sprinted the trail to the bridge at the Multnomah falls and back to the bottom again. It was great to get some of their energy out.

Oregon--Bonneville Dam and Fish Ladder

This was our first stop on our Oregon trip. The kids were not happy about stopping, but, they ended up really enjoying the fish ladder. The boys wished they could go fishing for the huge salmon.

Yes, Connor hurt his wrist again. The school called the afternoon before our trip to tell me he had hurt himself playing football at recess. We had to get an x-ray again because we didn't want to take him on the trip without having it checked. I'm sure the doctors are starting to wonder. It is the wrist he broke this summer but this time he just sprained it. I guess on a positive note, we didn't feel as guilty making him miss 3 practices and a game since he would have had to sit the week out any way. Football is getting expensive.

Golf

Logan has always loved to golf. When we asked what he wanted to do for his birthday he immediately said "Let's Golf". He has requested mini golf before but now he only wants to play on the real course. Connor claims to like to golf but we know he really just wants to drive the golf cart, Ashlyn just likes her pink ball and toothpicks (tees) but Logan actually loves playing. When we tell him that he can just pick up his ball so he can hit it closer to the hole he gets offended and refuses to pick it up. He has the patient personality needed for golf. Maybe with a few lessons he'll be the next Tiger Woods.