Sunday in Newport

So when we planned this trip I was thinking Sunday was going to be our driving day. silly me, that was Saturday. So Sunday morning we had some quiet time. The girls and I wrote in out journals and then they had to do something that was thinking about Jesus. MJ decided to sing songs when she was done and Lil joined her. After our quiet time we started our day.  

First stop was Devils (Fruit) Punch Bowl (is what I kept calling it). We came during high tide and had fun walking around. We came back Tuesday at low tide just to see the difference. I'll tell you more about that during Tuesday's  post. It was fun to see them both and how different it is at the different tides. 

Next we headed to Yaquina Head. We first walked down to Corral Beach. We really did not like this beach. The rocks were hard to walk on and the entire beach is rocks. Plus it smells and the flies were awful. I mean truly awful. They would not leave you alone and there were tons of them. We did see some sea lions that lived on a little island off the shore though and that was cool. The kids got to look in a telescope at them and they liked that. We also saw a baby crab. MJ had her fingers crossed we would find a starfish in one of the tide pools but we had no such luck. We didn't see one our entire trip. That's okay though. After exploring the tide pools and being a little disappointed with what little we did see, we headed back up to the cars. A person came by and said  There were whales off the shore of the light house. So off we went and sure enough there was actually four whales. I could not tell that but some guy there had a really good camera and knew a lot about whales. We would see them come up for air every five minutes or so. We really only saw a flipper or a little of the back but that didn't matter. We saw a whale and it was awesome! 

After our whale watching we continued down the road to find a beach.  We drove by Agate Beach and stopped at Nye Beach. This was a perfect sandy beach that was at low tide so the kids could play easily in the water, and play they did. Then they played in the sand and we brought a ton of sand back with us in our swim suits. While there we saw some flowers that had been planted with a bunch of names written on paper. We have no idea what they were there for. We speculated a horrible tragedy that killed them all and they were being remembered, to maybe just a prom date activity. We truly are clueless though. 

Once we were done at the beach it was time for dinner and cake at the condo. Yes it was MJs real birthday. We did t have candles but daddy saved the day with a new phone app. Yea for smart and clever daddy's. I was about ready to tell her sorry and your out of luck. After eating we headed to the pool for some swimming and hot tubing. Always a good time. 

The kids stayed up late every night and we enjoyed watching Teen Titans and the Disney channel with Girld Meets World and KC Undercover. The kids watched Dog With a Blog too but I really don't like that one. Anyways, after some down time it was bed time and we rested for another day of adventure. 

Saturday Traveling to Newport, OR

Sat. began with packing up and heading to Newport, OR. This drive was beautiful. Much better compared to our drive last time. The only thing is MJ has a motion sickness problem. Even with the wrist bands it was not enough for the mountain twists and turns on an empty stomach. My dad flashed the lights at me and we took a break at the side of the road as MJ finished getting sick and cleaned up. The kids liked the break and we made the best of a bad situation. Poor MJ finally started to feel better, eat some solid food, waited around while I fed Jellybean, and then we headed on our way again with no more problems. Thankfully!  

Our vehicle had entertainment almost the whole way. Buddy Boy loves making up songs and even though he sometimes repeats the same words over and over, and over and over again it is still fun to listen to him. 

Coming out of the mountains into Newport. Can't really tell from the picture but at the end of the road is the ocean. 

Once we had dinner and settled into our condo a bit we headed to the beach. We had a great time playing in the water and watching the ocean. 

Friday in Bend, Oregon

Our vacation this year started with a sense of deja vu. Last year when we went to CA we were 5 min. from our hotel and got stuck waiting for a train. The same happened in Bend, OR. We were happy to make it though after a long drive that started at 2:30 am. We stopped in Boise for breakfast and Cabelas before finishing in Bend. The drive was pretty dull. We expected more trees and beautiful scenery. Not the case. It was pretty dead and open areas. At least the parts that are not up along the coast are. In Bend we checked into the hotel, swam in the pool, and went to bed to be ready for the next days fun. 

Up, eating breakfast, and ready for the day with cute "hair" bows. 

Stop number one was to the volcano tubes. It is a cave made from lava. It's about a mile long and it was awesome. MJ struggled at the beginning because she hates caves but by the end she was enjoying herself and walking with Lil. Lil was super excited and loved the adventure. Buddy did great until he tripped about half way down. On the way back we sang songs and that helped him to not complain. Ms M did great all the way there. Then on the way back she got cold and refused to walk another step. RB and I loved it. Some parts the ceiling came way down and you could see the crystals forming. Other parts were so high you could barely see the top with your flashlight. Some of it is a double tube too where one lava flowed and then another on top of it. The whole thing was well worth our time!

Adventure number two was after lunch. We took MJ, and Lil and we went mountain biking. This area has a TON of mountain biking trails. The one we went on was pretty easy too. The girls were having a great time and beginning to learn how to shift to easier and harder gears. We got a fork in the road and while RB continued on, I took the girls back the way we came. This is where the real adventure started. On the way up Lil spun out and fell off her bike. She wasn't hurt and we kept on going. On the way down she first almost ran into a tree. She corrected at the last second only hitting her little pinkie in the trunk and coming off the bank made her fall off. I looked at her wound and told her we had to continue on. Second, later she was going over a tree root in the path. She must have hit her front brake and not her back brake. The next thing I know she is sailing head first into a thorn bush! So not only did she get bite by a tree, she attacked a bush and won. Yes, she had more battle wounds and she was screaming! I finally got her to calm down and once again told her she had to ride out of the woods. There was no other way. So on we went. Of course the adventure is not over yet. Later down the trail she began peddling and going nowhere. Yes, her chain had fallen off. Luckily, RB is a great teacher and I do know how to get bike chains back on. MJ was a trooper to come back and make sure we were okay every time we stopped. Finally, we made it back to the parking lot. The girls LOVED playing on the playground area while we waited for RB to get back. We made it back to the hotel with a great story to tell and a memory that will not soon be forgotten. 

Poor girl! What a trooper!

The last thing we did this day in Bend was a river trail walk. Man was it beautiful! It would be great so own a home right by the river. What gorgeous homes. 

After our walk we went back to the hotel for dinner and some down time. Good thing the next day was a travel day because we were all tired after a fun day, full of adventure, in Bend, OR. We definitely want to go back there some day! 

MJs Birthday, Well Sort Of

MJ turned 10 this year. Crazy! Since we were on vacation for her actual b-day she got to open her presents early. She loved that. 

And one of Ms M who is quite fashionable.

Happy Birthday MJ! We love you!

Funny Business

Here are some more funny sayings from Buddy:

When we got back from vacation Buddy said, "We are in our world."

Dad: Did you know our world is our town called T.

Buddy: Yea, it's our world. 

Cousin: Did you know your from Alaska?
Buddy: No sir I'm from this world

Me: Buddy you are stylin
Buddy: more stylin than you!

Buddy wiping a tear from his eye, "I thought I had dirt in my eye but it was just a drop of my sadness..."

In primary they are learning about the Holy Ghost. One of the counselors told me that one Sunday he said, "I feel the Holy Ghost telling me to clean my room."

Buddy: Ms M said I was funny.

Dad: How could she say you were funny if she doesn't talk.

Buddy: She said it in French

(Ms M was giggling at him)