We spent the lovely 4th of July weekend camping on the coast with our friends the Mansius Family. We spent 3 cold, rainy days trying to stay warm and dry...and we still had a great time!
The Yaquina Head Light House
Toby on Yaquina Head (pronounced: Yacuna Head)
Exploring Tide Pools with 5 cute little boys
We found these teeny crabs under the rocks. They were so cute. They walk sideways.
Tara and Carter flying a kite on the beach
The rain cleared enough for the boys to play in the sand...
And for Kate to go Boogie Boarding (remind me to purchase some adult wet suits)
Lounging around the campsite
(yes, we wish that we would've reserved that yurt in the background)
Mmm...freshly showered
Our campsite:
We tried in vain to dry our soggy clothes.
We eventually had to give in and go to a laundromat in Newport to dry them.
We made dutch oven dinners every night.
We drove into Newport to watch the fireworks display over the bay.
HAPPY 4th EVERYONE!
The 5th of July was so rainy we had to go back to Newport to buy rain jackets for the boys.
This picture shows the fine mist of rain in Brent's hair. Typical Oregon.
The sea lions had these beautiful pools to swim in. Swimmin' Kate was tempted to join them.
The fine mist on a spider web.
Corn on the cob, later that evening. Do you think they were hungry?
Singing camp songs under the protective tarp.
Silly Josh.
Warming up by the campfire.
A ghostly shot at the beach. We left only a whisper.
A great little blog entry on
Oswald West State Park and the Oregon Coast.
This is the
State Park Web Page for Oswald West.
Oswald West State Park
My husband is a genius. He has this knack for finding the coolest places to visit. Does he have extra-ordinary mental abilities? Does he have incredible internet research skills? This question remains. However, I will never doubt his adventure seeking radar. He took us camping to the best little secret on the Oregon Coast: Oswald West State Park. The campground is not accessible by car but by wheelbarrow! Read: ultimate seclusion! The sites are tucked down in the forest, a short trail away to the most beautiful sheltered beach cove, an awesome suspension bridge, and hiking galore. We were in heaven. We also found that this campground is a surfers haven. We have made up our minds that the next time around we will have to pick up surfing.
Transporting camping gear-wheelbarrow style. The boys hitched a ride.
Hiking the 2 miles to the Point at Cape Falcon
Enjoying the view from the point
Making Trader Joe's S'mores
Aw camping: Ultimate Family Love
It was such a beautiful, warm week. The first non-rainy week in months. We took advantage of this by leaving off the rain fly and sleeping under the stars!
The big tree just before reaching the beach
Toby wanted to visit Chuck E Cheese for his 3rd Birthday. And he won this opportunity by earning tickets at home for listening to mama and being a nice boy. He was very excited. We invited our friends, the Mansius boys and had a nice and small party.
Tobe was so excited to go to Chuck E Cheese, but then he was terrified of Chuck E. Go figure, eh?
The happy party-goers
Carter and Toby
(sorry these pictures are a tad blurry-it was so hard to get them to hold still)
Joshua and Kaden
Kaden, Jamison and Tara redeeming tickets. We are so darn lucky to know the Mansius family.
This is how Toby's naptime is coming along these days...
Dear Toby,
I am so glad that you are my little turtle bunny boy. You were the easiest and sweetest angel baby. Your birth was so easy and gentle. And now you are such a smart, talkative and funny three year old. You amaze everyone with your ability to communicate and the cute things you say. We are really amazed that you have memorized and recited whole books. You love to follow Joshua around and play with his toys. You can be very sweet and cuddly, but you also have a bit of a temper. You are trying really hard to use your words instead of getting angry and you are getting better at it. You are very much a mama's boy. You love to be wherever your mama is. You also adore your Deedle and you are sad when he is gone. You love to help water the garden (and eat the fresh produce), you love to help cook, you love to read books and play games. You enjoy camping, hiking, the backyard, the beach and running. You love to play with your best friend Carter and also the other Mansius boys. My hope for you is that you will use your many talents to do good and make others happy. May you continue to be strong, healthy and happy!
Love,
Me! (Your mama)
Toby's birth with dear midwife friend Sarah (on right)
This first picture is the only one we have. Brent accidentally deleted our camera pictures, so he meticulously and painstakingly extracted these pictures from the video camera. And-yeh, the date is wrong. It was the 21st...summer solstice.
Our little angel baby-Tobias
Happy Birthday Sweetheart!
We finally made it out to the famous Rose Festival this year. We missed the parade, but made it to the carnival on the waterfront with my sister Lara and her crew. It was fun!
Crossing the Hawthorne Bridge
Toby's favorite place to ride
Brent's last day at Bi-Mart Pharmacy...posing in front of the Bi-Mart Monster Truck. Oh, what sadness that Brent will no longer work with the Monster Truck crew!
Toby on Yaquina Head (pronounced: Yacuna Head)
Mmm...freshly showered
We made dutch oven dinners every night.
Silly Josh.
