What I'll remember most...

Sarah, who got filthy at every opportunity possible. 

(Sand on her face on the Oregon Coast)

Shoulder rides from Daddy (and Mommy, too)

Those faces...just look at how happy they are.

Freshly picked carrots from the garden for breakfast, lunch, snacks...

Their laughter that rang out through the park

when the tire was spun.

Her nose turning yellow from smelling the flowers.

The butterfly that adored people...

..it went on to land on the girls head in the background...

..then me, then Anita!

Sarah's horse: Pumpkin

Jeremiah's horse: Spice

Caleb's horse: Plum

This little bee just had to have his photo taken here.

My little boy growing up and getting so strong!

Mastering the 'tightrope'

These two sitting so rapt and attentive while watching

a violinist and cellist play at the Redmond Farmer's Market

Attacking Papa with the hose

And all too soon...

the sad goodbyes...

Washington is a very special, beautiful place.  I love visiting and I dread coming home and always end up in a funk for awhile afterwards.  It was even harder leaving because we were able to spend so much time with our nephew, Caleb.   It was a special, sweet, beautiful trip.  

Trip to Washington so far...

Our seasoned travelers ready to go...

We got to Washington Thursday night, went to bed and left straight away in the morning for the Oregon coast. 

Bonus!  We got to see Brittany and the family in Portland. 

The kids loved hanging out again. 

next stop - Neskowin, Oregon!

It was chilly in the morning so Shawn built us a fire.

Then we climbed that huge sand dune you see in the background.  Oregon people are crazy - seriously this thing was so big.

Taking a rest.  I needed it!

Shawn stayed at the bottom with Sarah and took this photo of Anita, Jeremiah, me and Caleb.  This is almost the top, but I couldn't climb anymore. 

We stayed with Shawn's Grandpa Ralph and Miss Margaret - they were incredibly generous and lovely to stay with!

Then...back home and Brittany again!!  YAY!  (Thank you guys, we love you!!)

The kids got right in the dirt to help Papa pick potatoes. 

To the park!  They were having so much fun and laughing so hard. 

Funny tree.  :)

We're in Washington!!

It's a beautiful, cool, cloudy morning here in Washington.  We're preparing to take a weekend trip to visit Shawn's Grandpa on the Oregon coast....we got in late last night so the kids went to bed late.  

Jeremiah and his cousin Caleb shared a room, and slept pretty good.  Sarah, my tired baby, is still sleeping at 7am (late for her, but she was in bed at 10pm). 

No photos so far, it's been a crazy 12 hours (we landed at 720pm last night)...but stay tuned for lots of photos and recaps from our adventures. 

NOT only are we going to the coast today, but we'll be stopping by Brittany's house in Portland - she moved here in March and I can't wait to see her (and the kids, of course.)   We'll be able to hang out and let the kids run around for a little while before continuing our journey. 

Road Trip - Celtic Festival in Flagstaff and Sedona

It's Phoenix. It's summer. Of course it's hot! We wanted to take a day trip up to Flagstaff to enjoy some cooler temperatures - and Shawn found out about a Celtic Festival from a friend, so we decided to go and check it out!

The drive up is kind of long for the kids - just over 2 hours with one rest stop in the middle.

Naturally, the first place we went to was the kids area. They had a dragon's lair...

A laybrinth!

Face painting (I couldn't believe Sarah did this!)

A scary spider!

They also had a little old fashioned house. Jeremiah and Sarah played over here for a long time!

Sarah busied herself making butter!

Jeremiah really wanted a sword, but those were $20. We settled on the $5 rubber band gun made in China.

The kids (and us) were pretty much done, so we decided to leave. We were there about 5 hours, which for us, is a long time! On the way home, Shawn asked - "Should we stop in Sedona for dinner?" And I said "Of course!"

So off we went! 89A is such a beautiful (and long!) drive...

Perfect when you have two kids sleeping in the back!

The kids were hungry and ate great so they had ice cream sundaes!

We were at Tlaquepaque for dinner, and they have loads of statues and fountains - Jeremiah and Sarah thought it was great! We took a lot of photos.

Cutie Sarah...

Awww! These children are so sweet.

Handsome Dudes!

Jeremiah and I!

They had a bubbler just the kid's size. It was hilarious watching them drying to drink.

Before we left, Sarah kissed this frog. (He didn't turn into a prince.)

It was a really, really fun trip. The kids did great, we had fun as a family, and everyone came home ready for bed. Shawn and I used to do a lot of day trips like this when it was just the two of us - and it felt like we can start doing that again. Yay for kids growing up!

Cancun Part Dos!

The view from our balcony - AMAZING!


One family photo - self timer :)


Jeremiah can pick Sarah up - he's so proud of this!


On the way to dinner - holding hands :)



Shawn and Jeremiah did this the whole trip - 'ran away' from the waves.


Sarah found another love - the turtle!


Another lunch by the beach!


Shawn and I spent a lot of time playing with the kids - I was a 'boat' or a 'horse' a lot. It was a fantastic workout!


After naps, we went to a mall close to the resort (La Isla) and Jeremiah was wanted to jump on this - so he did!


He was going sooo high!


SHAAAAAAAAAAARK!!


Not Sarah, too! Ahhh!


At dinner, Jeremiah was eating JALAPENOS. Who is this kid??


Another family picture - pretty hilarious.


Sarah had fun with my hat.


We got frozen yogurt after dinner for the kids. They had some crazy toppings - spicy stuff, and these weird little balls that were liquid on the inside. The kids loved them.



Look at my young husband! He looks just like he did when we were on our honeymoon 6 years ago!




Our last day...(Thursday)...back at the pool!


Jeremiah requested (and received) goggles. He had such a great time 'diving' underwater.



J and Shawn were playing their running game when J took a face first dive into the sand. This was the 2nd time it happened during our trip - poor guy!


Our shadows - last time on the beach :(


Sarah cracked us up during our dinner out - we picked a great place to eat for our last meal in Cancun (La Destileria, if you're ever in the neighborhood!)


Jeremiah was also eating limes, which I guess isn't that weird. But cute picture!


The kids and I and the sunset on the lagoon.


Sarah took this photo! Not bad!


Jeremiah watched for crocodiles. (We didn't see any.)


And he ate a huge piece of chocolate cake for dessert.

It was a fantastic trip, despite the bumpy start with the weather. We had fun, rested, relaxed (as much as you can with a 2 year old and a 4 year old!) and really unplugged. I got used to not taking my phone everywhere - I didn't even look at it! We also watched very little TV, with the exception of the first gloomy day. We made some great memories. :)