Salmon...

So we got the pictures of the fishing trip.  I think the expressions tell it all.  Mason scored first with the fattest fish.  Then Sydney caught hers and hers was the longest or vice versa.  There's were the big ones, and Hayden and Keira caught the other three.  I don't think Sydney will ever want to do that again, but at least she can say that she did!!!

Da Beach!

And finally, we were able to make it out to the beach.  This was one of the things that convinced Morgan that this was not going to be a terrible vacation.  "But darling, we get to go to the beach!"  It was super foggy and wet, but what do you expect from the Oregon coast.  We were able to go by and see Stasi and Lee's beach house.  Such a cute location and right within walking distance to the beach.  The kids, despite how cold it was, didn't waste any time getting in the water.

The kids found tide pools and tried to catch the little fish caught in them.  They were able to get the anemones to suck on their fingers, and then as the tide was coming in, they did a little wave surfing.  Man that water was cold, I couldn't hardly stand to have my feet in it, let alone any more of my body!

We had Stasi take a couple of pictures of us before we left.  The Bottom one Morgan just happened to jump in front right when Stasi took the picture.  That's my girl.  Mason forgot to bring extra clothes, so he had the privilege of riding home in his BVD's.  It was quite a treat to go into the Dairy Queen with the constant threat of Jeff ripping off his towel!  We had a great time, and a shout out to Stasi and Lee for their generous hospitality for the week.  My mom was done with the vacationing, so we ended up taking her back to New Plymouth with us.  We left on Friday and spent the night with grandma.  Then got up on Saturday and left her with her dogs.  She is doing well and swears that she is a big girl and can handle this.  I know you can mom, but that doesn't mean we don't have to worry.  Now it is back to the real world and school and canning!

More Fun in Portland

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent going salmon fishing (still awaiting the pics from that), going to book stores, voodoo donuts and family dinners.

Uncle Lee took Jeff, Mason and Sydney on a Salmon Charter trip.  They had to get up at 5 a.m. and drive 2 1/2 hours to the coast.  Then they had to be on the boat for, according to Sydney, too long ;o).  But Mason and Sydney both caught really nice fish and we brought them home with us along with the blackberries.

Then Stasi took the kids back to down town to visit the infamous (once again Man v Food) Voodoo Donuts.










Then on to Mason's Haven.  Powells book store.  It takes up a whole city block.  Mason purchased a book that was like 1000 pages long and it only took him 4 days to read it.  Crazy kid!.  Sydney got a crochet book that has vampires and mummies in it.  She was crazy about it.  Who knew, this would be one of the highlights of their trip!

Then we had a surprise party for our other sister Kelly.  She turns a whopping 32 tomorrow!  So Stasi went all out and made ribs with corn on the cob, we even cooked up part of the fish they caught.  It was really good.  But the ribs were amazing.  Morgan commented that this was by far her most memorable culinary vacation ever.  But we sure enjoyed the evening with Tim and Kelly and Channell.

Tony Starks

I forgot to post, that while I was in New Plymouth, Jeff decided that he wanted to grow a goatee.  Well, it took 2 1/2 weeks, but it finally grew in.  The kids call it the Tony Starks look.  Let us know what you think!

Portland

Now we are on to Portland.  What is a trip to the NW without blackberries?  Jeff had a hey day!  The blackberries were just coming on and he was like a kid in a candy shop.  Long story short, after many abrasions and trial and error, we were able to take 8 gallon sized ziploc bags back to Utah with us.  Awesome!

On Monday, we decided to take the kids to OMSI, which stands for Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.  It is a gigantic playground for kids of all ages.  They had brain teasers, physics problems, a huge dinosaur exhibit and a sub-
 marine tour.  Jeff, Morgan and Mason went on the submarine tour.  Jeff needless to say was like a kid in a candy shop once again.  We didn't even hit all of the exhibits before it was time to go!

But go we had to do.  But one other interesting place Stasi took me to, was the whole sale restaurant supply store.  Boy, now I was like a kid in the candy store.  They had 1/2 sheet cookie sheets for just over $5 and many many more wonderful oddities.  Yes, I re-stocked my kitchen and then some.  So there was a little bit of everything for everyone on this vacation.

Seattle

 On Sunday, we took the opportunity to go up to Seattle and visit with my birth family.  This was the first time that I met Mike and Melanie (father and sister respectively).  We had a great time with everyone.  It is really unfair, because there is no history or bad blood to begin with, so we can just be friends with a lot of genetic commonality.  Ever since Man vs Food went to Seattle, Mason has wanted to go to the Crab Pot.  So we told him that when we went up there, we would go there.  After the adventure of trying to find a parking place, we met up with JoAnne and the gang, and headed over for lunch.  The restaurant is right on the Puget Sound where you can see the ferries going back and forth.  It took some time to decide on the food, but once we did, then they come and just pour it right onto your table, like a traditional clam bake.  The kids loved the crab, and using the mallet to bust it open.  We were introduced to mussels, and clams and 3 different kinds of crab.





After gorging ourselves on seafood, we took in the market right there on the pier.Yes, we lead a very sheltered life!  We were enthralled by the street performers and their funky costumes.  And of course, what is a trip to Pikes Place Market without being able to see them throw the fish.  No one was purchasing any fish at the moment, so they had to use this grubby looking practice fish to give the crowd a show.  We all had a great time hanging out with the "Fam", but then we had to head on back to Portland.  It was a beautiful drive both ways.  It was a gorgeously clear day in Seattle, and we couldn't have asked for better!  Thanks again JoAnne, for showing us a great time!

More Fun in New Plymouth

Well, it was a fun filled week there in New Plymouth Idaho.  We deep cleaned grandma's house, worked on grandma's finances and prepared to go up to Portland.  But before all that, the fair was that week.  I couldn't believe it.  The whole town shut down because  of the fair.

 There were no mutual activities because everyone was entered in the fair and had other obligations.  That is a part of life I am just not familiar with.  It was a quaint affair but the kids loved looking at the animals.  But Mason and Sydney had a lot of fun getting up close and personal with the very large animals that they are not used to.  They also had quite a few little baby sheep and goat that were just so dang cute.


 Then we were off to the great North West!!!!  We ended up taking Mikey and Devin back to Vancouver so they would be ready to start school.  So with those two and my mom and her two dogs, we had quite the car load.  We were worried about the boys not getting along, but low and behold, it was our dear princess that caused the most problems.  Go figure!  We made it safely up there on Saturday, I volunteered to drive the whole way, having had my share of parenting for the last 2 1/2 weeks on my own, so I let Jeff referee from the co-pilot seat!

Sydney's Birthday

Well, we were in New Plymouth for Sydney's birthday.  She was very worried about it, wanting a friend birthday and all.  So we tried to pamper her the best we could .

It kind of started on Saturday, when the wards in New Plymouth get together for their 24th of July activity.  They throw together an actual fair and rodeo for the locals.  I have never seen anything like it, but there were a lot of people there for the fun.  Then they actually had a rodeo with all of the farmers kids and such participating.  Mason, Syd, Mikey and Devin were with Grandma and I.  They participated in the egg toss.  No winners there.  And then they had the chicken chase and the greased pig chase.  I was pulling for the pig (yum) but unfortunately we got a chicken!  Go Syd!  It was amusing to say the least and now I can say that my kids have been to a rodeo!



We took her to the beauty school and she got her hair cut and a pedi!  On the way home she said "thanks mom, I felt like a princess!"  So cute to cut through some of her other unique qualities. And Mason to top it all off, said he was going to be really nice and not antagonize her on her birthday.  What a brother! That night we took the family out for pizza at Idaho Pizza.  I was tired of cooking and we heard it was really good.  We took my nephews Mikey, and Devin with us for a real party.  We had a ton of food to fill up 3 teenage boys and the 3 girls.  Then we had cake to come home to when we were done.  I guess I am a fan of red velvet cake now.  It was really good.  All and all, she said she had a great birthday even though we were not home.

The next day though, was not her birthday, so when Mason said something to bug her, I reminded her of the fact.  She ended up giving him a dirty look and walking off.  I couldn't help but laugh.  That is my princess.