Family Vacation

After 9 months of working WAY too much, Doug finally got some extended vacation time! It has been such a blessing to have him home this past week, and none of us are looking forward to him heading back to work tomorrow!!

The big thing we did was take our first ever "family of 4" vacation to the beach! I can't begin to tell you how much fun we had. God orchestrated an absolutely amazing time together (including practically perfect weather!), "unplugged" and having no plans but to play in the sand.

We stayed in Lincoln City and on our way there we decided to go through Tillamook and hit the Cheese Factory to look around and get lunch. It was a hit with both the kids!

Watching cheese!

My silly kids!

MOO!!

We stayed at the D Sands Motel in central Lincoln City. It was perfect for our family, with a separate bedroom for the kids, full kitchen and RIGHT on the ocean!

We're here!! (ok.. is it me or does she look really grown up in this picture? sigh..)

Matthew was excited too.. about the rocks! :)

Our room wasn't quite ready when we got there, so we walked around for a bit. There were TONS of seagulls swarming around this car that was throwing potato chip at them. The kids thought it was the funniest thing. Then the people in the car had to leave so they handed us the bag of chips. Then the birds started swarming US!! Both Evelyn and Matthew laughed and laughed. It was a great way to kill time and to have fun!

We got settled into our room and then hit the beach for just a little bit before dinner! Matthew has never been, so we were curious what his reaction would be.

He LOVED it from the moment he got his feet in the sand!

If I had one complaint about the trip, it was that neither of my kids slept great. I ended up sleeping with one or the other every night! The first night was rough, but we got thru is and awoke to lightly cloudy skies and kids who were ready to hit the sand!

My big boy enjoying breakfast with a big boy fork and plate. He is growing up so fast!!

Making her first sand castle of our trip!

The kids played so well together, too!

Matthew's face is priceless!

Sand wrestling!

We took breaks everyday for naps. For all of us. The fresh air and running around in the sand wore us out! SO nice to nap and not worry about what I am NOT getting done! :)

Post-nap snuggle time!

Evelyn had one request for our vacation: that we have a "picnic". So Friday after naps we headed south to Gleneden Beach to play and have a beach picnic. Needless to say, Ev was super excited.
The weather was glorious, too... bonus!

My girl rockin' the Tinkerbell sunglasses!

It was just a stunning afternoon on this beautiful beach!

Matthew and daddy solving the world's problems!

Evelyn proud of her sand work!

"Come back, birdie, come back...." He could have chased birds all day!

I've got one cute boy, don't I?

Daddy and Evelyn heading up to the picnic area

My stunning baby girl....

You know what phase of life you are in when you carry fire wood around in a diaper box! haha

Daddy showing Matthew how to start a good fire...

... and helping Evelyn roast her hot dog.

Hot dogs, beans, and chips... the perfect meal!

If my sunglasses weren't all crazy this would be a really cute photo! :)

We then ended our picnic with roasting marshmallows. The kids had never had one before. The verdict?

Matthew liked them, but they were too hard for him to handle so he didn't like that.

Ya think she liked 'em? :)

My tired by happy kids before bed.

This amazing sunset topped off our pretty much perfect day!

Saturday was a bit cloudy so we went swimming in the morning, hoping it would clear up. Evelyn and I had a super time splashing around. Matthew really was not into it. At all. Fussed the entire time and Doug pretty much sat on the steps of the pool with Matthew on his lap the whole time we were there. Oh, well.. at least one of the kids enjoyed it!

The rain then began to fall, so we decided to go into Taft and have lunch at Mo's. One of my favorite beach stops ever.

We had lots of leftovers and already had dinner plans so we went to the dock and fed the birds with our french fries and chicken strips. The kids had a blast, even in the rain!

She is always posing...

I'm gonna get you, birdie....

Time to head back.. the rain was coming down pretty good!

It was cold but not raining after naps so we went onto the beach. It didn't take long before all of us were too cold and had to go back to the room, but we had fun for a little while.

A boy with his diggers. Its a beautiful thing.I happen to think he is pretty amazing!

Evelyn burying my feet.

After we got back to the room the kids started playing hide and seek. Matthew really got into it! Even after we were done playing he would mysteriously disappear and go hide, waiting for us to find him! He cracks us up!

He WAS hiding his head in Doug's sweatshirt counting right before I took this!

Saturday night we got a pizza and had movie night. It was a great way to end our time at the beach!

We came home Sunday morning, grateful for such a special time together. I am looking forward to many more fun adventures for the "Morris 4"!