Missin' the beach.

I believe I might make the perfect beach bum. A beach town is one of the few places where you can show up almost anywhere in the equivalent of your pajamas (thrown over a swimsuit, of course), sporting flip flops, wearing no makeup, hair disheveled, maybe a wee bit of sand between the toes... and no one bats an eyelash. I mean, I pretty much do that no matter where I am (except maybe the part about wearing a swimsuit under my sweats - I'm not that weird). Oh, to be on the beach again... I'd fit right in.

Accident prone?

It wouldn't be a proper visit with family if someone didn't get injured, right? My dad tore a hamstring within his first few minutes of arriving - I'll spare the details on how. He still insisted on accompanying us on all our outings, gimpy leg and all. Silly dad - so stubborn.

Then, while the cousins were visiting, Eve tripped and landed smack dab on the cutting edge of a tape dispenser. It grazed, er, I mean sliced her ankle quite nicely, prompting a visit to the emergency room and narrowly avoiding stiches. I'd say, "poor thing" but the kid walked out of there with a new stuffed animal and as much spunk as ever. She somersaulted off the bench at our kitchen table the very next day. Sometimes I swear I'm raising boys.



There! All caught up.

Not over yet.

We drove all the way home from Oregon on Saturday - through two terrifying hailstorms, need I mention? and arrived safe and sound at home by bedtime.

My dad drove up to visit us on Sunday and was warmly welcomed by a fridge left barren by 8 days without anyone to fill it. He bought us milk the next morning when he filled up his gas tank. Thanks Dad. We had a couple of days to play with him, a couple of days of laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping and then Tim's parents stopped in with three of the grandchildren to keep us entertained for a few days.

We bravely attempted a float on the Boise river with 7 kids under the age of nine and four adults and lived to tell the tale. We kept the kids running and then kicked our visitors out when the sleep deprivation set in and my girls started falling apart. It was a fun four days! Thanks for coming - darn it, why don't we live closer to family?





And now I can breathe.

Up and at 'em.

If you're ever visiting the Oregon Coast - check the tide tables. I cannot emphasize this enough. I originally planned our entire vacation around low tide - until Tim was asked to be assistant scout master and, as luck would have it, would be spending that very week at scout camp. Be that as it may, I rescheduled, making sure we would have at least one day with morning low tide at a reasonable hour. Friday it was! In order to hit Haystack Rock during low tide (7:31 a.m.) I woke the kids up at 6:15, crammed a cinnamon roll down their throats and drove to Cannon Beach. We had a good hour and a half of exploring this natural gem - made only slightly distasteful by the fact that Lily started wiggling and grabbing herself within 2 minutes of our arrival (and the bathrooms were, of course, a good 10 minute walk away). It's very possible that I allowed my child's bathroom needs to take a back seat to my own need to stick to the schedule. Heck, low tide doesn't last forever, folks. It sure made for a fun run back to the loo after an hour and a half of agony! She made it - I've never been more proud.

Anyway, Haystack Rock looks something like this:



You may recognize it from Goonies. Here's how it looks close up:



Can you see the migraine behind my weary little eyes? Yep, I'd been up for two hours in the middle of the night with a screaming headache and still marched the whole family down there at 6:30 a.m. Perhaps that may lend some perspective to why I have no sympathy for so-called "urgent" potty needs. Haystack Rock or bust, people!



The tide pools were simply teeming with life. Sea stars, hermit crabs, anemones, sponges.







There was a fair amount of tourists, too. Couldn't get a good shot without one crossing into the picture.



And, to think that in just a few hours, all of this would be swamped by crashing waves. Glad we came.



We spent the rest of our day sleeping, eating, playing games, watching movies, reading. A relaxing end.

Rain, rain.

It was a cold, blustery day. Luckily, we had checked in with our good friend, the Weather Channel and planned accordingly. We spent the morning at the Seaside Aquarium. What a perfect venue for young kids! It was delightfully small and equipped with several touch tanks so that the kids could do more than stare through glass in awe. Although that is precisely what Rachel did for most of the time we were there. I'm pretty sure she spent an entire hour smack dab in front of the octopus exhibit in a drunken stupor. Can't say I blame her - those creature are astounding. Did you know that a 70 pound octopus can fit through a hole the size of a silver dollar? Amazing.







That afternoon we took a token trip to Astoria. There's all sorts of sights to see and history and such, or so I've heard. We skipped it all and wore the kids out at the Aquatic Center - a YMCA-type joint with a few pools and a waterslide. We stuck around for over three hours until our pruney little feet could bear no more. This is how the girls looked after, oh, about five minutes in the car:



Awesome.

Two days left.

I've still got two days to document of our first trip as a family that didn't involve going to visit family. Quite a milestone, honestly. But since I might be fighting the kids tomorrow to prepare our home for house guests tomorrow night I think I'll retire until they leave. Enjoy the first five days of pictures below.

Day-tripping.

It's only about 40 miles to Tillamook from where we were staying. On the Pacific Coast Highway, that's equal to an hour and a half of driving. We stopped for a clear shot of Haystack Rock. Don't ask me why I enlist the help of others in taking family pictures. Something inevitably gets cut out of the shot. In this case, it was Haystack Rock. But, hey, everyone's looking at the camera!



Stunning views.



Lily milking a cow at the cheese factory. Why not?





Best part about a tour of the Tillamook cheese factory? Why, the ice cream, naturally.





I must say, I was a skeptic, but Tillamook's bubble gum flavor (which two of my girls will select without fail) didn't make me yack. I might even call it good.





Near Cape Meares Lighthouse.



Strange 8-armed Sitka Spruce, aptly named the Octopus tree. Eve's still talking about it. No doubt because she was so enamored by Tim's charming imitation of an octopus just in time for the picture.



Lily, always seeking out the photo ops.



Eve, imitating her big sis.



Isn't the green glorious? Spoken like a true resident of the Rocky Mountain West.





One of many pouting sessions in the car.



A short trip on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. Oh, and as a side note, there was this old school playground right next to the ending point of our railroad trip. Complete with merry-go-round and a couple of real-live teeter-totters. Man, it must suck to be a kid nowadays. That park was glorious.





And the ride home. Look familiar?

Tide tables and west coast sunsets.

While visiting the Oregon Coast, tide tables are essential. For starters, a beach may be an entirely different place, depending on the time of day (and therefore, the tides) you happen to hit it. And, because there are many points where the rocks jut out just enough that you can only navigate them during low tide, lest you be swept out to sea. Which, during some moments on this trip, would have been a fate I could have dealt with considering the behavior of my children.

Anyway, Hug Point was one such place. We went during afternoon low tide (not the lowest of the day, but who wants to be up at 5 a.m.?) and scurried the kids around each point, narrowly escaping an incoming wave. I found it rather exciting, in some strange, twisted, high-risk, before having kids fashion. And then I remembered that I was holding Rachel's hand; she thought it rather terrifying herself.

She liked the caves just fine, though.







Interesting note: the original Oregon Coast Highway, traveled by stagecoach in earlier years, was right on the beach at times. Here's a picture of the ruts carved by the wheels.





We took our chances and kept the girls up past their bedtime for a look at the sunset.





Going...



Going...



Still going...



And then, in classic style, someone had an urgent need to use the restroom (a good hike away... over halfway back to our house, in fact) so we threw in the towel and missed the sunset altogether. Still worth it. Nothing as peaceful or mesmerizing as a sunset (or almost, at least) on the beach.

That park that sounds like a disease.

On Tuesday, we drove a short distance to Ecola State Park. I really should do my research on the origin of the word "ecola" because I'm still stuck on the fact that it sounds like some strange cross between E coli and Ebola (as in the virus).

It's a gorgeous coastal rainforest with several secluded beaches. The day we visited endowed us with a misty rain - you know the kind that just kind of blows gently through the air leaving dew-like drops on your skin and hair? It was delightful in spite of the limited visibility.

Doesn't it look so mystical and kung-fuey? Or at least the mystical part.



I love this picture of Rachel. Partly because she's, well, gorgeous and partly because it captures so beautifully the way the rain simply settled on her locks.



Not sure why Eve's mastered the grumpy face in this shot. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that her apple was seasoned with sand. No, she thought that was just fabulous.



More mystical and kung-fuey.



This was one of those iconic views of the Oregon Coast that you might find on postcard - with Ecola State park in the foreground and Haystack Rock (of Goonies fame) in the background. Except, in our case, Haystack Rock was pretty much nowhere to be seen.



And thank you, kind person willing enough to take a picture of our entire family high on a precipice in the wind and rain. We sure appreciate you. Sure do.

The only sunny day on the beach.

The weather channel was our friend and we planned our only day at the beach based on it's surprisingly accurate forecast for the week. Monday was partly cloudy. We took it.









And then the jackets came on.



Eve discovered that sand and food make a tasty combination.





Everyone took naps that afternoon. And I do mean everyone.