The Oregon Coast (Part Two)

After leaving Raymond we headed down Hwy 101 for the scenic route along Oregon's coast. We had beautiful weather and light traffic, with lots of wonderful views along the way.

We set up camp near Newport, at Beverly Beach State Park and stayed for two nights. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing so incredibly hard that we couldn't enjoy the beach for long. 

Instead we played at our campsite and explored the nature trails.

While in Newport we visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium, but before we could go in, Smiley here needed a quick diaper change in the trunk of the Subaru. Nothing phases this girl, she's a trooper. We spent over an hour in the aquarium parking lot waiting for Holden to wake up from her nap in the car, and Iona had more patience than Michael and I put together. 

Once awake Holden was mesmerized by the fish and sea creatures!

And then Iona took her afternoon nap in the stroller. Seems like someone was always napping!

The picture on the left is fun. If you look carefully you can see a distorted Michael pushing the stroller. He was walking around the other side of the large fish tank Holden was peering into. 

On our way to our next campground we stopped at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Before hitting the sand we had a picnic with a friendly, and hungry, blue jay. Holden enjoyed her company but didn't want to share her peanut butter sandwich.

Sand angel-making was a big hit. Of course we were finding sand in everything, even days later!

Our last stop in Oregon was in Brookings at Harris Beach State Park. It was amazing! The rock formations were incredible. Holden woke up from a nap and saw them from her window--she immediately declared, "We're at the end of the world and the rocks are floating in the sea!".

Stay tuned for the next blog post...California!

Our excellent adventure! (Part One)

Back when the weather was cold and rainy, (no, not last week, further back, like 6 months ago) Michael and I came up with plans for a big camping roadtrip to California to visit family and friends. We spent hours pouring over maps and searching state park websites as we created our 18 day adventure. 

Well, we're back and we not only survived, 

but we enjoyed ourselves too!

2,431 miles

432 hours of non-stop adventure

5 State Parks

2 National Parks

2 much-needed hotel stops

11 mosquito bites (Holden 4, Iona 0, Michael 2, Julie 5--the sweetest?)

3 States (WA, OR, CA)

Water in all forms--snow, fog, rain, mist, ocean, lake, river, creek

4 happy campers

Before our trip we tie-dyed t-shirts--Team Tie-Dye! 

This picture was taken in our driveway the morning we set out.

We pulled our vintage Boler behind us, which was perfect for changing diapers and nursing.

Iona and I slept in the Boler, while Holden and Michael slept in the tent. 

 

And speaking of sleeping, we tried to do most of our traveling while the girls napped. This worked out pretty well most days and Holden would declare it was "like magic" whenever she woke up in a completely different campground. 

The first day of our journey we headed to Raymond, to stay with my aunt and uncle and family on their farm. On the way we stopped at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge to stretch our legs. There are some great trails at the Refuge and we hope to return when we have more time to explore.

Once on the farm, Holden wasted no time in checking out the cows. She even got to feed them carrots, much to her delight. I was just a couple years older than Holden when I first started staying on this very same farm in the summers; doing farm chores and playing with my cousins. I even had my own cow named Buster. And then we had Buster Burgers. 

Surprisingly, this is not why I do not eat meat.  :)

When Holden wasn't feeding the animals, she was glued to her cousin's side. Sydney is 10 and was great with Holden. After playing together all afternoon, she read Holden books before bed.

Iona took to Uncle Johnny quickly! 

Iona, of course, smiled the whole time. Above she is pictured with Aunt Barbo and Cousin Susie.

We were completely spoiled with not only babysitters but also with food. We never even opened our ice chest the whole time we were there. 

I kept telling them if they kept it up we were never going to leave.

Unfortunately we had to go; our adventure was just beginning. 

It was great spending the first two nights with family, as we adjusted to being away from our home 

we were still at home with them. 

Look who's 9 months old!

Iona Pyxis

(AKA: Smiley Dimple Baby)

Her favorite things are toys with tags, anything of sister's, clapping and being with family.

Iona weighs 19 lbs and is 28.5 inches long. She wears size 12 months comfortably and looks especially good in outfits that show off her many, buttery soft, baby folds.

This girl smiles and laughs more than any baby I know! 

She now has one and a half teeth and lots of hair. Books are still mostly just chew toys but she does seem to prefer the taste of board books that have baby pictures in them. She's not quite crawling yet but can get around on a carpeted floor by wiggling, rolling and scooching. 

We are truly thankful for our precious daughter!