Camping at the coast

This last weekend we packed up our van to the brim and drove down to Nehalem Bay State Park for some camping fun! It was a family affair. Both sets of grandparents were there along with my sister and Chris's brother, his wife, and their son. We stayed for 4 nights!!! That is a record for us! We all survived, although we did come home a little sunburned. The last 2 nights, Claire started asking us if she could go to bed around 6pm. I'd say, "We still need to eat dinner." She would reply, "...and then we can go to bed?" Suffice it to say, between all the trips down to the beach, riding bikes, roasting smores, coloring, climbing trees, and making crafts we wore the kids out!

This is the view from Hwy 101 on our way south towards Nehalem. Our campground is in the distance along the spit of sand. Claire was a little upset that we weren't going to be camping here along the road.

This is the first day...after we got our camp all set up and ate some yummy pasties for dinner we took a quick stroll down to the beach for some fun. It was a little cool outside, but the kids loved it!

We did a lot of relaxing while we were camping. Chris read a couple of books, and we took Claire to a kids presentation about bats. It was put on by the ranger and at the end we got to make our own bat. Claire thought that was pretty cool. She also entertained herself by climbing all the trees that we around us!

The sun did come out, and although it was still a little windy, we had a great time playing on the beach in our swimsuits. We even went in the ocean! It was freezing! Although, once you are in for 5 min. your legs go numb, and then it almost feels warm. Grace LOVED the water. She kept pulling on us to go out further. She would jump each wave and laugh. It was really funny to watch. We had to drag her out of the water kicking and screaming when we decided that she was getting really cold. She would have stayed in the water for a long time.

We also had a chance to go out on Nehalem Bay in the boat and do a little crabbing and salmon fishing. It was a gorgeous day, and we caught 4 keeper Dungenous crabs! That's pretty good for only dropping the pots twice.

Last, but certainly not least, was our trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory on our way home. What trip to the coast is complete without a stop here? It is mandatory. You can see how tired and red Claire looks. She's ready for her bed! We all got ice cream and cheese curds and were on our way back to Hillsboro. We all had a great time, and can't wait to go back next year!

Rough Day

As a labor and delivery nurse I get to be a part of some of the most precious moments that people experience in this life. Along with all that joy and new life, inevitably come some of the most heartbreaking and emotionally draining situations. As a nurse I am right in the middle of the situation. Anxious and fearful patients are looking to me for support, love, information, and any shred of hope. It is a very difficult thing to go through a major trial along with another person. All you can do is cry with them, and let them know that everything that they are feeling is real and ok. I can't divulge any details about what exactly happened with the patients that I saw today, but needless to say it made me stop and appreciate my beautiful girls. Pregnancies don't always go as planned, and each life truly is such a miracle. I am so thankful to have 2 healthy, happy kids.

Tribute to Dad

This Father's Day I have been thinking about all the great things that my dad has done for me over the years. He has made many sacrifices that have enabled me to enjoy the life that I have today. By always being such an amazing example of hard-work, honesty, selflessness, and excellence, I found myself wanting to be more like him. His unwavering faith and diligence in living the gospel propped me up during difficult times. Thank you Dad! Thank you for always being my rock.

A couple of weeks ago we had the chance to go out on the boat with my dad for a quick fishing trip. The weather was a bit on the cool side, but we bundled up and still had a great time. Claire wasn't so sure about going fast, but once she was on her dad's lap things were just fine! We didn't see any fish...only a few jumping around us, but we did see plenty of worms! Claire and Keara had a good time playing with the bait while Chris was able to get in a power nap. It was a pretty relaxing afternoon out on the river. Thanks dad for taking us!

My new blog

So I am new to this blogging thing. I guess I've finally caught the online bug because everyday I have to check my facebook account, my email accounts, and the blogs of my friends and family. I guess I am just interested in what everyone is up to, or at least that is what I tell myself. Maybe I'm really just trying to waste time or procrastinate something more important...like dishes or laundry. No, but really, my sister has been out of the country for quite some time now and I really look forward to reading her new posts. It makes me feel like I'm getting the inside scoop on what's going on, even though I know that the posts are not just for me. To make a long story short, I've finally decided to make my own contribution to the blog scene.
Tomorrow is our 7th wedding anniversary! I can't even believe how fast the time has gone by. It really seems like yesterday that we were newlyweds at BYU living the poor student lifestyle. So much has happend in these last few years. We've both graduated, found great jobs, had 2 beautiful daughters, moved to Oregon, bought our first house, and many other crazy things along the way. I am grateful for the journey. I look forward to our many years to come. Happy anniversary sweetheart!