For our Christmas break we loaded everyone up and made the drive to Oregon. Everyone was super excited to see grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, and friends. Out trip was pretty uneventful. Even with a bit of mountain snow to deal with we made it in about 11 hours. Not bad at all.
Our first couple of days were pretty laid back while we rested from our trip. We shopped for Christmas, had dinner with friends, and played lots of games. The kids were super excited to play with friends that they hadn't seen since the summer.
On Monday we had a little girls day out. I took the girls to Claire's where Grace got her ears pierced. She was really brave and super excited to get it over with. A few tears, but she's happy with them. She does look really cute with her little gold studs. Afterwards it was off to pizza buffet for lunch with Grandma.
The next day everyone went bowling. We had lots of fun. Claire even tried it without bumpers this time and did really well! I did pretty terrible. Maybe next time. After our game we spent some money in the arcade. I really love air hockey.
After playing around for a bit we had dinner at Red Robin and then decided to drive around and see some lights. We like to stop by a certain house each year that really goes all out. It also so happens to be the house of one of Claire's teachers from when we lived there. This year they added some Star Wars flare to it.
The next day or so was dedicated to getting ready for Christmas. Cookies were made, games were played and shopping was done. On Christmas Eve we had a big dinner with Chris's parents and family. Then we had a white elephant gift exchange. We opened our one gift (jammies), and set out our cookies for Santa. It was a fun day.
(my white elephant prize)
Christmas day was a fun but crazy day. Lots of presents to be opened at two different houses. We also had my family's Christmas dinner. We seriously ate so much food the entire time we were there. Some highlights: Chris got Jeff a blinged out scarf to wear to a Real Salt Lake game as well as tickets, Neil was very excited to receive a new creeper backpack and jacket, Grace really loved that she got a new robe and the Descendants movie, Claire was really happy with her art supplies and tons of new books, and I got some gear to start cycling. I'm excited for some warm weather to try it all out.
The next couple of days were fun to hang out, play games, and watch movies. Kee and Jeff along with the kids watched all of the Star Wars movies in preparation for the new one. A lot of time was invested in this. One day we all got together and played Pie in your Face. Well, we didn't really play as much as just take turns getting pied. It was pretty funny to see the kids's reactions of surprise even when they knew it was coming.
Yes, the adults all did it too. It wasn't as bad as it looks.
On the day after Christmas, my dad took a bunch of us out into the woods to the hunting grounds to target shoot. We had brought along our rifle and were ready to get some practice in. It was pretty snowy up the the coast range. We were prepared though. We had hot chocolate, a bbq, hot dogs, and lots of other snacks. On our way through the forest we came around a corner and there was a massive tree that had fallen across the road. I thought we'd be turning back, but nope. Out gets my dad and goes to retrieve a chain saw. He's always the prepared type. So, they got to work chopping it up one chunk at a time to clear our way. My sister and I sat in the car and watched. They had plenty of help. :) Everyone had brought along guns of all kinds. We set up several targets then got to work. I had a great time shooting the .22. I hit the target with my first 3 shots with open sights. I was pretty proud of myself. I also hit the mid range targets with the rifle. We had set up one target really far away. That one eluded me. Oh well, it was pretty tough to get. It was fun times in the woods.
After all that fun in the snow we wanted to take the kids to see it. After all we live in California now, and this might be our only chance to play around with snow for quite some time. Originally we had planned to go to Mt. Hood, but another good storm came through and we knew we would have more snow in the coast range. So, back we went. We pulled off the highway near a logging road, and it was perfect. Plenty of snow to play in and a nice hill to go down. We all had a blast.
After working up quite the appetite we headed into Tillamook for some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and of course ice cream.
Then it was off to Cape Mears lighthouse to look for whales. We had lots of binoculars as well as spotting scopes. Thankfully, we were able to see several spouts. The whales were out there. It was a gorgeous day on the coast!
You'd think that that was plenty for one day, but we weren't done yet. We drove back to town, ate some leftovers and then hit up the movie theater for the new Star Wars flick. It was a full and fun packed day!!
On Tuesday we set out with the kids and other family to play at Out of This World Pizza. The adults played cards while the kids ran around until they were exhausted. It was a good time. That evening Chris and I were able to go play games with some good friends. We sure do miss our more frequent game nights.
Wednesday afternoon we all went back to the arcade for some more air hockey time. The kids liked collecting their tickets and buying themselves prizes at the end. That evening my dad took us out to the gun range for some shotgun shooting. It was really cold that evening. When it was my turn, my fingers turned to ice really fast. I had a hard time doing anything with them, let alone aiming well. Needless to say, I was pretty terrible with the shotgun that night. Maybe when it warms up I can practice more.
We also spent a bunch of time putting together a bunch of new lego sets, including this giant town set. Claire especially loved building it.
On New Year's Eve we all got together for a delicious appetizer style dinner followed by games and of course our traditional glow stick dance party. The kids were really excited for it and asked about it all week. It went off without a hitch! I love dancing in the dark. It's a blast. Since most of the kids weren't feeling 100%, they were all off to bed before 10pm. Chris then played games with his dad, while I went with my dad and sister to see Creed. It was another good and full day.
Friday was spent playing with cousins for the last time. I was able to sneak away for a long lunch with a couple of girlfriends. It was so nice to reconnect. Can't wait to see everyone again.
Our time in Oregon always goes by way too fast. There is always more that I want to do. There just isn't ever enough time in each day. I'm so glad that we were able to see everyone. Thank you to all our parents who made our stay so great. Miss you all!
The drive home was perfect. Clear and dry roads all the way. It was great. We were lucky that we left when we did. The next day there was snow on the ground in Hillsboro. Crazy. Now, it's just back to life for us. A new year, and new adventures await.....
