GWL Adventure

We went to Great Wolf Lodge in Washington a few years ago and had a fantastic time. Since we had difficulty getting a camp site in Oregon, we decided to go to Great Wolf Lodge as a back up. The girls were able to do more this time because they are getting bigger. Heather was pretty much able to do all the slides. We tried the Magic Quest this time as the girls would be able to understand what to do. It was a fun family experience. We basically had to run around a lot of the hotel to find all the things we needed to complete the quest. The kids got to use their magic wands to activate things and solve problems.

Camping on the Oregon Coast

In August, we travelled down the northern part of the Oregon Coast. we stopped in Astoria to see the sealions up close. They take over the docks and will even sink a boat on a regular basis. We camped for three nights at Fort Stevens State Park. It is a former military base and is now a museum and beautiful state park. it is right at the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.

There is shipwreck at the beach at Fort Stevens. Not much is left.

Miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches

Cool water and fun waves.

The museum was really interesting. The base was used since the Spanish American War until the end of World War Two. It was even fired upon by a Japanese submarine. It

was the only location that was fired on during WW2 in the Continental US. These guns raise up to fire and then drop down and hide

Nice trails around the park allowed us to stumble into this cute little fawn

The squirrels often came around looking for treats.

The facilites were amazing in this state park. Deluxe!

We enjoyed taking the new truck onto the beach.Lots of treasures to be found

Heather liked to hang out in the sand near the dunes as it was much warmer thereGood wind for kites

Sunset at the point where the Columbia meets the Pacific. Beautiful.

We headed south one of the days to see Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. We got there just in time to see the tidal pools fill up with the tide water

A little hermit crab

View of Cannon Beach form Ecola State Park

We walked out to the point and this little guy was flying all around us. Must have been our bright colors.

We stayed a night at Cape Lookout, just west of Tillimook. It was also a nice place but was booked solid so we were only able to do one night.

The kids got to participate in an interpretive program and learn about the animals of the area.

Just before we headed inland and north, we stopped to admire the sand dunes that went on for miles. Heathr looks like she is in the middle of the desert

Vanessa's 5.5 Year Birthday Party

Vanessa had her birthday exactly 6 months form her real birthday. We were in the process of selling the house and so having a party was something we decided to put off until we got settled into the new house. We had a lot of fun renting ponies and going on a scavenger hunt around the yard. The kids had clues and had to collect the stickers at different places. The ponies were great but the tadpoles in the pond stole the show. We had a hard time pulling the kids out of the pond to ride the ponies after their initial rides. They eventually rode the ponies again. Jigs had to be tied up and barked a lot because of the strange animals in the yard that I am sure he would have loved to play with. He eventually got to meet them and behaved when all the kids went home. Vanessa wanted a swamp cake so I did my best. It was interesting to say the least. It was nice celebrating a birthday in the summer instead of winter. It was great to be able to use the yard. we even invited some of the new neighbors that we have met already. I hope to get a few more pictures from Grandma and Grandpa. I was a little busy at the party.

Vanessa's best buddy for preschool

The pond was very popular

Jigs wanted to check out the ponies so badly

The Swamp Cake