Early Thanksgiving

We met the entire Larsen crew the week before Thanksgiving for a little get-away in Hammond, Oregon. It's a darling little coastal town near Astoria. We hadn't seen the family in a while, and hadn't met Brooklyn yet, so it was a ton of fun.

We saw a lot of neat things, including the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale. It ran ashore on October 25, 1906. 

We found treasures on the beach, 

and smiled big for Auntie April. Is he the cutest or what?

We climbed 164 steps to the top of the Astoria Column. Jake bought everyone wooden airplanes to fly off the top...

I think Kelly won the contest on longest flight...hers went forever! The kids went on a hunt for downed planes once we were out of the column so they could bring one home.

We went on a spectacular hike in Oswald West State Park. 

The kids climbed over,  

under, and through Mother Nature's playground. 

We passed a lot of giant old-growth Sitka Spruce on our way to Smuggler Cove.

It didn't disappoint! We lucked out on weather constantly...it had been raining most of the day, but when we got to the cove, the sun peeked out until we were ready to head back up the trail, then it started to drizzle a bit. It didn't bother us though, because by that time, we were under the cover of all the trees. It was absolutely breathtaking!

Cannon Beach was next on the list, which has been on my bucket list for over a decade. I have to admit, I got a little emotional when I saw Haystack Rock. Photos just don't do it justice! 

We got there at the perfect time to see Sea Anemone and Starfish. Isabelle and Dylan found hermit crabs and tidepool sculpin. It was so much fun to explore...completely hands on learning. It's something I don't think my kids will ever forget.

The sun started to set, and I will be forever grateful that I got to see Cannon Beach in person. It was amazing. 

And let's be honest...who can go to Astoria and not stop by the Goonie House? One or more of my kids may have done the truffle shuffle, but that's another post for another day. 

Thanks to Fred and Kelly for an amazing trip! We made some great memories. It was so fun to see the family and spend some quality time together. 

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend was a little chilly, but the sun was shining and we were surrounded by beautiful scenery and great friends. We went to Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne (just a few minutes out of town) to the pumpkin patch and corn maze. It was so much fun!

We entered the corn maze...

Made time for a quick selfie...

(Corie and Patrick also made the leap of faith and moved to Bend-you can read Corie's post by clicking here: Moving Home. She is an amazing writer!)

Made our way to the pumpkin patch...

Waited patiently while the kids chose the perfect pumpkin...

Then went home, ate some good food, and got creative!

We are so blessed to have found such amazing friends here in Bend. When we left Utah, we knew we would miss the Robbins and the Brogs terribly. We look forward to seeing them whenever possible and think about them every day! The only thing that softened the blow of leaving them was knowing that we will be friends for the rest of our lives, no matter what. We are so lucky that we have found that here, too. Here's to good friends, old and new!

Have a happy and safe halloween!!

Blaze

The Portland Trailblazers were in town doing some assemblies at local schools, and Dylan's school just happened to be one of them. When Luke found out that Blaze was along for the ride, he made a phone call to his old friend and set up a little meeting. Luke had fun catching up, and Dylan was so excited!

Devils Lake

A nice little Sunday drive landed us at Devils Lake...the sun was on our shoulders, the water was the most amazing clear turquoise, and the scenery was absolutely incredible!

Fly Fishing

Dylan has been waiting for so long to go fly fishing. Luke and I made him pass all of his swim levels before he could go-we have never seen him work so hard in swim class. Ever! Luke worked with him on his technique, practicing nymphing and dry flying. He was an absolute natural, and soaked up every bit of information like a sponge. I have to admit it was pretty crazy to see that my little boy was suddenly all grown up and not only using my rod, but wearing my waders and shoes! When did he get so big?!? Needless to say, the trip was a huge success. They caught a few tiny rainbow trout on the Crooked River, and Dylan is officially addicted. According to him, it was "the best day of my entire life!"

Newport

Isabelle had the opportunity to go to the coast with her science class on an overnight field trip. She had an incredible time! They took the kids to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Hatfield Science Station, and the Undersea Gardens. They also went on a Marine Discovery Tour into the ocean, and got to spend some time at Newport's historic bayfront. While at the bayfront, she got a big bowl of creamy garlic crab soup for lunch...she said it was soooo good! She couldn't understand why her classmates were getting burgers and fries. She said "we are at the coast-I have to get seafood!" It's experiences like this that she will never forget. She is exploring the world, deciding for herself who she is and what she wants to be. Watching her grow up makes my heart want to explode. I am so proud of her. Watch out world-this one is going to do amazing things!

Here are a few photos from her trip: