Oregon

Blake Family Reunion - Day 1

A few weeks ago we went to Oregon for Trent's family reunion. We stayed in a beautiful vacation home called Grandma's Haven just a short drive away from the beach in Newport. The weather was dreamy, the food was delish (I brought home an extra 5 lbs to show for it), and the cousins had a great time playing together. It was nothing short of a miracle that every single person in Trent's family was able to come for at least a day. And just wait until I tell you about our family t-shirts...it's the pinnacle of this series so I'll save it for the end.

Our first full day together, Grammy Blake treated everyone to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was a beautiful facility with a lot of amazing sea creatures to watch and even touch. It sure beat the Sea Life exhibit at AZ Mills.

Here's some of my favorite photos from our first day at the reunion:

Trent and Ty touching some of the sea life.

Inside the tunnel.
We saw sharks, stingrays, and other sea creatures swimming around and above us.

Brooke was fascinated as well.

Shark attack!

Resting at the play area.

The end of the tour.
Ty can neither confirm nor deny what exactly he drank from his sippy cup.

After a yummy lunch at the Chowder Bowl, we played outside for the rest of the afternoon and evening. The sun didn't set until after 9 so we enjoyed the lush, green outdoors for a long time.

I love this picture.

Grammy brought bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and Frisbees to keep the kids occupied. They occupied some of the grown ups too. Trent and I played Frisbee for quite a while this particular afternoon and it was so much fun!

The house was surrounded by a huge yard with all sorts of nooks and crannies just perfect for kids to run free and use their imaginations. The older cousins lined up and rolled down the hill countless times.

We also celebrated Ylva's 3rd birthday.
When Ty is not the birthday subject, he sits as close as humanly possible to the birthday girl or boy to ensure participation in the blowing out of birthday candles.

Trent claims that family reunions do not qualify as vacations.
I countered that any time we get him (Trent) all to ourselves qualifies as a vacation to me!

We made smores nearly every night we were there. That plus my daily bowl of creamy clam chowder may explain why my favorite clothes are a little snug right now.

There's more. So much more. Next up: The Beach.