Nicholas's Make-A-Wish Trip (Day 1)

Last Tuesday we left for a five-day trip to the Oregon Coast. We were embarking on a magical adventure. You see, a year ago, Nicholas was granted one wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nicholas wished for "fish" so after taking some time and talking to our wonderful wish granters, we decided the best way he could enjoy fish and everything that goes along with sea life was to go to The Oregon Coast Aquarium. And because Make-A-Wish always goes above and beyond the wishers expectations, they set up a five-day, four-night stay for our family (and my parents) in a beautiful beach-front house in Waldport, Oregon. Also before we left, our wish granters, Annisa & Gina, spoiled our kids silly! They brought cute outfits for Nicholas and Ella, sand toys for the kids to play with, gave them new Disney character beach towels and sunscreen; plus gift certificates for us to eat out, and spending money for the whole week. We were ready for our journey!

 Nicholas and Ella were angels the entire three hour ride to the coast. They looked out the window and when they started to get restless, watched a DVD. 

 Our first stop on Highway 101 was a fresh seafood stand where Jeff bought crabs and oysters for that night's dinner. 

A little farther down the highway we stopped and took some photos of the majestic Pacific Ocean. 

 We passed under this pretty bridge as we drove into Newport. Oregon.

 Then we arrived at our beautiful beach house. These are the views from the backyard, just steps from the sand and surf. The home owners had planted beautiful hydrangeas that were all over the property and all were in bloom. Click HERE for a virtual tour of the home we stayed in. 

 Nicholas told us over and over again how happy he was to be there. The house had these awesome chairs that Nicholas loved because they reclined so much and were so cozy. 

 Jeff and I dined on crab that evening which was delicious!

 Later Jeff took a walk down the beach and saw this cool carving in the sand wall. 

 The weather was cool when we arrived and the ocean was rough, but we were so happy to be there on our first vacation as a family of four!!

We ended our first day with a relaxing swim in the hot tub. The kids were thrilled to discover that the water was warm like the bathtub and they loved swimming for an hour or so. Nicholas was moving his hands around and loved the buoyancy the water gave him. 

 

The only tough part about night one was that Ella was not sure about sleeping somewhere new. We put her Pack-n-Play in our bedroom and she slept in it for a few hours (reluctantly at first) until she woke up at 2:30 a.m. I put her in bed with me and Jeff went to the couch to give her more space. She didn't fall asleep again until 4:30 a.m. She kept touching my face to make sure I was there, I guess. So neither Ella nor I got a lot of sleep that first night, but she was a much better sleeper every night that followed, thank the Lord! Nicholas, however, slept like a baby every night we were there and even slept in every morning. I think all the fun and excitement just wore him out!

Day 2 photos to come...