Oregon Coast Vacay

During the last week of July/beginning of August, we took a beach trip with one of our favorite families: The Harkins'! Rod & Catie and I met in college and Catie and I became fast friends. I consider her one of my closest and although we don't see each other all too often since we live over three hours apart, when we finally do see each other, we pick up right where we left off. The Harkins family drove to our house on Saturday afternoon and slept one night here so they could break up the drive since we had to drive three hours from our house to the coast on Sunday. 

When they arrived it was nearly dinnertime, so we had a backyard picnic and the kids got to play.

Later as the kiddos started settling down, we put on a DVD for them in our bedroom and let them cuddle in to watch Rio 2. 

Curious George rounded out the bunch at an even six

Aubree slept with Ella in her bed while the rest of the Harkins family camped in our living room. We seriously need a guest room, if only I could magically grow our house another few hundred sqaure feet.

The next morning we got up, ate breakfast, bathed, and finished packing, and then were on the road to Lincoln City!

Our first stop was Dairy Queen for lunch which is always a big hit with the kiddos (sundaes!).

Then we made it to our beach vacation home. The view was stunning and the house was a perfect layout for all nine of us. 

Can you see the ocean? It was about five blocks away. But we had a great view since we were on a hill. 

We put our suitcases away, then headed to the ocean! The kids practically ran the entire way, they were so excited. They brought their pails and shovels and sand toys and wanted to build sandcastles. 

We noticed quite a few individuals kite boarding on the ocean which looked equal parts awesome and scary.

Shadow selfie

After some time at the beach, we didn't stay too long because it was super windy and cold, so we decided to eat dinner. We ended up eating at Chinook's Seafood Grill which was just steps away from where we had been on the beach. The food was out-of-this-world amazing and it was so nice to dine at a restaurant overlooking the ocean on our first evening in Lincoln City. 

Later the kids swam in the beach house hot tub and got some energy out before bed. They all got to sleep in the same bedroom with bunk beds and thought it was great fun. 

The next day we ventured a little farther down the beach hoping for some clearer skies, but alas, it was still foggy down the coast line. We did, however, get to park our vehicles on the sand, which both Jeff and Rod thought was kind of cool. 

Our family minus Jeff who was wondering on the rocks, exploring the tide pools

The whole Harkins family

Ella's sweatshirt says it all, she LOVES the beach!!

Can you spot Jeff in this photo? 

The kids had fun chasing Catie all along the coast line and looking for shells in the tide pools. They found mostly these kind, pictured above. 

Earlier that morning we visited a kite shop and Nicholas was thrilled when Jeff decided it was windy enough to fly his new dinosaur kite. 

After some beach time we decided to grab lunch at Highway 101 Burgers. The owner was super friendly and let the kids use chalk markers to (literally) write on the walls and the big tires out front. He also let them write on their cheeks and Nicholas was happy to pose for a photo with him. He also had the kids help move some potatoes to trade for some milkshakes. It was a fun lunch for all the kids. 

Later we went shopping at the Tanger outlet stores and a few of the smaller shops in town. Jeff found this Duck Dynasty (none of us have ever watched it) beard at one and thought it would suit Nicholas perfectly. He looks so silly, especially with his one front tooth missing. His other front tooth fell out our last evening there and the tooth fairy brought $5.00! Because Aubree explained that when she lost a tooth on vacation, she got more money than she usually does. 

When we returned home, the kids were playing in the game room (supervised by me), Catie and Cash took a nap, Rod went to finish some shopping, and Jeff decided to hot tub solo. Lucky duck!

The next morning before we left the house, Catie suggested we get a photo together, and I am so glad she did because I am always the one taking the photos and rarely ever get in any myself and almost never with friends. I just love her so much. Catie is near and dear to my heart, she's such a good mama to her three little cubs, and a doting wife to her husband. We've been friends for over thirteen years and I am eternally blessed to have her in my life. 

Ella liked wearing Hank/Cash's hat

To kill time before we left, the kids spent some time exploring outside of the house, looking for shells and other treasures.

On our last day at the ocean, we spent the morning at Siletz Bay and the weather there was amazing compared to the previous days. The kids played for hours until they were starving. 

Ella learned to fly her mermaid kite and she loved showing her big brother what she could do. 

That's the end of my photos, but we dined at Mo's for lunch that afternoon, ate at a Mexican restaurant for dinner (complete with amazing margaritas), and because our kids were exhausted that night, they went to bed early which meant that all the adults got to drink some adult beverages and hot tub uninterrupted. Pure Bliss. 

It was tough to leave the next morning, I definitely wanted to stay longer, but Jeff was needed at work. We decided if we make this an annual trip, we will stay a whole week next time. The Harkins family drove up the coast and stayed two nights at Cannon Beach, and I wished we could have joined them!

But, it was a wonderfully magical beach vacation and the kids are counting the days until we can return to the Oregon Coast!