Our trip to Oregon

From August 17-22nd we took a trip up to Oregon to visit Aaron's brother and his family.  It was a lot of fun!  It was a long drive (about 12 hrs) so the first and last day were spent just driving. 

The first day, we went to the Oregon coast where we saw the Astoria column.  From the top, we enjoyed an amazing view of the Columbia River where you could see over to Washington.  It was so beautiful!  This is one of the places where Lewis and Clark explored along with many others.  

Enjoying the beautiful view of the Columbia River.
(The picture doesn't do it justice.)

We couldn't miss stopping to see the sea-lions out by the dock.   They are big and smelly but fun to watch!

After that, we headed to the beach where we enjoyed fairly nice weather.  We had to wear jackets and the water was really cold, but the skies were blue and it was beautiful!  Kyle had fun flying a "Lightning McQueen" kite.  

Amber and Tara catching the sun with their babes.  (Seaside beach)

We also went over to Canon Beach where we saw "Haystack Rock".  It was just a beautiful day!!

Aaron and Dave at Haystack Rock

At Canon Beach, we saw a few jellyfish that hat washed up onto  the shore.    This kind of spooked the kids a little as they didn't want to step on them.  They had a lot of fun splashing in the water and running from the waves. 

The next day, Friday,  after a round of golf for the guys, we had the chance to go berry-picking, which was a the top of the list for me.  I LOVE berries, and dream of having fields of them!!   We also realized why they cost so much- it is tedious work to pick them.  They were already pretty picked-over as we were late in the season there, but we still got a lot.  Aaron must really love me, because while I sat and nursed the baby in the shade, he continued to pick more berries for me so we could get alot.  I came home and made a bunch of my homemade raspberry jam.  

Heidi and Lincoln on the tire swing at the berry farm.  

 Friday night we went to the air show in Hillsboro which was simply amazing!!  We watched huge fighter planes take off.  It was pretty impressive to FEEL the power from yards away as they flew by.   Then we watched some stunt pilots do some amazing tricks.  There were planes all lit up in the night sky, some with fireworks coming out of their wings.  It was really cool!

Yes, that really is a person STANDING on top of the plane as it is flying!!

Kyle and Erika had fun with the ear-muffs that were supposed to be used to protect their ears from the noise. 

Saturday we visited the college where Dave goes to school.  It was neat to see where he spends a lot of his time.    Not too much longer and he will be practicing as an optometrist.  We are so excited for him!

We also went to the Portland Rose garden which was so beautiful!!  It reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland for some reason.  It was a huge garden full of the most beautiful roses we'd ever seen, all types and colors.  We tried to get a good picture of our family here but it was a little tricky.  :)

On Sunday before church, I got a picture of Jared and Benson chillin'.  They are only a month apart and already have so much in common!  Two little cuties, with so much to talk about.

The kids also had a great time swimming in the pool at the hotel and playing at the park.  We are so grateful to Dave and Tara for showing us around and letting us spend time with them.  We had a wonderful time.

After church, we headed home.  To break up the drive, we stopped on the way at the Minnetonka falls, which is just right off the freeway.  It is a really pretty waterfall that is very, very long.  You can only see a small part in the picture.   

A Busy August

There are some other fun things that happened in the month of August that I am just getting around to writing about.  (I guess better late than never, huh?)

On August 8th we had a free weekend so we headed up to Promontory, Utah where we visited the Golden Spike Museum.   It was pretty neat!   It is only an hour away from our house and I really can't believe this is the first time we've been there after living here for 8 years!   

They did a reenactment of the Golden Spike where the two railroads met and even had the trains driving together.  The text from the reenactment was taken from the actual text of the ceremony.  They have a museum where we watched a few videos and looked at displays.  It was really educational.  

 The next weekend of August 14th we spent up at the cabin at Strawberry for the 1st annual Ollie Michel  reunion.  It was fun to spend time with my siblings and parents and just relax.  One highlight was the "treasure hunt" put together by Nathan and Jordan, who really went all out as you can see from the picture.  They all dressed up like pirates and found a treasure literally buried under ground.   In the box were a bunch of fun toys, games, and treats for the kids.  Thanks Nate and Jordan- you're awesome!

  On the way up to the cabin, we stopped in to visit my sister Amanda who had just had her baby that week.  His name is Gabriel John and he is a real cutie!!  We love you Amanda and hope that the adjustment to motherhood goes smoothly for you.

That Saturday after our visit to the cabin, we had a visit from our good friends, Andy and Sarah and their  4 beautiful girls.  It was so good to spend some time with them.  They announced that they will be moving to Georgia!!   We are excited for them, but also a little sad- we'll miss them and wish them the best.  

One of our big projects this summer has been putting together a swingset for the kids in the backyard.  We had to dig down over a foot and then put down weed barrier.  Then, we brought in a big dump truck full of sand.  On top of this we put the swingset which was an old one my brother gave us from one of his houses.  Aaron sanded it down and we painted it.  The kids love it and it is a great place for them to play!

This picture was taken the day we put the sand in, before we moved the swingset onto it.  

Erika's Play

On August 4th, Erika had the opportunity to perform in the play "The trial of Alice in Wonderland" with the Garland Children's Theatre.  Last year she performed in "Enchanted" with "Up With Kids", but this is the first audition play she has been in.  I was so proud of her!!  She was barely old enough to do it, and probably one of the youngest kids in the play, and it was something she really wanted to do.  She even enjoyed going to the play practices and would come home singing the songs and saying the parts (hers and everyone else's.)  She was the "doormouse" and sang "Twinkle twinkle" while acting very sleepy.  She did a great job and it was so fun to watch her!  

Jared's Baby Blessing

     We had Jared blessed on August 1st.  It was a really special day for our family.  Aaron gave Jared a really special blessing and I really felt the spirit during the ordinance.  We were all there to celebrate a new life coming into this world, into our family.  We are so grateful to be blessed with another special little boy in our home.  There is definitely a special spirit here with a new baby.

Proud parents!

What a great big sister Erika is!

      He is such a good little baby, too- a delight.  At this point he was already sleeping through the night (10 weeks- thank you says mommy!!) and a great little eater.  The next day, Aug 2nd he had his second Dr apt and weighed 13 lbs, 1 oz, 70% for weight and 55% for height- so he is growing well, too.

Opa adoring his 4th grandson.

Heidi loves her baby.

  It has been fun to watch our children really enjoy this baby, wanting to hold and admire him often.  They sure love their new brother!!  Heidi has done exceptionally well with the adjustment- much better than I had anticipated.   

Kyle is so excited to have a brother!

Nathan and Jordan hold Jared.  Jeremy and Amanda were also there.  

Grandma and Grandpa Parkinson- their 8th grandchild!

  

After being passed around all day,
Jared is exhausted and falls asleep in Oma's arms. 

     We are so thankful for all of our wonderful family members who made the sacrifice to be there on this special day.  What a blessing our little boy has so many people who love him!