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.