Oregon Part 5: Multnomah Falls & Latourell Falls

On Saturday we packed up and headed home to Utah. Jer and his family drove straight through! We took our time & got some hiking in before we left Oregon. We stopped at Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area again. My parents checked out the Visitor's Center & we went on a hike. ZoZo was quite content in the Bjorn but Mr. Boy wasn't as much into hiking as he was playing in the rocks & dirt. HeRoos carried him most of the way and almost gave me a heart attack a few times. The trail was narrow and HeRoos kept tripping with MB on his shoulders. It was so scary but after some silent prayers they both survived without any broken bones. We loaded our dirty bodies in the car and drove to Pendleton where we stayed for the night.







It was a wonderful trip! Thanks family for the great time & fun memories!

Oregon Part 4: Devils Punch Bowl State Natural Area

We went on an outing with just our little family to the Devil's Punch Bowl. Don't be fooled, the water was freezing! Mr. Boy and HeRoos developed numb legs and kept going back for more while ZoZo and I hung out at the beach.








Mr. Boy walked up all of these stairs all by himself! I think there were more stairs here than at the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. When we got to the top, some people were so impressed with MB's determination and stamina.




I need to get pictures from my brother for the next highlight of our trip. My parents, Jer & Mel went fishing while we stayed back with the sea sick crew and they caught tons of fish and crab. Mel fried up some delicious seafood and we were in heaven! Pictures to come.

Oregon Part 3: Food for the Fish

On ZoZo's first birthday we went whale watching. Sounds fun, right? Not so much. The majority of our crew left food for the fish. Mr. Boy was green and eventually just shut right down and fell asleep in Mel's bosom. ZoZo cried and screamed loud enough to scare the whales away and then puked right down my shirt. No joke, she just kept throwing up and since she was facing me in the Baby Bjorn it had no where to go but down. HeRoos was no help- he was the greenest of all & we had some laughs at his expense. My brother's kids were sea tossed and ill too. The pictures say it all. We were a mess!

Oregon Part 2: Cannon Beach & Astoria

Goonies was one of my very favorite movies growing up. We drove to Astoria to see the town where it was filmed, crossed the bridge into Washington & drove right back.



We stopped at Cannon Beach on the way back to Depoe Bay & it was SO beautiful! We had such a great time. I want to go back and spend the majority of my time there.

Oregon 2010 Part I

It was a "first" in Oregon for many of us. The Halverson gang (my parents, my brother & his family & the Roos') took two vans, 6 kids, 5 adults (My sister-in-law, Mel, flew in a couple days later after her friend's wedding). We had lots of snacks & movies for the road trip. The kids were troopers.

ZoZo was probably the most miserable in the car. She doesn't weigh enough for a forward facing car seat so she had to sit rear facing with no videos to distract her and to top it off, her two top teeth came through. Poor Miss Thang! She is still so munchable.




We took some much needed stops along the way. Notice Mr. Boy smiling from ear to ear. He was in heaven- surrounded by his cousins and grandparents for 8 days! We stayed in Baker City, Oregon for the night & ate at a restaurant with little trains that went right beside the tables in enclosed glass. The kids thought it was pretty cool.





Fresh fruit & veggies AND ice cream- doesn't get much better than that!




Dirty faces and fruit for the remainder of the trip.

My nephew, James.


My nephew, Jack.


Mr. Boy.


We were in awe when we arrived at the condo...



and looked out our window to see this.




We went to Yaquina Head, the tallest lighthouse in Oregon, & took a tour all the way to the top. There were 114 stairs!



We played in the tide pools near the lighthouse.




This is the whole gang together in one picture.



The Newport Beach Aquarium was awesome.



My niece, Addi, checking things out.



HeRoos, Mr. Boy, and GG. This was my favorite part. I wanted to spend all day feeling the creatures and learning about them.



This sign made me laugh. There are times of the month, I should display it and cross out "Otters" and replace it with "SheRoos."



We went on a tour of the Tillamook Cheese factory. It was interesting to see all that goes into preparing and packaging cheese! We sampled different cheese and had some of the most delicious ice cream. The white licorice (which really tastes like black licorice) was tastyyyy!




G.G. & Pops at Maxwell Point.



After getting the kite un-tangled, Pops kept it going.



My nephew, Grey.



G.G. & our "Maxwell" at Maxwell point.



To be continued....

Friend Friday- Sarah Hays

Life is precious. It's unpredictable. One thing that has been never failing in my life is the blessing of great friends. The kind of friends who truly want to see you succeed and be your best. Friends that inspire and uplift and make the world a better place by not being afraid to let their light shine. I have decided to dedicate a post each week called "Friend Friday." This week (even though it's Saturday morning) I'm dedicating a post to my dear friend, Sarah Hays.


Me. Sarah. Candace.

Sarah is an inspiration to many. She has a kind, genuine personality that radiates from within and shines through to the outside. She is gorgeous and her smile makes everyone feel like they did something right that day. I met Sarah when we were living in Salt Lake City, UT attending the same LDS church ward for single adults. She has a quiet confidence about her and is so much fun to be around. It seemed like there were always at least 5 guys trying to date her and she was so humble about it. What is there not to love about her-she is amazingly kind and beautiful! She loves to run, swim, hike, snowboard or do anything to push her body to new levels.

For the past two months, she has been trying to push her body (unwilling at times) through more serious battles- cancer & chemotherapy.

This is her story.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=12082624&hl=1

You can also read her blog written mostly by Candace.

My prayers and thoughts are constantly turned to Sarah. When I get on the treadmill in the morning, I think of Sarah and push myself to run harder, live better, and be kinder. I love you Sarah, thank you for your friendship!

Happy 1st Birthday ZoZo!

It's hard to believe that our little Mohawk, smiling ZoZo is ONE!



We had an early family birthday party before going out of town. She was spoiled with presents and attention. HeRoos barbecued and we enjoyed lots of good food.





Notice how daintily she is investigating her cake.



That wasn't good enough for Daddy. He smothered her in cake!



The kids had their turn at the pinata. They had some pretty good swings! (I love the look on HeRoos' face in this picture).



GG and Pops made homemade strawberry ice cream & we ended the night with some fireworks (ZoZo was fast asleep by then).



This little girl gives us reason to celebrate every day with her contagious smile and beautiful blue eyes. We are so glad you're part of our family ZoZo!