Oregon Coast

In the beginning of August we went to the Oregon coast with Drew's family. We went to a little town called Rockaway Beach. Our sister-in-law Sharee organized us this year and she did a great job. It was a really nice time hanging our with family. We had a house right on the beach. It was three narrow stories with another flight of stairs on top to a little lookout spot. Our room was on the bottom floor and the main gathering place was on the top floor so we were going up and downstairs all day. When we first got there our nephew Case said, "This is a great exercise house!" and we all got a kick out of that mainly because it was true! Lots of stairs!

We discovered right away that we hadn't properly prepared for the weather. Back at home it was around 105 degrees out so we figured even though it was on the coast it would have to be around 80 degrees, 70 at the least. We were wrong. It was barely 60 degrees and we did not have the clothes for that. So right off I went to the Fred Meyers that was close and got us all sweatshirts and a couple other warmer clothes that saved us from freezing.

We also realized right off the bat that we weren't really going to be playing in the water. Thankfully there was a hot tub at our house, so the kids put their swimming suits to good use in there. The beach for us ended up being a place to play soccer, play catch with a football, a little volleyball, dig and make sand castles, fly kites, take fun pictures, and the last day we built a fire and roasted marshmallows. We went out to eat at a yummy fish and chips place, where Darcy ate her weight in smoked salmon (it's so funny how much she loves her salmon) and got ice cream a couple times. The rest of the time we spent at the house talking, playing Uno, cooking, and eating yummy food.

 Darcy did NOT want to take a break from playing to be part of this picture....obviously.

 Playing soccer on the beach was Ezra's favorite thing.

 I was so happy I caught this moment. Kevin and Ezra were on a team together and Kevin made it so much fun for Ezra. I loved this backwards high five after they won the game.

 Uno

 I went out to take a picture of the bigger kids in the hot tub and told them to pose for me. I think it was Brayden that started the "dab" but they all knew what it was and joined right it. It was killing me. They're so hip.

 Bubbles were a hit. Sharee thought of so many fun details.

 The boys both loved being buried, but Parks especially seemed to think it was amazing. His smile the whole time was killing me.

 Ezra was kind enough to help him brush off the sand that was in every nook and cranny.

 Sand castle building

 When we first got to the beach we found this fancy sand castle that someone else had built and we thought it was funny to take pictures of our kids by it like they had built it. They did love playing with the leftovers.

 We had fun with some jumping pictures on the beach.

 The kids got cozy and watched a movie and ate some popcorn.

 This was a sweet moment when Parks lost a toy he was playing with and was pretty sad about it, and Ezra came over to play with him and help him feel better. It worked.

 If you look closely you can see those lips making the truck noise.

 Brayden wanted Darcy to race him. He counted down from three for them to start and took off when he got to 2. Darcy laughed the whole way.

 Sharee's got sand castle building skills. She's got the magic touch.

Case and Brayden are both really into Harry Potter right now, and I loved watching their awesome battles with their magic wands. 

6 Months!

Shelby is almost seven months old, but still needs a six month update.

- 16 lb. 15 oz. (61%) 26 inches (46%) 

- head circumference - 44 cm (89%) I don't think we've ever had a baby who's head wasn't in the 90's or above! :)

- She had to have shots at that six month check-up, and man that was heart breaking for her and for me!

- She is a super smiley girl, and it is such an infectious smile (at least for me I guess). All you have to do is say hi, or give her a little smile. 

- So far it seems like her hair will be a little darker than the rest, but has lightened up since she was born for sure.

- She sits up like a champ. The doctor was surprised at how well she could sit up at her appointment. It makes her very happy to be up so she can see all the action around her.

- She rolls from her back to her belly all the time, but can't seem to remember how to get back over. Pretty much every time I put her down for a nap I have to go back in in a couple minutes because she is stuck on her belly. She usually just does that once though before she goes to sleep.

- She usually takes two long naps and then one short nap in the evening. She goes to bed around 8:30 and gets up at 6:30.

- She really seems to be itching to get in the game with the other kids. While they're playing around her she is squealing and kicking her legs and loving it all.

- She loves going for bike rides on the back of my bike in the baby seat, but isn't a big fan of the trailer. 

- We switched her to a more upright car seat facing backwards and she is a much happier traveler like that. It's so amazing to hear her cooing back there instead of screaming bloody murder.

- I have been trying baby lead weaning with her (so we just hand her whole pieces of food instead of puree). So far she hasn't met a food she doesn't like: avocado, sweet potato, green beans, bread, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, apples, pickles, prunes, bananas.

- When anyone screams or yells she screams or yells in response.

- I danced her to sleep the other day and she just smiled up at me and stared into my eyes until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. It was just about the sweetest thing ever.

Darcy's 8th Birthday and Baptism

Darcy turned eight this year. She had a pretty casual backyard party playing in the water and doing crafts with some friends. A couple weeks after her birthday we had lots of friends and family come and join us for her baptism. Drew baptized and confirmed her. Ashley spoke about baptism and Grandpa Neil spoke about the Holy Ghost. For the musical number Darcy sang "When I am Baptized" with Julie, Haley, Emily, Alyssa, Ashley, and me. My mom played the piano. It was a really nice day and it made her so happy to have so many people she loves come to support her.