Oregon Trip Part 3 Newport!

Well we got in to Newport in the afternoon - the kids finally took a decent nap during our 2 1/2 hour drive.  When we got there we found out the condos we were going to be staying in had a mix up in the emails and our poor families had a run around the night before for 3 hours before having somewhere to stay.  Funny enough - it kept going on the whole time we were there, but we ended up on top staying in NICE condos for the same price.  Woot woot! (Well woot woot for our parents - we were moochers).  We had dinner and played games that night and the boys tried to go to bed early so they could go deep sea fishing the next morning.  

Watching "Videos" with Grandpa (of themselves)

Ross and Daddy approve of the location - boats are awesome!  Ross wanted to be out on the deck the whole time.

Handsome boys!

I know...we're gorgeous! :)

Forecast was rainy which wasn't so uplifting for them, but they took precautions taking their seasick prevention meds the night before.  They left early in the morning and had a fabulous time!  They went with our friend, Cameron (Kim's husband) and his dad too.  It only sprinkled the first half hour and was beautiful the rest.  Not to mention they caught an insane amount of fish!  All of them did such a great job!  My dad had a marathon going catching two at a time about ten times in a row!  They had a fabulous time and brought back about 20lbs of fish...which we later found out at home for our fish fry were INCREDIBLE (thanks to my friend Kim - seriously she is a great source - giving us a GREAT recipe).  We still have a ton left, but I think we're all worried it's going to be gone before we know it! - Deep sea fishing pictures are pending until I can get ahold of them from my in-laws. 

After they got back - they were pretty worthless the rest of the day - as you can tell. 
 

Don can sleep anywhere...

Seriously

Steve trying to get a nap and give Rubes a bottle (love her cute belly) :)  Also - I got her fingernails painted!  Miracle!

When the kiddos went down for naps, us ladies went for a walk to the docks to stretch our legs and enjoy our surroundings.  It was great!  AND we found some pretty sweet awesome sea lions (no need to go to caves where you have to pay).  We headed back and ended up walking down again.  Luckily I remembered my camera that time.
 

The lazy sea lions who were yelling at each other quite a lot!

Checking out just below...like a foreshadowing of what was about to happen near that very spot!

Maybe Ruby was trying to warn me?

How is this comfortable?

Amazing bridge view!

Someone help that fake scuba diver!

Testing the beach out - too windy.

Unfortunately for me while I was trying to get my camera out of my bag for a picture of the sea lions, my wallet sitting on the top had a sudden urge for a dip in the ocean and flipped out on to the edge.  I thought I had dodged a bullet, but then the open wallet decided to close itself causing it to plummet to its death - making itself an offering to the Oregon coastal seas.  It actually floated for a minute - toying with my emotions causing Steve to fly like the wind trying to find some sort of net we could reach down to scoop it up with, but instead, my wallet let go of the bubbles and slowly sunk to the bottom.  We had contemplated jumping in, but then we would have been eaten by sea lions of course - duh.  I had screamed when it went in causing both grandpa's to have near heart attacks thinking it was one of the grandkids that had fallen in.  We obviously would have jumped RIGHT in if that had happened - thank goodness it didn't!  Everything in there was replaceable - except for the $25 in it and the wallet itself which I had gotten on my mission at my favorite store - Next.  It was a fabulous wallet and I was sad to see it go.  Guess I'll have to plan a trip back to England to get a new one!

We headed to our favorite place ever in Newport - The Chowder Bowl and chowed down on some amazing soup and cheesy garlic bread.  MMMmmmm Mmmmmm.  That night we went for a swim and then my mom and I stayed up late watching Great Expectations (I really hate that story actually - but this movie didn't make it look as terrible as in the book).  It was fab!

I was planning on doing some serious jamming while we were there, but sad for me, the berries weren't on yet.  BOO!  I'm SO sad to miss my Hood strawberries.  I may have to bribe someone coming through Utah to bring me some. :)

The next morning we had another swim with Ross - he's getting lots more comfortable in the water, and then went to the Yaquina Lighthouse where it was CRAZY windy.  As you can see in the pictures.  It was so fun!  We hiked up a little hill near it and enjoyed the view and then checked out the Cobble beach with the crackling rocks as the tide comes in and out.  They had tide pools this time and seals popping up everywhere.  Super fun!
 

Can you spy Grandpa Don and Ross?

There they are!

And this is hilarious :)

Beautiful Lighthouse!

All those specs are birds!  Thousands of them!

Getting blown away :)

Grandma holding tight so Rubes doesn't blow away!

Exploring - Claudia was searching for an egg shaped rock - and found one!

Aren't these colors absolutely breathtaking?!

Ruby trying to eat the rocks...figures

After it was taken out...more went in...yuck!

He is the sweetest, cutest boy in the world!

Ross showing a rock for our family pic :)

Handing over some rocks :)

Don was giving me a weak sauce smile so I had to provoke him. ;)

This is a GREAT crazy wind blown picture!  Look at all my dad's hair!  My boys have hope. ;)

SO - Ruby lost a shoe in the car (which was really in the condo) for a day..also the elastic in her not lost shoe was broken...so we used a balloon string to fix it.  She could have cared less that she only had one shoe.  Didn't phase her in the slightest.

Ross ready to get warm in the car.

Don getting blown away.

Photo bomb!

So maybe we weren't supposed to take a rock from the beach...but Claudia found an egg shaped one...and maybe another muffin shaped one.  Oops!

We contemplated just getting a pizza that night, but my mom reminded us we can get pizza any night and that seafood was on the menu while we were there!  Thank goodness!  So we went back to the chowder bowl and were very glad we went.  

Delish!

This is why we trek a thousand miles to the coast.  OH the chowder.  SO SO good!

Someone got tired eating...sweet thing.  He's only fallen asleep eating one other time.

Enjoying a snuggle.

After dinner, and Ross still asleep, I realized he had been asking to dig in the sand the whole time, but it had just been too windy.  I thought it had died down, so we woke him up and headed out...and lasted about 15 minutes before we had to throw in the towel.  Poor Ross was trying his best to dig...but it was just too chilly and windy for it.  Oh well - we tried!
 

Trying to fly kites!

FAIL.  WAY too windy for our $1.50 kites. :)

He really tried hard to dig.

Ruby's tired if you can't tell. ;)

Still happy :)

AND running :)

Still trying to dig!

We got special matching sweaters for our trip.  Take me to the sea!

That night we played another rousing game of Five Crowns, packed, and headed to bed.  It was SUCH a fun trip!

The trek home HAD to include a stop at my cousin's restaurant, Luciano's.  SERIOUSLY.  If you stop in Boise - you MUST eat there.  It is FANTASTIC.  The baked brie, apples, and honey is to die for...and so is everything else.  My wonderful, WAY too generous Aunt treated us and we enjoyed her company and all the delicious food.  It was so good there was no time to even take a picture of it before it was devoured! 
 

DELICIOUS!

My wonderful Auntie Renee, extremely talented cousin, Brad, and us.  It's probably good I live far away from there...I would be there EVERY. DAY.

My Auntie Renee is my mom's sister if you can't tell. ;)

TOTALLY worth getting back home at 1AM....also Ruby was a wreck the last two hours.  I guess she felt it her responsibility to start and end it the same. ;)  Once she was in her bed she was fine though. :)  We loved every second of our trip and can't wait to go again!  Hooray for Oregon!