Ultrasound

The moment we've been waiting for... our first ultrasound of the little baby inside mommy's tummy.  So its just a dot, but the heartbeat is strong and perfect.  The little growing bean is somewhere around 7 weeks old.  Mom is feeling sicker than a dog and every single food is disgusting and makes me want to vomit.  But I couldn't be more excited!!  A baby Mike and Ali is on the way...

Avril the Rockstar Gardener

One thing that I love about Avril's elementary school, is that they allow them to do so many hands-on activities.  Avril's first grade teacher, Mrs. Woolf, takes them out to work in the garden on occasion.  Avril, my girly-girl, is not afraid to get her hands dirty sometimes.  This is one of those times.  Mrs. Woolf said that Avril is one of her hardest workers in the garden.

Avril's First Day of 1st Grade!!!

I can't believe Avril is already in 1st grade.  It is true what they say, it really does go too quickly.  Avril was sooo excited, and I think a little nervous.  She was not convinced that 1st grade could possibly be better than kindergarten, since she LOVED her kindergarten class so much.  Her new teacher is Mrs. Woolf, and we have heard only wonderful things about her.
McKel was excited to see her sister off to school, but also pretty bummed out that she didn't get to start kindergarten yet.  Next year, McKel...
Here they are, all ready for the big day:

Sweet sisters :)

Avril all ready for her first day of class in the 1st grade!

An excited McKel, seeing her big sister off to school!

Avril's desk is right up front and center.  She is ready!

ANOTHER Camping Trip - With Guests

My friend Sara has never been camping before so we decided to plan a trip with friends.  Her husband Josh, and little boy, Matthew, joined us up the canyon by the lake.  This time we planned ahead and got a nice spot.  The kids brought bikes and rode around and explored.  The terrifying story of the trip:  the girls went off with Josh and Matthew to play, and then rode off on their bikes.  We were preparing the dinner for that night, and setting up camp.  After some time, we realized that we had not heard from the girls in awhile.  I thought they were still off playing with Josh and Matthew.  However, they had wandered down a path to some big rocks by the lake.  After circling the campsites and calling their names dozens of times, a very panicked mommy finally decided to contact the park ranger to search for the missing girls.  We drove to the other side of the lake for help, and by the time we came back, Josh had saved the day and found them by the rocks.  Mom was SO worried about the girls, and SO relieved to see their sweet faces when we returned.  No more wandering off and scaring mom!!  It was the worst, scariest feeling ever.
Anyway, here are some photos from our camping trip:

Matthew attempting to put on his shoes

Playing in the lake

Mud is so much fun!

lovin it!

jump in!  (and he did)

Sara, Josh, and Matthew

those who dared to get wet...

those who stayed dry in the little pedal boat (that didn't work very well)

the men give it a shot.  Not as easy as it looks!

Oregon Coast Getaway

After the hard work we put in to making the 2nd Annual First Dam Pancake Run a success, we decided that we needed a vacation!  No kids, just Mike and Ali (or so we thought when we planned the trip... surprise!  Little baby was really already growing in mama's tummy)...

I have a relative with a cozy little cabin on the coast in Newport, Oregon, so we decided to take advantage of this opportunity, and spend a few days in scenic Oregon.

Right after the race, we set out for the coast!  Such a beautiful drive, and I took some of the most amazing photographs imaginable.  It turned out to be just what we needed.  So be prepared for LOTS of photos...

View from the porch right outside the cabin

 The cabin could not have been located at a more scenic location.  We had a view overlooking the ocean, and a view of the lighthouse.  The funny thing about this cabin, however, was that it was completely lopsided.  The foundation was literally sinking down the hillside, and eventually would probably topple down.  So when you walked in the cabin, it was a very odd feeling, since the floor sloped down toward the water.  You had to walk uphill to get to the bathroom and bedrooms.  A little terrifying, but still was a lovely place to stay!

Another gorgeous photo taken from the cabin porch.  You can see the lighthouse off in the distance.  The next door neighbor was quite friendly and had a birdhouse replica of the lighthouse.

It was quite windy most of the time we were there, so we had to wear our jackets to keep warm.

My handsome husband sees something cool :)

I think it was this bird...

Gorgeous flowers in the front yard

View of the neighbor's yard...

Next we went to visit the lighthouse nearby, called the Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Right by the lighthouse

Lots of birds, if you look closely at the rock... and consequently, lots of bird doo doo

another lighthouse shot

Hi sweetie!

Look closely at the water and you will see a sea lion head popping out of the ocean.

Another shot of my sweetheart.

More sea lions

My attempt at being an artistic photographer

 Next we decided to go to the aquarium nearby.  One funny thing that happened there... as we rounded the corner to walk up the pathway toward the entrance, I came face to face with a raccoon!  He was hanging out on top of a trashcan, and we were both startled as I came around the corner and the raccoon was right there, maybe a foot away from me!  I reached for my camera but was not quick enough to get a shot of him.  He did give me a small heart attack though.  I interrupted his meal scavenging so he probably was not too happy with me :)

 Here are a few cool shots from the aquarium:

Ah!  A shark!

spotted shark

Isn't he cute?

Mr. Sea Lion

Giant octopus!

Pretty cool!

creepy looking eel

I was about to capture another creepy eel photo and this creeper popped up on the other side of the glass out of nowhere!

Me posing with a nautical man

here comes the crab!

looks tasty!

Jellyfish

lots of tentacles

the better to sting you with!

Hi honey!

more cool jellyfish

A cool looking bird

Another cool looking bird

This is the bridge to get across the bay...

And here we are going over the bridge...

The handsome driver

little cave by the lighthouse

We took another lighthouse trip so that we could attend a tour.  It was quite fascinating to hear about the people who used to have to care for the lighthouse.  Now it is just an automatic light so no lighthouse crew is necessary anymore.  Good thing, because it was a dangerous job!

sketches of the design of the lighthouse.  The stairway was particularly intriguing

looking up from the bottom of the stairs

Hi love.

up at the top of the lighthouse

the lens

view from the top

sunlight coming through the lens

looking down at the stairs

so pretty!

 Now for a few sunset shots.  Breathtaking!

View at sunset from our porch

Another sunset shot...

The bright, crescent moon

Amazing colors in the sky

gets dark quickly as the sun sinks down in to the water

 Next I went on my very first mountain-biking adventure.  What a place to try it out!  We found the most amazing trails for riding.  I had a blast!

Mountain-bikers!

Woo hoo!

Look at me!

Dining out.  We had a LOT of seafood on our trip!

And a nice run on the beach!

With this guy...

Lighting not so great, but we tried to get a shot of the two of us

And... after a wonderful time on the coast, we have to head back to Utah.  I only wish the vacation could have lasted longer.  It was a long drive back, but all in good company, so not so bad.  I got to listen to this jokester the whole time:

Who me?

:)

Sisters, Oregon.  We had to snap a photo.

We even made a stop in this college town, where OSU is.  Snapped this photo for Jared, my bro, since he is attending OSU for an online degree.

 Awesome vacay.  Highly recommend the Oregon coast.  Just a little windy.  But great food, good biking, and gorgeous views.  Loved getting away with my sweetheart.

And nana and papa got to spend some time with the girls while we were away.  They sent this photo of the girls having fun on a train ride: