Our Vacation: Part Four - Chiloquin, OR

We spent one of our days exploring the Rogue River Natural Bridges, a neat area where the river travels through some volcanic caverns. We enjoyed a picnic out in the woods beside the river, then a short hike where we could see the natural bridges in all it's glory. It was a super hot day, but we had fun out in the beautiful northwest wilderness.

Our Vacation: Part Three - Chiloquin, OR

On one of the hotter days in Chiloquin, Genevieve and Daddy took to the Slip N' Slide that Grandma had gotten for our visit.  At first Genevieve was a little timid and only wanted to watch her Daddy do it.  Ollie was nervous about the beating his body might take, but before long they both were going for it and having a blast!  The rest of  us pulled up chairs in the shade and enjoyed watching the two have a ball!

Our Vacation: Part Two - Chiloquin, OR

The second leg of our vacation was to Chiloquin, Oregon, where Ollie's mom and stepdad live.  Ollie didn't grow up in this part of the state so we never know what Anne & Monte will show us while there.  We spent some of our time just hanging out at home; eating watermelon, lounging on the front porch, blowing bubbles, exploring the garden, catching butterflies, writing with sidewalk chalk, playing in the camper or with toys Grandma got for the kids and spending quality time with Grandma and Monte.  

One afternoon we went over to the nearby fish hatchery.  We had been there before when Genevieve was younger, but this time we had even more fun now that she is older and could actively participate.  There were tons of fish!  They had brown and rainbow trout.  Genevieve loved getting the fish food, feeding the fish and watching them jump out of the water.  

Our Vacation: Part One - Portland, OR

So we just got back on Tuesday night from our wonderful vacation to the northwest. We had a great 10 days visiting friends, Ollie's mom and stepdad and Ollie's dad. We kept busy and there was never a dull moment. The kids loved seeing their grandparents and having some quality time together.

Since we were gone for a long time and did so many awesome things, I have tons (and I mean tons) of pictures. So I'm going to have to break the posts up. I'll start at the beginning. Our first stop was Portland. We arrived Saturday evening and headed to the hotel where our friends from Seattle were waiting. They had driven down to spend the night and the next day with us. It was so good to see my girlfriends. I miss them so much! Some things have changed since we saw them last. It was great to meet Alijah, Lanetria's son who was born a week before Anson, and it was neat to see how much L.J. (Cynthia's son) and Miles (Phea's son) had grown. It also meant a lot for them to meet Anson and see Genevieve again. Oh, and Genevieve was elated to see her best buddy, Miles (which I don't have a good pic of, waiting for Phea to send me some).

We spent Saturday night walking and dining on the waterfront. Then Sunday we headed out to Multnomah Falls for the afternoon to let the kids see some of the northwests beautiful nature. I was sad to see my friends go, but so fortunate I had a little time with them! That night we met up with my cousin Mary, who moved to Portland in February, at a local restaurant that was delicious! After dinner we got some ice cream and walked around a little neighborhood park. It was great catching up with her and seeing how happy she is in her new home! Lastly, on Monday we met one of Ollie's childhood friends, Mike, and his girlfriend Jessica, for a nice brunch before we hit the road. They were visiting from New York at the same time and had rearranged their schedule so we could have a little face time. It was a great meal and I know Ollie enjoyed seeing an old friend.