______________Scary Coastal Driving___________

We decided to take the slow way home from Portland so we headed to Seaside and then up the coast from there. Despite the cold, Seaside was pretty busy. We had a filling lunch and went to see the beach. Marissa and I decided to touch the ocean, but Savanna was just not having it. From there we saw a sign for Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark built a fort while exploring the coast. We visited there for awhile, saw some cool things and then headed out. We then got caught in some off and on snowing, wishing we would have driven the truck. We made it to Long Beach, where we got to drive our car on the beach, pretty awesome. We headed towards I5 from there, the girls were pretty done with sightseeing.

++++++++Great Food, Beer and Fun! Portland Here We Come

We took a mini vacation to Portland for some family fun. We ate so much great food and had some great beer. We explored the city despite the freezing temperatures. Girls enjoyed swimming every morning and every night. I lucked out to have a thrift shop right next door to the hotel and Nick got to visit 4 brew pubs!

___________Winter Beach Fun_______________

With a small break in the cold, we decided to hit the beach. Saltwater State Park. We weren't the only ones with the idea. It was nice to explore the low tide in the winter.

_______________Family Time________________

We had a wonderful visit from cousin Sarah and Mike. Good ole' family time!

_________________Nick Turns 29!

One more year as a twenty-something!

~~~~~~~~~~ Winter Wonderland ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love when we get snow! It makes everything look so beautiful. Im not too crazy about spending over 6 hours on the freeway stuck in traffic after work, but oh well. I made it home safe and took the next day off with the kids. We did some sledding, until the kids got too cold and had to come in. The rest of our day has been spent watching movies, making some muffins and drinking some hot cocoa and apple cider. Good times!

****************** Cousins spend the night!

Gavin and Nate spent the night with the girls and had a fun time goofing around, watching movies and playing in a little snow the next morning. May I add Gavin kicked mine and Nick's butts in Yahtzee. Who gets three Yahtzee's in one game, it's unheard of!