Cousins Are The BEST!

We had a lot of fun on our family vacation. It was more work for Eric, but a lot more relaxing for me having helping hands with the kids! All three girls got to meet their cousins Ella, Avery, Cody, and Joel. 

Avery and Scarlett

 Kinsey loved Ella and Avery! After warming up a little (which is her norm) she was following them everywhere around the house. And then she started telling Ella what to do!

Grammy with the twins

Ella and Shayla

 The babies were a big hit as usual! It's so cute how excited little girls get with babies. 

 After a family BBQ, we hit to the road once more and headed for home.

Driving 35+ hours in a week, I'm thankful this is how Scarlett and Shayla spent most of the trip. 

Then we stopped in Idaho once more to visit my sister's family. Eric was pooped after the drive.

He looks like a mummy. 

 Kinsey got to play with her cousins Amora and Savannah. And she experienced a bike for the first time. She thought it was the greatest thing ever!!

 So, of course, I had to try it out. After some wobbly pedaling (it's been forever since I've been on a bike), Kinsey and I were cruising!

We had a great trip with the cousins!!

Oregon Coast Pics

We made it to the Lincoln City beach!

So...I had this great idea to go to the Oregon coast as our final family vacation destination AND take Kinsey's two year pictures while we were there. I did not, however, anticipate Kinsey not being very cooperative (I should have known...). All she wanted to do was play with the sand. Kinsey LOVES the sand. She wouldn't even humor me by posing or looking up at me. So here are the not-so-awesome pics I got of her.

Happy to be 2!

At least she's cute!

 

Grammy and Papa gave her a suitcase for her birthday. Oh my cuteness. She is just a doll when she pulls it around!

Next up, we have Scarlett. She was my best subject for pictures. 

Love that little hair

 Nothing but smiles from this one!

And 100% love for Daddy. 

She played with Grammy and Papa. 

Even when she was cold and getting zipped up in Grammy's jacket, she was still a happy camper.

 

And then we have Shayla. She was great at first, and then wanted to be held by Mommy. 

Ahhh!! I love my baby girl. 

 

Even if she didn't love the water. She'll learn to love the coast as much as I do. 

 My dad and stepmom.

The babies at 6 months old.

 Did I mention Kinsey only wanted to play in the sand? Well...that is why the only family picture we could get was like this. Yup, she was screaming during the pictures. Ha. You do what you gotta do when a toddler is involved. 

 After a couple hours of hanging out on the chilly and foggy beach (thank you Oregon), we got cleaned up and headed out to Mo's for some seafood. I wanted to take Eric to that restaurant because we went there a lot during our beach trips when I was younger. 

We only spent one night at the coast and the next morning it was raining. I was a little sad we couldn't try to attempt more two year old pictures, but that's life!

We had a good, short visit!

Eric looks so stinkin' tan next to all of us.

Enchanted Forest

Enchanted Forest is one of my favorite childhood memories. It was always such a treat to go there for a day trip when I was younger. It's basically a mini Disneyland for Nursery Rhyme stories. I knew Kinsey would be a little too young for it, but I didn't care. I've been waiting so long to share this place with my kids, so when we were in Oregon we HAD to go!! Kinsey was a little overwhelmed and wanted to be held for most of the trip, but I think she had a good time checking out the sites. Even better, Grammy and Papa took the day off work to come with us!

Kinsey and Grammy

After watching a cheesy play.

Kinsey went through a maze with Daddy.

She saw Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater. 

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe was actually a slide. The line was too long though, so Kinsey didn't go down it. This was one of the best parts as a kid!

And I took her through my personal favorite, the crooked house! That thing is awesome. You end up leaning sideways just to stay upright. 

She also saw a lot of other things. Some impressed her, and some didn't. 

There was a small area of kid rides. Papa and I took Kinsey on the train. She had so much fun, she threw a tantrum when it was time to get off. 

She had a blast hanging out with her grandparents. 

Hanging out in Western Town

Scarlett and Shayla were on their best behavior! 

Unless a stranger looked at Shayla. This was during her ultra-clingy stage. 

I just love this place and how cute it's decorated! 

See what I mean? I can't wait to go back when the girls are older. They will have so much fun playing with each other. 

Thanks Grammy and Papa for taking us!

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village

Our family vacation this year was going to Oregon to visit my family (stopping in Idaho to stay at my sister's house). We strategically planned on driving out before Kinsey woke up so she would sleep in the car. Well, that didn't exactly work. She just stayed awake the whole drive! Overall, all the kids were really good, the babies being a little better behaved. 

I wanted Kinsey to have a good vacation, so we planned Kinsey outings for almost every day. The first one was the Children's Museum in Salem, Oregon. It was super cute. Kinsey started off going shopping. She liked picking out the items but absolutely refused to scan them in to buy. 

Poor Kinsey needed a friend to hang out with so she followed other kids. It will be so much more fun for her when her sisters are walking. 

She picked veggies out of the ground. Again, she refused to replant them. Ha. She's silly. 

Kinsey enjoyed hiding out in the cave and running from room to room at the museum. Each room held little activities for the kids to do. 

And I enjoyed placing her on this giant chair. I love miniature items, but I think super sized is pretty awesome too!

She played in the sand a lot while Eric and I played a life-size game of checkers (I won). Kinsey almost got in a fight with a kid because she wouldn't share the rake. That's my girl! We're still working on the whole sharing thing. 

It was a really cute place to take kids. I'm excited to be able to take her back when she's a little older and has her sisters there to play with!