Date with the Harris family

We've been really good this year about seeing each of Ryan's siblings and having some one on one time. We went to Washington Park and the Rose Garden with Andrea's family and the kids had a really good time. This is Emma with her cousin Chloe who is 6 and Aiden who is 3.















Brock is 16 months and just the cutest chunker lunker ever!















I love this picture below because it was raining, very fitting, and you ca see the rain drops.





























After our play date wit the kids we met up later for an adult date night at Mad Greek Deli with Todd, Andrea, Margo and Clay and Julie and Chad. Then we came back to the Bundys and the Ramos family came over and we all played scum until really late. But in true Bundy style a movie was started around midnight. I skipped the movie to finish reading Breaking Dawn and I was the first one to go to bed at 1 a.m. This was a very fun Bundy filled day.

Until next year...

Cannon Beach is the most charming little town I've ever been to. Aside from Cusco, Peru this is my favorite town. Hydrangea bushes are in full bloom on every side walk. There are no chain restaurants or even chain gas stations, which keeps this town just so quaint and charming.
























Our hotel was number 8 on this map, jut to give an idea of it's prime location.


































Friday we woke up to rain, which was disappointing but not surprising. We had breakfast at Cannon Beach bakery, again my favorite, and then checked out and headed to seaside. We took Emma on her first bumper cars and I enjoyed having my father-in-law and I chase each other around the track.













Margo and Clay Bundy















This is Julie with her new boyfriend Chad. We've always had a great chance to gt to know the guys she has dating, and Chad is by far our favorite.














Next year we're thinking we'll stay three nights. We always have such a great time and never get everything done that we would like to. When I was little we had a beach house in Cannon Beach and so I just have so many memories here and such great sentiment tied to this little town. This trip will for sure be the "high" of my year.

...chasing the clouds away...

Another great day! Ryan, Clay, Greg, TJ, and Kylie got up at 7 and went down and did some serious crabbing. They caught 8 crabs in two hours which is better success than we've had in years past. Then we came down a few hours later with the rest of the squids and enjoyed a crab feast and hanging out on the docks.














It was all so delicious and I'm so proud of the kids for trying it. We all sat at a big picnic table and just talked and cracked crabs open, it really was so much fun.
































We took the kids out to just have part of the experience and we ended up catching 8 more crabs in less than an hour. Very successful day for us with crabbing.















Emma has been in cousin heaven! She first became aware of the cousin concept when the Lakes came o Utah, and now that is her most favorite part of life...cousins!!



























Afterwards we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for lunch, a tour of the factory, fresh cheese, and of coarse the best ice-cream ever!
















Then we headed back up to Cannon Beach and decided to drive into Ecola Park. This is what Ryan's dreams are made of, lush green trees with a road winding through it. We are determined to bring our bikes next year and bike up this road, absolutely beautiful!







































At Ecola Park we checked out the tide pools that were amazing. The starfish we beautiful and we caught little tiny crabs and fish. Emma is just so fearless and curious by nature, I just LOVE that about her.



























This is Emma with (from right to left) Kiersten, Kendall, Kassidy, and Treyven.



























After playing on the beach we all had dinner a Pizza A'Fetta and then went down to the beach again for a fire. We brought all of our stuff to play glow in the dark ultimate Frisbee and we just had such a blast playing that on the beach. Then we had s'mores and roasted starburst and stayed up until at least midnight visiting. Another perfect day!

Sun-E dayyyys (sesame street tune)

This has been our third year in a row to go and spend the night at Cannon Beach at the Blue Gull Inn. Starting in January, after the Holidays settle down, I just look forward to this so much. This yea definitely did no disappoint. Emma was big enough to understand everything and very independent, more so then I would want her to be. Canon Beach to me is what Lake Powell and Bear Lake are to my friends, except I only get to come once a year, so it makes it that much more special.

Ryan and Emma and I took off for the beach a little bit before everyone else. We got our favorite pizza in the whole widest world at Pizza A'Fetta and it was worth every calorie filled bite. Then we went to my favorite candy store, Bruce's Candy Kitchen, it reminds me of something that would be on Hogsmeade from Harry Potter.

We went and checked in at our hotel and then went down to spend the day on the beach. The water actually seemed warm, for Oregon that is. We had so much fun as a family playing in the ocean and we jut love how fearless Emma is. The day couldn't have been more beautiful.

We met up with Ryan's parents and Julie for dinner at Mo's. We got the Northwest's best clam chowder and grilled cheese sandwich. After thoroughly enjoying our dinner we went back to the hotel and met Greg and Becky and their six kids and we all went down o the beach for a fire and s'mores. The stars were just unbelievable and the weather was sooo perfect. I played in the water's edge with the kids by starlight and we played some really fun games trying not to get too wet. This definitely chalks up with one of the best days of my life.

Music of the night

Last night we had a really fun date night. We started by leaving Emma with Ryan's sister Julie while we went downtown Portland and enjoyed the gift card she gave Ryan for his birthday to Macaroni Grill. We got fancy drinks and the yummiest fried mozzarella. We sat at an outdoor table and really enjoyed people watching.


































After dinner we had a chance to buy a homeless man dinner and to run over to one of my favorite malls to pick up some jeans for Emma, tax free!! I miss that so much.










Then we met up with my sister Stacey and her family for the theater production of Phantom of the Opera. She surprised me by having this be my Christmas gift and that just made the whole experience that much better.














We originally had the second balcony seats but moved down to orchestra seating after intermission, it really made a difference and the whole night was just so much better spending it with the Lakes. I loved the music and am so glad I went. Thanks Stacey, this was a perfect gift! To top it off she sent me home with a bag full of clothes for Emma, we sure did score tonight!

"Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches"

Sunday we went out to St. Helens to visit Ryan's oldest brother Darren and his family. Lisa made the most yummiest halibut dinner and the best green beans that she picked from her garden. They have 5 boys who are all just so cute and are so loving. I am always so amazed at how willing Emma's cousins are to just entertain her and play with her.

















Darren and Lisa have the best property. It is private and filled with little gardens and trails to explore. It is the perfect place to raise a family. It was raining while we were there and I just loved it! It reminded me so much of the Twilight series, and Twilight was actually filmed in the small town of St. Helens. So text year after the movie comes out I hope to take some pictures at some famous movie sights.


















This is Emma with Bailey and Payton, she's just one of the boys.

Today we went out to North Plains to pick our very own special peaches. Nobody bottles peaches like Margo does, and I learned that the Veteran peach has a lot to do with her yummy product.

Peaches anyone?

This is us just ooooing and awwwing over how yummy the peaches are.

So in the end we spent between the four of us $120 on peaches. They were .80 cents a pound. I think people used to bottle their produce to save money and preserve their own crop. It is definitely not cheaper now but sooo worth it!