March 2017

That cute 4-yr-old face!

Nora and I with the rest of the youth helping at the Food Bank.

Molly, Gabe, and Brooke.To the coast for a Lemon reunion one last time with Ellen.

Ellen enjoyed sitting in a chair by the beach for a while and needed a little help getting back up to the house we rented. 

At the Newport Visitor's Center where we could dress up in pioneer clothes.

Checking out the tide pools.
Molly, Brooke, Gabe, Nicholas, Shelly, Zach

Nicholas and Yaquina Head lighthouse in Newport

Hazel and Brooke

Upstairs view of the beach house we rented.
clockwise: Mike, Kate, Ellen, Chelsea, Molly, Aimee, Nicholas, Hazel, Gabe, Shelly

Brooke, Sara, Carolyn, Aimee, Zach, Ellen, Chelsea, Abby, Nicholas, David, Hazel

Tom, Gabe, Mike, Molly, Shelly

Too wet and stormy to have a campfire outside so we made s'mores inside!

Shelly and Zach win at foosball!

Rick and Joe led some painting crafts

Final paintings

Game time!

Braving the stormy weather to sit in the hot tub.

Rick, Mike, Ellen, Sara

Ellen with all her children and grandchildren.

Sisters (Ellen and Carolyn) with most of the next 2 generations.

Ellen always loved the beach.

Back home - Brooke in basketball.

Brooke and her dear friend, Paige, were on the same team.

Brooke getting an award and nice words from her coaches.

Emma, Jaz, Allison, Lilly, Brooke
Alexia, Camilla, Paige, ... Sophia, Emma

YAY!!

Nicholas' Eagle Court of Honor!

Warren (also an Eagle Scout) and David leading the Pledge of Allegiance 

My dad giving Nicholas his Eagle

And new scarf

Getting my Mother's Pin

Father's Pin

Nicholas moving his name up from Life Scout to EAGLE!

So proud of him!

Since my parents were in town for Nicholas' Court of Honor, they stayed with the kids for a few extra days while Mike and I headed to Cabo, Mexico for our 20th Anniversary.

We were gone 3 full days and 2 nights and did a lot of this...

We had to keep moving our chairs to stay in the shade!
The only bummer was this beach was "unswimmable" due to the strong undercurrent. 

But an amazing view from our balcony!
That cute outdoor restaurant below us.

We did try one zipline excursion at "Wild Canyon."

Going tandem a couple times.

Hiking up the canyon and crossing bridges to get to the next zip line.

It was lots of fun!

Even if we didn't get enough momentum to get the whole way across sometimes. We had to pull ourselves the rest of the way, hand over hand.

Until a worker gave me a ride!

The lobby of our hotel - no doors.

And this fun outdoor bar.

We had a preschool field trip to the Portland Temple Visitor's Center.
The sister missionaries do a little story time and Gabe got to help out. 

Kylah Swift, Kinsley Crockett, Hyrum Crockett, Gabe, and Eleanor Jackson

Brooke came with me to the Relief Society Birthday dinner. And they had this cute photo booth.

Our Young Women Presidency: me, Kimberly Noel, Terri Nissinen, and April Merrill

Going to the temple on our actual 20th anniversary.
(Wearing the earrings I wore on our wedding day.)

Spring Break - took the kids to the Temple Visitor's Center

Then to Mod Pizza

And bowling.

And we got Lilly from Ellen permanently! 

Meeting friends for a short hike.
Nikki and Kylah Swift, Gabe, Isabel Hill, Brooke, David