Cannon Beach 2011

 Well, this is about the 5th or 6th time going to Cannon Beach this year, and even though that's a lot, I'll never get tired of it. This was our Christmas gift from Aunt Cindy, and Grandma Koch from last year. It was a two night stay at the Tolovana Inn, and certificates to eat out at our favorite restaurant, "Mo's." We haven't exactly had time to go, until now. I love the beach. The sand, how it squishes in-between your toes, and gets really warm... The ocean, how it helps you see how small and insignificant you are, and it's amazing boogie boarding. The sun, (when it comes out)  makes you feel all nice and jolly. Yep. The beach is an amazing thing. Thank the LORD for it!

 Nick is trying to put Papa's hat on....backwards?

 Papa had a whole lot of fun with the little guy. This is actually a tradition for Papa to do this to all of his babies. He takes your shirt half off and then lets you "try" to get the rest of it off yourself. It is quite the hilarious show. *smiles*

 He's getting  a little frustrated with it right now...

 There....Papa will help you....

 Peak-a-boo!

 Monday was also our JQ's 4th birthday! Happy birthday JQ!! He got a super cool John Deere sweatshirt. (as you all are aware of by this point, our boys are ALL about John Deere.)

 He is such the poser!

 Four Dollars is a whole lot in a little kiddos mind.

 Look at that priceless smile!

 Every time Jacob opens a gift he tears off a tinny, ant sized, little piece of paper at a time. (notice it by the package)

 A new coat!

 Notice all of the little siblings want in on all the attention too. Yep. There's Alainna.

 Levi is also anxious to see what Jacob gets, so that he can play with it too. :)

 I love this picture that was hanging in the kitchen. So colorful.

 And then Marcus joins in...*chuckle* Children are so funny.

 A new bike helmet! He also got a super nice light saber from Mama and Papa. It lights up and....makes noise. Yes. Noise. Well, that's what he'd like the most...and it is his birthday after all, so I guess that it's fine. After all, I've already used it to light my way in the attic when I couldn't find a flashlight. *blush*

 Nickolas really enjoyed the balcony. He is such an outdoors kind of guy.

 -I liked this picture. Some times I wish I could just take whatever I want from the Hotel rooms. Or, at least this one. It would look so nice in my room.

 There he is. On the Balcony again.

 Caitlin- getting ready to go to the swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna. Ahhhhh, they were so very nice!!

 This table is only supposed to fit four people. Right. We ended up fitting 12 people at it anyways! That was one of the most squished dinners I ever remember.

 Kitchen. ( I know...Kind of messy)

 I really enjoyed my tea the whole time we were there. Tea just warms the heart! My favorite kind is the plain old Lipton, with just a sprinkle of sugar. Yummm.

 Walking on Indian Beach...

 Ewww. Little kids just don't know what is disgusting. But, feathers won't harm them, and it makes them feel like savage Indians, so we might as well let them have their fun.

 The little "walk on the beach" turned into a wild adventure through all the bushes, branches, trees, ferns, mud, spiders, and woods. It was fun, even though I was half scared to death at the thought that I might slip in the mud and fall on my camera, or run face first into a spider web. *shudder*  Other than that...I was really happy for the adventure.

 It had been quite a long time since we had all gone tromping in the woods together, exploring things. I love it, and it brought back a whole lot of good childhood memories.

 Finally! Some civilized stairs!!

 This was a really big, weird mushroom Papa found growing on a root. It was super soft. Kind of like rabbits fur.

 The amazing view!

 We all ate lunch then headed home.

 Levi.

 Marcus and Papa went fishing for half an hour on our way home and they caught two pretty good sized fish. Papa caught the biggest one, (of course) and Marcus caught the other one.

 14 inches long!

I know that this is not the ideal photo to end my post on, but it was the last photo from the trip.
Thank the LORD for another wonderful vacation!!!