Oregon

Day 1
They had some really cool gardens there that we walked through. It wasn't as colorful as it would be later in the spring and early summer but it was still really nice. There were also a lot of trails for the girls to play on with their cousins.
This is Darci and her cousin Rachel feeding an alpaca. She thought it was great having them eat right out of her hand.

Maile thought it was pretty cool but she was a little more hesitant to let them eat right out of her hand. She was also afraid that they would eat her hair. I have no idea where she got that idea ;)This is Natalie and her cousin Shannon talking while the girls were playng with the alpacas.

Day 2
The next day we went to the Oregon coast.

Maile and Nat wandered around the beach looking for treasures. You should have seen what they wanted to bring home with them, about 3 buckets full of rocks and broken shells.
They had all kinds of fun playing in the sand and mud digging for treasures. Even though it was sunny and it is the coast it was still cold. notice we are all wearing coats, hats and boots.
I took this picture from an overlook. It was just such a cool view. Nat's cousin said we were really lucky because it is rarely clear on the coast.
At the aquarium we went to they had one of those walk through shark tanks. That is what Maile is doing. She is trying to see the sharks swim beneath her. She thought that was pretty cool.Darci and Maile have no fear and are wiling to try just about anything. This was a tide pool inside the aquarium. Darci liked it the most and was touching everything she could get her hands on. She even went behind the display and just started asking the workers what everything is and how they ate and the worker thought that was great. She answered and explained everything that Darci was asking. I think Darci came away knowing more about those sea creatures than anybody else because she was not afraid to ask.

Day 3
On day three we went to Eugene and Saturday Market. If any of you have ever been there it is an experience. If you have not, you need to go. It is a total hippy fest. I like that kind of stuff but even then I could only stay there for a few hours. Part of that was the girls but the other part is I just felt out of place. After the market we went to a Rhododendron garden that Shannon really likes. It was nice and the there were plenty of places for the girls to run and play. The funniest thing is that as we came around a corner into a big clearing we caught Darci just finishing going to the bathroom in one of the flowerbeds. I guess she really had to go and just couldn't wait.

This is the girls at one of the swinging benches in the gardens. Darci and Maile are on the ends. It was fun for Darci because Sierra is the same age as Darci and one of the few kids her age that is the same size as her. She did't just tower over her.
This is the girls playing on a bunch of rocks. Darci is actually posing for this picture. When Maile got off the rocks we couldn't see her at first bcasue she is so small. She just disappeared behind them.
At the market they were doing face painting. Darci and Maile both had to get their faces painted. It was a little pricey but that was all they got there. They loved it. When we were getting ready for church the next day Darci threw a fit when we washed off her horse.
For dinner we went to a place called Papa's Soul Food Kitchen. It was pretty good food. THe lemonade was brought out in mason jars and the portions were huge. I just had to take a picture of their menu because it was a cool layout but also because of the dessert.

Day 5
Sunday was Easter and the girls had a jelly bean easter egg hunt. They thought it was great. They got all kinds of candy.
Maile had a little harder time because she isn't used to having to look for things becasue Darci usually does it for her. The problem with that is that when Darci found the candy she wanted to keep in and not give it to Maile. We jsut threw it all into a big pot and everybody shared it.


Eater was great and the kids really enjoyed it. Thanks to Scott and Shannon for helping get things for us and helping with the baskets and gifts.
This is all the girls in their Easter dresses. Don't they just look adorable?

Day 6
On the last day of our trip we went to Portland to bum around until our flight home. There was a lot of cool things but most of the museums and places we wanted to go were closed when we were there.
We wandered around a plaza and the girls explored for a while. The weather wasn't the best but what can yoiu do. that is Oregon for you. If you wait for it to stop raining you won't do anything most the time.
We were able to meet Nat's cousin Andy for lunch. I think this was only the 2nd time I had seen him in almost 8 years. It was nice to just sit and relax, as much as you can with two little girls like Darci and Maile in a nice restaurant.
After lunch we went to a Japanese garden. It was really cool but the guide went into a littl to much detail and the kids lost interest so we ended up just wandering around the garden looking and all the cool plants and architecture.
After the garden we took a drive up the Columbia River Gorge. There were a ton of waterfalls and I couldn't believe how green it was, of course most of it was moss, but it was still green. The road was really windy and so Nat was a little sick by the time we were done but she said it was worth it.
It was beautiful but I was starting to stress because we were gone for a long time and we had to get back to the airport for our flight and I was worried about that. Luckily we did make iton time and it all worked out. We want to thank Scott and Shannon for allowing us to stay with them and for taking us everywhere. They were the most gracious hosts. We owe ou great time to them.