The Pyper Family: Getting there...

Spring Break baby! We decided last minute to head down to visit my dad on the Oregon Coast. The Arctic Lady is there for the next month or so getting some work done, so we wanted to see him and the boat while he was there. Ben couldn't come, and Kathryn wanted to come, so we decided to girl trip it, with the little ones, and had a great time! Kathryn had to work, so we were only able to go for a long weekend, from Thursday to Monday but we still had a blast! Such a fun adventure. Not sure I want to drive 8 hours with 3 little kids again any time soon, but lots of good memories! :) We left Thursday when Kathryn got off work, and headed first to Portland. Portland is only about a 6 hour drive or so, add in numerous potty, diet-coke (a must), and food stops, it took us just a wee bit longer! :)

We stopped in The Dalles, about an hour before Portland to eat dinner. The kids were so ready for a break, so even though it was like 8 pm and we were only an hour from our hotel, we stopped. We ended up running into the missionaries there, and since an Elder from my mission in Chicago was from The Dalles, I asked them if they knew him, and the lived with his family! Such a small world and so fun! Anyway...long story short, after too long of a stop in The Dalles, we finally got to our hotel at around 11.

So...we checked into our hotel, got the kids settled and into bed, and I had LITERALLY just put Jackson in his pack and play when the fire alarm started going off. Like in the whole entire hotel. At first I just kind of stood there not really knowing what to do. The thought of waking all three of my kids up again to go outside kind of made me want to shoot myself. But the funny thing was, was that Jackson, while he wouldn't fall asleep very easily when it was totally dark and quiet, was totally dead asleep while this amazingly loud alarm was going off.

So... while the fire trucks came and checked the hotel, we waited in the rain. Finally, and luckily I brought the keys, we went in and waited in the van. In our PJ's, tired after driving all day, and totally wet; we were miserable! But we had to laugh about it, because that is all we could do. We finally got back into our room like an hour later, and finally got to bed!

Luckily, the next morning they were all smiles. Me....not so much, but we got a good breakfast and were on the road for our final few hours.

We passed this exit, and it brought back so many great memories. This is the exit we had to take to get to Ben's sister's house when her and her family lived in Portland. Lots of good memories in Sherwood, with David and Lynlee and it made me miss those fun days. I texted her this picture as we drove by!

Since our hotel was so close to the Portland temple, and it's always been a favorite of mine, we stopped real quick to snap some pics...

Me and all my cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles all came here to Portland when I was like 10 or so for the Temple open house. I remember walking through it with all my cousins. And then when Ben lived here with his sister for those few months, we would come and do sessions. I love the Portland Temple. Anyway, it was fun coming back with my kiddies, I just wish Ben could have been with us. I really wish we could have stopped at mine and Ben's little Mexican place we used to always go to!

So...the shipyard that my dad's boat usually is in while down in Oregon is on the Columbia River by Portland, so I just assumed that the boat was there. Well, I didn't realize that the boat is actually in Reedsport which is so south that it is actually only about an hour from the California border. So, we headed over to the 101 and drove down the Oregon coast. It is a beautiful drive and we were able to stop and play on the beach. I haven't been down the Oregon coast in so long, it was so much fun. I forgot how much I love it! I will never forget the first time Ben moved up here and we were headed to the Oregon coast. I showed up in my jeans and hooded sweatshirt, you know, normal wear for the Oregon coast. Ben shows up in his swim shorts and flip flops. He was so naive! :) But...apparently he must have passed that on to his children, because they did the same exact thing...

They were just so happy to be at the beach. They beg me all the time to go to the beach. They just enjoyed running on the sand. I was so cold that I had gotten a bowl of the famous New Port clam chowder. I sat and ate that delicious bowl of clam chowder in the wind while those crazy kids of mine put on their swim suits and played in the sand. They were bound and determined!!!

Jackson's first time at the beach...I think he liked it! :)

People kept on walking by us looking at me like we were crazy and I was the worst mom ever! It was 50 degrees!!! That is very close to being in the 40's! And they were in their suits!

But they did have fun while it lasted!

After about 20 minutes or so they realized how cold it was, so they got back into their clothes and jackets and finished playing all bundled up! Silly kids!