the beach in june

Last summer vacation we were lucky enough to spend a few weeks during June at my grandparents' house in Rockaway while they were away.  I grew up visiting them on the Oregon Coast, and it's a very special place to me.

In anticipation of our returning home this summer, I have been looking back at pictures from last summer. If you recall, I took a break from blogging while we were home, so I haven't blogged any of these.  I thought it would be fun to share, and good for me to remember.

While we were in Rockaway, we took the train (it runs from Rockaway to Tillamook) and all our boys were delighted. We have always seen it running, but have never ridden.  

It was really magical.

The views were spectacular,

and the weather was stunning.

To be honest, though, we enjoyed the views everywhere.  

Even just driving (!), on a road (!) through the trees (!) surrounded by green (!) felt like magic.

We had a lot of visitors during our stay. 

Josh's brother & his girlfriend came, then my sister, and finally Josh's older sister and her three boys.

While Julie was there, Logan and Alvin enjoyed some seagull chasing together.

Logan is ruthless!

The twins spent as much time as possible with Ethan,

whom they look up to and adore.

It was so nice to be at the coast, 

where we did nothing for days on end, 

and the pace is so much slower.

More like what we had become accustomed to in Marshall.

Our boys have "beach lover" in their DNA, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Nature put on an unbelievable display, showing me, over the course of those three weeks, every color water could possibly be. 

From gun metal gray to aqua blue, I felt awed every time I set sight on the shore.

And like the boys, I loved playing with the seagulls. 

(read: feeding them, and then scaring them away when they got close)

We built sandcastles...

and fed squirrels...

We wore sunglasses...

and felt the sand between our toes.

The boys loved anything to do with the water. 

They dipped their toes in the water at the shore, playing games with the tide,

but what they really loved,

was jumping into

this creek.

Looking at these pictures makes me ache for the ocean. I have never gone this long in my life without visiting the beach since my grandparents moved there when I was eight years old.

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It was fun to stay at my grandma's house. I love her house. It's so "home" to me.  Our house in Marshall reminds me of her house, and it makes me feel connected to her.

Logan learned to walk at grandma's house when he was roughly Wyatt's age in these pictures. (12 months)

The big boys have grown up visiting "Grandma Woo Woo's" house.  They love to play "baseball" with the ball they have hanging in their garage as a marker of how far to drive in to park.  They love to ride her stationary workout bike, and they like to play on Grandpa's riding lawnmower.

They call my grandma, whose real name is Pansy, Grandma Woo Woo because she makes this amazing train whistle that they have always associated with her. 

One of our favorite locations is Garibaldi. It's about a fifteen minute drive along the coast from Rockaway, and has a few great restaurants in the bay.

We love exploring the harbor (even though it gives me a heart attack to have the boys running around on the dock!) and looking at all the amazing boats.

After spending the winter in rural Alaska, where temperatures would reach thirty below for weeks at a time, we didn't let a little rain keep us from doing anything!!!  

We would just come home, take baths, and gather around the {real wood} fireplace to get cozy!

We also went a little further south on Hwy 101 to Seaside, and visited the aquarium there.

It was a little disappointing for the price, but we did get to feed the seals, which was a highlight of the trip and something the boys still talk about.

They each got a tray of little anchovies (gross!) to toss to the seals, who would catch them midair!

The other highlight was the octopus they have there. It was beautiful and orange.  This is me trying to get a picture of the boys and I together above the octopus exhibit.

As you are heading North on Hwy 101, going back to Rockaway, there are these viewpoints where you can pull off the highway and check out the view.

Josh snapped this picture of Logan and I taking in the vastness of the pacific ocean, and I adore it. 

I love how he's petting my hair, and how he is on my hip... {remember?}

I can't wait to set foot back in the northwest.
To feel moisture in the air,  to see my family, and to walk with my toes in the sand.

Now the only thing we need to figure out is where we are going to stay.  We have a few potential places, but nothing has panned out yet.  {Although we have our fingers crossed.}

We need a place from May 20th to (about) August 15th.  I really want a furnished single family home, with a backyard in Vancouver.  If you know of anything, please let me know.  Everything I have looked at has been in Portland instead of Vancouver, and I really just want to be home where I am 100% comfortable.

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"What good is the warmth of summer, 

without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?"

-John Steinbeck