Cannon Beach

A weather report of 60 and sunny at the beach was all it took to load up the boys (and lots of stuff for them, of course) and pick up Grandma for a fun day at Cannon Beach. And knowing that it was low tide when we got there was all it took for me to decide it was a fabulous idea to walk the long way down the beach to Haystack Rock to check out the tidepools. I have to say, the tide was not low enough. We were able to see a few anemone, but not much else. But I suppose you don't know until you get there. And really, all the boys wanted to do was dig in the sand and play in the water! All that being said, you know I'll do the same thing the next time we go to Cannon Beach!





Owen was so excited, he ran most of the way to Haystack Rock. Unfortunately he spent his energy screaming while I held him the entire way back from Haystack Rock, but what can you do? And the ridiculous amount of soreness that I felt the next day convinced me that maybe it was time for me to start a workout routine! Thankfully Henry did a good job walking there and back or we would have never made it back to the car.








The boys were fascinated with the tire tracks in the sand


I had to stick close to Owen because I had to keep directing him away from the ocean. He just wanted to dive in!








Claire & Henry running down the beach. We were thrilled that the Higbee family was able to join us for our last minute beach trip.


What I managed to find in the tidepools after hiking around the rocks.


I can't see his face, but I'm fairly certain Porter is wondering what the heck my 2 crazy boys were doing. He was much more cautious when it came to playing in the sand!









As I turned to photograph Claire, somehow this happened . . .



I'm just glad it was so warm, because there wasn't much I could do but go with it! (And bring out the change of clothes I packed once he was done playing in the water).









My pictures and playing in the sand came to an abrupt end when a wave snuck up on us. I'm not sure how that one wave covered that much ground, but it was pretty scary. It went from the 2 boys playing in the sand with the ocean far behind them to me frantically grabbing Owen and shoving him towards my mom so I could run back to rescue Henry who was now up to his chest in water (sitting down, but still scary). Thankfully Henry didn't panic and just waited for me to get him. Guess it's a good reminder to always keep an eye on the waves, no matter how far back you think they are! I feel fortunate that Henry doesn't seem too traumatized by the big wave (although this mama is a little!).

We finished up our beach day with lunch at Fultano's and of course grabbing a treat for the car from the candy store. The boys napped in the car on the way home, making it a perfect day at the beach!

Diaz Family

My friend Jenny and her sweet family were kind enough to let me practice some maternity & family photography on them. Even though it was a freezing cold day, they were so patient and fun to photograph. I can't wait to meet their baby girl soon!

































Thank you Diaz family!!

Freezing Fog

A few weeks ago we were experiencing very un-Portland-like winter weather. It was super sunny and cold. Everything looked like a winter wonderland, except it wasn't snow. I actually had to look up what was going on because I was so curious and apparently it's called freezing fog. Who knew?

Unfortunately the first day we experienced this, is when we had an all day tax class and of course I didn't bring my camera. During our lunch break, I managed to snap a quick pic with my phone . . .



While it wasn't nearly as white the next time, I made sure to run out with my camera to take some pictures. Some people weren't excited about my solo trip outside (even if Daddy was inside ready to play).


Please ignore the doggy nose prints & kid handprints on the door - it doesn't matter how often we wash it, there's always more





























OK, so this really isn't any sort of update on our family or what we've been up to, but I had fun photographing the frost and wanted to share. We were back to rain shortly after these pictures!