Oregon Coast Trip - Mid-Winter Break 2015

We just got back from a great trip to the Coast! We hadn't been there since Lily was a baby...too long! We joined friends there - Amara was in Lily's class last year and we've become great friends with her family. The weather was incredible for February, and we were treated to some amazing sunsets.

Lily did awesome in the car! We discovered an incredible playground in Astoria, which really helped. Also, Dawn scoured the internet and found Snow White, the final doll of the Magic Clip collection (!!!!), for a birthday gift! We saved it to open in the car. That was clutch.

 We got to Cannon Beach just in time to meet up with our friends, enjoy sunset, and have dinner at Mo's! Oh, and it was Valentine's Day! What a romantic date night! <3 The colors just kept getting better and better...we stayed until it was dark!

 The next morning we woke up and hit the beach! Lily loved flying kites (Daddy does too).

 Look at my kid! Walking in the sand with her "barey feet!"

 After naps for all, we went hunting for tide pools. We headed to a local state park which always has a packed parking lot that we had heard had good pools. We were hiking in (4:45?) while most were hiking out, which got us a spot in the lot and a fairly empty beach.

 Success! Hermit crabs, barnacles, mussels, anemones.... Yes!!

 This pic looks like Lily is checking out a cool tide pool creature, but actually she is clutching an M&M that we brought trying to bribe her into liking hiking (she still complains for most of the trip).

 Check out this cool waterfall we found!

 Another incredible sunset! We stayed until practically dark again, which meant a dark trek back up the trail. Luckily, I'm married to a Friesen and he brought a head lamp.

Lily + Amara

 Amara decided that our agenda the next day would be SHARKS! So we piled in the van and headed to Newport to go to the aquarium.

 We got there just in time for the seal and sea lion feeding!

Fist bump for the scuba man!

 Flashback! Jason and I were last here on our mini-moon in 2009!

Passed out on the drive back! Our plan worked out perfectly...

 Amara showed Lily the ropes with her balance bike. Both girls are starting to get the hang out it! Must...keep...practicing...

The next morning, Lily, Jason and I headed to the cheese factory! The factory was bustling since it's a weekday (lots of cutting the cheese), but not too many tourists! Lily appreciated the extra time in the Mini Loaf Bus.

Delicious!

 Made it back to enjoy some 70* sun at the beach! I think we even got a little sunburned, oops! No one thought to pack sunscreen for this trip!

About as close to the "big waves" as she would get. 

We were super excited to see watch Lily playing happily on the beach. She crawled, walked, dug, even ROLLED in the sand! Like a kid! Yessss! She even walked down toward the waves a few times!

 Last sunset on the beach:

 

We even got to stop and visit Grandma and Grandpa Brehm at their new place in Beaverton on the way home. It was a great trip, but Lily was VERY happy to be home. She is becoming more and more a home-body these days!

Happy Birthday, Lily!

Lily is 3! Here are pictures from her birthday week:

Birthday morning! Lily insisted that she was NOT 3 (not yet!) until she woke up from her nap. Apparently then, she was officially 3!

Blurry 3 waffles.

 Lily and I took the morning off to go visit Lily's dentist, "Dr. Olan" (Dr. Nolan). She didn't cry, and even got some extra prizes since it was her birthday!

 We got back to school early, so I got to spend some time in Lily's classroom watching her work. I even got to stay for circle time!

 That night, we went to the local trampoline place. Lily has been waiting and waiting to be 3 so she could jump!

On Sunday, we had two birthday parties! Cooper and Kenley came over to help set up for Lily's Rapunzel party for friends.

 First gift: Toddler Rapunzel!

 We set up all the Rapunzel details!

 Lily's tower cupcakes were delicious!

 

 After a nap, we headed to Lily's family pizza party! We FINALLY got to eat the princess cake that Lily picked out and had to wait allllll week for!

 Gift highlights: new sparkly Aurora and a carriage for her precious Magic Clip Dolls! Those Magic Clip princesses are still her major obsession. We added 2 Auroras and Snow White to the collection for her birthday!

 A new track for her trains from Grandma and Grandpa, and Papa even found her a lighthouse!

 Today we went to see Dr. K! He said she looks great! She is now 35 inches tall (12%ile) and 27 pounds, 6 ounces (16%ile). Her percentile in weight has finally passed height! Still itty bitty.

Lily is talking and singing up a storm! Recently she has started singing her own made-up songs in a very LOUD voice (family trait, on her father's side...haha!) to add to her repertoire. She still likes the UW Alma Mater, Slippery Fish, and skinnamarinkydinkydink. She has entire books memorized and will "read" to herself, or make up her own words to a book. Her favorite books right now are Llama Llama Time to Share, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, and I Will Try. She is very confident and wants to do things herself! Thanks to the introduction of the Magic Clip Princess dolls to our life, she has begun to play independently, and even wants some alone time to play in her room. She loves to design with playdough. Emotions are big for our 3 year old. She yells things that she hears at school when she is mad. "Mommy, you are not listening! You are not following the rules! I'm tired of this! Worry about Lily!" She would be happiest if we let her watch You Tube (Magic Clip princess videos) and princess movies (currently rotating between The Princess and the Frog and Beauty and the Beast) to her heart's content. She's started to tell funny stories: (about the string on my shirt) "It will go down your tummy and out your toes!!" or "Mommy, I'm a boy. I can be a boy, or a girl, or a gingerbread boy. OR a princess! Mommy, I'm a princess!!" It's safe to say we are never bored! We love our Lily!