Halfway through our trip, we stumbled upon a total gem of a beach called Indian Beach. I make it sound like it's this hidden, secret place but really it is a beach within Ecola State Park which is advertised with good signage throughout the town of Cannon Beach. With the iconic Haystack Rock, I guess I've never felt the need to venture very far from Cannon Beach itself. I guess we have our kids to thank for this discovery. We were a few days into the trip and I hit a wall and desperately needed some space. Graham graciously loaded up the kiddos and I strapped on my running shoes. We didn't really make exact plans but while I was out running, he sent me a text saying they were in the state park. I happened to be near the entrance so told him I would run in and meet him there. The tsunami evacuation route signs probably should have clued me in to the fact that this would not be a leisurely jog but in the end, it was awesome! Climbing hills = great views. And then great beaches too as we wound our way down to Indian Beach. Apparently it's a go-to spot for Oregon surfers but for us it provided a wonderfully calm and wind-free spot for two days of beach play.

The beach itself was beautiful and there was an awesome little shallow creek that provided a great spot for the kids (and Graham!) to have all sorts of fun. They worked really hard to build a dam on both days as we were surprised to find the dam they'd nearly finished on day one totally taken apart when we returned the following afternoon. (Oops. We probably messed with some more ecologically- focused types).

We ate in on the last night of our trip, making good use of the outdoor areas of our cottage. These next couple shots turned out a little blurry but I still just love them for the sibling love and joy they capture.

These two in particular are incredibly bonded.

One last family shot of all my favs - the kids ask regularly when we can go back. I just tell them to go ask their dad. :)

Ice cream adventures and Tillamook Cheese

 We spent the vast majority of our time in Oregon within a few miles of Cannon Beach itself but we did take one day trip up the coast to Tillamook, OR to the iconic cheese factory. 

The kids thought it was pretty neat to see how cheese was made. I didn't take many shots of the cheese factory itself but we did manage to capture some pictures of the most memorable part: the post-tour ice cream cones (Jack's first!) 

 This picture is blurry but his expression says it all: don't mess with a boy and his cone! 

More Cannon Beach

 I don't have a lot more to say about our trip but I do have a LOT of pictures which I will dump on you in the next couple posts before I wrap up and return to reality. Unfortunately it wasn't until our second to last day that we made it to the amazing Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters. Well. We tried to go midway through our stay but they were closed. It was in easy walking distance from our cottage and we ALL thought it was delicious. So much so that we went for both of our remaining mornings in Cannon Beach.

 The kids liked it because they sold doughnuts. Duh! 

 We anticipated a cool morning walk on the beach with coffees in hand but were pleasantly surprised by sunshine and warmth that led us to leaving piles of clothing as we stripped off layers, marking our way along the beach (you think I'm kidding...)

 It was at this point that I handed the camera over to Graham and told him I wanted to be in some pictures. So that our kids would know that I was there at the beach with them too. I read something once about moms who shy away from the camera or who are always the one behind the lens. And how their kids miss seeing an important piece of their childhood when mom is never in the photos. It's stuck with me and made me more intentional about getting in there with them.

 Jack learned a new word while on our trip: "back." And he hitched many-a-rides for the remainder of the trip.

 As did his older siblings....

 

 Then commenced our comic attempts at jumping photos.

Nailed it.

 Even though we failed to perfect our jumps, I love the joy that was captured here.

#CrozierAloneCannonBeachTime

(Trip #hashtag by Isla)

Last month we took our VERY FIRST solo trip as a family of 5. It also happens to be our first solo family trip since 2010. That's five years, folks! I had a hard time believing that could possibly be true but as we recounted our various and even numerous travels, we realized we have not taken a trip, just for us, not to see anyone or meet up with someone or attend someone's event in over 5 years. We were certainly long overdue! Because we "blew the wad" with our recent home remodel, we opted to make this the summer of Reliving our Childhoods and each selected a location in driving distance that we went to as kids (Graham sort of got to double dip with camping at Lake Chelan back in June as well as Cannon Beach). The kids were SO EXCITED and have been asking if it was time to go to Cannon Beach all summer and I think it's safe to say that had an absolute blast. 

 You may have already noticed that I have referred to this time away as a trip and not a vacation. To say it was a totally relaxing, walk in the park would be an understatement. I have long since known that traveling with children, even if for fun, is tons of work. Exhausting work. But it is a totally separate thing to translate this head knowledge into actual application. Both Graham and I struggled a little with our expectations of the trip as it wasn't a lay-on-the-beach-reading-and-sun-bathing sort of undertaking. But the trip WAS an amazing opportunity, if taken, to pour into and build memories with these 3 little humans who sometimes, admittedly suck the living life out of us. It's funny to say this, given all the travel that we've done, but we are new to this whole solo family trip thing so I think it's important for us to recognize that we are still working out the kinks and we still have a ways to go in making travel the best possible adventure for all of us. So read between the lines here as you will. ;) All in all, memories were made, the kids had an absolute BLAST and their parents now have a better understanding of appropriate expectations for future trips. :) 

With that said, let's hit the beach! (which we literally did pretty much the second after arriving). The kids were both thrilled and amazed by the softness of the sand and many hours were passed walking barefoot on the fine stuff. 

Even Jack, who usually hates sand, was willing to take his shoes off.

It took no time at all for the kids to find a hole to jump in and a passerby thought it would make a great family photo opp.

We stayed at The McBee Cottages which were a block and a half from the beach, right near Haystack Rock. They were quaint and cozy and provide us a good home base for our stay. 

After exploring the beach on night one, we returned to our home sweet home where Graham whipped up a delicious pasta with homemade tomato sauce and garden vegetables that we enjoyed outside in the community grassy area. This concluded day 1. Well. If we don't mention the 2 hours of trying to get the kids to all fall asleep in the same room, that is.