Vacation from a vacation?

Does anyone else ever feel this way? I mean it's a given, if you do something like go camping (which is SO much work) ... but as the anticipation builds toward our annual trips to Oregon, I often forget how exhausting being away from home can be ... especially (or perhaps primarily due to one three year old ... I am in *shock & awe* at those of you who travel with more than that!)

Okay, so you've put it together, right? My blog hiatus was because simply I was away from home, away from my computer and my blog ... we spent 9 very fun, very memorable, very filled, very wonderful and very EXHAUSTING days in Oregon.

Now, there is no way I could type all I have to share in one post, less I loose the few viewers that have actually checked back in here, so I'll share a few pictures a day and try to get in all the fun details this week.

This year (as I said this is an annual or semi annual trip we make to see my best friend, Jessie (and her husband Tim too ;) ) and Matt gets his *fix* of the ocean since his mean wife has no plans to ever move there) we decided to fly over rather than drive the 7.5 hours. It was a genius plan, flying a one hour flight with a three year old is cake compared to driving with one. Even with all the hassles of showing up early (although at tops we only needed to be there an hour before), dis-robing and being searched, okay, so maybe not dis-robing, but just short of that ... it was still worth it. The thing I didn't think about was that this made for a much longer trip. Normally we have 2-3 days of travel there and back ... I think this trip felt about 2-3 days too long, at least with Ethan in tow.

Okay enough whining about my vacation, right ... on to the stuff you really care about, some good pictures ... in no chronological order what-so-ever ...

Ethan throwing rocks at a waterfall ...And us standing in front of the said waterfall. As I looked through my pictures yesterday I fell in love with this one and as I look at it, almost all of the exhaustion's and frustrations of the traveling are gone ... look at us ... a family of three, enjoying the beauty of God's creation and time together. I *love* this photo for so many reasons, one is that my boys are both smiling in it.
Alright, this feels like it's getting way too long already. Tomorrow I'll give you a time line run down of just everything we did, give you a few more pictures and hope you aren't bored to tears, picking your toe jam (or the fuzzies as Ethan says) instead of reading my blog by the end of the week!

Happy Monday, we're so very happy to be back home!