Jackson Hole...

 The kids and I left for a quick trip to Jackson Hole Monday afternoon with my parents.  After setting up camp we went to one of my favorite places, Bar J Chuck Wagon to watch the Bar J Wranglers.  I love this tradition of going every year to the show.  It never gets old!

 Aubrey was in and out the whole show..

 We knew there was a fire close to where we camp so we made sure to stay in contact with the forest service.  During the evening you couldn't tell there was a fire near by. But when we woke up you could tell.  The smoke would come through the canyon and settle in.

 I'm just glad the smoke didn't ruin our view of the Tetons.

 My mom can't trust her knee so we did a "short" hike around Jenny Lake to Moose Lake.  Sadly no moose were seen. We kept getting word from other hikers that there was a bear on the trail towards Hidden Falls. I haven't seen a bear for a few years and really wanted to see one.  So Connor and I hiked about 2 miles to see the bear! We were about 10 feet away from it at one point and I didn't even see it.  It wasn't til I looked back at a switchback that I saw something moving down the mountain. I was pretty excited and my heart was pounding! We watched it for about a minute before it disappeared.  So it's true they are out there your timing has to be just right though.

 I should have known that this is what Connor thinks "stick your feet in the water" means.

 We rode our bikes to Jenny Lake. So the kids and I sat and waited for grandma and grandpa to get the vehicles

 That night after putting the kids and grandma to bed my dad and I drove to the fire.  We watched the odometer and right at 5 miles is when we hit this...

 So sad to see forest fires! We watched a few trees explode in flames it was crazy!

 Always collecting things...

 The osprey are always fun to watch.  Just like the wranglers we see these guys every year.

 Bald Eagle..

A Jackson Hole trip is not complete without a photo under the antler arch!

Oregon Coast...

 This years big family trip was camping along the Oregon Coast.  To sum it all up I have added a "few" pictures.

Our trip started off with a bit of a 'hitch'! A sensor went out in my parents car and the car ran at 4000 rpm and would never downshift.  Well you go through quite a bit of gas running like that.  Luckily in Caldwell Idaho where we spent our first night they had a Dodge Dealership that my parents took the Durango to and where it spent the week.  My parents got a rental and we towed the tent trailer.  But before leaving we decided it would be best if we bought a new hitch since our car is a bit taller then my parents and it towed the trailer pretty uneven.  The picture below is of Nic and my dad installing the ball on the hitch using tools they found at Walmart since the service guys at Walmart said they don't do that.

 Boy were we glad we bought the hitch because not more then an hour later a tire blew on the trailer.

 I love these handy men!

Dad said he looked for new tires before leaving for the trip but everyone was out of the size needed. It was a miracle to find a little town in Oregon that had 2 tires that were the right size.  So after getting the tires changed we were on our way again. 

If I were to live in Oregon Bend would be my choice.  I loved this little town.  We stopped so the kids could get out and run around for awhile since we had spent the better part of the day driving.  

 Around 9 pm we finally made it to Silver Falls. The next morning we spent hiking to the different falls.  This was one of my highlights of the trip.  Our camera doesn't pick out the green that is so vibrant throughout Oregon.

 Payton is so strong!

 We packed up that afternoon and drove to our next destination in Newport.

 She loved the sand.

 Grandpa teaching them about kelp.

 I caught this little guy.  Dinner!

 Davy Jones..

 The beach is my happy place!

 We spent the next day exploring Newport.  We went to the Aquarium, tide pooling, and of course had dinner at Mo's!

 

 If you couldn't tell I love Sunsets.  At some point here we drove to our next stop at Cape Lookout.
Gray Whale..

 We did a hike to the lookout point.  In my mind I pictured us going for a little walk so I didn't pack snacks luckily mom and dad had some because this little walk turned into a 6 mile hike.  So proud of my kiddos and mom as well.  She has a completely torn acl and actually needs a whole knee replacement but she did this and the entire trip with no complaining. 

 Octopus Tree in Cape Meares.

 Dad and I woke up early for a nice morning walk on the beach.

 On our way back home we stopped in Tillamook for ice cream and to see the cheese factory.

 Multnomah Falls is such a beautiful spot.  There were a lot more people here on a Saturday in July then there were on a Saturday in January.

 Reuniting with the Durango after being fixed for the week.

Nic and my dad made it home Sunday night while my mom and the kids and I stayed the night in Lava.  We spent a fun day at the pool on Monday and if you ask Payton this was her highlight of the trip.  She was brave and jumped off the high dive and did the big speed slides! Connor also conquered his fear of the curly slides and wished he was tall enough to do the speed slides.

I'm so glad we were able to do this trip as a family.  I am grateful for my parents and taking us on all of these adventures.