Portland Day One - Fish, Waterfalls, and Narnia


So good to be in Oregon and to know we'll be settled in (at least for a few days)!
Immediately upon arriving late at night and as soon as they woke the next morning the cousins were busy with Legos and playing Narnia.  It was wonderful and so good to see all of them together!  It is so awesome that even while growing up thousands of miles apart, they are so very much alike and play so naturally together.

Another blessing was that our visit overlapped with that of my mom and stepfather.  My mom was the one who told me about the crazy airfare deal that we got that they had already taken advantage of, although they are a little bit saner than us and decided to stay in one place for the week.  God bless Kevin and Jill for welcoming all of us into their home!  Brian and the older boys slept in the tent outside (which they loved) and Luke and I took over the living room.

After going to Mass nearby, we came back to the house and got ready for our day of hiking.  I love that my brother Kevin is so good at planning things.  It was nice not to have to think of what to do and just let him lead us.  He can't sit still for long and we were grateful that he kept us busy and able to see and do so much more than we would have if we had been planning it on our own.  Poor Jill wasn't feeling well and stayed at home to try and recover while the rest of us went out to explore.

We began our day at a local fish hatchery and though we didn't stay long, the kids were able to feed the trout and see the enormous sturgeon.



A short drive down the road was the perfect hiking spot for us - Wahclella Falls.


Beginning our hike up

We found a "cave" (read: hole) that they boys played in for a bit.


And then a real cave for them all to explore!

We turned around a bend and there were the falls right in front of us.

So very beautiful!

Brian was excited to get down there and explore.

(In case you are unfamiliar with three year olds, this is what qualifies as "smiling."

The smell up there is just so fresh and new and earthy and good.


My attempt to capture the cuteness on my back.  I hiked with Luke and Brian carried David in the hiking pack on his back.  It was an extra challenge but super fun (for real :) and on the way down I sang and bounced with Luke and he laughed and laughed.  Awesome memory.

Per usual, the boys were thrilled to just climb and explore


Searching for critters on the shore

Found a newt!  (No, honey, we can't take it with us...)

I especially loved the furry trees along the way!

When we got back there was homemade pizza and (of course) more Narnia.  As well as a lot of rolling around in the yard and all around silliness.  We decided to take a walk after dinner and we were graced with the company of King Peter and Queens Lucy and Susan.  King Edmund and Reepicheep were lagging behind a bit.

I was quite impressed with the synchronicity of their swordsmanship.  "Sheathe!"  "Unsheathe!"

When we got back to the house we got the tired littles settled into bed and enjoyed some great conversation and finally some good sleep to prepare for yet another beautiful and busy day...


3 comments

  1. I'm so glad to see these pictures since I wasn't there for some of it. This waterfall is one of my favorites - it's just so beautiful!

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  2. That waterfall is SOOO beautiful!! I want to go there!!

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  3. I would be totally jealous of this whole experience if it didn't make me just so incredibly happy to read and see it all!

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