Cochran family pictures

While in Oregon we had some family pictures done by my SIL's sister, Mel. Hopefully I'll have a Jones family picture up soon, too! I don't have a single shot of Sammy--in fact, the only reason he is in any pictures at all is because Stephen bribed him with chocolate. :o)

P.S.

I found a couple more pictures...including some of the elusive Cameron!

How do 3 babies look on me? Cameron loved his Auntie.

Isn't Cameron's wink adorable?

On our way out of town we stopped by Grandma's grave. Being home for canning was a little bit empty without her there.

The rest of the story: Blueberries and Rafting

When I think of Oregon, there are certain things that I always think of. The Coast, my family, mild weather, crazy Corvallis people, farmer's markets, berries, peaches and rafting, to name a few. This trip, I experienced everything I love about Oregon.

I got to visit with all my family, went to the market, picked (and ate and ate!) blueberries (even though we didn't bring any home), had fresh peaches (and cobbler!) and sent my family down the river. I was just too tired and grumpy to go...even thought I felt slightly guilty about it.

Did you know that when my mom was 7 months pregnant (which is what I am) with Scotty, she went on the John Day River with my grandpa, dad, and 4 of us kids? Trevor was 8, I was 7, Jeff was 5 and Brett was 2. In case you didn't know, the John Day is a week-long float trip, not an afternoon trip down the river.

Lincoln loved the water...or not

And about that mild weather. Every evening I would go and sit on the swing on my parents porch. There was a cool breeze and NO bugs. It was heavenly. I'm not a swearing person, but, I tell you what! These mosquitoes in MN have nearly brought me to it a time or two!

I can sum up our trip home in just 3 words: We made it.

29 hours of drive-time in 3 days. For as long and uncomfortable as that is for anyone, with my 32-week pregnant self and 4 small-ish kids we're just glad we made it. And that we still love each other! Going home for a couple of weeks was worth everything! Will we do it next year? We shall see...

Day 13: Marimbas!

My grandpa clued us in to a Marimba festival being held near OSU, so on Sunday after church we headed over for some great music. 

The kids listened for awhile, then broke off into their true interests...

...Mason found the electrical box...

...Elise danced around, in true Corvallis-ite fashion...

...and Sammy played with sticks and found a very cool yellow spider.

It was a relaxing afternoon!

Day 12: Oregon Coast

On day 11 (Friday, in case you care), I took Stephen up to the airport so that he could attend the AOM (Academy of Management) Conference in San Antonio. He was going to present one of the papers he's been working on, and with 15,000 attendees, it was a good way to network. Mind you, only 30 attended his presentation, but still, it's a pretty big deal!

That evening I had some long-time friends over. The idea was that we'd be in the middle of peach harvest and have fresh peaches and ice cream. Um, no. There was not a ripe peach in the orchard! On August 12th! All my plans of being part of the harvest and canning were pretty much smashed--finally on the 18th Mom was able to find 10# of ripe peaches. Peaches have never been so late! Needless to say, I didn't can any peaches while in Oregon. Fortunately Mom had a stash of peaches and pears from previous years, and between that and the 10 batches of applesauce, we loaded down the car!

Anyhow, I'm getting ahead of myself...what would a trip home be like without a visit to the Oregon Coast?!

We went to Devil's Punchbowl, just North of Newport. It was a beautiful day! Mostly sunny and just a touch of wind. The kids had so much fun running away from the waves and playing in the sand. And all my brothers except Trevor were there. It was a little stressful not having Stephen there to help, but everyone survived and had a good time, even if I never relaxed for a second. :o)

Running from the waves

Scotty, Marni & Lincoln

He really does smile...just not for the camera

Cochran cousins

I'm stepping away from chronological order for a moment to post pictures of some of the cutest kids around: my own (of course!) and their Cochran cousins. My brother Brett and his wife, Jen, have two little girls: Liza is almost 2 and Lettie Claire is 6 months. My brother Trevor and his wife, Kaelah, also have 2 kids: Caisa is 2 1/2 and Cameron is 2 months--and apparently was very camera shy. :o)

Mason reading to Liza and relaxing on the swing

Getting ready to swim and feeding squirrels at the coast

Brushing teeth & reading with Grammy, and just being silly

Trains and painting with water--in their cute FuzziBunz!

 

Bumbo piano playing (thanks to Elise), and there's Caisa! On Papa's new tractor

Feeding Lettie and more Bumbo fun--Liza was "reading" to Lincoln

Lettie thinks she should be crawling, and Lincoln with the most patient dog ever, Sarge

Riding in Uncle Trevor's truck--it's way too bright to smile!

Day 9: To Oregon!

I'll spare you the high desert pictures the kids took from the car (hey, it kept them busy!), and get right to the fun part of the 8-hour trek across the mountains of Oregon: the Lava Lands Visitor Center, and going up Lava Butte. Unfortunately we didn't make time to go to the lava tube nearby (much to my children's disappointment), but still had a great time observing the different types of lava flows and seeing the mountains of the Cascade range. Beautiful!

Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, and The Three Sisters

My shot of Mt. Bachelor--look at all those tree-filled hills!

The second half of the drive to Corvallis through the Cascade Range is absolutely beautiful. I sometimes say that Minnesota reminds me of Oregon, but that is really like seeing beauty with your eyes half closed. Minnesota has the green, which I love, but Oregon has the green along with the hills and mountains and ocean and rivers. Add in super-low humidity, family, the lack of mosquitoes and mild winters, and you can guess where I want to end up! 

It was good to be home again.

Mason's tooth

The day the reunion ended, Mason lost his first tooth. I must admit, I was very relieved. I know I shouldn't compare my kids, but Elise lost her first tooth when she was 5--Mason is 7! He decided the tooth needed to come out, so he worked on it all day long, and sure enough, by bed time he'd wiggled it out!

Each of the kids, independent of each other, informed me that evening that they know who the Tooth Fairy really is. Mason said that even though he knows it's me, he still believes in it. I think he's just covering all his bases...just in case it isn't me. He's smart like that.

All Lincoln...and cousins

I tell you what, I have some pretty amazing nieces. They are so good with the little ones! Here are some of them with Lincoln...

Olivia...

...and Emmalee

Lincoln really does smile, in case you were wondering!

Idaho reunion!

For the "official" Jones family reunion we went to a lodge up in the mountains. It was very impressive. And again, I got to sleep in a king-sized bed! (Isn't it nice to know what is really important to me...). We started out with our vans, down by the river...

Mason helped the owner install a new TV, as well as several DVD players. I love people who take time for my little guy!

Sammy learned how to play Chinese Checkers. Unfortunately, he didn't win, and ended up throwing something that ruined the rest of the game. Afterwards he let me in on a little secret, "Mom, if you don't want me to get mad when I lose, let me win." Alrighty then...

Of course the big boys had to play, too!

Check out this amazing family tree! Don't worry, there is still room for growth! And 3 babies on their way!

And who doesn't love s'mores (besides me)? Melted sugar put on sugar with sugar! And lots of little kids and fire! What's there not to love? I tell you what, it's a good thing my kids have a daddy, or they'd never have any fun!

This is the joke stump. If you stand on it, you, too can tell a joke! It doesn't even have to be funny or make sense! That's my kind of stump.

Mason found a caterpillar--it was very exciting. 

Here are the girls with their faces painted. On Sunday afternoon the older girls led crafts for the younger kids. Face painting, friendship bracelets, flower clips, and I don't know what all else. So fun! My kids pretty much have the best cousins around.