Coast Trip part 2

~This was the view from our room the next morning~

Before checking out of the hotel we spent some more time in the pool. The boys love to swim, especially when Josh is in the water to play with them. We had the pool to ourselves for most of the time, so that was kinda nice!

Griffin flying high!

Such brave boys!

We spent the rest of the morning walking on the beach and playing in the sand. It was sunny and warm~amazing for December at the Oregon Coast!

I saw this pelican walking along the beach. Griffin and I tried to get close to him but he didn't seem to like that. I think he was hurt. ):

view from the North Jetty

Coast Trip part 1

For Christmas of 2007 my parents gave us a gift certificate to the Hallmark Resort in Newport. With our weekends and free time in 2008 being occupied with house building, it took us almost a year for us to redeem our gift! It was well worth the wait, though, and we decided to take the kids with us so we could enjoy time as a family away from our projects. We were only there for two days, but it felt a lot longer than that. The hotel was right on the beach and also had an indoor pool...it was great! We were prepared for it to be cold and windy, but we lucked out and had really gorgeous weather! The first evening we bundled up and went for a walk on the beach. It was a little chilly, but not windy at all, so that was nice. We took a lot of pictures during our stay, so I'll try to break things up and hopefully not overdo it!
Here's the view of the resort from the beach.

Griffin exploring along the beach.

Ronan writing his name in the sand.

So happy to be on "vacation"!

Ronan and I

Such a pretty sky!

After walking on the beach we went swimming and then to our hotel room to relax. We made popcorn and watched movies...and although the four of us are not used to sleeping in the same room, everyone managed to fall asleep quickly and sleep all night. We tried to have the boys share a bed, but Griffin ended up in the pack n' play because he was too wiggly. (:

Thanksgiving Celebrations

On Thanksgiving morning, Josh played in the Turkey Bowl (football with guys from our church). I took Ronan and Griffin there to watch for a little bit & play at the playground nearby. A little while later we went to my parent's house for dinner with my sisters (& their families) and my brother. We had a nice, relaxing time hanging out with everyone. The food was amazing and we had lots of delicious desserts to choose from.

I know this won't last long, but for now the boys like it when they get to wear matching clothes. (:

I like this picture of Katrina and Finn (:

The guys hanging out in Papa's brewpub.

The dinner table

Griffin and Uncle Erik ~ both such good eaters (:

Memaw and Papa with all 6 grandkids

The Whole Group

Our family

Griffin was so tired at this point--look at those rosy cheeks!

The next day we had Thanksgiving with Josh's side of the family. Several of Josh's relatives were able to come down, so Grammie & Grandpa Lermo offered to host dinner at the community room where they live. Everyone brought food and desserts to contribute to the meal, and we all enjoyed the big space to hang out and visit! We brought toys and movies to help entertain the kids. One of the most popular things was this twirly helicopter toy that Uncle Ron brought.

Griffin reaching for the helicopter. He thought it was so cool!

Great Grandma Ruddick holding baby Emma

silly Griffin

Ronan, Audrey, and Dylan

Ronan and Lydia coloring together
Aunt Kris, Grandma (with Emma) & Grandpa Ruddick, and Josh's Dad

The whole huge group~27 people in all!
Those in attendance, not necessarily in order: G&G Ruddick, Aunt Kris, the Ron Lermo family + the girls' boyfriends, the Green family, G&G Lermo, Erin, Audrey, Lydia, and Dylan, the Josh Ruddick family, Aunt Diane, and Mom & Dad Ruddick

Happy Birthday, Griffin!

On the evening of Griffin's 2nd Birthday we stayed home and had a little celebration with just the four of us. We knew we had a big weekend ahead of us with two Thanksgivings and Griffin's big family party, so it was nice to have a low-key evening with our boys. Griffin was mostly excited about the cupcakes that had been tempting him all day. (:

Happy Birthday, sweet Griffin!

BIG bite!

Big brother, Ronan, only eats the frosting, so Griffin got to finish the rest for him.

We gave Griffin some new clothes and a cool car garage toy.

Josh assembled it so they could play with it right away.

A few days later we had a big celebration at our house with both sides of our families. The theme of the party was Curious George, Griffin's favorite cartoon character. He loved seeing all of the decorations. (:
Here's the cake I made for the party:

It was fun seeing how our house handled such a big group of people!
Our family, my parents, Josh's parents, Josh's grandparents, the Chase fam, the Green fam, the Creager fam, the Henry fam, Erik, and my friends Renee & Jeff! 18 adults and 12 kids in all!

Griffin was a pro at blowing out his candles after practicing a few days before.

He got lots of fun toys, books, and clothes! These books were from the Barrett family, my relatives in CA. (:

He was so sweet cuddling with his new Curious George doll. It lights up and plays music...definitely one of his favorite toys!

The Novemberists~ Finley, Cohen, and Griffin

Cool new loader truck!

I thought this was a cute picture of Griffin hauling off the trash from his presents. Now that he's two he needs to start pulling his weight around the house. (:

My friend, Renee and her new husband, Jeff, were in town for the Thanksgiving weekend. It was so nice of them to come to Griffin's party! We had a fun, quick, visit, and they got to see the house. Last time Renee was here it was still in the framing stage.

Josh holding our sweet niece, Emma Green.

Erik, Kenton, and Aaron hanging out toward the end of the party.