Newport, Oregon

On July 4 we began our long and tiring road trip to the Oregon Coast. We stopped for some fireworks in Boise then trudged onward. We drove until we got to Pendleton and stayed in a little hotel in downtown. We got there at like 5 am. But we had crossed over the time zone so we gained an hour, thank goodness! My parents joined us for this vacation and we were glad to have them there. By about 10 or 11 am we were back on the road.

We made it to Portland and stopped for some dinner. As we pulled into McDonalds drive-thru Lexie said, "I'm SICK!" I turned around just in time for her to puke all over herself in the truck. UGH. So, we pull everything out that had barf all over it and thank goodness we had a blanket they were all sitting on to protect the seat. She was complaining of an ear ache and I feared she may have an infection. So, off to the Portland ER we went. We got her all taken care of and they gave her some nausea meds and we were off once again. And let me tell you, that nausea medicine worked and I want some on hand! It was a miracle drug! Too bad I have no clue what it was.

Anyway, we made it to a little town called Lincoln City. We got there after dark so we couldn't really see the ocean yet and I was DYING to see it. It's so wondrous, the ocean, and I haven't seen it since I was just a kid. When we got up the next day I realized that the view outside our condo was AMAZING! Right on the ocean.
So, that first day we all got up and headed to Newport. It was just about 20-30 minutes from Lincoln City. It's a little fishing town with a lot of little tourist attractions. My favorite part, though, were though fishing boats. I LOVED THEM! They are so cool.
When we first got to Newport we ate at a restaurant called Mo's. This quickly became Jett's favorite place to eat. Their clam chowder was DE-LISH!

This was the view right out our window at Mo's. Right on the ocean. It was very cool!

The Fam

Lexie hates to have her picture taken. The little stinker!

After we ate our lunch we went out on the dock right outside Mo's to check out the view of the ocean. My husband is completely obnoxious!!! ;o)

We walked on down the road to the UnderSea Gardens. It is an underground aquarium where you can view all sorts of sea life. Then Bob, the scuba diver, did a little presentation explaining all the different creatures and their purpose. It was pretty neat and the kids really enjoyed it. Tyke was very impressed with Bob's scuba attire.

You will notice in the next few pictures of Lexie that she is being very cooperative. She is smiling and not being a little poop. How is that, you ask? Bribery. Works like a charm.

The kids checking out the octopus.

Lexie educating herself on sea life.

I love when she cooperates!
Look who we ran into after the aquarium!!! Big Foot! Next stop: Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
Our kids got a kick out of this place. Such weird and unusual displays.

Can you do this?

Lexie and Masi sure tried!

This was the craziest thing. It really played when you ran your fingers across the invisible strings. Up Next: The Wax Works Museum

Now, this place was really cool. The people looked so real. Our kids, however, were freaked out by it. I don't think it helped that it was quite dark and there was eerie music playing throughout the entire museum. Jett took this to his full advantage. He had Masi and Tyke in tears by the time we left. Hiding around corners and jumping out to scare them and such. He is a turd and a half!!!

Oh Jett! Seriously! Constantly pestering and scaring the kids!! Look at Lexie. She is biting her nails with big eyes, scared to come around the corner!

My dad finally rescued Tyke and put him on his shoulders. Thank you!Masi was terrified to cross this bridge!!Frankenstein looked freakishly real.

Yes, my family is famous!

Let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Johnny.

After the museum, we went to The Port of Newport and watching all the fishing boats coming and going. We also watched people crabbing off the deck. Very interesting and fun to watch!

Masi, Jett, Tyke, Grandpa Simpson

Grandpa Simpson, Tyke, and Jett checking out the crab just pulled out of the water.
What a fun day! The kids had a blast even though they were scared out of their pants at the Wax Museum. They are so silly!!! Newport is beautiful and we had lots of fun going in and out of the shops, buying salt water taffy (which, by the way, is WAY better than anything you buy in the stores here), seeing Big Foot, eating, and just soaking the entire atmosphere up. My favorite thing about Newport? The fishing boats. LOVE THEM!

7/6/2009