4th of July in... Oregon!

So, my father-in-law's cousin Nancy has a house in the beach community of Neskowin, OR.  She and her husband and daughters spend every 4th of July in Neskowin and it is a serious big deal tradition thing.  And they were nice enough to let us join in!  Dan and Judy got us a beach house and we got to enjoy the beach and all the family festivities.  Our house had a view of Proposal Rock, so Paul and I decided to hike it during Noelle's nap time:)

 

Here is the paparazzi shot of us starting our hike so you can see the treacherousness of it, and how awesome we must be to have hiked such a rock.  :)

The 4th of July 

Nancy and her family always participate in the Neskowin 4th of July parade and this year's family float theme was the "Family Circus."  So we were elephants.  And we handed out circus animal crackers to the crowd.  This parade was serious business and I can see why Nancy and her crew head to Neskowin every 4th.  It's awesome, perfect, small-town USA and it was fun to be a part of it.

Family craft time:

 War zone or beach fireworks?

 Walking with Grandpa Dan!

 New toy from Grandma Judy.... Noelle loves it!

 And of course, the beach.  We spent a lot of time in the water and a little time trying to convince Noelle that sand is a friend, not foe.

 The Oregon coast is not known for luxuriously warm water... but that meant more cuddle time:)

 Oh it was beautiful and we experienced such generosity as always from Judy and Dan, and Nancy.   We love our family!