Labor Day at the Coast

We headed back to Florence for Labor Day weekend. Matt and I were really looking forward to getting out of town for a couple of days. We headed out on Sunday and the weather was gray and misty. So...we thought it'd be appropriate to hit the Hobbit trail. This trail is just north of the city and we've heard great things about it. It's supposed to be a hidden gem that only locals mostly know about, but it was just mentioned in the latest Sunset magazine. Oh well! It did, however, live up to expectations. The trail is about a mile and a half of gorgeous mossy trees that overhang. We could see why it was called the Hobbit trail!At the very end of this half mile trek you approach this cute little tunnel...

Then you see this...

The picture doesn't do it justice, but the path opens up to a beautiful, quiet (we only saw 2 other people) beach where you feel you have the place to yourself. Mateo took advantage...






After exploring the beach we checked into our hotel, which just happened to also have a casino (wow, what a coincidence!) The room was large and Mateo had so much fun playing on the bed and with the pillows. Matt also had a fantasy football draft, so he was distracted with the free wifi...

After playing around in the room and going out to dinner, Mateo conked out! :)

The next day we headed back out to the beach. The weather cleared up and it was a gorgeous day. We went to the Heceta Lighthouse which is just a short drive from the hotel. It was a small hike to the lighthouse, which was pretty neat and had such a beautiful view.







We then hiked back down and let Mateo roam free on the beach. We saw a sea lion basking on the shore. I had never been so close to one before. He was so cute! Mateo was busy digging sand castles with other kids that were there.




Once we were done playing in the sand we headed into town for lunch. We found a nice spot outside overlooking the boats. Then, alas, it was time to head back home. It was such a nice getaway, and a sort of goodbye to summer. Already looking forward to next year!

A family visit

My mom and aunt came up to visit from California a few weeks ago. It was a bit of a spontaneous visit but I was able to get a couple of days off to spend some time with them. First I took them on a lovely drive along the McKenzie River to Sisters, OR, with a stop along the way at Sahalie Falls. Then onward to lunch and shopping in Sisters, and a stop at Belknap Springs on the way home. Unfortunately, the week they visited we had an intense heat wave! Oh well, we persevered. We took a break from the heat and took Mateo to the coast later that week. It was very pleasant there. We had lunch at Mo's and did a little browsing in Old Town before hitting the beach. Mateo had a fabulous time digging in the sand, as you can see. A good time was had by all, exept for the laborous hike up the sand dune to get back to the car! Yikes! Need to find a better spot next time...carrying an extra 20+ pounds (Mateo) up a dune is not a good time! Overall we had a very nice visit. Mateo got to spend quality time with grandma and was thoroughly spoiled. Thanks for coming up!

Wet!

It was unusually hot here the past few weeks. Last week we got up to 108, which is really unheard of here and record breaking. And of course that was the week my mom and aunt decided to visit from California (see my next post). Ha, and they thought they were going to escape the heat! We've just been trying to keep cool. Here you can see some pictures from when I took Mateo to the public fountain. At first he didn't know what to make of it, then he had a ball! He's extra cute with his swim trunks falling down...he definitely takes after his slender papa.

Water baby!

Mateo just completed his first swim lesson course. We signed him up for a 4-week water babies class and he must be part fish because he loves the water. We had a lot of fun playing with him and getting him used to being in the pool and getting water in his face. On the last day they opened the water slide and daddy took him down a number of times. You'd think this little kiddo would have been frightened to go down a large twisting and turning slide, but he loved it and kept asking for more! Here are some pictures with daddy.

Mateo's 2nd 4th

It was a warm weekend this Fourth of July. We went to our friends Nick and Alicia's house for an afternoon bbq. My pal Jenn came down from Silverton which as a pleasant surprise. She brought her dog Lou and Mateo had a grand time trying to play horsey with him (the dog is 3 times as big as him). Lou didn't mind! Nick bbq'd pizzas, a specialty of his, and we had a very nice dinner. Mateo was totally preoccupied with climbing up and down their deck stairs, so I think I worked off all the calories chasing him around. Around 9pm we went home and Mateo was still awake so I kept him up to see the fireworks show that you can see from a few of our windows at home. At first he was interested in them, but after a while he just wanted to go play. Oh well, fireworks next year!

Welcome cousin Mia!

Mateo's newest cousin, Mia Rosaleen Duffy, was born on June 24th. As you can see, she is outrageously cute! We want to wish auntie Jennifer and uncle Rob all the best with their new bundle of joy. We can't wait to meet you, Mia!

Elise Claire Hudkins

As you all know, Matt and I were very excited for adding a baby girl to our family. Unfortunately we lost the baby 2 weeks ago when I was 7 months pregnant. There are times in life when you cannot make sense of what happened, and have to rely on faith to pull you through. We know that she is in a peaceful place and she will always be with us, and us with her. We are so thankful for Mateo, and the strength and happiness he brings us. Thank you to everyone for their support and kindness through our difficult time.