The long ride home!!!

Lauren had a great time and promptly crashed as we headed for home. She was refreshed and ready for a new adventure by the time we got home. We were exhausted and ready to crash.

It is good to be home.

Packing-up and fond farewells.

With sad hearts we packed-up and got ready to head for home. Even though our trip was short... it was fun-packed. Lauren loves the coast and so do we. We will return soon!

Sea Lions in Newport.

Lauren was quite impressed with the sea lions in Newport. They gather around the docks where the fishermen come in. When it is sunny they lounge around on the docks and fight each other for the best spot. They bark, splash around and put on a good show.

Duck pond adventure!

Lauren's favorite animal at this point is the duck. Below our balcony at the condo in Newport, Oregon there is a duck-pond. Lauren loved feeding the ducks. Each morning the first thing she would do is look out the window to make sure here ducks were still there.

Lazy morning - sleeping in!

After a day of adventure a "princess" must get her beauty rest. She woke up around 9:30 the next morning. (Which is about two hours past her normal wake-up time.) She was ready to hit the beach again.

Too much stimulus - midnight wind down.

That evening Lauren had a hard time going to sleep. She had experienced so much during the day and then she did not have her normal bed and surroundings - so she was up until midnight dancing to Winnie the Pooh.

Capture and clean-up.

I think the title describes it best. We had to run to catch her- then we had massive clean-up. The bathtub was loaded with sand and even the next day we found sand in her diaper.

Hugging the sand!

On our way back to the condo Lauren had to have one last "feel" of the sand. She fell down and started hugging the sand. She even tried to give the sand a kiss.

Water - finally!!!

Although there were many distractions along the way Lauren finally made it to the water. She would have ran straight into the surf if we had not caught her. Lauren loves the ocean.

Seaweed is also fun!

On the way to the water Lauren was distracted by a pile of seaweed. It was a wonderful discovery. It took quite a while to investigate it properly.

Sand between my toes!

Lauren was side-tracked on her way to the ocean by sand. Sand is wonderful, especially when it is warm and feeling great between the toes.

Hurry, Hurry ...Let's Go!!!

When we arrived at our condo on Agate Beach in Newport, Lauren made a bee line for the deck and started screaming in excitment when she saw the ocean. As soon as we unpacked we headed to the beach.

Oregon Coast Aquarium

While we were on our "last of the summer" mini vacation we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon. Lauren loved watching the sea otters. The one in the picture stayed right by the window and entertained Lauren for quite a while. We then went to the sea lion and harbor seal tank. Lauren was also entertained by quite a few seals. We had a real good time.

Halloween sneak-peek.

Lauren is doing dress rehersal for Halloween. She is going to be a SUNFLOWER! She loves flowers.

Since Lauren doesn't like sweets she is hoping for green beans, spinach and avocado. Grilled salmon, poached eggs or yogurt would be great too.

The sunflower costume was a big hit. We now have it hidden in her closet waiting for her debut.

Monkey on my back!!!!

We are planning a couple of trips this fall and thought Lauren might like her own backpack.... well, she loves it. She has been walking all over the house with her monkey backpack. We even loaded it with some of her favorite toys. That made it even better! Lauren will have a chance to try out her backpack as we are heading out to the Northern California and Oregon Coast next weekend. Lauren wants to make a last trip to the ocean while we still have summer weather.

Boohbah Blanket

Robbie, our friend and neighbor across the street (also known as Aunt Robbie), made Lauren a Boohbah blanket. Lauren loves watching the Boohbah DVD's and Aunt Robbie thought she needed her own Boohbah blanket. Lauren loves it. The blanket became an immediate favorite and will sure come in handy this winter keeping Lauren warm as she is watching her show. Robbie and her husband Brian are in the process of adopting a little girl from Guatemala. Her name will be Riley. We hope Riley will be home soon. Lauren will enjoy having a friend next door. You can follow Robbie's, Brian's and Riley's adoption journey at: http://rj06.blogspot.com

WinnieThe Pooh and LuLu

Lauren, aka LuLu has been teething. She has been fussy and cranky and has just enjoyed watching her favorite program and cuddling with Pooh. She doesn't like to be bothered with anything else.