Today after Mommy's Women's Group & pre-school, we waited for Daddy to get home and headed for Lincoln City for a few days. The boys watched a little of a movie on the way down and had short naps, but we were able to check into the motel right away. We also took advantage of the free warm cookies provided at check-in. We have been staying at the Lincoln City Suites as having a separate bedroom, 2 full bathrooms, and beachfront access works out well for our excursions. Dylan was pretty excited and ran around the living area squealing happily, even though he had no idea what was going on.

We went shopping at the Outlet Mall for a few hours and the boys were still pretty excited.....luckily the mall was fairly scarce with people so their loud & tactile interest with everything in the stores wasn't too bothersome. We got some great deals on clothing. To reload our energy, we went to the 60's Cafe for corndogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, & oreo shakes.

After dinner the babes & Mommy hit the motel pool with our floaty toys. Although the pool was heated over 80 degrees, the wind still made it pretty chilly. The boys enjoyed splashing around, but Mommy & Daddy had to pull them out due to their quivering, blue lips. Promises to return to the pool again was the only thing that allowed Maddox to leave with little resistance.

The evening finished with watching some TV and the kids falling asleep with minimal effort (OK, some effort, but that was to be expected in new surroundings). Daddy made a quick trip to drop some nickels in the slots at Chinook Winds Casino for awhile. Although the slots were not kind, he probably recouped his losses in free Diet Cokes.

The next morning we hit the motel breakfast and loaded up on carbs before hitting the beach. The boys loved running around on the sand and once they figured out what the sand toys were for, they quickly got to work. Daddy was digging big holes to fill up with water, which Dylan promptly plopped down into. Maddox thought it looked fun enough, so he had to quickly join in. 5 large pools of wet puddle later, we realized that the kids were dirty/wet enough and we headed in.

After a quick bath (Maddox: "Mommy I want to get out, it's dirty in here!" The dirt was all the sand I was washing off), we headed to Mo's for lunch and the weather could not have been more beautiful. The skies were clear blue and the sun seemed abnormally warm for the coast. A small wind was just starting to perk up. We enjoyed basking in the heat quite nicely.

After all the excitement of the day, the boys went down for their nap pretty easily. While Daddy enjoyed the nap, Mommy snuck over to the mall for more shopping & stopped by for a long chat w/ Aunt Shirley.

We hit our fave Lincoln City venue for dinner: Gallucci's Pizza. It did not disappoint and the kids scarfed down the tasty goodness. They had very healthy appetites during this trip. Back at the motel, Mommy & Maddox hit the pool again. I should say that Maddox hit the pool again, Mommy just dipped her feet in the hot tub. It only lasted about 20 minutes and Maddox was ready to call it a day. The kids fell asleep even easier & faster this night. Daddy tried his luck at Chinook Winds Casino again and came out approximately $30 ahead. Enough to pay for the trip? I don't think so.

The last morning we hit the motel breakfast once again (can't beat the free price) and braved the beach. The weather was even more beautiful today than the day before. No wind and perfectly blue & sunny skies. We did more walking today. Dylan felt it necessary to chase after EVERY dog he saw and would get whiny when they eventually eluded him. He perked up, however, once he realized that he could actually walk in the ocean. Cut to Daddy 20 minutes later pulling both boys out of the ocean and practically dragging them back to the room to pack up. Many sad tears during this exit from the beach, some from Dylan, some from Mommy who hated to leave knowing it would be so warm that day.

We left town and met Grandpa Bruce at Spirit Mountain Casino for a lunch buffet which broke up the 2+ hour trip and made for a nice visit. We even made it back home in time to enjoy the gorgeous weather.

Gas: $24

Gallucci's Pizza: $30

extra diapers: $17

Giving 2 sandy boys 4 baths in 2 days: PRICELESS

Thank you, Lincoln City, for a fantastic trip. Hope to see you again real soon!