It has been a whirlwind month already. With my parents coming out the first weekend, work for 4 days, then TJ and Alex coming for a week, it has been a good start to September.
Quentin had his first soccer game on Saturday September 9th, actually it was a soccer jamboree (4 games in one day). Quentin did very well and scored the only goal

in the second game. He also got to play goalie in the third game. To see his pictures, click on “Quentin's Soccer 2006” on the right side. Shortly after Q was done playing, TJ, Alex and Ava arrived from Denver. Ava did very well for her first big

road trip (her first birthday was on September 1st).
Wasting no time we started out on Sunday with a trip to the OMSI. The OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) is incredible. Most of the displays are hands on and

are as much fun for adults as kids.
Monday, Quentin went to school and we went to the Ape Caves. We were so impressed

the first time we saw them; we had to return to do it again. This time however, was after Labor Day so there weren’t as many people. In fact, we only saw one other couple the entire time we were down there. With tripod in hand, we made our way down

the 1 mile long Lava tube. We made it home just in time to pick Quentin up from school.
Tuesday we then decided to go take the tour of the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge. Again a favorite for Jennifer and I, these spectacular waterfalls leave you

breathless every time you see them. This was our 6th trip to them. Again, we made it home just in time to pick Quentin up from School. Tuesday evening we rented a minivan. Wednesday, our plan was to drive to Seaside, down through Tillamook and end up in

Newport, OR. The minivan would be necessary because Quentin would finally be going with us.
Wednesday morning we departed nice and early. The 2.5 hour drive from Portland to

Seaside was uneventful. Upon arrival in Seaside, we choose to eat at Normas Cafe, once again, a favorite for Jennifer and I. After eating, we made our way to “The Candyman” where Quentin got to choose from the 170 flavors or Salt Water Taffy. We

then took a stroll down the main street and did some window shopping.
After the quick stop in Seaside, we loaded up the van and headed to Tillamook. Jennifer, Qunetin and I have been through there before, but did not have the chance

to stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory last time. This time around, we knew we had to. Once there, you can do the self guided tour ending up in the cheese tasting room. After cheese tasting you can get fresh cheese to go and ice cream cones. We couldn’t resist.

We then piled into the van for the 1 hour trip to Newport. We finally arrived in Newport around 5pm and it couldn't have been better timing. We had all had enough of the car and decided to check out the accommodations at the Waves Hotel. We unloaded the car, got the little one’s rested,

and took a stroll on the beach. Alex and Ava got to finally touch the Pacific Ocean for the first time. From there we headed to the Rogue Brewery for some dinner.
The following day (Thursday) we went to the highly recommend Oregon Coast Aquarium. Indeed it was a treat. This is where the original “Willy” was housed from the movie

Free Willy. After his release into the wild, they turned his tank into a shark pool with a glass tunnel you can walk through. Pretty impressive little aquarium. We took a stroll over to a old light house and tour on our way back to Portland.
Friday we decided to go to Silver Falls Park. Again, highly recommend it consists of

a 8 mile trial with 10 water falls along the way, several of them you can walk behind. We decided to do the abbreviated tour due to time. We hiked down and saw 6 of the ten all in a 4.5 mile loop. Ava enjoyed the trip in the new Kelty kid carrier

they got her. Quentin, again, was in school.
We wrapped up the week long adventure with an anniversary dinner for Teej and Alex (4 years on Aug 2, congrats) at Beaches restaurant. We thank TJ and Alex for the

time they spent out here, we had a blast.
It was a good week with lots of new Oregon to see. We will keep exploring the land and make a list of the best places to go, that way when you come out, we know where we will take you.