Baptism Weekend - The Hike

Hiking is a very Oregonian thing to do so we decided that we had better take Marc on a hike in the Gorge.  Thanks to Addy Heap for recommending this one to me!  I'd have to say that Wahclella Falls tops my list of kid-friendly hikes with amazing scenery.  It was gorgeous!  Most of these pictures are mine, but the three group shots with vivid greens are courtesy of Lindsey.

My Dad and Mason were good buddies on this hike.  Dad went ahead of us and carried him in his arms the entire first half.  I'm sad I didn't get a picture of that.

This was a little waterfall near the beginning of the hike.

Wahclella Falls was at the end of the trail and was gorgeous.  There were a lot of photographers there.  Lindsey was one of them.  :)

Michelle has a tough time navigating uneven surfaces so hiking is pretty hard for her.  Going down is the worst so Dad carried her for some of the steep, rocky parts.  Look how happy she is!

Mason rode in the hiking backpack for the first time ever on the way back.  He loved it!  Maybe just because he could play with Alan's ears though.  :)

Boys and and a rocky river side = true joy!

It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon as a family.  We need to get out to the Gorge more often!  

Lindsey and Dan headed back to Rexburg and Kate and Zac flew back to Utah on Sunday.  Mom, Dad, Marc, and Michelle got to stay one more day.  Marc even got bored enough to mow the lawns for me on Monday!  :)

We are so incredibly grateful for such a loving and supportive extended family!  Traveling all the way up here required some sacrifice for all of them and it didn't go unnoticed.  We love you and can't wait to see you again in August!

 

Baptism morning

Spencer's baptism was scheduled for 11:00 on Saturday morning.  That was a nice time because we didn't have to be super rushed to get ready.  There was plenty of time for taking pictures.  Lindsey took most of the pictures in this post.

 

Spencer and two other little boys from our ward got baptized that morning.  Each one of the boys had a lot of family support so the room was pretty full.  It was neat to see.  We divided up the parts of the program between the three families.  Spencer asked Grandma Rasmussen to play the piano, Grandma LeFevre to lead the music, Uncle Marc to give a talk on baptism, and his two Grandpas to be witnesses.  Marc did a great job on his talk and it was special to have so many family members involved. 

Since baptisms are a sacred ordinance, we don't take pictures during the service, but I took this one of Spencer and Alan just before we started.  Alan and I are both so proud of Spencer's desire to do what's right and to be baptized.  It has been so awesome to watch his testimony and knowledge of the Gospel grow, especially the last couple of years.  

We celebrated with lunch at Sweet Tomatoes after the baptism.  Geoff's family drove all the way from Boise (6 hours away) Saturday morning to come to the baptism!  I don't know what time they left home, but it was early.  They are awesome and their boys are such good examples to Spencer!

We were seated by maturity level!  ;)

Grandma and Grandpa Larsen weren't able to join us for lunch, but they did come to the baptism.  We are so blessed to have such a loving and supportive extended family!

Baptism Weekend - Beach Trip

Spencer's baptism was scheduled for April 30th and we were so surprised and thrilled when we found out that almost all of my family was going to come!  Elise and her family were not able to make it :(, but everyone else came from Arizona, Utah, and Idado.  We had all day Friday and Saturday together and it was awesome!  Alan took Friday off work and we made Spencer miss school so we could all go to the coast together.  It was Marc's first time to Oregon and Lindsey hadn't been here for almost nine years so visiting the coast was a must.  We decided to check out Pacific City this time.

It was cool and sprinkley when we got there so most of use opted to eat our picnic lunches in our cars.  It cleared up quickly though and turned out to be quite nice.

Babies at the beach are the cutest!!

Mason wanted to play in the freezing water.

Even though the tide was coming in, we still found some cool tide pools.  This beach is great for that.

My Dad, Spencer, and I tackled this huge sand dune.  Spencer and Dad did most of it twice.  It was a good workout and the view of the dunes and coast line from the top was gorgeous.

The sand at this beach is so soft.  Mason loved it!

After the beach, we headed up the coast to visit the cheese factory in Tillamook.  We usually go on Saturday when the factory is mostly shut-down.  There is a lot more cheese making going on during the week and it was fun to watch.

The best ice cream!

Lindsey brought her boyfriend Dan along to meet the family.  They are a cute couple and it was fun to get to know Dan.  He grew up in Oregon and is a true fan of the state.

Lindsey is a real-live photographer and graciously shared her pictures with us.  The rest of these are from her.