Vacation: Stringham Reunion ~ Seaside, OR

I can't believe it's already over!... We've been looking forward to it for so long. A few weeks ago we had our first Mark and Jennifer Stringham Family Reunion at my aunt and uncle's beautiful beach home in Seaside, Oregon. It was so much fun to be able to spend this time together just hanging out on the beach and watching all the cousins play. We swam, boogie boarded, made sand castles, played laser tag, roasted marshmellows, flew kites, ran away from sharks, played games, ate yummy food, went shopping, and just had fun spending time together. These will be some memories that will last a lifetime.

... and yes! I think I am trying to go for a blogger record of the longest and most picture heavy blog post ever.

Laser Tag
The boys had fun running all over the beach and using the tall grass to play laser tag with the cool guns that Aunt Maria and Uncle Eric brought.... but don't ask them who won, I think they would each have a different answer.

Kite Flying

David waiting patiently for Uncle Eric to get the kite working.



This is how Audrey likes to fly a kite.
Fun on the beach!

Audrey had so much fun hanging out with her cousin, Jaylee, from Pennsylvania. They only get to see each other once a year so it's always really exciting for them.

Testing out the water for the first time. It was coooooold, but the kids didn't seem to care. They just rushed right in.

James, on the other hand, wasn't as excited about the cold water. We had all gotten used to it by the time James made it out so we all laughed at him as he tried to make his way into the water.

Audrey and Jaylee. I think they look so alike and so different at the same time. What little cuties!

Beautiful little Jennibelle.

Catie... her blue eyes and heart shape lips get me every time!

Uncle Eric chasing the birds with Brody.

Doesn't it almost look like Ethan is going to have a head on collision with this seagull?

Does this girl ever not have a smile on her face? So cute!
We love Brody!!!!

Crazy girls!...

...but also sweet girls.

How sweet... doesn't it look like Ryan's is giving little Emily a word of encouragement or telling her some secret?

Ryan literally drawing a line in the sand.

Catie all tuckered out!

Roasting Marshmellows. We had a contest to see who could roast the most perfect marshmellow. I think it was a tie between Jaylee and Ethan.

Diggin in the sand with Grandma.

Boogie Boarding

Tommy figuring out that the board doesn't work as well on the sand!

Grandpa enjoying the heavy overcast and watching the grankids play in the ocean.

David's favorite thing to do was drag this boogie board all over the place... but I'm sure that suprises nobody. And of course, he was soaked head to toe fully dressed by the end of the first day. We were smart enough to put him in his swimsuit the following day!

~ Family Pictures ~
We also took some family pictures while we were all together. Check out our photography blog to see pics of each of the family!

Cannon Beach
We also drove down to Cannon Beach, which is only about five miles from where we were staying. It was beautiful!

Cool HDR shot Jason took

What a fun way to start our vacation. Now off to Boise to see the Halls! (I will post pictures soon!)