Brian and I had this last week off of work. It has been wonderful! I jammed a lot of plans into our vacation. After taking spring break off and doing nothing but house projects, I was bound and determined to make the most out of our summer and the week we had off in July and the week we had off in August. We started the August vacation with a two night camping trip to Dorena then came home on Sunday afternoon. We unloaded, unpacked, did laundry, met up with my mom, grandma and cousin's who unexpectedly came to visit from California for dinner, then packed back up again. We headed to Eagle Crest on Monday morning and returned Thursday evening. We unloaded, unpacked, did laundry and then Brian packed again for Hood to Coast. He left this morning and is probably running right now!
Here are some of our Eagle Crest memories. It is an absolutely beautiful place, well manicured landscape and breathtaking scenery surrounded us. Not to mention the condo we stayed in was walking distance to a super cool outdoor swimming pool and fitness center (one of the 3 at the resort)
Upon arrival, Brian and Bricen went for a bike ride. There are miles and miles of biking paths to explore. Here's the before picture - thumbs up!
And the after picture... According to Brian, they were going on a downhill and Brice was going pretty fast. He forgot to use his brakes then remembered with Brian yelling "use your brakes" and over corrected, which caused him to go flying face first off of his bike. Brian said he felt awful because he was so far behind him and couldn't do anything. He expected Brice to have gravel stuck in his face and have to go to the hospital to get it cleaned out. Bricen is a tough little guy though, somehow he scraped by with some minor scratches and cuts (which do make him look tough). As Brice explains what happened he holds his hands out and says he meant to do it. We were just glad it didn't slow him down for the remainder of the trip.
And the after picture... According to Brian, they were going on a downhill and Brice was going pretty fast. He forgot to use his brakes then remembered with Brian yelling "use your brakes" and over corrected, which caused him to go flying face first off of his bike. Brian said he felt awful because he was so far behind him and couldn't do anything. He expected Brice to have gravel stuck in his face and have to go to the hospital to get it cleaned out. Bricen is a tough little guy though, somehow he scraped by with some minor scratches and cuts (which do make him look tough). As Brice explains what happened he holds his hands out and says he meant to do it. We were just glad it didn't slow him down for the remainder of the trip. He let me clean all the dirt off of his face and clean out his cuts. They are scabbed up now and will be healed in no time. 
We spent a portion of time all three days at a pool. The weather was beautiful and hot, perfect for the outdoor swimming pool. 
All the kids were wishing their dad's were as cool as Brian. Bricen and Brianna loved being thrown up in the air!
This outdoor pool had a regular size pool, a hot tub, a kiddie pool as well as this cool spray water area. The water coming out was pretty cold so the kids did a quick run through then back to the pool. 
We went on a family bike ride and saw bunnies, birds, chipmunks, deer and a beautiful sunset. We also played pool, air hockey and a few arcade games at one of the sports centers. On Wednesday we decided to go to Lava Lake Cave, which is south of Bend. It was so neat! We rented a lantern and brought our jackets even though it was 95 degrees outside. As you head down toward the cave entrance you can feel the temperature drop. 
This is the cave entrance and once inside the temperature drops to about 45 degrees and stays that way year round, it is also pitch black inside. Bricen is very excited here, he thinks he might see some dragon or dinosaur bones. 
It's about a mile to get to the end of the cave, here we are starting to get a little cold. 
Brianna did great the entire time! This is the end of the cave and to get to the very end, you have to crawl on your hands and knees. Maybe next time! It stunk pretty bad here at the very end and as you can see, Brian had to sacrifice his jacket to keep Bricen warm. At this point our fingers were very cold and noses were red and starting to run. 
Bricen's little legs got too tired and Brian had to carry him almost all of the way out, but we made it and have smiles on our faces! It was pretty crazy to feel so cold and then walk out into 95 degree weather. The cave was a worthwhile experience. 
We stopped in Bend to do some shopping and dinner before heading back to the condo for movie night.
We spent a portion of time all three days at a pool. The weather was beautiful and hot, perfect for the outdoor swimming pool. All the kids were wishing their dad's were as cool as Brian. Bricen and Brianna loved being thrown up in the air!This outdoor pool had a regular size pool, a hot tub, a kiddie pool as well as this cool spray water area. The water coming out was pretty cold so the kids did a quick run through then back to the pool. We went on a family bike ride and saw bunnies, birds, chipmunks, deer and a beautiful sunset. We also played pool, air hockey and a few arcade games at one of the sports centers. On Wednesday we decided to go to Lava Lake Cave, which is south of Bend. It was so neat! We rented a lantern and brought our jackets even though it was 95 degrees outside. As you head down toward the cave entrance you can feel the temperature drop. This is the cave entrance and once inside the temperature drops to about 45 degrees and stays that way year round, it is also pitch black inside. Bricen is very excited here, he thinks he might see some dragon or dinosaur bones. It's about a mile to get to the end of the cave, here we are starting to get a little cold. Brianna did great the entire time! This is the end of the cave and to get to the very end, you have to crawl on your hands and knees. Maybe next time! It stunk pretty bad here at the very end and as you can see, Brian had to sacrifice his jacket to keep Bricen warm. At this point our fingers were very cold and noses were red and starting to run. Bricen's little legs got too tired and Brian had to carry him almost all of the way out, but we made it and have smiles on our faces! It was pretty crazy to feel so cold and then walk out into 95 degree weather. The cave was a worthwhile experience. We stopped in Bend to do some shopping and dinner before heading back to the condo for movie night. This was such a relaxing place, we can't wait to go back!
Bricen showing off his muddy foot - don't let daddy see! (He hates the kids getting dirty - I have to wash them up before he sees)
Lily loves riding in the boat and I think she enjoys camping in general. Tucker takes his own vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's house, which he much prefers. 
Bricen loves driving the boat and if Brian's not careful, Brice will push it to full speed. 
The sunset was beautiful! Brianna and Everett gravitated toward each other and Brice and Dario could hardly be separated. 
Everyone loves smore's!
Sharing, how cute!
