It was so great getting together with all of these fine people again. The Johnsons just moved back to the states from their 3 years in Germany, so it has been quite awhile since we’ve all been together! Their oldest son, Ryan, had high school soccer tryouts, so he didn’t come, but everyone else was there and it was a blast. It was fun watching our kids get reacquainted with their Johnson cousins. James was only 3 months old when they left, so really he was just getting to know Luke and Matthew for the first time! Here are all the cousins with Grandpa and Grandma. Except for Ryan and Jane, who had already gone down for a nap.
We all stayed in a house we rented for the week in Netarts, Oregon. It was a great house, plenty of room for all of us. It had a nice big yard and an awesome circular driveway the kids could ride their bikes on. We all arrived Monday evening, August 5th, and drove home Sunday, August 11th.
Seriously, the kids loved just hanging around the house. Sometimes when we were out doing things, they would say, “Can we just go back to the house and play?” Riding bikes was definitely a favorite activity . . . especially with a kite attached to it!
They also liked giving each other rides in this little handcart.
They also loved picking blackberries and huckleberries that were on the property.
The kids found this little guy wandering around outside. Gross!
The adults enjoyed activities in the yard too . . . . like bocce and baseball.
And giant bubbles were a highlight for everyone! Dan has perfected his bubble recipe, so it was fun showing the family. They did not disappoint! 
On Tuesday we played around the house and then went to a beach close by, Oceanside Beach. It was too cold for swimsuits . . . . in fact, we had pretty lousy weather the whole week we were there. Very foggy. And the cold ocean wind didn’t help. But we made the most of it and still had fun on our beach trips.
