We have been spending as much time at the cottage this spring as possible. It really is a lovely time of year on the Oregon coast. The tides are lower, there are many days without much wind, and the animal sightings are fantastic. This spring we enjoyed watching the humpback whales migrating. We spotted so many this year! They were so close to the shoreline at times that we could see their spouts and fins from our cottage! Piles of seals have been out sunning themselves along the mouth of the river. Pelicans flew past in low lines over the ocean, and flocks of darling sand pipers ran back and forth across the sand. Deer came to our front lawn at dawn and dusk to nibble the grass. Squirrels and chipmunks scurried along the brush line.  Hummingbirds and songbirds would flit around the bushes and perch along the telephone wires outside the cottage. The resident bald eagles have also made more frequent appearances. One perched on a log out in the middle of the lake to do a little fishing. It was incredible to see. We wish we had brought our telephoto lens with us though!

There are few things I love more than watching Isla on the beach. Her little soul is truly happiest here. Cole tried his first taste of sand…

He was not impressed.

We enjoyed a wonderful getaway with our friends Dan and Ashley. We first met when we worked together in Dubai and now we are all back in Portland and our boys were born 6 days apart! Cole is absolutely enamored with little Seb and could not keep his hands off him the whole weekend.

Isla’s favorite rock. She stops to greet it every time we walk to and from the beach.

Isla catching up with her barnacle friends. She told me this time that some of the barnacles were having their birthday that day. I figure there is a good chance that was accurate!

A new favorite photo of our girl and her barnacle friends (above).

Ashley found her first sand dollar ever on one of our our beach walks!

Isla also found her first sand dollar! She has “found” them before; we had noticed them first but left them for her to pick up. This time, however, she was the only one who saw the top of this sand dollar peeking out of the sand. She dug it up and was so excited!

Love this sweet baby shark! He is getting so close to crawling! He gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth, and also scooches across the floor in an inchworm-like manner. We aren’t encouraging any crawling progress, however, because once this busy boy becomes mobile life for this mom and dad is going to get a lot more challenging! We’re savoring these last few days where we can set him down in one spot and know he will (more or less) remain there.A quick morning beach visit. Isla brought her sand toys down and built a sand castle.

She creates with such passion and intention. It is so fun to watch the little wheels in her head turn as she works.

Cole decided to try sand again. This was apparently a much tastier variety than the last.So, I may have texted some people and told them there was a shark sighting at the beach, just so I could await their responses and then send them these photos.

On our most recent trip to the cottage we spent all of Sunday morning down on the beach and our experience was absolutely glorious. A leisurely stroll on the sand was just what our hearts needed. There was a negative tide that morning, so we had a massive expanse of shoreline to explore. The ocean must have been feeling pretty generous that morning, because the waves left behind countless treasures for us to find.

We made sure to spend some time visiting her barnacle friends. She found quite a few that had broken off the rock, so she scooped them up and tried to tuck them into little crevices in hopes they could continue living there. This girl has a heart of gold and she grows more aware and compassionate each day.

When we reached the mouth of the river we spent time watching 4 bald eagles. They were very vocal and you could hear their calls so clearly. They swooped back and forth over our heads, and at one point we witnessed 2 of them fighting mid-air!

Isla was thrilled to discover two large clam shells and instantly squealed, “Look, Mom! Booby shells! Just like Ariel!” She then proceeded to describe her grand plan of taking them home, coloring them purple, and using tape and string to create her own “booby shell top” so that she could emulate her favorite mermaid. I love this kid and how quickly she can find inspiration to create. I also had to laugh when she began telling us about her project, because I also made my own seashell mermaid top when I was little.

We collected a ton on our walk: 25 sand dollars, about a dozen teeny sand dollars, agates, rocks, snail shells, mussels, hollowed out barnacle shells, and more! Isla’s collection bag was stuffed full, and though it was heavy, she carried it the whole walk. She’s such a strong and dedicated collector! Like Isla’s collection bag, our hearts were bursting at the seams after our relaxing morning on the beach. We are so very grateful to call this magical place home. We’re already counting the days until we are back!