Enchanted Forest

Today I took the boys to Salem for their first visit to the Enchanted Forest. Grandma really wanted them to come and see it, and it was her treat. Claudine, Catie, and little man Will also went.

I remember going there as a child and being a bit freaked out about some of the exhibits. Well, that gene was passed on the both Chris and Nate (and Catie too!)

Back in March I wrote about how the boys were really into the story of Hansel and Gretel. Today they saw the gingerbread house, with the scary witch, Hansel in his wood cage, and Gretel pleading with the witch. One peek was more than enough for them, and they didn't want to return to take another look.

Their favorite part was the giant slide that was in the Old Lady who lived in a Shoe. The place literally hasn't changed since the 70's when it was created.

Thanks, Grandma! We'll try it again next year when we can do the roller coaster ride AND go inside the witch's mouth.

mission accomplished!

Nate and Chris completed their summer reading program which was through the Multnomah County Library. They did LOTS of reading this summer, and then would color in a puzzle piece each time they did their reading. For every 10 puzzle pieces, they got a prize (plastic cups, wind up trucks, etc.) When they colored all 40 pieces, they got a cool t-shirt! They were very proud of themselves. The really amazing part, to me, was that we kept track of the little score sheet! :)

zoo trip for tiger and giraffe

We like to go to zoo almost every weekend for an early morning adventure. We're usually there by 9:00 a.m. and it's perfect because it's nice and empty and we get lots of walking in! By the time we're leaving the lines to get in to the zoo are long, and the crowds are growing.

This morning the boys decided that they wanted to take the very favorite animals, Tiger (Chris) and Raf-Raf (Nate's giraffe). They stuffed them into their new preschool backpacks and off they went on the adventure!

Tiger got to see the REAL tiger, but no luck for Raf-Raf......the giraffes were nowhere to be seen today! We'll try again another day.

painting

summertime

Yesterday was a hot one, so the boys did lots of playing in the big ball sprinkler, eating popsicles, and water color painting. Chris loves to paint very meticulously and fill in the entire paper, and Nate likes to make squiggles of different colors.

Today we went and played with Henry and Wendy at a park near their house. (their NEW house, actually!) It was so amazing...it seems that Henry was just JUST a tiny little baby, and now he's almost shoulder to shoulder with the boys. We had lunch at their house then headed home with a lollipop for dessert. Portland Parks and Rec. had a table with markers and masks at the park, so the boys decorated them and decided that they wanted to wear their masks home in the wagon and scare the drivers along the way. Such a scary lion and tiger. :) grrrrrrrrr roarrrrrrrrr

Arch Cape

We just returned from our 3rd annual trip to Arch Cape with the cousins. We all had an awesome time doing a whole lot of nothing. The weather really cooperated and we were able to get lots of fun beach time. This year we made fires on the beach (thanks Dan!) which the boys loved because they were able to poke their long sticks in the fire and then snuff them out in the sand...just like real firemen! Of course we threw rocks in the river, explored starfish and anenomes in the early a.m., and dug big holes in the sand. Grace, Sophie, Dave and Mark all donned wetsuits and did some boogie boarding, too. We also went on an adventure to Oswald State Park to see the surfers. We can't wait until next August to do it all again!

Chris the writer

I just can't help but share this picture. Chris and Nate are really into doing 'school' things, since they are starting preschool this Fall. They love everything to do with drawing, coloring, learning and carrying backpacks.

Chris was writing a thank you note to Auntie Leann, and he wanted to write his name. As you can see at the top of the paper, he wrote his C, H, I and an S (gotta love that S!)Of course he wrote it right to left but that's perfectly o.k. for a 3 year old's first attempt at his name. Being the first grade teacher at heart, I of course, just love this! He also drew a couple of L's for Leann, a Z for Zoey, and an M for Mama.

I love my boys. They amaze me every day! xoxoxxo

John Finn's Farm

Well, we finally went to John Finn's farm today. The city folk went country. We've been talking about it forever, so this morning we made the trek to Ridgefield. It was well worth the drive.


We got to meet his horses Annie, Swinger, and Zeus. The boys got to feed the horses some big carrots, sit on the saddle, and even take a little ride around the barn area. So much fun! But the fun didn't stop there----- We also got to climb in the hay loft, find the chicken eggs in the coop, hold a chicken, walk in the woods, swing on an amazing tire swing, ride his tractor (at least pretend to ride it!) Then we went into John's workshop where he gave Chris and Nate their own horseshoe with instructions to hang them upside down so that they can catch the good luck. He also showed us big nuts and bolts. The boys loved every minute of being on the farm. We sure hope that we will be invited back someday.