Monday, August 22, 2016

Fun Morning with Friends!

There were a few things on our "summer bucket list" that hadn't been marked off, and since we are heading out of town the last week of summer break I wanted to make sure we got them checked off! We picked up our friends the Stenejhems this morning and headed off on our morning adventure!

First stop, Slappy Cakes, a hip breakfast joint in SE Portland. They have griddles on the tabletops and you can make your own pancakes.





A very fun and yummy stop. Lots of laughing and eating and pancake making was had!

Both Evelyn and Ellie had been wanting to got the Chinese Garden downtown ever since they took a walking tour of Portland last spring with the 3rd grade class at school. During the tour they got to peek in the openings in the cement wall and both girls wanted to see more. Thankfully our awesome library has a "cultural pass" so we all got in for FREE... yay!!  

This place did NOT disappoint! The kids were given a scavenger hunt sheet and they had a blast walking around trying to find all the things on the list. At the same time, they all (even the boys) were in awe of the beauty of this place and were genuinely interested in learning about the Chinese culture. It was fun to see them truly be amazed by how pretty it was. 




The fish in this pond were huge!!

It was a full and super fun morning with these 4 sweet kids. We are so fortunate to live in a city that has so many fun things to offer, and I am so thankful to be able to spend this time with Evelyn and Matthew. Summer is winding down and I am trying to soak up every last moment!

Monday, August 1, 2016

Beach Trip 2016




Guess where we just were? :)

With Doug starting a new job and having less vacation time, and because we got to spend almost a week in Idaho enjoying the lake and celebrating my sister's wedding, we actually thought about NOT going to the beach for our annual get away. The kids, however, we not liking that idea one bit, so we decided to go just for the weekend. And although it was a short trip, it was a lovely time away together.


We left Friday morning and headed to Lincoln City. We had lunch and then hit the outlet mall until it was time to check in to our condo.



Silliness abounds with these two!!
Checked in and ready to hit the beach!





It was windy, a little cloudy, but a lovely afternoon spent on the sand.


Pool time before bed was super fun!


Sunset
I could watch him sleep for hours! Love my boy!

The kids were up early the next morning, ready to go see the tide pools!







We saw all sorts of interesting creatures and got some good exercise (it's about a 1/2 mile walk to where the pools are).

The afternoon was sunny, warm and windy and we spent a very fun time on the beach! 





My girl is growing up. Sigh....
My silly boy....





Matthew hunting seagulls.... :)


Yep...it's cold. But they still were soaked by the end of the day!


Love him!
My beautiful artist! 


We took an evening walk to one of our favorite areas..




This path thru a wetlands leads to the D River campground. Its an easy walk and there is lots to see. The kids always enjoy it... we do too!
It wouldn't be a beach trip without movie night! This year was "Snow White". :)



This place is beautiful!

We headed  home Sunday, thankful for our time away and looking forward to spending a longer time here next year!