A fair day...

From July 29:

We love the Washington County Fair. This was Grace's fourth straight year... and it never disappoints. The animals are always a hit and this year was no different. We liked this chicken with silly feathers on his head.

Claire loves animals too, but the fair was almost overwhelming. She would be face-to-face with the horse, and a cow would moo and she would turn quickly to find the strange noise.

This alligator seemed harmless enough until it reared up and hissed at a kid who got too close. We quickly scooted out of its way and then watched as it followed our little group.

After eating, Claire was very intent on watching the dancers on stage. She would strain to see past other people if anyone got in her way. She is such a funny, curious little baby.

The reptile world was a new and fun exhibit this year. The rainbow macaws even spoke Spanish... perfect for a fair in Hillsboro.

We got to see this group of snakes hatching. It was a little creepy for me, but the kids loved it. 

They also loved the giant albino python that was out and about.

The sheriff had a lot of great safety information this year. Each kid got to go through six safety stations (bike safety, water safety, stranger danger, etc.). They won little prizes for answering questions correctly and at the end they pledged to "be safe at all times."

Mihiretu and the girls in the back of the cop car... hope this never happens in "real" life.

A quick stop in the shade for a game of ring-around-the-rosie.

The balloon man is always a favorite.

The gang (minus Claire): Kaleb, Grace, Mihiretu, Sophia, Baylie, Tigist.

Story and stroll...

From July 30:

My mom, who works at Tryon Creek, told me about this great program called Story and Stroll. Each week throughout the summer one of the rangers leads a group of preschoolers on a "hike" through the park, reads a story and teaches the kids about a specific topic. We didn't have plans this morning, so mom pulled some strings for us and we were able to join the group.

Today we learned about butterflies! We first walked to the meadow where Ranger Rainy read, "Waiting for Wings." It was a cute story about the life cycle of butterflies. I love that it looks like Claire is just part of the group. She sat nicely like this for approximately 14 seconds and then spent the rest of the hour climbing up other mom's legs, eating dandelion leaves and sucking on sticks.

After the story we all got to walk over and see this giant butterfly box. It was very similar to the one we had just a few weeks ago, but Ranger Rainy had 8 butterflies in this net.

The craft was getting to make a butterfly life cycle out of different kinds of pasta. Grace was pretty excited about craft and was the first one to the table.

After craft, and pretending to be butterflies in the meadow, it was time to say goodbye and release these butterflies. Some flew right off and others were content to sit on fingers or in a hand. Grace loved seeing them up close. One mom let her little girl get too close and she grabbed the whole butterfly in her hand. I was pretty sure there was going to be pieces everywhere, but the rangers thought the poor little guy might have actually survived and been okay.

I think Grace had a great time... especially visiting grandma and sharing berries with her after our group time ended. The day must have made a lasting impression on her because when we got home she set up a little stage and I heard her saying, "Today we are going to be learning about butterflies. I brought a book to read. It is right here in my diaper bag. My pretend diaper bag. Okay... Once upon a time there was a butterfly mommy and baby. The end."

Another day out...

From July 28:

Four hours at the park (Yep 4!) with Shannon, Carrie and our five kids digging in sand, splashing in the fountain and making "soup." A trip to McDonald's for 50 cent ice cream cones. Walking around the Tanasbourne farmer's market. Meeting a crazy exotic animal at the berry stand. Hitting up the sample stands inside Whole Foods. Dinner with friends at Road House. A five mile walk before bed. Wednesday was busy, full and fun. We had a great day, and a wonderful night.

Aiden, Nathan, Sophia and Grace.

Grace's first ever McDonald's experience was a hit to say the least.

Pip, the Patagonian Cavy. We really thought it was a kangaroo when we first saw him walk by. 

More "soup" making at the Road House.

Playing with some big girls.

Between the two of them I believe they applied 1/2 a tube of lip gloss.

Caught up...

If you could take a quick peek at my calendar you would know why my blog has been neglected for weeks on end. We have been going non-stop since June. Our full days leave me with at least one thing to blog about from each week day. By the time I get home at night there is dinner to make, laundry to do, baths to give and bags to pack so we are ready for the next day's activities. On top of all that, Merrick has been starting up a new project at work and is once again in full swing of longer hours and working at home a bit. Since his work trumps my blog, I'm getting a little less computer time in the evenings.

Enough with the excuses, at least I am caught up. This list doesn't include our six days in Sunriver, our day with friends yesterday at the park, the farmer's market and the Road House, today at the fair, tonight's twilight races, tomorrow's story and stroll at Tryon Creek, our upcoming weekend at the beach, or my 30th birthday (Monday). It is never ending, but our summer has been one to remember, and I would take making memories with my girls over time at home any day!

From May 12: Warm enough for a fountain...
From May 12: Swimming with Sophia...
From May 21: Learning to pedal...
From June 9: The Junior Parade...
From June 14: Frances St. Park...
From June 26: Grace's family party...
From June 27: Memorial Park...
From July 3: Oh Eph...
From July 5: Kleenex...
From July 8: Butterflies...
From July 8: The cool...
From July 19: Bounce, bounce, bounce...
From July 20: Susie's yard...
From July 21: Oak's Park...
From July 22: Del Inti...
From July 23: The littlest gymnast...
From July 23: A fire in our yard...
From July 24: Cooling down...
From July 26: Little begger...
From July 26: Riding at the pond...
From July 27: A big fountain...

A big fountain...

From July 27: 

Tuesday turned into an impromtu day at the park with friends. Shannon was supposed to meet here sister-in-law for the morning, but when she had to back out last minute, Shannon called me. My Bible study got moved moved, so I was free as well! The word spread quickly and we ended up with a fun little group of friends to spend our day with. We parked ourselves in a place with a good view of both the fountain and the playground and the kids went to town. We were even in the right place at the right time for the kids to get the free lunch in the park from the Beaverton School district.

Once our water bottles were empty we parted ways... only to meet up again at the fabric store, Old Navy and then on to the Tuesday night farmer's market for more fountain play, samples, and dinner. Once again our day was non-stop and full of fun. I can't tell you how well we have been sleeping on nights like these. In fact, I crawled in bed with Grace and am pretty sure I was asleep before her. 

Riding at the pond...

From July 26:

Our little library has quite the surroundings. There is a nice multi-level pond with water features that is home to ducks, geese, nutria... all sorts of little critters. After dinner on Monday we packed up Grace's bike and headed over to the library for a bit. I had a few things to pick up, so after running inside briefly, we spent the evening strolling behind as Grace lead us around the paths by the ponds. Claire loves seeing the animals - the ducks are fun, but she really likes the dogs that are there on walks - straining her neck to follow them as they pass by.

Under the covered bridge we found a little next - with three almost grown-up baby birds. It was pretty fun watching the mom swoop in, feed them and then leave again. They made all sorts of noise when she was there, and were then completely silent when she was gone.

It had been another full day - leaving the house at 10 in the morning, returning at 6 in the evening only to eat dinner and head to the library. Grace was exhausted - in the best way possible - and fell fast asleep on our way home. I love how easy it is to transfer her to her bed. She even stays asleep as we later take her to the bathroom and brush her teeth.

Little begger...

From July 26:

Claire loves bananas, so when she saw her big sister eating one, she crawled right over and started to beg.

Cooling down...

From July 24:

Saturday was in the upper 90's. We didn't do a lot, opting to spend the day at home catching up on necessities after our busy week. Thankfully our house is well insulated and the heat doesn't get to us too much. Claire, however, found the coolest place in the house... right on top of the a/c vent.

A fire in our yard...

From July 23:

After gymnastics.
And lunch with auntie EE.
And an afternoon at the pool.
And a much needed hair cut.
We had a delicious steak dinner at home with Shannon and Sophia and for dessert... s'mores! Matt and Shannon have a little backyard fire pit that came with a travel case. It was pretty easy to haul over, so we set it up at our house and roasted marshmallows. The girls played really well together all night. At one point we all had pretend names: Merrick was "Lanabell," Sophia was "Emily Christine," Grace was "Greg," but then changed to "Baylie Thomas," and Claire was "Kaleb Grace." Shannon and I didn't get fake names, but we did get fake kids - Sophia - I mean Emily - called me mom all night and visa-versa.

Claire was a little desperate for milk. She is so angry her legs are sticking straight out.

A baby orange snack by the fire.

When the s'mores were gone, Merrick brought out a box of sparklers that we had left from the fourth. The girls burned through them quickly, but seemed to have a great time in the process.

This is very Harry Potter like - a true wand battle. "Expeliamos!"

After a few hours of fire fun, we went inside to clean up and put pajamas on. By this time it was well after ten (and we had a full day with no naps), but the girls crawled onto the couch and announced that it was time for a movie. Beauty and the Beast was in the player, so we turned it on for a bit and just watched the fun musical scenes. In no time at all Grace was curled in a blanket well on her way to the land of dreams. Wow... what a day!

The littlest gymnast...

From July 23:

Fridays is gymnastics day and this week Merrick was able to join us. He enjoyed seeing Grace in her element... bouncing, tumbling, running, climbing, jumping, spinning, stretching. I don't think I had ever told him how much Tiny loves the class too. She wants to be like the big girls, so she wiggles and squirms until I put her down on the blue mat and then she is off. Today she hung out on the parallel bars... squawking away at the big kids trying to draw even more attention to herself. Silly baby.

Del Inti...

From July 22:

On Thursday we decided to use our Groupon and head out to Del Inti - a Peruvian inspired restaurant in Portland. My parents were kind enough to take the kiddos, so Merrick and I could enjoy a rare night out. We enjoyed dinner with Drew and Marisa - just the four of us - something we haven't done since before Sydney was born. Hard to believe, but it is hard to coordinate baby sitters, schedules and life to find a time when four friends can all get away at once. We missed our girls - Grace would have gobbled my braised rabbit pasta, Merrick's pork chop and the ceviches we ordered - but we had a great night with our friends. Thanks mom and dad for helping us out last minute. We really appreciate it.

 

 

Oak's Park...

From July 21:

Shannon, Kristen and I treated our three-year-olds to a fun morning at Oak's Park. It was really crowded, so we didn't get to do all of the rides, but the kids still had a great time.

 

 

 

Shannon just couldn't wait to ride the Frog Hopper...

 

Someone (I won't name names) is very serious about eating her peas. 

 

The kids were all brave and got on the roller coaster.

 

Grace is the one with her hands straight up in the air... a trick Merrick taught her last time we were there.

 

Three smiling faces... I think our morning was a success.

 

Kristen had to head home to pick up Tigist, but Shannon and I continued our adventure at Bob's Red Mill for lunch. Melissa and Maren met us - since we were practically in their neighborhood. The food was delicious, and the friends were fantastic.

 

On our way home we made one more stop at Magnolia Park to round out our day. Sometimes keeping busy all day long is easier than going home. Shannon and I were exhausted, but the girls played hard and that made bed time a breeze that night.