Metzler Park

Brian had a three day weekend, so we decided to take the family camping in the pop-up. He found a really great campground about 45 min away. It was about 80 degrees both Saturday and Sunday, perfect for hanging out down at the creek. We played at the playground, walked on the trails down to the fishing hole and had a great time. Both kids were exhausted and DIRTY by the time we headed home on Sunday. Unfortunately we had to pack up in the rain, which didn't help. A huge thunder and lightening storm cam through Sunday night. Brian and I laid awake all night waiting for the kids to jump up screaming at the sound of the thunder, but no they slept through it all! The power went out for a few minutes and I've never heard rain so loud in my life, I couldn't believe neither one of them woke up. The next morning was a challenge trying to figure out how to pack up with the least amount of mud making it home with us. I ended up entertaining the kids one one side of the camper while Brian packed up the car. When it came time to take down the pop-up we put the kids in their car seats and it actually worked out quite well! Only a few protests from inside the car, but we were outside and Brody was the one who got stuck listening to it.


"Ok, where's the food, I know we just got here, but isn't it dinner time yet?" ."







Playin' in the dirt

Choppin' wood for the fire (I never thought she would even pick up the ax)

This is how you get two kids to one destination with one stroller.


Runnin' the bases.

Playin' at the playground



Hold on Ashley!!

The cool bridge we crossed to get to the fishing hole.



Brian and the kids scoping out the fishing hole.

Memorial Day Weekend

Gram came to visit us for Memorial Day weekend. As always we had a great time. We went to Ceramic Cafe to make her a mug for mother's day. We played in the yard and she showed us everything we had growing out there. And she brought this beautiful hanging pot for our housewarming gift. You start the plant growing upside down for three weeks and then when you hang it up the plant grows up around the pot from the bottom. I'll have to get a picture of it because it's hard to describe. We planted fuchsia in hopes to attract some hummin' birds as Ashley calls them. We also had Grammy and Grandpa over for a BBQ before they left on their trip to Bend and had a great time with them.

Reach The Beach

This is the picture Brian took on his bike at the end of the ride. It actually ended up being over 100 miles!

Unfortunately the only picture I have of "Reach the Beach" is the one above. The guys did an amazing job and finished under 8 hours. Reach the Beach was the reason we got to host the Powell's a few weeks ago, our first house guests. The boys decided to do the 100+ ride from Beaverton to Pacific City and we got to play with Nathan and Joana. We took them to an indoor playground near our house with a bouncy slide and a huge tunnel system almost as high as the ceiling. The kids were so cute and played really well together. The boys got back around 9pm. We celebrated with dessert and then hit the hot tub with a glass of wine! It was a great weekend. Next year we're reserving our beach house early! We were a little late this year and it had already been rented. I know Brian will be happy not to drive 2 hours after the ride next year! Who knows maybe I'll do part of it with him!

Both kids were very interested in Nathan's snacks. Poor guy, just wanted to enjoy them in peace. He was sweet though and shared a few with Ashley, I think he likes her!

See!

Not so much love for Isaiah... "Look, I have a soft spot for girls, can you please go get your own"

Dance party led by Ashley











The big bouncy slide

having a snack

Personalities

"Not sure if I'm supposed to be in here, but I'm going to give you a cute smile and hope that takes care of it"

This is one of the many outfits she comes up with. This one I had to capture. She got everything, from the puppy accessory to the fake pacifier in her mouth. Crazy girl! This is also taken in the morning before we got that hair under control.

Another ensemble.

Park

Playing at the new park we found in town. I'm sure we'll be spending lots of time here this summer. Besides the playground and sand box, they have a splash park, summer concerts in the park and a fireworks display on 4th of July.

Sesame Street Live

Grammy and I took the kids to Sesame Street Live at the Memorial Coliseum. The kids had so much fun and I had a blast watching them! They really got into it dancing and in awe of the lights and characters on stage. I was really impressed with Isaiah, he only got tired of it about 5-10 minutes before intermission and then again before it was over, but there was a ton of room for him to walk around so it worked out well. We didn't have to interrupt Ashley and Grammy watching the rest of the show!



All set up with their booster seats and snacks.



This was a lesson in what do do when your tired. Ashley yells out "Big Bird take a nap!"

getting their wiggles out at intermission

New House

This is our new house in Happy Valley! We absolutely love it! Brian and my dad moved us the weekend I was up in Seattle. It just happened to fall on the same weekend and I felt incredibly guilty for not being there. So, I tried to do my share and pack up the house and arrange to hire someone to help them move. Well, the movers ended up not showing and Brian and my Dad ended up doing it all by themselves. My cousin was able to help with some of the unloading, but most people had plans that day and weren't able to help last minute. Of course I didn't find any of this until I got home from Seattle. Brian was really sweet and didn't want it to ruin my weekend. But... we got all moved in and considering it has been a very easy move. We're excited to get new living and dining room furniture, but for now (when it's nice) we spend time out in the yard. This is new for us and we're loving it. The kids even get out there with us with their tools and dig in the dirt. We've met a few neighbors and found some neat parks and trails to walk to. The kids school is 2 minutes away and the bus stop is right in front of our house. I think I found a way to walk to the elementary school, so when Ashley starts kindergarten Isaiah and I can drop off Ashley on the mornings I'm off. The kids start their new daycare next week, so we're excited for that. A lot of the kids in the neighborhood go there and we've heard great things about them. Brian's new job is 5 minutes from the house and my work is about 15. Huge difference in the hour commute we had in Beaverton! Our nights are so much more relaxed, no rushing to get the kids fed and in bed. We plan to be her for a long time.

Here's Brian with the very generous housewarming gift my parents gave us. Of course we needed a Toro lawn mower since my Dad works there!

The kitchen. The white door in the back is a walk in pantry.



Family Room

The kids playroom on the main floor to the left of the front door. The sectional will go in here when we get new furniture.

Entry way. To the right is the stairwell going upstairs. The kids like to yell down at us from there. I'll eventually find a hallway table to put against the wall and display pictures.





The Wisteria growing out our back door. It smells divine!

Girl's Weekend

I went up to Seattle solo the beginning of May for Michelle's wedding shower and bachlorette party on Saturday and Danielle's baby shower on Sunday. The weekend was a blast and went by way too fast. Michelle's shower was a lot of fun. We played a few games, one we got into groups and dressed a bride in toilet and tissue paper, the other was a guessing game for Michelle. We all wrote down a memory we had of her and Paul and then mixed them up. She had to guess which one went with whom and it was fun to hear "the other side" of Michelle since her family was there to tell stories and well as her friends. The Bachelorette party was great. We all dressed up in our "little black dresses" and put on our 60's accessories. We all had sequenced headbands, feathers and long pearls. Our first stop was Julia's on Broadway where we had dinner and then watched a drag show, which I was really impressed by! These men imitated Cher, Lady Gaga, Brittany Spears and others, but they looked just like the real stars. I can't imagine the hours put into makeup, but I guess it comes with the job! After Julia's we went to a few bars and made our way back to bed around 3am. Way past my bedtime, so I was a tired cookie by the end of the weekend. Danielle's shower went great as well. She's doing the babies room in a monster theme so we had some really cute decorations, picture frames, and a diaper cake with monsters on it. Baby Saliba is due June 21st and we can't wait for his arrival! More pictures to come...

Making Sure Brody Finishes His Dinner