Nathan's 2nd Birthday

I took the kids up to Seattle for Nathan's 2nd birthday party. I was a little nervous making the drive by myself, but I left a little before nap time so they would at least sleep a little in the car and get a nap before the party at 2pm. We made it and the kids were great, slept and hour and not even DVD's to keep them entertained! Any longer, though, and we may have needed them. The party was really fun, it was great to see everyone. They had it at Joana's parents house in Poulsbo, so we got to ride the ferry back to Seattle to stay at D and Hani's. The kids loved this! Sunday we had breakfast and took a walk to the park and headed back home around 2:00, again a nap in the car to make the drive a little easier. It was a short trip, but always worth it!


Nathan's Uncle got him this powered car for his birthday. Ashley was the first passenger, but quickly got out when crazy driver Nathan started gunning it. Then Isaiah jumped in and laughed every time Nathan punched the gas. The adults got a good laugh out of this. Eventually Ashley got back on and even drove it around.



Mmmm, yummy cake

This was Isaiah and Sawyer's first time on a ferry.





Ashley, I month shy of 4 and Saywer 3 months.

Randoms

Cuddle bug, she's so sweet.

The kids got these fireman hats from the firemen that came to our house a few months ago. One of the smoke alarms tripped the entire house and I couldn't figure out how to get them to stop. I could silence them for a while, but then they would all go off about 5 minutes later. After an hour of dealing with this, I called the non-emergent police # and they recommended that a fire truck come over to make sure it wasn't something else. Very embarassing moment having a firetruck come to your house over a dead battery. The alarms are hard wired into the house, but little did I know they all have battery back ups. Why didn't it chirp then? Who knows, it was just my luck that day! The kids loved all the commotion though, thank goodness Gram was on her way for a visit and showed up in the middle of it all to help save the day!

Gram brought cute umbrella's for the kids. Isaiah got a frog and we're not quite sure what this one's supposed to be, but Ashley loves it anyways!

Concentrating hard on the design for her sign. When Sammy comes to stay with us, Ashley noticed that Brody always eats his food. So, her solution was to make a sign that says "Sammy's Food, Brody Stay Away!" Pretty good idea!





Playing in the Digger Pit at the Children's Museum

Painting faces. It was cute to see how Isaiah was watching Ashley to figure out what to do.

Playing with clay

My mom found this vest for Ashley and Isaiah decided he wanted to try it on for looks. Cute, huh!!??

Victoria

Brian and I took a trip to Victoria, BC for our anniversary. We went a week early so Grammy and Grandpa were available to watch the kids. This trip came after a very intense call week for Brian, so it was a much needed vacation! We flew out Saturday morning at 5:30. It was an early flight, but we wanted to make sure we had a full 2 1/2 days there. The flights were about 20-30 minutes with a layover in Seattle. The flight from Seattle to Victoria was really pretty with the sun rising over the water. We landed around 8:30 and rented a car. It was as much to take a taxi to and from the hotel as to rent a car for 2 days. That seemed to be an obvious and much more convenient decision. Butchart Gardens was first on our list and I'm so glad we went in the morning. There was hardly anyone there, so peaceful to walk around, and the air was crisp and cool. We were very impressed with their attention to detail. Not a piece of grass was out of place, everything was pristine. When we left the gardens it was lunch time so we found this great little bar and grill off the road that was having their grand opening. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed a fabulous lunch, it was really delicious! After that we took the scenic route back to our hotel, driving through beautiful neighborhoods and along the water. We checked into our hotel, got a quick rest and had a couples massage at 4pm. We've never done this, it felt great and was a little way to spoil ourselves. The room we stayed in gave us access to a private lounge that had a complimentary cappuccino machine, soda, water and juice as well as breakfast and hor dourves from 5-7pm. So, after our massages we headed there and sat out on the patio watching all the activity in the harbor. That night we walked around the city, went down to the boardwalk and watched the street performers. I was really impressed with the Parliament Building all lit up at night. We did walk through the Empress Hotel too and that was very historic, especially the Tea Room. The next day we're at breakfast and I see the little boats we saw the day before doing a routine in the water. Turns out every Sunday in the peak season (I think we got to see their last performance of the year) they do a "water ballet" to a waltz in front of the Empress Hotel. It was really cool to watch these little boats "dance". After breakfast we decided to take a 45 min tour on one around the harbor. We learned some history, saw the sea planes take off and land, drove by the house boats and stopped over at the Fisherman's Wharf for their famous fish and chips. The weather was gorgeous both days, so we walked a lot. Our hotel had a great walking path that went around the harbor and took only 10 minutes to walk downtown. There was a great brewery on the other side so we headed over to have a drink on their patio. That night we went to Ogden Point to watch the sunset and brought a bottle of wine back to our hotel to enjoy the great view. The entire weekend was very romantic and relaxing. It was a prefect way to celebrate 7 years of a wonderful marriage.


















Lunch at our "secret find". The great bar and grill that was having their grand opening.

The view from our hotel

Enjoying the view.

Sunset our first night

This is the Parliament building at night. We met someone who told us the inside is just as impressive, but they only give tours during the week.

The Tea Room at the Empress Hotel. Right after I took this picture a large group of people came in to have tea. It was about 9pm, I think they came off the cruise ship.

Before the Harbor Boat tour. Brian's favorite part was watching the sea planes take off and land on the water.



Houseboat theme at Fisherman's Wharf. It was interesting to see what these divers had found over the years, especially those huge old cell phones. Funny how far things have come. It will be interesting to see what's up there when we get a chance go back

Sunset at Ogden Point

Reading to Isaiah

Ashley loves books, but especially loves reading books to her brother. I'm amazed at how much of the story she remembers from when we read them to her. This one was really cute because she knew the word on the page she was on was the picture of the animal on the next, so she would turn the page slightly to see what it was and then continue with the story. Smart girl, I don't think Isaiah even noticed. She's getting really good at sounding out letters and writing them down on paper too.

Mama Mia

Mama Mia came to Portland Aug 28th, so I couldn't wait to get tickets. I've heard so many good things about the play and the beast part was being able to go with my mom. The play was awesome and so fun! We both cried, laughed and danced at the end. What a great night, can't wait to do it again!

Wilsonville Splash Park/Backyard Work Weekend

The end of August my parents decided to redo their backyard and build a new fence. My Dad tore down the rock wall and gave the back yard another 4 feet or so, it looks great and more room for the kids to run around! Brian was so excited for this weekend since it meant he'd be working with the DINGO. My Dad's buddy Dave helped them and Brian loves hanging out with the two of them. He learns a ton and has such a great time. The kids even got in to help a little. After nap, while thee guys were sweating in the hot sun, I took the kids to the new splash park in Wilsonville. They LOVED it! The fountains weren't too big and they had a river and waterfalls they could get wet in. I learned my lesson to set boundaries next time before I release them, though! Both kids ran in different directions, each with a different idea of how they were going to spend their time there! Guess where Grammy was !!?? Learning how to ride a motorcycle!!!











The kids on the DINGO making sure those boys got to work!

Beach Day

Over the summer I took the kids to a beach near Salty's on the Columbia. It was a warm, sunny day perfect for hanging out near the water and having a picnic. It was a fun outing. I think the best part for the kids was the airplanes taking off and flying over head. We even saw some military jets and Ashley yells "Look Mama, it's the Blue Angels".

Dad's Birthday

Way back in Aug, close to the 23rd we celebrated my Dad's birthday at the new McMenamins in Wilsonville. It was a gorgeous night. I got their early to grab a spot outside near the live band and after an hour of waiting they told us they were not able to push two tables together so we could all sit together. Don't ask me why we weren't notified about that sooner, but they had just opened so I'll give them that excuse. By 6pm it was filling fast and our options became limited. We ended up sitting inside which worked out fine, then after dinner we sat out on the lawn for a few songs where the kids entertained us with their dancing and running around. That was really fun, we're going to have to go back just for the music. I love when we can all get together for special occasions and Grandpa's birthday was a perfect day to celebrate. I don't feel like my Dad gets celebrated enough for all that he does. We love you! Hope this year brings many good things!