Oregon--Day 3

On Sunday morning, we got up and got ready to head to Portland. It was a beautiful drive...mostly through Mount Hood National Forest. Absolutely beautiful. It was kind of cool to see the sign that we were at the 45th Parallel, halfway between the equator and the North Pole. I remember learning about that in school, so it was fun to be there.



Once we got to Portland, we drove to Washington Park. It is huge and there is a lot to do there (zoo, gardens, museums, etc.). Alfredo went to park the car and was going to meet us at the beautiful Japanese Gardens. But somehow I missed the entrance and kept walking and walking...finally I decided I had gone too far...but by the time I turned around and found where it was, it had been so long that I decided not to go in because I was sure Alfredo would already have left. Which turned out to be true. After the kids said a little prayer we headed to the rose garden and fairly quickly found Alfredo (Thank goodness for prayer since I don't have a cell phone and the rose garden is big and there were a million people there!) So we walked around the rose garden together, happy to be reunited. He really loved the Japanese gardens and they look gorgeous from the photos. THe girls really liked seeing so many different roses...so many colors, types, sizes. They giddily danced from flower to flower, smelling and gazing and taking it all in.











Then after a quick dinner we headed to Multnoma Falls. The falls are quite big and absolutely gorgeous. We took the short hike (walk) that takes you halfway up, but decided not to go the full 7 mile hike to take us to the top...don't think the kids would make it without a lot of crying/whining/carrying. But it was absolutely beautiful. We all loved the feeling of the water spraying on your face as the wind blew it towards you. It was interesting to read that large pieces of rock often fall down from behind the waterfall. On Labor Day about 15 years ago (I can't remember the exact year, a bus sized piece of rock fell. So they don't let you get too close...but close enough to enjoy its beauty and majesty. What a beautiful world we live in!



Then we drove along the Columbia River, just enjoying the view...the River, the trees, the flowers. We got out for a bit and let the kids play in the river. What a perfect day!!!

Hogle Zoo

Two weeks ago, we went to Hogle Zoo. I hadn't taken the kids for over a year, and we decided it was time. So I renewed our membership and we headed over for a day of fun.

Right now, the zoo has dinosaurs on display. Michelle and Ella thought they were very cool. Gabby thought they were terrifying. One of the dinosaurs sprays you and the T-Rex roars...she thought both were absolutely frightening.



The leopard was up and prowling right by the glass which was fun to see. And the zookeepers were feeding the elephants, so the baby was down in the water grabbing bread with her long trunk. She is so cute. And of course we saw the monkeys, which are my personal favorite.



But the girls all loved the bird show and Gabby talks about it almost daily...she loved the owls and hawks that swooped down right over our heads and she loved the parrots and macaws with their bright feathers...especially the one that talked and sang "I left my heart in San Francisco". And Michelle and Ella got a kick out of the zookeepers explaining that thanks to the birds, there are no more mice around the zoo...just as a trio of mice ran behind the zookeeper's back. :) The crow will fly to your arm to take a $5 or $1 donation and put it in the donation box, then give you a coupon for a train ride. (Although the crow was not feeling super cooperative that day...it took some convincing to get him to cooperate. Apparently the day before someone had not followed the rule to not have food out and the crow had found some crackers. He was hoping we were a disobedient bunch as well, but no such luck!)




Summer is turning out to be so much fun this year!! Really loving being home with my kids...and knowing that my summer is not quite half over (instead of only having 2-3 more weeks off). We've had barbecues and dinners with friends, had friends over to play almost every day and gone to the zoo, parks and other fun locations. Plus still lots more to do before the summer is over. And my kids really are at such fun ages now!

Oregon--Day 1 & 2

We left around 4:30 PM on Friday to drive to Oregon. We were planning to drive to Boise or a little past that and then stop at a hotel for the night, then get up and finish the drive early Saturday morning. But Alfredo (who nearly always drives...we both prefer it that way) felt good and decided to just keep going. He did great until about an hour from his cousin's house in Madras, Oregon... but the last hour was brutal. We didn't arrive until after 4 AM. (So Alfredo only got about 4 hours of sleep that night. Poor guy. But he never did complain.) Oh, forgot to mention the "excitement" on the way... we pulled in for a stop in Twin Falls. Both Gabby and Ella had been complaining that they didn't feel good and we figured we'd take a break, walk around, and grab something to eat. Well, right as we parked, Gabby began throwing up...all over her clothes and her carseat. Clothes, no big deal... but car seat... GROSS! That clean up duty was not fun... Ella climbed out of the van and then promptly threw up... but at least she made it out of the van.



Anyway, we spent the night at Alfredo's cousin's (Suri's) house in Madras. Madras is a small farming town. Alfredo's cousin was so generous. She and her family live in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment...very tiny. Alfredo's aunt came with us so that she can visit her daughter Suri...(And his uncle rode on a bus from CA to meet us in Madras.) So Suri gave our family one bedroom and gave her mom and dad the other bedroom and they slept on the floor and couch. They really have so little but welcomed us into their home and fed us and were so kind to us. It was such a good reminder to me of how blessed I am. Our house is not huge and at times I wish for newer carpet, a garage or other things. But we have what we need plus a lot more. We are probably wealthier than 2/3 of the people who live on Earth...and yet often those with little are as good or better at giving to others, counting their blessings and recognizing what is truly important. I want to be better at feeling grateful for all that I have...and I will try to be more generous with what I have been given. I have noticed that those of hispanic cultures are often so very giving. You rarely go to their home without them offering you food and/or drinks. When we go to stay with Alfredo's family (or even friends)...they give up their bed for you to sleep on. Their hospitality far exceeds that of most Americans. Alfredo used to think I was rude when people came over...not that I tried to be but it doesn't come naturally to me to offer food and drinks to people just stopping by... but I've learned to be better and he's learned that is just a difference between hispanic and American culture. Now if I fail to offer drinks or food, he offers for me. :)



Anyway, back to Oregon. On Saturday, we went to the park, took naps, played with Suri's children, Iverson and Owen. Then that evening we drove to a huge park about 1/2 hour away to have a barbecue with an old friend of Suri's and Alfredo's. The kids ran and played and had a great time, we had a delicious barbecue and Alfredo was able to enjoy a nice visit with family and friends.

I had never been to Oregon before, and so I was surprised that so much of western Oregon was farmland... it looked a lot like Idaho. Not green like I had pictured it. The girls, particularly Gabby, really enjoyed seeing so many cows and horses and even some pigs and sheep and goats. Suri's husband, Roberto, works on a farm and we drove to the farm to take him lunch. Alfredo mooed at a cow that gave us all some pretty dirty looks. :) From the farm, you could see 3 tall, beautiful mountains (volcanoes we think?). One was Mount Hood...the others we're not sure about, but what a beautiful view!

park visits

During the summer, we go to the park quite a bit. The girls like to play as well as ride their bikes. Sometimes we go to the nearby park for the free summer lunches and eat lunch with friends. Sometimes we head to parks a little farther away.

We've been to Sugarhouse Park (although, I think it was back in May!) and to a park in Riverton. Both times the kids brought along a couple of friends.

Sugarhouse Park was fun because there was a family of geese with 17 babies... I kid you not, 17 baby geese born to 1 mom (glad I'm not a goose!). And she was mighty protective of her babies. There were also some baby ducks. The kids enjoyed feeding the ducks and geese as well as playing on the park equipment.






The park in Riverton has water that shoots up. We picked a warm day and headed there...but wouldn't you know it, the water play area was closed for construction. At least the sprinklers were on so the kids could still get wet!

Free Fun!

There's not much better in life than having fun with your family and friends for free! And once a year, we are able to have a superbly fun day at Lagoon with Alfredo's company...free admission, free lunch, and so much fun! Lagoon is fun, but it's even better when surrounded by so many friends and cousins. We can split up easily and send the kids to ride the rides they'll enjoy with their friends and then meet up to ride some rides all together. This year, the kids were having so much fun that we stayed until after 10 PM. And Ella was brave. She rode the Ladybug Bop and a couple of other rides that scare her... We also spent more than an hour at Lagoon-A-Beach. Gabby loved the swings that swing you into water. Michelle loved the water slides (and so did I!) Ella enjoyed sharing a funnel cake with her cousins. The whole day was pretty much perfect.



Gabby was not so sure whether she liked these swings or not...but fortunately, distraction worked and she was soon smiling because I would try to grab her leg and "get her."


Gabby didn't want to leave the sand pit next to Lagoon-a-Beach. She could have played there for hours, I think.

Max's birthday at Wheeler Farm

So I got really behind on blogging at the end of the year.... too many other things that HAD to get done. But we did go to sweet Max's birthday at Wheeler Farm. The kids had a great time eating lunch and cupcakes and then walking around the farm with so many friends. It really was a lot of fun! And since my sister Suzy was in town, she came with us. The girls enjoyed feeding the ducks as well as petting the horses and seeing the other animals.