4T

We went with Tammy and her children on the 4T hike in Portland.  It was super fun!  And Tammy helped me carry Eliza, so that was even better!  It's called 4T because you go on a Train, Tram, Trolley, and Trail.  I love that the forest is right in the middle of Portland!

1st T:  Train to the zoo

2nd T:  Trail from zoo to OHSU

Tammy's kids

Eliza's smile says "Daddy would never let me do this!"

 A break for lunch

Practicing her marching skills

I just love this one.  

3rd T:  waiting for the Trolley.  

Isn't this one great?

Waiting for 4th T: Trolley.  (What is Amber doing back there?)

Yes, Tammy, I feel the same way about public transportation.

This isn't a great picture, but it shows one of my biggest fears in life:  One of my kids might one day get off the MAX at a different stop when there's a big shuffle of people.  Then they'd be standing there crying, and I'd be screaming against the window of the train as it pulled away...At least I'm not paranoid or anything!

World's greatest what?  Anyone know?

New Bike

Isaiah got a new bike this summer too, but this one is actually mine.  I love it!  Now I just need a couple of baskets (one on front, one on back) and a bell and then I'll be ready to go *ding ding*

Oh, awesomely when I got on it the first time, the whole neighborhood was out setting up for a block party.  I hopped on and crashed about two feet later....somehow the connection that makes the wheel turn when you turn the handlebars didn't happen.  I'm always happy to entertain :)

Splash Pad Tour

So I'm pretty sure these are the pictures I took when we toured the splash pads in downtown Portland.  Apparently I thought taking photos on the MAX was more exciting than taking darling photos of the little ones frolicking in the fountains...

Time to catch up: A Summary of June

One day in June we got together with my friend Carolyn and her three little ones and headed to the Rose Garden.  I guess since I've lived here ten years it's probably about time I went!  These are just some shots of the kids waiting for Carolyn to get there.  

Here they are all piled into Carolyn's van.  I like to take the pictures at the beginning when they're all still awake and smiling!

I guess I didn't take many pictures there, and of course not a single picture with a rose in it, but this arbor was way more fun for the kids than the boring old flowers anyway!  And I love this mid-dance shot of Esther.  She and Isaiah play together a lot (we used to live down the street from them) and she's delightful!

Also in June:

It was hard to get a good shot, but we had a bee infestation that was a bit of a hassle.  After taking apart the column in the front of our (brand new!) house, the few thousand bees were vacuumed up and safely relocated to a loving hive.

So here's an adorable dress I made for Eliza.  It has fabulous tuck-pleats on the bodice and the sash and bottom of the skirt are accented with a chevron print.  Jerel said it's "pioneerish."  What?!  C'mon, it's totally not.  Pioneers didn't have CHEVRON for heaven's sake....well, maybe they did, but back then they probably still called it zig-zag.

 After I took Eliza's picture Isaiah wanted to get in on the action and show off some of his dance moves.

Oh, but first, here he is practicing his favorite new facial expression:  the eye roll.  He looks just like Jerel when he does it.  In fact one of my friends saw him do it and commented that she's never even seen Jerel roll his eyes, but that Zay looks so much like him when he does it.  Apparently it's Jerel's signature look?