Outdoor Fun...

Uncle Pete, Aunt Keri, and Jack came for another visit...
While the dads were at work we went on a Ladybug Walk. A guided tour for 2-5 year olds of Portland Parks...Such a great idea. Each of the kids were given a ladybug backpack filled with lots of fun things to use to explore and capture bugs...spoons, paint brushes, magnifying glasses, and bug boxes. The guide was very fun, and even though Wyatt felt he was too old for this excursion, she tried to involve him and give him "extra" information.






Alyssa sharing a flower with Jack...



I LOVE how Jack goes down the slide...



Isn't this a great idea...Feeding your kids in an outdoor baby swing...They can't get out, they can't run away, and if they drop their food it goes in the dirt and not on your floor. LOVE IT! NEED IT!


The ice cream man drove down the street...The perfect ending for the perfect day!




Slip n'slide fun...

Summertime Fun!

We went on a road trip to Newport to visit the aquarium. AWESOME! It was a fun trip. We got to see a lot of fun sea creatures, and we even played with the anemone and starfish in the "petting zoo."
Here are few pics of the fun!

This is Alyssa and her new baby...Aren't they cute?


Travis demonstrating the size of this shark jaw!


Wyatt showing off his treasure...A shark tooth necklace. Very cool!


Alyssa demonstrating an old-time diver mask...I think she just wanted to climb the ladder...


I think this is a Puffin (?) He's cute anyway!


Sharks! While walking through these tunnels I couldn't help but think of the movie, "JAWS"...


Alyssa watching the shark swim by...


Love this one...


Garrett showing off his newest member of his stuffed-animal family, Hammer.

The giant turtle...Lissy fell off this one!

More of the tunnels...

This guy was checking out Travis...

Doesn't this one look old?

The elusive Eel...We tried all day to get a good picture of this dude...This is the best I could do...He was a lot of fun to watch. He swam in the same path around and around the tanks.


We visited the Playhouse Village at one of the many shopping centers in Portland. There were 5 playhouses on display that the kids could play in...
Here is the favorite:




While there we visited the sweet factory...The only time in my life when I have spent $17 on a handful of candy! Yikes! The kids loved choosing their own mixture of gummies, chocolates, jelly bellys, and more...



This is one of three dollhouses...Alyssa loved exploring...Yes, with candy in her mouth!


And, Lastly the doghouse...Very cute! We couldn't get Lissy out of this one!



The heat wave hit us like a bomb! We went to the local Kmart and purchased a cheap pool...We then spent ALL day in it! The kids had a blast...

I love this picture of Wyatt helping Alyssa...It shows just how sweet the boys are to her!

Garrett trying to "warm up"...LOL! The water was freezing cold, but the blazing hot sun made up for the cold water.

Wyatt threatening me...

The happy, and cooled-off three!

Garrett's 5th Birthday!

The anticipation was killing this kid! It's party time...


First, the decorations. A storm cloud filled with balloons, gold coins everywhere, bricks, and Yoshi!


Next, the cake...Garrett and I looked at so many cakes until we found one that He loved, and one that I thought I could manage! After a little readjusting from Poppy and Nanny...Here is the end result...Not bad for an amatuer!




The finished party table. Garrett really wanted to have these glitter balloon cut-outs all over the table with the cake in the middle...His first birthday wish granted.

Then, the games...So, the games that I had planned, these little guys flew through them way too fast...All of the eggs were smashed, the balloons caught and popped, and the gold coins found in about 20 minutes! Thankfully, Travis was in tune with his inner party self and came up with some fun games the kids loved. When all ideas were exausted...We watched a Mario movie while waiting for parents to arrive!


This was the game favorite...Throwing real eggs filled with glitter at Yoshi! I had been collecting eggs for a few weeks, blowing out the yokes and filling them with glitter! I was the happiest party-goer when the last egg was smashed. The kids loved it though! If you look carefully, you can see the egg in mid-air....


This was also a blast to watch the kids try to catch and hold as many balloons as possible! Then, they got to pop them all to find the gold coins (thank you St. Patrick's Day clearance sales!).


And, what's a party with no presents! Thanks to all of the guests for making Garrett's day with his new treasures!


Garrett is my laughter! He has always loved to play and laugh. Even as a baby! Garrett is a sweetheart, especially to his baby sister (mostly)! But, get out of the way when the wrestling has begun...Garrett is a great thinker...always coming up with clever solutions to problems. We are so grateful to have him in our family!
Garrett had a blast! And, we were so happy to do it for him...Much thanks to Poppy and Nanny for providing techincal and kitchen help!!