Portland Zoo

We spent last weekend in Portland- Wonder Daddy rode the Seattle-to-Portland bike ride, so we thought we'd combine a bit of sight-seeing and family-visiting with our Wonder-Daddy-meeting-at-the-other-end.

A few things didn't go as planned- Wonder Daddy and his friend thought they'd drive themselves to the 4:30 start time, but found out the night before parking passes had to be pre-purchased. Saturday morning found our whole, happy, sleepy family in the car an on the road at 3:45- Mimi was rather confused about the whole thing.

The girls and I stopped for an hour for breakfast, and made it to our desination where we'd be staying with family around 9:00...and as I was unbuckling Mimi, the call came: "I've been in a wreck. Can you come pick me up?" Sweet Aunt D collected my extremely sleep-deprived children into her home, and I hit the road to a spot two hours away. Poor Wonder Daddy- he was travelling 27 MPH in the "fast" column when a fellow in the "slow" column decided HE wanted to be fast too, right in front of Wonder Daddy! He wasn't quite fast enough to merge, and with nowhere to dodge, Wonder Daddy had to hit the brakes. The front wheel of the fellow behind him locked into Wonder Daddy's back derailer and both bikes were toast. Thankfully, mercifully, and perhaps miraculously, neither man was hurt. I picked up Wonder Daddy at the home of the "guy in back," and we loaded the poor bike (with a back wheel so bent it couldn't turn) onto the bike rack and started the 2-hour drive back to his aunt's house. Quick shower for Wonder Daddy, a well-deserved milk snack for Mimi, and we were on the road once more to visit my grandparents in a near-by suburb.

We had a lovely weekend, and Wonder Daddy's aunt and uncle were so to let us stay at their home, pick their fantastic blueberries, and be so welcoming.

Monday morning we took the girls to the Portland Zoo on the way out of town- here are a few pictures!

Outtake: 1, 2, 3

Why does this make me giggle?

One.


Two.


Three.

Day Five: Too Much Good Stuff

What a fun day!

Wonder Daddy spent the morning biking- it was a BIG ride. Fifty miles, I think, with a 1,000 foot total elevation gain? He was pretty wiped by the time he got home.

Ernie, as you know, has a FANTASTIC memory. (The idea that it's photographic has been bandied about. Let's just say that I find it remarkable, and she's known where most of the states in the US belong in her puzzle board since she turned three.) At any rate, when we were here at Christmas time we visited the mall one evening and she played at the foam playground with Nana while the rest of us shopped. Every day since we've arrived, she's asked to go to the mall!

Too bad nobody had any fun.

Nope, no fun at all. And Ernie definitely didn't fall in line with three other little girls, and pretend to be their doggy. And those girls didn't ask, repeatedly, for permission to pet Mimi's head.

And when Ernie got "peopled out" and simply lay down in the tunnel, the girls didn't explain to each other that their dog was dead. Nope.

We had a quick lunch when we got home and put the girls down for naps. We had a quiet afternoon, and Wonder Daddy and I took a long walk (one of my Must Do items for this trip. Originally, I had hoped to go jogging with him, but when we found that HE could barely run 2 miles, when he normally runs 8, I knew that my 3/4 mile stretch at home would barely get me to the end of the driveway. So we walked. Which is much more pleasant, don't you think?)

***Side Note: Wonder Daddy assures me that eventually, my lungs will be strong enough where I'll be able to breathe forever, but will need to stop running because my legs will be tired. As a woman who, from all appearances, descended from Ents (see first photo for visual proof)...this is an intriguing concept. I might have to take up marathons as a hobby.***

Another item on my Must Do list for this trip was dinner at In-N-Out Burger. Om nom NOM! Wish we hadn't gone with the animal fries, but the cheeseburger with grilled onions and vanilla shake was amazing. Wonder Daddy really enjoyed his Neapolitan shake. A BIG thank you to everybody back at the house who watched the girls and put them down to bed. We had a great time!

After dinner, we found ourselves at Goodwill. Oh snap, it was fantastic! We found fantastic toys: two vintage Cabbage Patch dolls (a baby and a blond girl), a bag of My Little Ponies, a Game Cube controller, and a vibrating baby ball. We ALMOST bought a Light Bright for Ernie, but it seemed like a bad idea with the baby crawling around and all. Such cool vintage toys- thrifting in retirement communities is fun!

Ernie had a blast while we were gone- Grandpa J did what Grandpa D has been threatening since Ernie was born.

How sweet is that tiny Hogs jacket? Thanks, Grandpa J! She had a blast! (And, even though it was NOT intentional, it was a good idea to not tell me about this until after I got home.)

Day Four: In the Which Music is Made, Among Other Things

The morning started early. WAY too early. Mimi had a rough night, waking up every 1-3 hours. At 4:00, I finally went to sleep on the couch to see if it would help her sleep any better if I wasn't in her room. She lasted until 6:15. Since I had got up with her Monday, Wonder Daddy (emphasis on Wonder) promised to take Tuesday's morning shift. THANK YOU, Wonder Daddy!

(I have a really great picture of Nana and Mimi asleep on the couch, but...they're both in their pj's. And that's just not cool to post pictures of your sweet mother-in-law in her pajamas, no matter how clean and adorable they are. So I'll just admire the picture for you. It's really sweet.)

Does this photo make up for it? I think so.

At any rate, I slept in until 9:30, I think. I don't remember. But I remember it was wonderful.

Later in the morning, when everyone was suitably attired, Nana and Ernie made cookies. Here they are making shortbread for lemon bars.

We had a quiet lunch, while the rest of the family was hither and yon for school, work, errands, and rehearsals. Mimi especially enjoyed herself, eating watermelon, strawberries, cheese, and bread.

Wonder Daddy did a series of workouts- I think he called it break outs? At any rate, he biked 4 miles, then ran 1, then biked another 4, then ran again. Let me tell you, us sea-level folks get a GOOD lung work out way up here where the air is thin! But, his triathlon is soon and the man is dedicated to his training schedule. Between thin air and fierce head winds, he'll be one ready dude! He and Uncle Fireball did a quick clean and grease on the bike chain and gears when he got back- it's so dusty here, bikes need to be cleaned after every ride.

The evening finished up with a fun recital from Nana's piano students. Wonder Daddy Senior (Grandpa J) held Mimi every time she fussed, so that Mimi actually got to sleep (albeit in his arms) around 7:00! This doesn't sound very impressive, I know, but it's her normal bed time. Couple that normal bed time with 4 very good (and normal) naps yesterday, you have one happy baby who managed to sleep until 6:15 this morning (again, normal time) only waking up once, around 10:00.

Lots of numbers, yadda yadda. Bottom line: Baby is back on track, and HAPPY! *cue triumphant orchestral refrains* Thanks a TON, Grandpa J!

(PS- If the pictures seem better than normal, no I did not suddenly develop an amazing talent for photography. These were taken with Nana and Grandpa's fantastic, huge, camera. Not my wonderful small, portable camera. Thanks for sharing, Nana and Grandpa J!)

Day Three: Major Awards!

Tuesday morning we got off to a slow start. Mimi is having a rough time at night, waking up every one to three hours, so there are normally a morning nap or two. Wonder Daddy went out for a training ride for his quickly approaching triathlon.

Nana helping Ernie get ready for the day. Ernie isn't too sure about this whole "hair brushing" thing.

Late morning, Nana, Ernie, Wonder Daddy, Mimi, and I all headed out for an adventure. It doesn't take much to amuse us- a Costco run, quick jaunt through the garden section at Home Depot, and a detour to the bike shop for more inner tubes and we were a happy group. (Aunt Lolo, we ate at Costco. Just so's you know. And I didn't eat breakfast.)

Home for naps, and we spent the afternoon doing Ernie things. Most notably, the Princess Dolls came out. And I made Wonder Daddy play. Oh yes, I did. He put a dress on that poor Aurora, then another dress on her head, and then a fairy on top of that. When my Cinderella got all prissy and toppled the misbegotten tower of princess paraphernalia, Ernie was wide-eyed. Then, when we had all wandered away and she was left with four princesses and her own ideas, they all took turns kicking each other across the kitchen table. Oops. Way to go, Mommy.

We spent the evening at a track awards banquet for Uncle Fireball. He's pretty much awesome. He started running hurdles (jumping hurdles?) this year, and placed high enough in the regionals to make it to State! Not bad for such a young dude. The coach had some very nice things to say about him. Interestingly enough, the coach also reiterated what I'd heard from Wonder Daddy's family: Uncle Fireball did it all on his own. Almost zero coaching, apart from an occasional "Why don't you try it this way?" His school doesn't even have a track large enough to accomodate any hurdles- the track team occasionally practiced at a local college, and they brought along three hurdles for Uncle Fireball to train on, and he would have to guesstimate how far apart the hurdles should be because the track didn't have the proper markings. So, he prepared for State on his own, on three hurdles (and he ran the 110 at State, which I believe is 8 hurdles.) So way to go Uncle Fireball! Can't wait to see what you do next year!

The girls both got to bed around 9:00 last night, so it was a really rough night with Mimi- she was up ever 1-3 hours, and I finally left to sleep on the couch at 4:00 to see if she'd sleep any better without me in the room. She made it to 6:30, which is a MAJOR accomplishment, so I think I'll be on the couch again tonight! (And a HUGE thank you to Nana for watching the girls this morning so I could sleep in until the unheard time of 9:00.)

Day 2: Church, Among Other Things

When the baby wakes up at 5:30, and church is at 12:00, Sunday morning is very leisurely indeed! (Lucky for all of us, she took a good 2 hour nap later in the morning.)  I'm glad the girls slept as well as they did last night.

We had a good time at church.  Ernie loved Sunbeams, and was so proud to show us, in MCE, "I love you Mommy" and "I love you Daddy."  (MCE is Manually Coded English- it uses mostly American Sign Language, or ASL, hand signs but keeps English grammar.)  

Wonder Daddy and I became an object lesson in Sunday- as a young couple "obviously" in love, the teacher called us up to front and handed us each a squishy foam ball (like a clown nose is made of.)  Each ball was our "life" before we met.  Our hands bumped together to symbolize our union, and that we were now holding each others' lives.  The teacher took WD's ball, and put it in my hand and told me to open my hand: four balls popped out!  He handed them to WD, then 8 balls popped out of his hand.  He handed those 8 balls to me, and the wad of foam was so large I had to use two hands.  When I opened my hands, 8 foam balls and a 2-foot-long foam sausage chain burst out onto the floor.  

Apparently, he's a gifted teacher and a pretty good magician.  

The girls both took naps after church, and Nana made a fabulous dinner (weight-loss group...I may not be able to show my face for a few weeks.)  Mimi especially enjoyed the steamed peas.

And we're off!

We're here at Nana and Grandpa's house- since there are now 6 other adult-sized people clamoring for a chance to play with my babies, I think I stand a good chance of keeping y'all updated during this visit!

Our traveling day was beautiful- we all woke up bright and early, and were out the door in Grandpa Don's car at 7:45.  We had planned to leave at 7:30, and I have to admit I was drumming my fingers most of the way to the airport!  Our flight was scheduled for 9:45, and it's always a surprise to see how it goes: what traffic is like, how busy the drop-off is, how long the line to check luggage is, how crazy the security line is, how many times they'll move our gate...you know, the regular.  

However, my worry was completely unfounded!  Twenty short minutes found us at an almost-empty drop off for our airlines, no line for the curbside check in, and almost no line for security.  Score!  We had a nice wait before boarding, and an easy flight with two Mimi naps, and a selection of toys for Ernie.  

For the record, the toy that took the most time was a simple alphabet workbook- tracing letters, coloring pictures, short puzzles, etc.  Another big hit was a set of Disney princess dolls- little 3" girls with changeable rubber suits of apparel, and little 1" friends.  Yes, I know: I don't normally do plastic.  We made an exception for the toy I've seen most of her friends playing with, and mothers swear it's the only toy their daughters will play with for an hour at LEAST.  

You know, those Disney guys are smart.  One doll, two changes of clothes is $6.50.  Two dolls, 1 dress each is $13.00.  And four dolls, two dresses each is $22.99.  A call to Wonder Daddy settled it: go for the best deal.  $23 later, we are the proud owners of 4 Disney princesses, 8 dresses, 16 tiny rubber shoes, 4 miniscule necklaces, and 4 trusty side kicks.  I separated them into separate bags, to give her one at a time.  

So, 3 hours of flying found us in Phoenix, with a VERY excited Nana waiting at the gate (her own flight in from a family wedding landed just minutes before ours.)  We stopped in Anthem for the outlet malls to grab lunch, and do some last-minute shopping.  Perl Izumi, a bike gear company, has an outlet that Wonder Daddy was REALLY excited to visit.  Also, poor Mimi just wasn't ready for this week: I brought ALL her summer clothes, which consisted of a romper and one sun dress.  

After the drive home, we had a great evening with Wonder Daddy's family.  Grandpa J made his famous biscuits with sausage gravy and potato scrambled eggs (om nom nom) and we just settled in.  

It's Sunday morning now, Mimi is down for her first nap, and the kids are rejoicing over freshly-filled buckets of breakfast cereal.  (You have to know that breakfast cereal is somewhat rationed in this house, or it would be consumed for breakfast, lunch, 3 snacks a day, and possibly dinner if Mom isn't looking.)  I'll hopefully get some pictures today!