Portland Rose Gardens

The Rose Gardens are another place we like to visit every year. They are just beautiful and it is fun to see all of the colors and varieties of roses. The girls enjoyed them too this year. I think they stopped to smell almost every rose. We went to the Japanese Gardens the same day (see next post). The two gardens are right across the parking lot from each other, so we were able to make an afternoon out of our trip.

The Japanese Gardens

We checked out the cultural pass at our library for the Portland Japanese Gardens. We have never been to the gardens before and it is one of the places we wanted to go to this Summer. They are really beautiful! It is 5 acres with beautiful trees, statues, rocks, little tea house buildings, bridges, streams, waterfalls and water features. There are neat pathways throughout the gardens that take you into a different little world. The gardens are very peaceful, yet kid friendly. When we arrived Maddie and Peyton were given children's maps of the garden and they went on a little scavenger hunt to find different features on their maps. If they found all of the items on the map then they received a prize in the end. Maddie found all of the items and earned a bookmark. I would love to go back during a different season. I'll bet the trees are colorful in the Fall and I have seen pictures of the cherry blossoms in the Spring. Looking forward to our next trip to the Japanese Gardens!

Happy Birthday Bruce!

I am sorry Bruce for this late post! I have been a very bad blogger lately!

Thank you for sharing your birthday pie with us it was yummy!

It was another fun family birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD/GRANDPA!!

Sleep Over and Smores!

On one of the 90 degree days Bryan set up our tent in the back yard and Maddie had some friends over for her first friends sleep over. They all set up their sleeping bags and had fun running around outside and in and out of the tent. The only half way decent pictures I could get of the sleepover were when I brought out Smores. They then sat still just long enough to get sticky and cover their faces and hands with chocolate and marshmallow goodness.

This picture of Peyton is actually the cleanest she looked eating her first Smores. Shortly after this picture I had to take her chocolate covered dress off to go Spray and Wash it. She had chocolate and marshmallow from head to toe and in her hair.

Sticky monsters!
I will have to say sweet little Mia was the neatest Smores eater ever!

Happy Birthday Grammy

My Grammy turned 81 yesterday and we threw her a little party. All of the family came over and we had cake, pie, and ice cream. It was so fun to see her open her gift... a Mariners shirt. The meaning behind the shirt is that we are taking her to a real Mariners game in Seattle in September. She is the biggest Mariners fan and watches EVERY game on TV. She was sooooo shocked to know she was actually going to attend a game. It was fun to see her reaction. She is so cute and such a special Grammy! Happy Birthday Grammy, WE LOVE YOU!!

Last Beach Trip of the Summer!

I will have to say, this was the best beach trip of the year. The weather was perfect, we went on a few adventures to places we have never been, and spent time with my parents. We even got a couple of house projects done like putting in a new front door, painting some of the kitchen cupboards, and putting new hardware on the cabinets. It was a great trip! Here are some pictures of our time spent at the coast:

We went on a trail hike in Astoria to see a tree called the "Cathedral Tree" and then continued our hike to the Astoria Column. I have not been here before and the hike was really beautiful. It was only about 2 miles and easy for the kids. It was a perfect hike and it is always nice to have a little "reward" at the end (the tree then the column).

We pushed Peyton in the jogging stroller part of the time, she walked part of the time, and also hitched a ride on Daddy's shoulders. This was one big tree! The Astoria Column. We climbed to the top and had a great view!This was Maddie's first hiking trip. She did GREAT and loved it! I think we will be doing quite a bit of hiking with her. She loves the outdoors. Hanging out on the beach.Lovin' on GrandmaThe second hike we went on was in Rockaway. It was a little more difficult because it was not cleaned up as well as the first hike. There were quite a few trees that had fallen from the 2007 storm. In this picture it looks like Bryan is standing at the bottom of a cliff. It is actually the roots of a fallen tree!! Look at how huge the root system is.Maddie leading the way on the hike. In muddy areas, someone had done a lot of work and had cut up fallen trees to make a pathway with the cut up wood. It was kinda cool!Here is the reward at the end of this hike! A HUGE tree! It was neat because it had a deck built around it and it would have been a great place for a picnic...maybe next time. On both of the hikes we were the only people around. We went to see how cheese is made and packaged. Moo!!My Dad and Bryan rented a little boat and went out crabbing. They did very well! Maxing out the limit of 12 crab each! 24 yummy crab!!Just part of the catch!Looking forward to the next time we can head to the beach. It will be tough to top this trip.

Peyton's Extreme Room Makeover!

We have gone from baby nursery to "big" girl room. Peyton has moved into a big girl twin bed and her room has a new paint job. I love how it turned out! Here are some before and after pictures...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Thank you Great Grandma Sargent for the big girl bed!! It is perfect in my new bedroom!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Peyton has done really well going from crib to bed. She stays in her bed at night and seems to like her big girl bed. The first night Maddie read books to her at bed time. It was really sweet!