Trio

We spent a perfect summer evening at the Arboretum—beautiful blue skies, light breeze, and temperatures in the mid seventies—absolutely ideal for our hike and picnic.  After dinner, the kids enjoyed some running around time.  A simple outing, but simply wonderful.  Just the way summer should be.

Franny has been talking non-stop about being Cinderella for months. Today, she and her daddy bought her costume, and she has been wearing it ever since. She also plans on wearing long gloves and wearing her hair up just like Cinderella. To say she is excited is an incredible understatement! While she usually resists posing for a picture, in this case she was very accommodating. I can’t wait until her light-up glass slippers arrive in the mail…

During her ride on Gator yesterday, Franny and Grandpa stopped to eat a few blackberries. You may not be able to see the berry stains on her chin, but her smile clearly shows how sweet they were!

I am very fortunate that my kids seem to have fun pretty much wherever they go and whatever they do.  For Franny and Cole, even running the aisles at Fry’s Electronics has proven to be a fun excursion.  So, if you plan on meeting friends at the Pirate Park and later moving to a neighborhood fountain, for water fun and a picnic lunch, you know it’s going to be a very fun morning.  And so it was! 

Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of Cole sticking his head in one of the fountain’s geysers or Franny playing with her friends at one of the button-activated sprayers.   These were priceless moments that my camera missed as I took care of Delaney.  But, that’s the reality of having three kids and learning to balance.  Fortunately, being with friends makes balancing so much easier—VERY special thanks to my dear friend J, who rescued Cole when he fell—picking him up and bringing him to me even though he was soaking wet, while I was feeding Miss D, and to my other dear friend W, who held and calmed Delaney as I tried to snap a few last-minute pictures down at the fountain.  Very special friends.  I don’t think I was able to finish a conversation with any of them today, but just being with them eases my frazzled tendencies and helps me keep it all in perspective.

Delaney Reese has now been with us for two months. With two older siblings, she really endures a lot, from being on the go to being endlessly kissed and hugged to having her pacifier shoved into her mouth from all angles (not to mention the two older siblings fighting over who will do the shoving). In spite of all this affection, she does seem to be a happy baby—we get lots of coos and smiles, and she is quite content most of the time.

Although I now can’t imagine life without her, the memory of her birth is still very vivid in my mind. It is very calming and emotional to remember the joy of delivering this healthy and beautiful little girl. It is also an incredible joy to wake up to her sweet face every morning. How lucky we are!

The other day, I went in to find Franny and Cole playing with blocks. Franny quickly told me that she was building the Ross Island Bridge and her cars were going to use it to go to Sellwood. We do live in a city of bridges, which are of enormous interest to little kids, but Franny seems to have a knack for knowing Portland bridges and where they go. She is always asking about what bridge we are crossing when we are en route somewhere. At age two, Franny pronounced to everyone at her music class that we drove over the Fremont Bridge to get there. Since then, she has also picked up the Marquam (it goes to OMSI and the Lucky Lab) and now, the Ross Island. I have a feeling she’ll add the Hawthorne to her list before the summer is out. Now, if she’ll just figure out that they all cross the Willamette River--not just the Fremont. Even so, at age four, she already has a better sense of direction than her mother.

Wish you were here.  They are so amazing.  You would adore them.

Our big adventure for the week was to the Enchanted Forest. How do you get there? I-5 South to Delaney Way to Enchanted Way! We got there just minutes before they opened, and--with the exception of the Timber Log Ride--enjoyed minimal lines and crowds. We also brought Grandma and Grandpa along, which made it all the more fun.

The highlights:

The big hit of the day was going down Alice’s Rabbit Hole on Storybook Lane. Before heading home, the kids went back to run through some more. They probably could have stayed there all day…

There was also the Old Lady and the Shoe slide…

Enchanted Forest 2 from T on Vimeo.

Panning for gold in the Western Town and exploring the Indian Caves…

Hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma…

And lots of other rides and fun…

Everyone had a great time. This was our first trip with the kids, but we all agreed that it would become an annual summer tradition. Needless to say, the ride home was very quiet!

Although we were all technically on vacation this week, Rick still worked, Franny still went to preschool, and both kids still went to most of their regular scheduled activities. This did mean, however, that we were able to spend some one-on-one time with Cole that we have never had the opportunity to do before. And while I think he prefers to have Franny around, there is a certain level of competition between them and I think that he did enjoy being the focus of both his parent’s attention for a while.

We had fun going on walks, eating breakfast out, and enjoying a couple of our favorite neighborhoods. I don’t know when we will have the chance to have this kind of time with Cole again, so I am glad we really maximized every minute of it. It was special times for all of us--he is an amazing little boy and we absolutely adore him!

With stopped going out to eat with the kids several months ago.  We agreed that we would start again once Cole was more willing to cooperate.  A couple of weeks ago, we tested the waters and were pleasantly surprised; we have since enjoying dinner and breakfast out quite a number of times.  It has been a lot of fun, and I think the kids especially have enjoyed breakfasts out; we have discovered that Franny loves pancakes and Cole loves bacon!  We have also discovered that not everyplace has kid-sized portions, and we sometimes have to take some home…

Of course, a two year old is a two year old, so there are still certain unavoidable realities.  I think you can guess where Cole  is sitting in this picture…

The last time we saw rain was on July 13th—nearly a month ago. That’s a long time for Oregon, even with our beautiful summers. Needless to say, a little rain wasn’t going to stop our planned bike ride this afternoon. Unfortunately, it started to rain a little to hard to take Delaney out in the stroller, but the kids enjoyed a short bike ride. In the trailer, they were able to stay dry--Rick, on his bike, wasn’t quite so lucky.