Another amazing day

Early this morning my dad came over to the house all dressed for work. He brought bagels for the kids. While we were sitting at the table, kids munching contentedly, we started talking about some of the things we REALLY wanted to do before we leave the West Coast. Topping that list was the Portland Zoo. I am currently without a car (the van is out East with Brian) and I have 2 extra kids (Kenny and Kale are hanging with us while their mom is at work and Kenneth is busy in Vegas packing and moving the family) so getting around isn't really working for us right now. My amazing Dad took only a second to consider and decided that he was going to spend the day with us AT THE ZOO. 20 minutes, 4 rapidly dressed kids, one bag of hastily packed snacks, and a short drive in 2 cars later, we were walking through the gates of the Portland Zoo.

4 kids: Happy to be Here

Brogan COMPLETELY inthralled with the huge seals

My Dad, Kale, Brogan and KK waiting for the seals to swim by again

The dino exhibit at the zoo. SOOOO cool!

All the dino's moved. It was pretty exciting.

T-Rex was the centerpiece. The kids all pretended to be scared.

KK loved these 2 monkeys. They had their arms around each other. She declared, "It's just like me and Cass. Sisters AND friends!"

Kenny and Kale at the lion exhibit

KK and Brogan, same lion. Unfortunately there were no LIVE lions to see. There was some strange construction and the lions were sharing space with the wild dogs. Seems the dogs got the field in the AM and the Lions got the field in the PM. Wonder how that's working out for everyone.

KK and Brogan loved this bubble that gave them a very detailed and involved look into the life of a mongoose. Sort of cool. Lots of fun.

Time for a snack...Thanks again, Grandpa, for the snow cones.

3 little eggs in a life sized version of an eagle's nest. Cool!

So, we had a blast at the zoo.

Right across the street is the Portland Children's Museum.

Well, we might at well hit that too while we're here, right?

Brogan got a kick out of this little robot made of "stuff"

Kale and Brogan played in the Dig Pit...Brogan's favorite place here.

Kenny and KK spent most of the time in the vet section. They look professional!

Brogan rounded out the visit with a quick alligator teeth cleaning.

That *could* have been the end to the day.

But then dad took us to Applebee's (where kid's meals are only $.99 on Tuesdays...it use to be Wednesday but we didn't know they had changed it to Tuesdays...we got the deal anyway. Kudos to Applebee's!). Everyone ate well and went home full.

Then, because it was the perfect day, I tucked my kids in bed, Melissa agreed to watch them, and I went out with Dad, Bryce, and Shantel to see the new (and TOTALLY COOL) Transformer movie. Such a wonderful day. And it was all made possible because I have an amazing father who took the time to spend the day with us. I love you, Dad. Thanks so much!

Rose Garden, Portland, OR

First of all, I should warn you that this post is picture heavy...but only a SMALL fraction of the photos I took are actually here. My dad took us to see the Portland Rose Gardens this week. It was breathtaking.

My own little Garden Imp....after he stuck his head in the fountain...sheeesh.

Kayla and my dad

See the city of Portland through the trees? I love Portland!

Kayla, sniffing one of hundreds of roses...

Brogan appreciated the flowers, but had more fun jumping on the "lily pads" (those hard plastic square green boxes that cover plumbing, maybe?)...photo taken BEFORE the fountain incident.

2 little roses of my own..

Seriously, row upon row upon row of roses. Each one more beautiful then the last.

Awwwwe...the boy DOES like the flowers...

I honestly could have posted 100's of more photos. The flowers were stunning and full of colors that we didn't know nature could create. It was the PERFECT way to end the day. Thank you Dad, for yet another wonderful memory and experience.

B-R-I-A-N

Happy Father's Day!

We love you. So much. You are amazing. You make us laugh. You protect us. You love us. You keep us calm. You are patient. You are kind. You are gifted. You are strong. You are wicked smart. You are SO handsome. You are talented. You rock! You are generous. You are thoughtful. You are simply THE BEST and we are lucky to have you as our Daddy and Husband.

XOXO,

Shan, KK, Cass, and Boy-O

Relocating...again

Early Saturday morning, Brian and Cassidy climbed into the mini-van and left for the return trip to New Hamshipre. They took everything with them (that uhaul is FULL) except Brogan, KK, and Mom...who are all staying in Washington for another 5 weeks before flying home. We are missing them already. It is sad to have our time here coming to a close, but we are looking forward to returning to SPS and having new adventures there. We sure have loved our time out here. We adore our family members and have truly enjoyed getting to know them all better. We wish we could have packed you all in the uhaul with us. So...with good weather and luck, Brian and Cassidy should be arriving in Concord, NH on the 23rd to check in for the Summer Advanced Studies Program at SPS. Brian will be painting and writing. Cassidy will be catching up with friends, spending time with family, and going to summer camps. It should be a busy 5 weeks.

Saying Good-bye...phase 2

Saying Good-bye isn't easy. But when you are saying good-bye to family, it somehow seems to be just a bit harder.

Aunt Danette and Cousin Abby

Aunt Shantel

Uncle Bryce

Cousin Jack

Cousins Kenny and Kale

Sadly, Zoey and Ben had already gone to bed for the evening.

They know she loves them though.

And who knows, with any lucky, we will be seeing them out East sometime soon.

Last field trip

Cass got to choose one last big field trip before she left for NH. So on Friday (after the picnic mentioned in the following post) we packed up all the cousins and went to OMSI.

Kenny, Kale and Brogan loved playing with this crane.

All the kids love to put on these little vest and pretend to be chipmunks and collect fake acorns.

Brogan may be just a little TOO excited to have found an acorn.

Cassidy modeling her vest.

We had a great time. Zoey, Ben, Abby and Jack (and their parents, including Aunt Melissa who is moving here from Vegas) all went with us as well. To celebrate her last evening here in the Pacific Northwest, we went to a special restaurant called, "CASSIDY'S".

It wasn't exactly what we expected (not as family friendly as we were lead to believe...no kids menu or highchairs, which made things tricky) but the food was pretty decent. We had a kind waiter who did all he could to make us comfortable and helped us modify menu items to fit fussy kids who all really just wanted noodles with butter. It was yummy and worth the visit.

Saying Good-bye...phase 1

The return to NH begins this week. The last day of school was June 16th (2 hours, really?!). On the 17th some of Cassidy's friends and her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Satterwhite, went on a picnic together.
This is Anne. She was kind and sweet. Cassidy and Anne were wonderful friends and we will miss her (fortunately Cassidy has become a rather expert pen pal and loves to email her friends)
And, this year would not have been complete without a new Guy Best Friend. His name is Jared. Together these 2 formed the Ninja Club at school (Jared has promised to keep in running next year). They understood each other naturally and without effort. We should all have Best Friends who just seem to "get" us.
Incidentally, it could be mentioned that when I was in 3rd grade, my best guy friend was named Jared too. Funny how history seems to repeat itself sometimes in an eerie coincidental type of a way.
And this lovely lady is Mrs. Satterwhite. We have been fortunate in that, to date, we have had teachers that have loved and embraced our children. Mrs. Satterwhite was an exceptional gift this year for our sweet girl. She recognized and nurtured the wonderful talents and natural gifts that Cassidy has. We have watched Cass grow this year and know that much of her development has come as a direct result of this woman's involvement in Cassidy's life. We can't thank her enough for her time and dedication. Maybe we just really LOVE teachers. But this one, we REALLY, REALLY, REALLY did love.