Life
Looking forward to a busy weekend filled with birthday parties and baseball games and, if I can manage it, some painting (house, not artistic). cleaning out closets and getting a start on cleaning this house (Mum arrives next week).
I am also feeling very inspired to take some photos so I may have to see if I can squeeze that in as well.
Oh… and I’ll be chasing around this little walker. He is getting very fast and adventurous – a dangerous combination.
One of the great things about Portland is the little nooks and crannies – the treasures hidden away in back streets, just waiting to be discovered.
Another great thing is the number of fountains that are dotted all over the city. And, when you are a Portlander, there is nothing that is going to stop you from getting into a fountain on a hot (107 degree!) day in the middle of summer. It’s no luxury swimming pool, but when it’s that hot it will do just as well.
After a day holed up inside the house with two restless children, I was dying for a break. So Thomas, Samuel and I drove into the city to pick up Kei and enjoy one of these hidden fountains near his office.
It wasn’t the safest fountain in the world – lots of different levels, rocky ground and sharp corners – but the out-of-the-way location meant that it was not crowded and Thomas could hear me as I yelled “don’t go there” and “don’t touch that” about thirty times.
Samuel also made my heart race a little when he decided that a rocky ledge in the middle of a large body of water was a great location to practice standing.
He was pretty proud of himself.
But I felt comfortable with Kei in there watching them (I was watching the stroller and my camera bag). Although I forgot to bring his swimsuit so he was forced to roll up his work pants. I tried to explain that the fact that I remembered both children was achievement enough.
But, regardless, they all enjoyed the chance to cool down.
Thankfully I missed seeing the moment when Samuel fell completely under the water. Kei caught him and pulled him out. I was only there for the aftermath.
The kid took it in stride.
Thomas has always been attracted to dirt.
If there’s a pile of dirt somewhere he will find it.
And THAT is why I have so much laundry to do every week. I’m sure little girls are not like this.
By the way, he is not in a jungle, it’s our backyard. Sad, but true.
I know it’s a cliche to talk about the weather, and probably not a topic that will win me more readers, but this is seriously ridiculous. They are projecting that it will reach 105 degrees in Portland today. That’s above 40 in metric (i.e. makes more sense) temperature. Tomorrow may reach 104.
The problem? Air-conditioned daycare is closed and I am home with the kids on “vacation”. I had wonderful plans for the zoo and the park and other outings that would allow us to enjoy some summer weather. Instead we are going to head to the mall. If only Samuel was old enough to see a movie. I wonder if other parents would mind if I brought my squirmy 14 month old son to see Ice Age… it’s a thought.
Anyway – enough with the whining. A few things I am thinking about today:
And…Excited to begin going through photos from our weekend trip to Lost Lake. Here’s a preview.
The concept of lighting your own fireworks is something I have had to get used to over the past few years. Before that, my experience of firework was massive displays in crowded public locations. Personal fireworks were…well…sparklers.
But not in the U.S of A.
Here you can buy fireworks, which scares me a little. Sure, in Portland they have some limitations, like you can’t set of fireworks that shoot more than 6 feet..or something. I think it’s supposed to limit the damage. Of course we live about 10 miles from the Washington State border. Vancouver, WA sells a LOT of fireworks around July 4th.
I wonder if Oregonians are exempt from sales tax for partially illegal purchases…
Our fireworks were from Fred Meyer which means they were smaller than the light displays we had been seeing over the neighborhood in the week leading up to the holiday. Still, they were big enough to impress a four year old (and admittedly his mother).
Kei took some video on real film for his latest class. Apparently was able to get some cool footage until the film ran out.
Thomas was instructed to stand next to the fence and NOT MOVE an inch while the fireworks were lit.
Good Boy.
He may not look like it, but he was one happy, fireworks-loving boy.
(Samuel was in bed asleep…in case you were wondering).
I just love this time of the year, when the everyone in Portland comes out of their rain-induced habitation and really enjoys the city.
Last weekend we headed to Mississippi for the annual street fair. Super Why came along and garnered quite a bit of attention.
He’s a super hero with the power to read.
The best thing about the street fair – the colour.
And the adorable hand-made little girl clothes that make me want to dress my boys up for the heck of it. Of course I already have trouble getting Thomas to wear anything other than sweat pants.
And the eclectic little shops with an assortment of antique and quirky goods that I love to look at, but am not funky enough to buy. I swear I had a pram just like this one when I was a little girl. I wonder what happened to it…
And the snow cones are a hit…until they make your hands too cold.
But the family time is clearly the very best part.
Sometimes Kei really outdoes himself.
I only wish Thomas fully appreciated the effort.
Well they left a while ago, but I am so far behind in my posts that I feel like I have say goodbye to them all over again.
Our final day with Benema was spent looking around Portland. It seems the only time we actually see our city is when people come to visit.
First stop – The Portland Saturday market (on Sunday).
Where Ben tried on hats.
Then, after a Dim Sum lunch in Chinatown (no photos of that – too difficult while trying to feed too boys), we walked back to the waterfront, waving to Firetrucks along the way.
We visited the Japanese Memorial. (Note to self: MUST take the kids there for cherry blossom photos next year).
Thomas chose to climb on the memorial (but I think that’s the point).
And Samuel was happy just riding along in the backpack.
Then we headed up to Council Crest which has one of the best views in Portland. This is Mt. Hood.
Mt St. Helens behind us.
I even made it into a picture with a little remote control magic. Pity Samuel was cut in half and the lighting was so spotty.
The rest of our time at Counsel Crest was spent enjoying the water fountains. It really doesn’t take much to keep this group entertained.
And then we headed home to hang out for the last few hours.
I delivered Benema to the train station the next morning. Some guests out-stay their welcome and have you waiting for them to leave. I could have had Ben and Emma stay longer – much longer. We miss you Benema.
Yes, Samuel had his first birthday party a month ago. Yes, I have been slow uploading the photos. But I have this thing with continuity. I HAVE to post my photos in order. It’s a problem I am trying to overcome.
But the important thing is that we DID have a party. And even more importantly, PEOPLE CAME. And even more important than that – I managed to get Thomas to wear something other than sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt.
Oh, and despite the fact that I was hosting this party, I still managed to take a surprising amount of photos. I know, shocking!
We had bubbles
BIG bubbles
This is Samuel’s girlfriend. 🙂
Look at this sweet one. She’s a little too young right now but she’ll be kissing and punching Samuel in no time.
The best thing about American birthdays in May is that it is warm enough to have an outdoor event – and sometimes hot enough to play under the sprinkler.
And that is sometimes enough to bring out the child in anyone.
I would hire her as my nanny any day (or maybe just let her be an aunt to my children).
There were also a few adults in attendance, but they were mainly invited just to wrangle the children
Lucky for me, Samuel LOVES Emily. 🙂
The biggest part of these parties, though, is the shock I feel every time we get together and I see these children that were just babies yesterday and now suddenly seem so grown up.
I estimate that I have approximately five minutes before Samuel wakes up from nap, so just going to share a few quick things that are in my plans for this long weekend.
Taking more photos of everday life. My camera has been taking a little break lately but I miss having those daily reminders of what we do every day – and the feel of the camera in my hand. I also need to take advantage of the fact that the rose garden near our house is only in full bloom for a few days.
Working on my patience with Thomas. He and I have been challenging each other the past couple of days and I think we need a few non-stressful days to get back on track.
Getting this one healthy. He had a fever of 103.5 yesterday. Right now the round-the-clock doses of Tylenol and Motrin are helping but we’re keeping an eye on him. I called the nurse yesterday and she said it could last up to 5 days! He’s relatively happy when the drugs kick in which makes the whole thing bearable. It’s just hard to watch when the drugs start to wear off and he just lies there moaning. Poor baby.
Eating lots of ice cream. It’s going to be a warm weekend and if that gives me an excuse to partake in a little gelato, then so be it.
Oh, and sitting in my house on the evening of July 4th, listening to fireworks, hose at the ready and praying that my children will sleep through it. I know – what a party pooper. I can appreciate beautiful fireworks displays as much as the next person, but it’s the personal displays that worry me.
So instead of enjoying them in person, I’ll watch out the window and play a little game of “which is the firework and which is the gunshot?” (we live in a neighborhood where sometimes it’s a tough call).
Now that I’ve sufficiently freaked out my family back home, I’ll sign off. Happy 4th of July to my US neighbors and happy Saturday to my Aussie ones (I guess it’s still 4th of July though…)
Nicole
Nicole Ishida Photography 