Lakeview Farms Pumpkin Patch

Since there was no school on Friday and it's that lovely time of year when pumpkins are big and leaves are turning colors, we decided to go with our friends the Istooks to the Pumpkin Patch. We drove out to North Plains and wend to Lakeview Farms because we love their little train around the field and boat across the lake. Becca wouldn't go near the lake, so she and I rode the train to the patch and back.

I got this picture of her while waiting for the boat to deliver the rest of our crew.

When the boat arrived we went into the field and picked out the best pumpkins ever. We really liked the warty ones this year. I can't wait to carve them...

After getting our pumpkins picked out, we climbed with them onto the train and rode back. The kids had a blast. It wasn't too cold and it wasn't raining. It was a perfect day for the pumpkin patch!

Halloween

 

I worked hard this Halloween on creating Avatar the Last Airbender costumes for the kids. They got their first showing on Friday, the 29th of October, at the local shopping center's trick-or-treating. We met the Istooks and went from shop to shop collecting candy. We were lucky to have clear dry weather.

 

That night was the Fall Festival at the school. The kids enjoyed it but didn't last long.

Saturday night the ward did a Trunk-or-Treat. We decked the kids out again and headed out to collect candy in the drizzling rain.


William was Avatar Ang.


Anna was the tough earthbender Toph.


Becca was an adorable lemur Momo.

O is for OMSI

 

On the last day of spring break (March 26th) we decided to brave a trip to OMSI. We knew it would be crowded, and it was, but it wasn't that bad. We went with the Istooks and we all started in the Space exhibit downstairs. It was neat and the older kids definitely enjoyed it.

 

 

After lunch in the cafeteria we split into two groups. Jo took the older kids around the upstairs exhibit halls. I took the youngsters to the kid-zone. Even with 4 kids 4 and under, I managed to not lose anyone for 2 hours in the kid zone! I am so proud! We played in the sandbox, we played in the water, we did some balls, and played in the chipmunk tree. It was a lot of fun.

Spring Break Zoo Trip

Along with most of the rest of Northern Oregon, we decided to go to the Zoo today. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was in the mid 60s without a cloud in the sky. Unfortunately, I made some poor driving choices. I followed the signs to the overflow parking lot only to find it almost full and the line for the shuttle probably 200-people long. The shuttle was a set of school buses. I couldn't imagine trying to lift my double stroller up onto a school bus while dragging my three kids on with me. I decided to drive to a MAX station and ride the MAX to the zoo, since it stops right at the zoo and would be easier than stuffing my crew and gear onto a school bus. I drove to the closest MAX station. It has a 2-level parking structure and a label on the traffic light leading in to the parking lot that lights up when the lot is full. It was not lit. But it should have been. We drove around the entire parking structure with several other cars only to have to leave in defeat. We finally headed back home. I figured we could either park at the MAX station near our house or call it quits and just go home and play on the swingset and eat the picnic lunch I had packed. That was actually my vote, but the kids had heard the word zoo escape my lips and they were not about to go home without seeing a zoo. We got to the MAX station by our house about an hour after having set out. Next time there's a sunny day on a school vacation, we're STARTING with the MAX, that's all I have to say about it. We saw a train pull out while we unloaded the car. Another passed us by while we tried to buy our ticket. While waiting for the next train, I got into a conversation with another mom on the way to the zoo. She looked down and asked where Becca had lost a shoe. AAAARGH! I ran to the car leaving the kids trailing behind, retreived the shoe and ran back to the tracks. The next train was decent enough to make me wait another 5 minutes before showing up, but at least we didn't miss it.

 

 

So we finally made it to the zoo. The line to buy tickets was horrible, but after about 30 minutes more I was able to take my hungry, tired, and cranky kids into the actual zoo. We rushed to the back of the zoo to meet the Istooks and then toured the zoo with them. We actually saw some neat things. The baboons were right at the bottom of the cage by the glass. Becca laid claim to the biggest as HER monkey and was thrilled when he sat and ate some leaves while looking at us. (My monkey is looking at me!) We saw the hippos and lions. Anna disappeared outside the lions' enclosure. We split up to look for her and Butch found her being escourted away by a zoo employee. We gave each other hugs and stuck her in the stroller for most of the rest of the tour. We saw a giraffe up close in it's inside enclosure. We saw the sea lions up on the rocks stretching their necks. The kids had a blast being together. Then we rode the MAX home.

 

Christmas Lights

The day after Thanksgiving Butch came over to help us put the Christmas Lights on the house. We had bought all new LED lights to keep from overtaxing our power supply. Becca was very helpful with the set-up. Then, she worked on the swingset while Dad and Butch put the lights on the house.

Oaks Park Day

Wednesday was the official Oaks Park Amusement Park day for Washington County Library summer reading program finishers. I called Butch and Jo that morning from swimming lessons and asked if they were going. We decided to do it. So, after a quick grocery store trip and grabbing food from McD's, we drove to the other side of Portland for some fun.


Anna really liked the spinny balloon ride.


Becca liked this car ride, until it started moving. Then she cried the whole time.


This is William with Alyssa and Spencer on William's favorite ride. (It made Spencer almost puke.)


Becca loved riding on this carousel horse - the kind that didn't go up and down. She kept leaning over to pet its face and laugh while we went around and around.


And this is the downpour that caught us as we tried to head back to our car.

William had a Birthday!

William turned 6 on May 29th. We had some friends go bowling with us. No theme party with cool theme games and cake like last year. We just picked up a couple friends and drove to the bowling alley. We had 6 kids end up bowling and, thanks to Jo's coupons, it only cost us $6. Wahoo! When they had had enough bowling, we headed home for pizza and cake. (Actually, it was when the bowling alley threw us out because the leagues were starting and we were on a league lane. They hadn't thought 6 kids would take so incredibly long to bowl - it had been more than an hour and they were just on the 8th frame. We got more free bowling coupons out of it so no one complained.) William got a ton of Lego gifts for which he was very excited. And he enjoyed his non-Lego stuff, too.


William and Spencer and the cake.


Butch was a little cranky after working all day.


Opening gifts.

OMSI

I took the kids to OMSI today with Jo and the 4 Istook kids. Kip and I just bought a membership, so we thought it would be fun to break it today since it was a school holiday. The museum wasn't crowded at all. The Beaverton School District was the only one with the day off and according to the signs we passed near the zoo about the zoo parking lots being completely full at 11am, everyone from Beaverton choose to spend the day there. The weather was perfect, so I can't blame them (mid 70's and SUPER sunny). But it sure worked well for us! The kids had a blast. We spent the entire 3 hours of our visit in the children's area. It was perfect because we knew we could come back any time. We didn't feel like we had to try to see the whole museum in one go.


Anna spent a lot of time playing in the store/kitchen area. She loved the cash register.


William and Spencer got abosolutely soaked.


Becca looked stylin' in her OMSI boots. She didn't like wearing them, though.


But she REALLY liked splashing and getting wet.

Becca's First Birthday - Museum

Monday the 26th of January was Becca's first birthday. Since Beaverton kindly canceled school that day (it was a teacher workday or something), we decided to celebrate. The Istooks joined us and we all went to the Children's Museum. It was great. Most of the school districts were still in session, so the Museum was not at all crowded. The kids loved the Bob the Builder exhibit and the water room. They enjoyed the supermarket, hospital and baby dolls. But they had the best time on the stage. They stayed there so long dressing up in costumes, controlling the lights and playing the instruments that Butch was even able to get a little nap.


The water area, Anna, Becca and Rachel.


Anna, Alyssa and William. Anna liked to gather all the flowers she found and carry them with her.


I think we surprised Anna when we caught her and Alyssa playing with the dolls.

Children's Museum

The kids were all out of school on Halloween day, so Jo and I decided to take them to the Children's Museum. It was really crowded when we got there, although things thinned out considerably by the time we headed home. The museum has a Bob the Builder exhibit right now that the kids really enjoyed, especially the digging pit with toy dump trucks, backhoes and front loaders. They stayed in that for almost an hour.


Killpacks and Istooks posing with Bob and Pilchard. (Alyssa, William, Anna, Jared, Spencer)


Scoop and the gang.


Becca and Rachel. Becca kept trying to pull on Rachel's stroller.

Pumpkin Patch

Jo and I took the younger kids to the pumpkin patch on the 23rd. We went out to Lakeview Farms in North Plains. They had a boat you could ride out to the pumpkin field and a train to ride back with your pumpkin. The kids really enjoyed it and the weather was perfect. It was nice and warm and sunny and dry.


Anna and Jared as scare-kids.


Anna, Jared and Rachel show us how tall they are.


Anna tried to stop Becca from eating the straw.



All of us on the train.