The Grands in PDX

It's been a month since they were here, but Nana and "Dindad" came to Portland in May for a lovely visit. The weather was still wet for the first portion, but it finally got sunny and the parks of Portland got some visitors, all the way from England!

Thanks for coming Nana and Dindad! It's always great to see you.

Sliding Swiftly

If you live in Portland, you've probably spent an evening at Wallace Park/Chapman School for "Swift Watch". Each night of early fall, thousands of birds circle the sky and swoop into the school's chimney to roost during their migration. We thought this year that the girls might love to watch the birds, so we headed over there, had some playground time, dinner at a local cafe and some ice cream afterward, and headed to the back of the school around dusk. What we found was an atmosphere so energetic that Penny and Lulu were almost overwhelmed. There were spontaneous soccer games, jump rope and tug of war competitions, and a giant slide of cardboard boxes, brought and left by kids each night. Penny just kept shouting, "This is the best day ever! I never want this day to end! Can we come and watch the condors every night?" That's right, the condors. It's an understandable mistake because I think they only glanced at the birds for one minute total, anyway. Everything else was just too much fun.

We used to live in this neighborhood, renting a small apartment that we loved so much it was hard to leave. Returning here is filled with Mr. Jones telling the girls about the places we loved, the hospital where they were born, and the home where we first lived as a family.

At one point, Penny turned to me and asked, "Mama, did you like it better when it was just you and Daddy, or when it's all of us as a family?" and it broke my heart, her emotional intelligence to sense there was a different life before her, and that it might have been fun, too. Of course, I assured her everything now was better. Especially on nights like this.

Across the Pond

We are back from a week in England. In Portland, we don't see much family on a weekly (or monthly) basis, so during this trip we spent hour after hour with our English side. Five girl cousins played and colored and pushed each other on swings, and gave each other kisses and hugs. We went to the chocolate factory and a theme park, but most of the time we hung out in the Jones' back yard, with visitors coming from London and Manchester and Birmingham alike, to see us. Thank you, everyone, for such a wonderful time. 

 

Oh, how I wish I could have taken 2 year-old Penny on this day out. Her mind would have been blown, to ride on her favorite trains all day. Instead, Lulu told me, "I like Thomas. Penny not like it. I ride on Thomas. MOVING EYES", and Penny, who can barely remember her love for Thomas, still retains knowledge of their names, "No, Lulu, that's Toby," she'd say, and Lulu would stand corrected.

 

 

 

Uncle Jan gives the best driving lessons, while "Dindad" assists with the ice cream consumption.

 

 

Penny fell in love with cousin Chloe.  I think we know who to call when we need a babysitter next summer, right Chloe ;)?

 

 

 

 

 

Roses for Mother's Day

Did you have a lovely Mother's Day? We sure did. The weather was gorgeous so we headed up to the Portland Rose Garden. Penny has a passion for roses, and she shared it with all of us.  She grabbed her bucket and collected fallen petals as she walked along and admired the blooms. Then we headed to the playground just next to it for slides, sand, and lots of smiles from everyone.

It was Penny's first time mastering some hand over hand on the monkey bars! She was just so proud of herself. Lulu went down the tube slide with both Daddy and her sister, and ran to tell me about it time and time again. Being a mom to these two is the greatest joy of my life, and I'm so happy to be called "Mama" by them, even if I'm called that at least 200 times a day ;).

PS. Details of Penny's dress are here, and details of Lulu's dress are here. Penny is also wearing Lulu's Easter sweater! I love when a handknit can get passed around.

Bright and Golden Light

We had the merriest of holidays, filled with childhood wonder and family love. We looked at neighborhood lights, had a beautiful Christmas morning, and then headed off on our first plane ride as a family of four. We met our cousin Miles for the very first time, saw family and friends we haven't hugged in over three years, went to fun new places and familiar old ones and played and played and played. We came home to Portland and were greeted with snow, a special wish from the girls that came true just in time for New Year. 

Now the decorations are down and the tree is gone (there were tears over that one, as there was last year). But it was a most special holiday, one we certainly won't soon forget. Happy New Year, Everyone!