Rainy Day Activities

The boys have been playing outside so much lately that a rainy day seems to throw us off. They tried to go out and play in the drizzle for awhile, but are clearly not accustom to playing in the rain (which was pretty much my only option growing up). So instead, there was plenty of wrestling and then a very long tattooing session. They tried to peer pressure me into getting one too. Maybe daddy will cave...

Junior Beekeepers

The boys are very curious about the honeybees. They try to help whenever they can. Which means that the inevitable would eventually happen. And today was the day that Zeke got his first sting. A nice baking soda poultice and an extra ice pop seemed to do the trick. Lincoln actually found the offending bee and wanted to study it.

Out and About

Nothing starts the day out quite like a breakfast at Clarettes. Especially when they make special smiley-face pancakes for kids. We are also reveling in the warmer weather. The boys are playing in the sprinklers and finding excuses to go shirtless and eat ice pops.

Sabbath with Grandpa

We enjoyed a full day with Grandpa Robert today. Robb got called in first thing, so the rest of us braved Sabbath School and church without him. The boys were their regular rascally selves. Robb made it home for some lunch, and then got called back twice more. What a trooper.

Tickling the Ivories

If I leave the piano open, I will often hear little solo performances throughout the day. It is hard to catch him at it, as he is so often on the run, but today I succeeded.

Om Nom

Robb made baguette and laughingly said, "leave one for me" when he headed for work. But, that turned out being harder than I had anticipated. There were three nice little loaves, so it shouldn't have been a problem. But it turns out that the boys love daddy's bread. And then there was Everett and the yogurt container...

The Boss

Everett has reached the stage where he is determined to hold the spoon. It pretty much means that nothing of substance reaches his mouth, but he's had some excellent fruit and vegetable skin treatments.

Cruising

A diaper box makes the perfect vehicle. Especially if you can convince someone to pull/push it around the carpet.

LEGO

We visited the Lego store. We did some other stuff too, but it quickly became apparent that the Lego store was the actual highlight of our trip. The big boys (and I'm including Robb and Corren here) stared longingly at all of the beautiful displays. And we ended up leaving with a few goodies.

Finally, when Everett and Lincoln had fallen asleep on the ride home, Zeke was still carefully reading some instructions.

Pine State Biscuits

And now, to the reason we came to Portland. Robb was obsessed with having the grits at Pine State Biscuits. I mean, their biscuits are great too, but the grits...

It is a drizzly morning, but the customary line is inside and the boys make the construction zone into their playground.

Portland Eats

Because sometimes you just need to sit in an old school bus and have grilled cheese. I would come back here anytime. We were then on to Salt and Straw for some ice cream. (Or, in Lincoln's case, sprinkles.) The line was insane, so Cheris and Corren darted across the street for some truffle oil fries. Oh man. The best way to wait. Even Everett approved.

Lincoln's Mountain

Lincoln doesn't care what it is called, from this day forward, he's calling it, "Lincoln's Mountain." We wandered up the path after it was determined that racing was not an option. Zeke gave it his best though. And near the top, both boys decided that the restroom facilities were super creepy.

Soggy Playgrounds

Mt. Tabor Park is awesome. Even after a little rain, the playground is still full of fun. Even after playing for at least an hour, Lincoln had to be dragged away, kicking and screaming.