another fun zoo day with friends

We went on a rainy zoo trip with our friends Anna, Braeden, Kaia, Rowan and baby Reese (and Susan, Kristen and Amy of course!)

Eli and Anna checking out the "tall zebra" which was Eli's favorite that day

He's so tall!

Hippos were pretty great too -- it's rare to see them walking around like this

Amy, Reese, and Rowan who is amazed by the lions

Susan and Anna

I love this picture because it shows how quickly they would all disperse and re-converge at every stop

boy in the bubble looks a little anxious ...

The lions are scary for Eli, he was glad to see them just sleeping

We always love seeing Sumudra, the baby elephant

Kaia having a lot of fun giving her doll a mud bath

Group shots are tough, this was the best one I got ...

Mom and Eli trip to the beach

I took a few days off over Christmas and the weather cooperated one day so Eli and I went for a visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and to Cape Lookout on the Oregon coast. What a fun day!

One cow

Three cows

So this is how cheese is made ...

the water splashed our shoes here, which was a little scary but the whole experience was fun!

xmas time ...

Sorry for the delay everyone! We were experiencing computer problems which made it difficult to upload photos. We're back in business now though ...

Eli and Pop-pop playing farm

Christmas morning, the big hit from Santa was this farm set, through which cars drive (after they bake cookies, of course)

Santa was good to us this year ...

We visited OMSI with Grandma Song and Pop-pop -- what a fun day!

reading time with dad is the only time we can convince Eli to be "under the covers"

one of our favorite games -- trains. Even though he's sitting in the back, Eli is driving the train (while also making cookies -- a common theme ...)

Friends Amy and Kristen at a Christmas party -- so good to get out and be adults sometimes!

getting ready for christmas

Eli and his best friend Minya

Dad and Eli going to cut our christmas tree
this is exciting stuff!

Reading "panda bear panda bear" with Pop-pop

dumping rocks with Dad, Grandma and Pop-pop

A visit to see Santa! It's an exciting idea, especially when my friend Minya comes along ...

... but the reality of Santa is a little scary. Body language speaks true: he'd rather be elsewhere thank you

we got to feed some very hungry sheep!

and we got to see a fire truck

serious business ...

How to play this game. The tractor "honks" at the cars and they each, one by one, "go to sleep." Note: no one except Eli is allowed to make the honking noise -- it's just not funny.

Eli helping cook the cranberries for Thanksgiving dinner

Another new game: getting into the tube above and pretending to be laundry. (heavy laundry). Then mom is supposed to carry the laundry all over the house, especially up and down the stairs. Note: especially fun if blanket, stuffed animal and tractor
are also along for the ride. Also note: actual laundry not invited.

having a quiet moment ...

video hodgepodge

I haven't included many videos in the last few posts because they take a while to upload. I'm going to be adding some to this post as I find time in the next few days. Enjoy!



We took this one just yesterday, it's a song called "slippery fish" that Eli sings at school. :)



Fire Truck!



Tractor Ride!



Throwing sand in the Columbia River

halloween and other adventures ...

FYI, it may look like Elmo, but it's really Eli :)

Kristen and her twins Braeden and Kaia and their grandma Judy joined us for Halloween dinner and trick-or-treating. It was a wonderfully chaotic 3 hours!

Stop half-way to examine the candy-take and formulate a plan ...

Three suspicious characters ...

Eli and our favorite neighbor Kate and her dog Bentley, who saved all the good candy for us

Mom-and-Eli trip to the zoo to see the new lions, who were not shy and came right up to the glass. A little scary but so cool!

This was an exhibit about mongooses, where the kids can get inside via this "bubble". A big hit.

Can you believe it? Grandma Song and Pop-Pop have finally arrived! This was our welcoming dinner night for them.

A new audience means new opportunities to show off a little ...