trip to Indiana

oren was such a trooper, even though we were running around so much and so far outside his normal routine...he was so well behaved on the plane and i could not be more proud of him.

watching cousin trinity's softball game.

uncle tim's house has so many cool things about it!!

trinity and oren playing on the steps.  so sweet together..oren really enjoyed spending time with her.

back home..weekend working in the yard.

and this one was just too cute not to share...with buddy annik, during a hail storm trying to catch the "ice" falling outside.

sleepover!

sleepovers are the best!  oren and annik actually slept in the same room.  it was so fun to hear them giggling and chatting before falling asleep. although admittedly, oren was more chatty....i think annik was ready for sleep.  but it worked!

Sunday bike ride..we have to get some stickers for the helmet!

what a cute smile

a boy's favorite things...

nannie + papa's house = 

walking in the woods

with nannie and three! dogs

a BULLDOZER growing out of the weeds

and then an old dodge truck

and amazingly - what appears to be an old fire engine (there were coiled hoses at the back)

i could be wrong on this one...it might just be another old truck, but still you can imagine oren's excitement!

and finally chocolate milk on the front porch! 

ian's photos

so i'm lucky to have a husband with a pretty strong talent for photography, in addition to all his other wonderful attributes.  He's started to post images for sale up on a website called Society6.  Check out his work if you're interested!  http://society6.com/IanGelbrich

my boy.

smile.

zoo

The zoo has this semi-buried tractor that oren adores!  it's a good lesson in sharing, because i think he'd stay on it all day if he good.  animals at the zoo? what animals?

Across the parking lot from the zoo is the Oregon Forestry Center and this old train on display is almost too much for him.  he gets soooooo excited to see it every time we are there!  :-)

summer? i'm not holding my breath...

...but it sure was a good weekend!  

oren really loves going for bike rides.  now he keeps asking to go!

yes, we love ice cream in this family.  and yes, that is a LINE of people outside! clear around the block!

a nice morning at the park.

just a good photo op in the backyard.

easter eggs, chickens, and mud

spring has definitely arrived! 

and i just had to include this fun photo oren's teach took of him and his buddies after a little mud-fest at the park.  :-)

Fun weekend!

Zoo!

Playing in the sunshine! 

Trip to the nursery! 

First bicycle ride ...up to salt n straw to meet nannie and papa for ice cream! 

beach house!

march trip to the beach.

a few photos...still need to download the rest from the camera.

preparing for dinner

a little indoor exercise for the parents!

sledding!

fun time sledding with amy, edward and annik. we just had to try out Oren's new snow suit, and there is no waiting around for snow in this town. Hopefully it still fits him next year too!

PAM visit

We went to the Portland Art Museum a couple weekends ago to see the Mark Rothko exhibit. So nice, even if we took turns chasing O around the sculpture court most of the time, it was also fun to talk about 'paintings, shapes, and colors' with him. and a picnic with friends in the park afterward was great too!

belated - oren's 2nd birthday!

It was all about trains!

To begin with, Peggy made not one but TWO amazing train cakes! so impressive, and tasty too. Oren loved them, and even blew out the candles!
We all had a great time with family and friends, and I think even the adults enjoyed themselves.

Activities for the kiddos. Ian built this long low table. It worked perfectly!

Oren driving his trains down the tracks.

decorating the tree!

oren was such a good helper! until he realized it's just as fun to pull ornaments OFF as to put them on the tree. :-)