Trey and I probably went to the zoo about once a week during the summer. On our last trip there, we were the first ones through the gates. We were all alone for about the first 45 minutes and it took all the way down to the tractor and the farm animals before we saw another person. It was awesome.
Bears! We usually start in Africa, but Trey seemed a little bored with
the animals the last time we went, so I went through the Northwest section first.
It was cool to see some of the animals we don't ever look at.
Trey making his way down the path.
He was a boy with a mission.
Near the tigers Trey found this rainbow on the ground.
He was fascinated with it and couldn't have cared less about the tigers.
Trey and I had a lot of playdates over the summer. It was so much fun to spend time with my friends and their kids. At the end of the summer, we were finally able to get together with Dyer and Oliver, and Kellie and Jackson joined us too. Here are the boys on the porch throwing things out in to the street for Dyer to fetch. Okay, it was only Oliver throwing things into the street because Jackson was playing with a fishing pole and Trey can't throw that far.
Randy is definitely trying to make his imprint on our son. We've started with the fishing gear, and this summer Trey fell in love with Randy's kayak and skateboard. Here is the latest:
Randy giving Trey his first Metallica lesson
One of our favorite parts of summer was dining al fresco.
As Mindy was putting it up so the kids couldn't reach it, she discovered something disgusting on her hand. After using a wet wipe, she went to get some hand sanitizer, and I climbed up on the play structure to see where the poop was. This is what I found instead:
Yes, it had a needle sticking out.
I moved the syringe to a high place, and we let the kids play for a while longer keeping a very close eye on the surfaces of where they were playing. After a while, we got too sketched out and took them to a coffee shop instead. I'm not sure if we will ever go back to that park again.
Cutie pies, oblivious to the poop and needles, thank god
Our friends Jen and Steve came to Portland a few weeks ago for a long weekend. They moved to Wisconsin in December 2010, and while I have seen Steve a few times on his return visits to Portland, I have not seen Jen. I was so excited to see her and I was afraid I was going to cry when we reunited.
Sarah, Jen and I at Hopworks for dinner on Friday night
We went to Metrovino with our other friend Jen
later that night for some girl talk and wine.
It was a perfect evening.
Steve...oh how I miss this face!
On Sunday morning, we went to OMSI. This is such a classic picture of Trey hoarding. He does this all the time, and I am relieved to know that other toddlers do this too.
Sunday afternoon Sarah and Neil hosted a party for Jen and Steve so they could see their Portland friends. It was a great afternoon, and it was so fun to catch up with people.
Old friends are the best friends!
Madi, Trey, and Ashlyn (Nyree's girls)
Oh, how this picture makes me miss the old days.
What I love about good friends is how almost two years can pass
and when we get together it's like not a day has gone by.
This is the main difference from the old days...
Last weekend we went to the open house for the newest pub in our neighborhood called Oregon Public House. They haven't opened yet, but it's going to be really cool to have another family friendly pub in our neighborhood. Trey loved the band and even danced a little.
Saturday we got together with Julie, Tim and Grady at a park near their house to take some pictures. Watching these two boys together just filled my heart with love. I cannot wait to watch them grow up together, and I hope they are really good friends. Baby #2 McGuire will be making their appearance in February, and that just means Trey will have another cousin to love. I can't wait!
Do you think Grady can keep him from falling?
It is amazing to me that this is Grady STANDING next to Trey.
He's almost one which just is unbelievable to me.
Looks like some important transaction is about to happen...
Later in the day we played outside.
I can't get over the fact that my baby is such a boy!
Here is Trey is his sleeping bag/pillow/dog combo which he loves.
When he pretends to sleep it may be the cutest thing ever.
Trey helping me with dishes
Sunday Trey and I drove down to meet my dad and Sandy at Enchanted Forest. A lot of it is the same as I remember from when I was a child. Trey enjoyed it and we had a good time, but I don't need to go back for a while.
Trey, Sanny, and Papa
Checking out the seven dwarves house
Walking in the crooked house
Driving the engine on the train
This was hands down Trey's favorite part of Enchanted Forest.
I think we went down the slide at least four times.
The slide comes out of the Old Woman's Shoe.
Tonight I went to listen to an author at Powell's talk about his book How Children Succeed. His premise is that the typical way of measuring success by standardized tests is not very accurate and that a better way to measure success is by using character traits such as optimism, curiosity, perseverance, self-control, and grit. I found his talk to be very interesting, and I look forward to reading his book.
This weekend we are headed to Walla Walla for Randy's 20th high school reunion. I am so excited to get away for the weekend, do some wine tasting, and see some friends. I also can't wait to introduce Randy to pre-funcing! Stories and pictures to follow!
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