Birthday Shenanigans part 1

We don't really have any friends here yet, so Liam isn't having a party for his upcoming 3rd birthday. Instead, we drove to the coast last weekend to take a ride on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. Since it was close to Halloween, there was a special "Pumpkin train" where the kids dressed in their costumes and got to choose a pumpkin in the freight car.

We started off in the dining car and had the most amazing view while we ate ice cream.

 After our snack, we made our way to the outdoor seating and enjoyed the views. The train would honk its horn when crossing the roads though. Liam and Rosie didn't car so much for that, so we went back inside after a while.

The whole ride was an hour long, which was the perfect length for the kids. 

Settling In

What an insane weekend! Portland is lovely so far. Ask me again in February though.

Our apartment is cute and in a neat part of town called South Waterfront. There are a bunch of shops and restaurants on street level. There's also a nice park with a splash pad. We've been going out for dinner almost every night. My favorite so far was a Vietnamese place called Bambuza. Liam got a kick out of me feeding him with chop sticks. 

We wasted no time finding the Portland Temple our first day here. They have tours of the grounds during the summers so we're planning to go on Sunday for a proper exploration and photos instead of just a drive by.

Our realtor drove us around the areas in which we think we want to buy a home. The kids have spent a lot of time in the car lately. They are great most of the time, especially when sleeping!

I'll have a 6 month update on Rosie as soon as I upload the pictures from my camera. I'm also doing a real house hunting trip tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! 

Vacation

Liam and I were invited to go with my mom and sister on a last minute trip to visit my aunt and uncle in Naples. It was a really nice trip. We had a great time.

My mom and aunt spent hours floating around the pool and talking about everyone they know. Liam loved to be in the pool, too. 

We took an evening trip to Sanibel Island. It was the perfect time of day to go since the day time temperatures are brutal these days. 

Liam and Aunt Morgan aka "Ammo"

Morgan and Liam built sandcastles. 

Liam learned how to say "shells" as we walked the beach and found seashells. Morgan found these two little critters. When she put them close together, they tried to fight. 

Unfortunately one of the shells had a clam in it and it stunk up my car on the way home. Yuck! 

Sunset was so pretty. 

Living Planet Aquarium

I was so excited to take Liam to the aquarium. "Fish" is one of the few words that he says clearly and regularly, though it usually means he wants to eat goldfish.

Unfortunately, Liam did not have a good time. He is working on one of his molars and is grumpy and clingy. He also doesn't like to be told what to do, so "look at this fish, look at that turtle" didn't go over so well. We ended up spending more time in the play room than looking at the animals.

Out of everything that we did see, I think the penguins were his favorite. We had watched a few minutes of "Happy Feet" the day before, so they were familiar to him.

Can I tell a funny story about Lacey? We were looking at the jellyfish and she asked "I wonder how they change colors at the same time?" She didn't realize that they were changing colors because of the lights that were illuminating them in their tank.

We found Nemo.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well my pictures turned out. Some of the tanks were too smudged or scratched to get good pictures, but I was happy with a lot of my pictures. I love my little 50. 

Tulip Festival (take 2)

After making the mistake of leaving my 50mm f/1.4 lens at home, I made plans to return to the tulip festival. I know that Lacey wanted to go again when the light was better, so Lacey, Liam and I went back on Tuesday afternoon.

The gardens are so big that we didn't have enough time to see everything the first time. There was a lake with a population of huge koi fish. They congregated in the area where kids were feeding them.

There was also an exhibit of statues of Christ.

We stopped on the grass for a picnic and to talk to Dada. 

Lacey said I should send this picture to Apple & Eve and see if they will buy the rights from me. 

I was so happy to have my fixed lens with me. The pictures are so much more clear and I can get a really shallow depth of field. I always forget how much I love this lens. 

Tulip Festival

We had a great time at the tulip festival. The flowers were so beautiful and the weather was warm, but not intolerable like Florida this time of the year. 

My Parents

My picture of Dan taking a picture of Lacey taking a picture, or as Dan called it "Inception" 

Liam loves to smell the flowers. It is kind of adorable. 

Holy Cuteness, Batman!

This is probably my favorite photo of the trip, but I'm not sure if I like the original or the crop better. What do you think? 

The only disappointment was that I left my 50mm f/1.4 lens at home to make room for diapers and wipes in my camera bag. I am thinking about going back with that lens. I think I'd  get better photos.