Oregon Adventures

We realized our time in Oregon was getting short and there were still so many things that we wanted to see - so we tried to pack as many as we could into one Saturday. :)  First stop was Multnomah Falls.  The views all around were spectacular and we all loved it.  We even braved taking the kids up on that bridge that crosses over it.  You could hike even higher up to the top of the falls, but they said the hike wasn't the safest for little ones, so despite Tori's disappointment we decided not to go all the way to the top.

 

Below is the view looking out from the bridge that we hiked up to.  No matter where we went in Oregon we were sure to find amazing views.

Had to get a few pictures of our little Ellie enjoying the falls. 

Next stop was Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery. 

Below we were able to see "Herman the Sturgeon," a gigantic sturgeon they have there.  The picture does not do him justice!

I think the kids' favorite part was getting to feed the fish - I love the videos. :)  I don't have any pictures of it, but we also visited the Bonneville Dam and got to see the really cool "fish ladder" they have that helps the fish not get killed by the dam.

We also had to drive up to the top of Mount Hood - this amazing mountain in Oregon that we could always see when we drove around town.  It seems to just tower above everything around it.  We looked around inside the lodge that is at the top and then let the kids play in the snow for a little bit.  They were so thrilled to see snow and we had a mini snowball fight that they still talk about almost a year later.

After all that driving in one day we had to stop for ice cream on the way home to make things complete. :)

Happy Mother's Day

The kids and John made my Mother's Day wonderful.  I'm a lucky mom.  Sorry, I didn't think to take pictures today.  Tori sang with the primary at church today and did a wonderful job - she's really growing up.  After they were done singing James yells at the top of his lungs "Hooray, Tori!"  I kept asking him to whisper and trying to quiet him, but he kept yelling it.  Then when Tori finally got to the pew he gave her a big hug and said quite loud, "Good job, Tori good job.  You the bestest girl ever!  Good job singing with your friends!"  The people around us were all cracking up.  I wasn't sure whether to be proud because James was so sweet and supportive of Tori or embarassed because he was making a bit of a scene during church.  That's very much James these days - the sweetest boy ever, with a touch of craziness that likes to shine through sometimes.  I love my sweet and fun kids. :) 

Fishing with Grandma

 Above cute, cuddly Tori and James in our bed.  For some reason our bed is so much more comfortable than their's at 6am. :)

 Grandma came to visit and we took her fishing at the same trout farm that we took Tori to for her birthday.  It was just as beautfiul and fun as the first time, but a little colder than we thought it was going to be.  It's hard to judge what the weather is going to be like in the mountains around there.  We all were able to catch some fish and they tasted delicious later that night at home.  It was really fun getting to share the fun with Grandma Katie this time!