End of the year festival

Z's school celebrated the end of the year by having all the different classes give performances.

Unfortunately, mommy had to miss the actual show - but I did get to see the dress rehearsal.

Mucho Gracias a Abuela who took lots of pictures!

Z getting ready:

The fan club, ready for the show:

Z introducing himself at the mic:

Dancing!

After all the classes finished their performances, the students all into caps and gowns, and got to walk across the stage to receive a diploma:

And after the graduation ceremony, everyone convened at a nearby park for a potluck and lots of running & playing to kick off summer vacation:

J's bday in canby part 3

Before saying goodbye to the cousins and heading home, it was time to take Z & S to the river where daddy and Uncle B used to play when they were kids.

J's bday in canby, part 2

Cousins

Helping daddy open cards and gifts.

The idyllic backyard meal setting

Making up the rules as they go...

The cake for the birthday boy

J's bday in canby, part 1

On memorial day weekend, I abandoned my poor hubby, leaving him on the morning of his birthday to go to a conference in Minneapolis.  Fortunately, he had plans to visit los Abuelos, and the cousins for a little get together in my absence...

ridgewood park

exploring one of the parks we don't often visit.

children's museum

One quiet weekday, I took the kids to the children's museum.  The usual cuteness ensued.

playing in the bushes and trees outside:

Construction worker S:

And Construction Mommy:

And letting the kids paint their own faces:

What could possibly go wrong?

dancing with teddy

also, on the way to HR, S kept wanting to listen to her "Dancing with Teddy" song over and over, and was going through the "moves" while in her car seat....

Hood River

At the end of June, we took a family day trip out to Hood River with the goal of picking cherries.   We went to the one U-pick place that was open that early in the season, and managed to pick WAYYY too many cherries....but the kids had fun contributing (and mostly eating).

Here are Z and S under a cherry tree:

After picking our buckets full of cherries, we went to a lovely park in town, on the river.  It had little climbing structures for the kids, and even a little beach.

After the park we had lunch just across the street at Pfriem brewing (where mommy proclaimed her burger to be absolutely amazing, and daddy was being silly and had salad and no beer*).
After lunch, it was time to drive home, and we were well aware that someone was going to zonk out in the back seat.
Here is S making a valiant effort to keep her eyes open, and then succumbing to the inevitable:

*Daddy's silly abstinence apparently paid off, since we dropped him off at his climbing area on the way back home, and he managed to climb his second ever 5.12.

Is it a hat?

We received some lovely yellow flowers in June - and then made the mistake of leaving them out unattended in the kitchen.  But, for once, V didn't destroy them or break any vases - we would have almost believed that he was being well-behaved, if it weren't for some tell-tale streaks of yellow across his fur...

Also, around that time, Z was channeling his inner inventor, and came up with this remarkable box ... toy ...hat ...erm, creation?

raspberries!

S was a stylish little helper picking rasperries and Smith berry barn.