Cannon Beach

Today's adventure was the coast with Ms. Erin, or more specifically Cannon Beach, Oregon. Haystack Rock was surreal and unlike anything we've ever seen at a beach before, although we quickly realized that Cannon Beach isn't a beach in the traditional sense. The winds were strong and the Pacific Ocean was so cold! We were warned of all of this prior to arriving, but had to test the water for ourselves. Brrrrrrr! The sand was so soft and we loved burying each other and making sand angels. There were huge hills too which we rolled down. After the craziness we explored the town scoring fresh salt water taffy and ice cream. With this being our last day in Oregon, we met up with Mr. Ben for dinner back in Portland. We then headed to their house to say goodbye to Olive and Stella. It was a great five days in Portland, but we are excited for our adventure to Seattle tomorrow.

A Weekend in Portland

Saturday morning we woke up and took a walk to Voodoo Doughnut. We heard this place was a must see, and we would agree. The doughnuts were crazy! Mine had gum in the middle and Lily's was covered in dirt (Oreo cookies). After breakfast we met up with Mr. Ben and Ms. Erin and checked out some downtown sights like the Saturday Market and Powell's Books. This bookstore was so large that we got lost a few times...unbelievable! Saturday evening Mr. Ben's daughter, Zoe, babysat for us so that the grownups could go to a concert. We had fun baking cookies and watching movies, although Max would probably disagree as the dogs, Olive and Stella, barked and destroyed a few of his toys. 

Sunday we met up with Mr. Ben, Ms. Erin, and Zoe for breakfast at Jam on Hawthorne. Then we headed back to the hotel for some downtime since Dad wasn't feeling the best. I took advantage of the quiet time and read some of my new books I had gotten at Powell's. Lily and Mom couldn't sit still and headed out to do some shopping. That evening, Dad still wasn't up to going out so after a quick dinner at the food carts (where we tried and disliked Bubble Tea) we gave Max a bath, and then decided to call it a night early so we'd be ready for Monday.

Mount St. Helens

After a quick breakfast in our room, our first full day led us to Ms. Erin's house where we met Mr. Ben, Zoe, Ruby, and Piper. After introductions, and coffee for Mom and Dad, we headed to Washington and the Ape Caves and Lava Canyon at Mount St. Helens. We stopped for lunch in Cougar, WA, since we knew we'd workup an appetite on our hikes. A Sasquatch kept watch over us as we ate, and Lily expressed her displeasure in this by spanking him before we left. Our first hike took us underground into complete darkness to explore lava tubes formed by lava flows over the centuries. The second hike took us across a suspension bridge and past a waterfall. Two very different and amazing perspectives of what a volcanic eruption can result in. After driving back to Portland we relaxed for a bit before meeting back up with Ms. Erin and Mr. Ben for dinner. Then it was off to bed so we could be ready for our Saturday adventures!

Up Up and Away

We've been looking forward to this trip since last year around this time. We postponed it due to Mom only having a few weeks left before Maxwell was born. The wait was tough, but we're glad we did because Maxwell got to join us on our adventures in Portland and Seattle. Not that we expected anything different, but Maxwell was a champ on the flight to Portland. We had a layover in St. Louis, but it broke things up a bit, and Max managed to squeeze in a nap on each leg of the flight. We arrived in Portland just in time for dinner and then it was off to bed, but not before Max took in the view.

Loving Life

 

Another week and another glimpse into Maxwell and his life as a ten month old. Maxwell's favorite song right now is the theme song to Curious George. He will stop everything when that song comes on and dance along. He also loves chilling on the couch while his shows are on. Max is still a bit lazy when it comes to feeding himself his bottle. Although he did hold it again this week, one can't help but notice that it is also resting on the tray. Maxwell and I visited the library this week while Lily was at dance. He thoroughly enjoyed the toys while I checked out books. He also loves anything cause and effect such as tug of war or dropping balls into his dinosaur to play music. No matter the activity, one thing is for sure, Maxwell is loving life!

Typical Week of a 10 Month Old

This past week was fairly typical for this little 10 month old. A little bit of walking with his rhinoceros, cruising on the plasma car with his sissy, and swimming with his cousins. We can't forget about the drinking of his milk, and we have to mention that he finally held his own bottle. It was apparently a lot of work though as he has yet to do it again.

Pizza on the Farm (Take 2)

We headed up to New Holstein again for Pizza on the Farm. It was a perfect summer night and we indulged in fresh squeezed lemonade, homemade pizza, and homemade custard. Lily and I both were on a mission to try every flavor of custard they had and we almost succeeded. We're beginning to think they should change the name of the event to Custard on the Farm since we enjoy this part so much!

Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Academy

I just finished up with baseball camp. This year I tried something new and went with the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Academy even though I'm a Cubs fan. It was a tough five days, but we ended the week with a field trip to Miller Park where we met Stephen Vogt one of the catchers and this made it all worth it!