Amanda takes a picture of Mommy & Daddy at the zoo!
It started with a special visit from our Washington friends - Ryan, Julie, Jeremiah, and Nathan. It's been many, many months since we've seen them, and it was their first time to our Oregon home, so we were thrilled that they took some time on their way to Sun River to visit!!
We really do miss sharing our lives with you guys... but there is something to be said for friends you have shared so much with, it's like there was no time from the last time we saw you!! (You know what I mean?) We hope you had a great time in Sun River with your family, and we'll see you when we come up in August.
On Saturday it was time for a big SURPRISE PARTY honoring Miss Pennie - planned by Lew and hosted by us. We had about 35 people from our family and her family, including 12 kids. We decided this would be a great time to put in a gate between our backyard and Lisa's - and it worked out wonderfully to have that open for the kids to play next door! As Amanda, Pennie, and I were headed to the backyard for the big surprise, Amanda almost blew it... saying "all of our friends are already here"... OOPS! I quickly ushered her away from us and distracted Pennie, so that Lew could get Grandma into the backyard.
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The passage way to the neighbors... there is now a gate, but we like the easy access!
It was a blessing to be able to host everyone, including Grandma Walter, neighbors, cousins, aunts, uncles - as well as Pennie's parents, all 3 of her children, and her 2 adorable granddaughters. The fact that we officially invited around 30, and 35 actually showed up - I think this was a testament to how much people care about and appreciate her. I know that's how we feel!
Sunday morning we headed to Portland with the neighbors for little overnight trip. We went straight to Ikea, then to the hotel for naps (Colin & Lisa) and swimming (the rest of us). We had a nice dinner out, more swimming, then finally settled into our own rooms for the evening.
Monday morning was a flurry of activity getting everything packed back up, then heading to the Zoo! It was a fun day with lots of animals, dinosaurs, a train ride... and topped off with ice cream at Ben & Jerry's. We're so lucky to have great friends to do fun things with... we look forward to the next adventure!!
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Mark, the bird whisperer (it actually hopped up onto his hat and then flew away!)
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Amanda & Daddy on the zoo train; Mommy & Andrew in front of the elephants
After the initial shock of the dinosaurs, Amanda settles in...
she thinks the baby ones are "so cute"!
Mark and the kids measure up to see who's as big as the bears!
The kids all search for the sea lions... one of mommy's favorites of the day!
And finally... ice cream at Ben & Jerry's!
For some reason, Andrew kept wanting to know if we'd see a crocodile at the zoo...
thankfully there was one there!
1 comment:
It was a great time. We will need to plan what we should do next.
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