Happy Birthday!

We celebrated A's 5th birthday with a fishing party. They enjoyed fishing for prizes in the backyard and taking home a goldfish. A few days later, on her actually birthday, I had to work, but we were still able to enjoy dinner together. A chose macaroni and cheese for her dinner choice - shocking, I'm sure - for those who know her. She eats little else. And, she asked for cake with the sprinkles, so we enjoyed that too. Birthdays are surreal moments for mommies, but this one seemed especially monumental. Where did the last five years go?

Newport and Seaside, OR

We decided that the best way to celebrate J's graduation was a trip to the beach. We spent 2 1/2 days in Newport, where we enjoyed the aquarium, Undersea aquarium, the boats and freshly caught fish, and the seals. We also went to a lighthouse and enjoyed two different beaches.
Then, we met up with J's family in Seaside for a few days. One evening we enjoyed a fire, s'mores and "ghost" stories - Papa E style. Check out JD's expression below.

Clark County Fair

Last night we took the kids to the fair. They enjoyed seeing the world's largest alligator and pig. Imagine - the world's largest alligator and pig were at OUR fair! They also toured the animal barns, saw a performing pig act, ate corn dogs and their first-ever elephant ear (a big hit!), and rode some fun rides. We went to a midievil knights performance, but A announced after 5 minutes: "Why are we here? There are no girls! We are wasting our play time!" So, we went back to the giant slide.

Fish on, 5 times over

We took the kids back to the Rainbow Trout Farm near Mt. Hood a couple of weeks ago. They had a great time. The set-up is perfect for kids. There are 8-10 ponds with varying depths and sizes of fish. You can fish at any pond you want, but they're all full of fish. The kids put their lines in the water and within seconds, it seemed, they both had fish on their lines. I think the final count was 5 fish in less than an hour. They loved it!

Overheard at Wal-mart

I was pushing my kiddos in a cart at Wal-mart today, when I overheard:

A: JD, do you believe in God?

JD: No.

A: (absolute shock) Oh, no, JD. If you don't believe in God, you will go to a very dark place. God isn't there. And there are ghosts! (Disclaimer: I didn't tell her about ghosts.)

JD: (shock and horror on his face)

A: So, JD, do you believe in God?

JD: Yes!

Fire-and-brimstone evangelism at its best.

I can about bet what the kids were talking about at day care today.