Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Thanks to a flyer in the cable bill, the family had a nice afternoon at the ballpark watching the local Triple A team, the Portland Beavers. We took Max to the game, where CJ enjoyed face painting, high-fiving the Beaver, a soft pretzel, some 80's music and pretty much having a section of seats to ourselves. Not a bad day.

Party!

CJ had a great time at her party with her cousins and friends. They decorated rock star glasses; jumped/sang/danced to music with Maggie; enjoyed pizza, a musical instrument exchange and cupcakes. Fun times. We are thankful to everyone who was able to help us celebrate.

Guess Who is Four? (And Happy Father's Day!)

We had a fairly quiet day. Presents with breakfast:

A mostly sunny run with Mama and Daddy via a farmer's market (for some fresh strawberries) and Starbucks (for a birthday chocolate milk), followed by some playing at home and pizza at CJ's favorite restaurant with neighbors:

A special big top cupcake:

And a couple of more presents (like these pj's), followed by some sleepy birthday hat modeling:

What a big girl.

Oh Me, Oh My, Oh May Faire

Today was CJ's first May Faire celebration with her preschool.  We got rained out of the usual country setting, but another family graciously offered their yard in town and we lucked out with sun for the event.  There was a yummy potluck, a play (CJ was one of the flowers) and a May pole dance.  Unfortunately, Mommy put the camera battery in the charger overnight and forgot it at home, so no photos...

Traditions

One of our family traditions is the annual dog walk for a local humane society.  Each year it is a bit different with the weather, the number of dogs and now CJ as she ages.    The starting park has been greatly improved over the years and it includes a farmers market and a fun playground that CJ enjoyed after the walk today.

Here she is meeting a miniature pony before the walk:

The walk goes along the Columbia River and it is fun to see all the different breeds of dogs.  There are so many more chocolate labs than there were 12-13 years ago.  This year we decided to split up almost halfway through the walk.  The boys (Daddy and Big B) took a rest and headed back to the park and the girls continued on.  Little B thought she was going to go for a swim, but we skipped that today.  CJ was a trooper and almost made it to the halfway point for the long walk before we turned back to meet the boys.  It's 3 miles - I bet she'll make it next year.

Here she is celebrating her achievement with her puppies after a well deserved chocolate milk at Starbucks.  (This one had some outdoor heaters that were a nice touch).

She Won!

Well...she finished.  CJ did her first running race today - the Run for the Cheetah at the zoo.  A few weeks ago we picked up some running shoes and she's been talking about this ever since.  She tackled the hilly course with Daddy by her side and was so excited to finish and pick up her medal.  She wore it all day and kept waiting for people to ask her about it so she could talk about the run.  Way to go, CJ!

The Busy, Busy Day

We started the day with a quick stop at an Easter Egg Hunt.  The rain held off and CJ collected more than one egg so it was very successful compared to last year's.  She passed over many eggs as she ran through the park field and Daddy and Mama both thought she might only be collecting the pink eggs, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a variety in her basket at the end of the hunt.

Off we headed to CJ's school for a planting party.  Our family did a small bed of primarily nasturtium and sunflower seeds. 

We had a quick snack and CJ took a minute for a quick swing and we were on our way again.  We ran a quick errand and then stopped at the bakery for lunch on the way home.

Once there, CJ donned her apron and we colored eggs.

CJ ended the day with a farewell ride on her trike.  She's ready to move on to a two wheeler, although the one she and Daddy put together is a little too big for her right now.

Salmon Festival

We've been trying to take advantage of any dry days before winter and rain sets in. Today was a sunny one (although quite cold) so we headed out to the local Salmon Festival.

CJ had fun with her friend, K, and there were many activities to keep the little ones busy. There were costumes for a storytelling event:
We also found salmon samples, salmon viewing, rides on horse-drawn wagons, a playground, a passport with activities to complete for a prize and even CJ's first chance to sit on a horse!

Needless to say, we spent a good portion of the day there, but we were still surprised when CJ fell asleep in the car on the way home. It was her first nap in a LONG time. Guess the fresh air is really good for you.

Beer Makes You Sleepy

Being near it makes CJ sleepy, at least. We biked downtown and after a free smoothie (thanks Starbucks!), a short visit to the farmers market (Mama was an idiot and forgot cash) and a quick splash in Salmon Street Springs fountain, we stopped at the Oregon Brewers Festival. CJ fell asleep in the bike trailer and took a good 2-hour nap while Daddy fought the crowds to retrieve a few samples of cerveza to share with Mama. The beer was fine, but the lines were ridiculous considering it was mid-day on the 3rd day of the festival. And we found a shady spot where a few other kiddos were parked in their strollers, but it also turned out to be the place where many went to smoke. On the way home we stopped for dinner, which was likely the best part of the trip.

Ladybug

We invited our playgroup to join us in a birthday Ladybug Walk today and we actually saw a ladybug.

From Parade to Pooped Out

After music class, we joined a group walking over to watch Portland's Rose Festival Junior Parade. The sky was dark and threatening, but it stayed dry and we even enjoyed a few sunbreaks. The kids did great watching all the bands and other marchers. CJ even left Mama's side for a few minutes to get a better view. The pre-parade ice cream and post-parade cookie were big hits as well. I think it might have worn her out because this is what she looked like once we walked home: