Easter Reading

Ben demonstrates his new reading skills while reading his note from the Easter Bunny.

Dirty Bunny

Every year the Easter Bunny comes. Every year she leaves big, messy foot prints all over the house. This year was no different. Eggs were stashed here and there, filled with sugary goodness. Ry, for the first time, got to partake in this tradition and discovered the joy of jellybeans. I think the drool means he liked them.

Of Course Our Eggs are Tie-Dyed

What else would they be?

Politics Schmolitics

No matter your opinions regarding the upcoming election, you cannot deny that this race for President is certainly unique in its historical implications. Okay, you can deny it if you want (who am I to tell you want you can and cannot do), but I think it's significant. And, as I was one of the lucky 12,000 to get tickets to see Barack Obama during his recent Portland visit (well, it was recent when we went), Ben got to play hooky from school to ride MAX to the Rose Quarter to see him speak to a very excited crowd. Ry enjoyed his view from the safety (and confinement) of the Ergo.

As I didn't want to get up at 4 am, our seats weren't the greatest. But, it was still a moving experience and one I'm glad that boys were able to experience. Who knows, maybe someday Ben will be able to say to his grandchildren that he saw the president speak in Portland. Note: Ben took some of these pictures, including the self-portrait at the end.

ROOAARRR!

OMSI is playing host to the traveling dinosaur exhibit for a few months, so Ben and his buddy Jackson took their respective siblings (Douglas is two weeks older than Ry) and parent types on a trip to see the beasts. They're pretty fierce looking, but luckily they stayed behind their velvet ropes. While we were there, the boys enjoyed testing their scientific skills on making paper airplanes. Ben and Ry also had fun exploring a northwest habitat, complete with fake trees and fake eagles.

Zoo-La-La

Winter is pretty much my favorite time at the zoo. The crowds are light, there aren't a lot of people and not too many people go when it's rainy. Are you getting why I like it? Much to some people's wonderment, we go whenever the opportunity presents itself. The only downside - no elephant ears (at least not the edible, covered in sugar, chock full of gooey goodness kind).

We made this trip March 7th (see, I'm catching up), and visited all of our favorites. Ben's especially fond of the lorikeets. The pretty flowers were taken at Ben's insistence for Aunt Tiffy, who was still buried by above average snowfall. Sorry for tons of photos that don't include the boys, but sometimes I can't help myself.

Thar' She Blows!

For this year's science fair, the kids demonstrated the amazing effects of baking soda and vinegar. The scientific aspects of the chemical reaction might have been lost of the little ones, but exploding balloons and gloves that expand and shoot in the air were pretty cool. These photos show Ben and another student (the sweet Miss L) experimenting with a balloon as well as Ben showing the experiment to the Chinese kindergarten class, with Maestra Lucy's help.

Hello? Anyone still there?

I know my loyal Maine reader hasn't jumped ship, but I wouldn't blame the rest of you for giving up on me. Probably wasn't the best idea to start a blog right before tax season. But, I do believe that the light I've been seeing at the end of the tunnel is no longer a freight train but in fact the sun, enticing me to the garden with the boys. I am, however, going to catch all of you up on the happenings since I last posted. Yes, I know this was way back on February 20th. I was busy!