Party at the Zoo

Adelyn got to go to a birthday party at the zoo for one of her friends. It was awesome! It was a Frozen themed party which was really cute. Addy got to ride the carousal and then we went and checked out some animals. The penguins were our favorite.

19 months

Cameron is 19 months and this week he couldn't stop talking about the potty. He wanted to go on it every morning and I couldn't believe it that he actually peed on the potty several times! It is just about the cutest thing ever to see him on it and he is so proud of himself when he actually goes. I can't believe what a big boy he is.

North Cascades

We had a long drive back on Sunday so we tried to get on the road early (as early as you can packing up a family of four!). The drive was long, but it was absolutely beautiful. We drove through the North Cascade mountains and it was some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. We stopped at a few of the look out points and got some great photos. 

I don't have photos of all of the whining and crying that took place on the drive back, but you can imagine that. We heard a lot of "are we there yet" and "this is taking a long time." And Cameron just yelled "OUT" over and over and over again. At one point he actually just got so tired of crying he stopped for a break before starting again. And then he finally fell asleep. 

Did I mention how beautiful the scenery was? It really made up for the rest of the drive. 

Wild Wild Winthrop

The downtown part of Winthrop is built to look like an old western town and they pull it off very well. We got up early on Saturday and took a little walk through the town and checked out the shops, walked by the river and headed to a local park. It was a great way to burn off some energy before heading to the pool in the afternoon. It was one of the best kids pools I've ever been to and the kids just loved it. Of course, I didn't bring my camera, but Addy really swam! She is really catching on and has no fear of going under the water. She even started opening her eyes and trying to touch the bottom. There was a little slide that the kids went down a million times. Cameron just loved it and couldn't get enough, until of course I helped him down the slide and I was so nervous to let go that I waited to long and he bonked his head. Luckily he was fine, but I felt awful. Go figure that he's safer when I'm not trying to "protect him." 

Of course we were exhausted after that as well, but we had more fun hanging out at Chuck and Robin's. They were the perfect hosts & spoiled the kids rotten and they loved every minute of it. They bought Addy some fairy wings and I swear she hardly ever took them off. They were a huge hit, as was their rocking chair. Cameron just kept saying "rock, rock". It was a wonderful weekend. 

Good 'Ole 4th of July

This year we headed over to Winthrop to celebrate the 4th of July with Chuck and Robin. We got in late Thursday night which meant we had all day on the 4th and we filled it up! We headed over to the next town over, Twisp, for their parade. It was a classic, small-town, old-fashioned parade and we loved every minute. We got there early to stake out the perfect spot which meant we got to enjoy the pre-parade entertainment of the local line-dancing club. They were awesome! They even did a "country version" of the electric slide which Robin and I joined in on.
The parade was super cute. Lots of candy for the kids (even Cameron participated) and great small town floats. It brought me back to my childhood days. After the parade we headed to the festival down the street where there were tons of activities for the kids. Addy made a fancy hat, a button and a boat! Cameron actually took a nap, but then had fun on the playground and playing with Addy's boat. It was a super fun day and we had visions of heading back for a nap afterwards to relax. Of course, that didn't happen, but the idea was enough to get us through the rest of the afternoon and it was an early night for most of us. The only thing missing were the fireworks (banned there because of dry weather) which we actually didn't miss too much. It's a lot easier to sleep when you don't hear explosions every few minutes. It was a great 4th!

Dance Class

Addy has been talking about taking a dance class for awhile and we've spent a fair amount of time researching various class options. Something always raises a red flag for me though, either the steep rates, the ridiculous schedules or the intimidating rules and regulations. I just can't go forward with it and I'm completely intimidated by "dance moms", so we continue to postpone. Well, recently I asked Addy if she could wish for anything in the world, what would it be. Her answer? To take a dance class. Of course.

So Brian saved the day and found a 6 week "princess dance class" for beginner dancers. It has a schedule that works for us and a price that we can live with if she ends up not loving it. My only complaint? The dress code. We basically had to buy a new wardrobe for a 6 week class, seems a little overboard to me. Luckily I found some deals at the consignment shop and we've got the list covered.  Light blue leotard- check. Pink tights- check. Black tap shoes- check. Chiffon skirt- check. Hair in a bun- check. A little princess ready for her first dance class- check.

Can't wait for dance class to start next week!

Portlandia

While in Portland we got to see some of the sites as well. We headed down to the Saturday market on the waterfront, hit up Powell's bookstore and had an awesome lunch at Deschutes Brewery. While we were there Cameron saw someone who he thought looked like our neighbor Bob, so he kept walking up to him and calling him Bob. Luckily he was a very nice man who thought Cameron was quite funny, so they swapped sunglasses for awhile!

We also went to the awesome park by their house, the "amazing" Paul Bunyan statue, the Adidas employee store and of course had to eat from a food truck. What could be more Portland than that? A few highlights in photos below.

 The kids enjoying the water fountain. Cameron wanted desperately to go into it.

 Addy excited to find the elephants from the "Larry and Pete in Portland" book

 Cameron charming it up with "Bob" from the restaurant. Can you guess whose glasses are whose? 

Cameron falling asleep on the 10 minute walk back to the car and not taking another nap all day. 

Some lovely family photos in front of the Paul Bunyan statue. 

 The kids enjoying the giant Adidas shoe statues. Cameron was not as impressed with giant shoes as he is with the real thing.

Both kids asleep within 10 minutes on the drive back home.