Fun-filled days

I had to start off Thursday morning teaching swim lessons. Since James and Papa were up till at LEAST midnight the night before, reading Harry Potter, Jeanne offered to keep the kids home and watch them, since they were all sleeping in late that day. So, off I went to the pool...... in silence. I actually called everyone I could think of (Todd said it was because I was lonely), and at one point told one of my friends... listen... here that? It's nothing!


Then, of course, as I was swimming, there was a baby who sucked the same 2 fingers that Alex sucks, in the exact same way, which is odd becaue they are backwards. And it made me SOOOO miss Alex! So, although it was a wonderful quiet time, I was ready to see my boys again! Oh how I love them... and all their craziness and excitement they bring to my life!


Well, after swimming, it was nothing but THICK fog in Corvallis, but a mix of clouds and sun in Adair. So, I thought maybe a walk along the Old Growth Trail up on Lewisburg Saddle would be a good pasttime. Well, I didn't expect the dark cloud that loomed over the mountain! Although it never really rained, it started spitting on us about halfway through our walk. Thankfully, we all had coats on, and enjoyed ourselves irregardless. Even little Glenn, who was asking if we were to the car yet when we were about 500 feet from the car, said as we approached the car, "That was a fun walk, mama, I hope we can come do it again!" But James kept remembering when we did school along this trail a few times, and kept asking if we could stop and sit down and do school again. Obviously we did school when it was nice here! Grandma D finally asked him what his bum would feel like if he sat down on the wet ground. With a saddened reply, he said "Wet." That was all that needed to be said. But I assured him that when it was nice out again, we would find a reason to have school out there again. Last time we were learning about the pioneers, and went on a walk that lasted forever, because I missed the turn to the Old Growth Trail! It was a fantastic lesson on the difficulties of pioneer trecking!

The following day, Todd got off work early, and we headed up to Portland. First we stopped off at the OMSI to see their new dinosaur exhibit. Although we could have spent more time there, the kids LOVED it! Alex especially loved the clearing of the fossil bones. Go Alex Go! Jeanne meanered around, while the rest of us went to the IMAX. Alex has been here before, but something set him off this time, and he decided that he did not want to see the special effects that they do in the beginning to make you enjoy the experience of being inside a large dome!

I finally took him up to the top, and by this time, they had stopped with the cool Grand Canyon preview, and moved onto the world of fish, as we watched a movie about the coral reefs. Alex brightened up and pointed to all the fish he could find, and there were lots! So, the boys had a great time sitting with Papa, and Alex and I had a great time sitting at the top, watching the fish, but really being able to see that we were in a dome, and not literally surrounded by everything. Cause when you're at the top, you can see the limitations of the screen, and know that you're just in a movie theater. When you're down below, and in the thick of it, you can really feel like you're a part of the show.

After this, we went over to IKEA. What an experience! It took us a while to get over there with traffic, and it seemed like every time we got close, we took a road that took us further away again! But we FINALLY made it, and we all had a fabulous time! We ate dinner at the marketplace, and I really was happy with the prices! Not gouged like I had expected. The kids ate well (when do they not!), and off we went to look around at everything! What a site to see! It gave us wonderful ideas, and we look forwarding to using them! As I told one friend, for a pregnant lady who is already nesting, my wheels were turning at this place... at warp speed! Well, when we finally got home around 11ish, Todd and James ran off to finish Harry Potter! The rest of us skiddaddled to bed! Everyone slept in the next morning! Life was bliss!

Then in the afternoon we headed over to the Adair Historic Building they renovated to become a useful building in the community... its use is to be determined. But it used to be a bar, and it burned badly, so the owners left, and the City of Adair renovated it, and it looks beautiful! It used to be an old fire station back when Camp Adair was a old military base. It was a wonderful open house!

Well, I should get ready for the day, and I think I've rambled on enough! We're having a great time, and look forward to the wonderful weather ahead of us this week! Have a good one!