portland

Since we needed to drive to Portland to drop off the Elkintons at the airport, we decided to make a day of it. After saying our sad goodbyes (Finn & Charis gave each other such a big hug that they fell over) & making our promise to visit next year, we headed to IKEA for a quick trip + breakfast. :) We didn't have anything we were shopping for, but we managed to find some cool toys for our backyard - click here & here! (Kenton attached them to our big tree yesterday & Finn is so excited!) After IKEA, we picked up Erik (he was visiting his friend) & went to lunch. We dropped Erik back off at his friend's house & made our way to the Oregon Zoo!

Big tank with fish & sea lions

Running away from the little geyser!

These monkeys charged the glass & scared the little girl that was there before us. It was fun to see some action! :P

Finn really enjoyed seeing all of the animals - they have some great habitats & most of the animals were easy to spot. These guys were interested in Finn too!

But none of the animals brought Finn running faster than he did when he saw backhoes in one of the habitats that was under construction. That's my kid. When lightsabers are not available, backhoes win!

My first-born & my husband

When we had thouroughly worn ourselves out at the zoo, we went to my Aunt Robin & Uncle Truls' house for a delicious dinner. This was their first time to meet Cedar & it was nice to visit with my family & relax a bit before heading back home. Finn also had a great time playing with their dog, Tivi. :)

One last stop at a grocery store to pick up some caffeine for Dad. Cedar was fussing while Kenton ran in & Finn asked to hold him. Finn is a great big brother! He lets us know when Cedar is crying, needs his pacifier or has spit up. He loves to give him hugs & is happiest when his face is inches from Cedar's face. I love to see Finn's interest in Cedar & can't wait to see how much Cedar will love his big brother. Just a few more weeks & we'll start to see some real smiles from the littlest one. :) Can't wait for that!