She arrived late Tuesday night, then Wednesday we headed into Portland to see a few sights Tina had chosen. First up, the Pittock mansion. I've been there before, so when the kids got anxious on the tour, we ended up going outside and playing on the grounds.
Can you spot the two kiddos?
Inside the mansion with Stephanie and Nathan
After the tour, we spread a blanket out on the grounds and had a delicious picnic lunch packed by Tina. She planned and packed gourmet lunches for us all week and I ate better than I had in years :) After lunch, we relaxed in perfect weather and Tina's kids played with my kids. They were so helpful with my kids all week- it was wonderful.
We then drove to the Rose Gardens. We explored for a little while, but everyone was pretty tired so we decided to get something yummy to eat.
At the Rose Gardens
Our favorite ice cream place in the city is Salt and Straw. We stood in line about 30 minutes to eat ice cream with ingredients like basalmic vinegar, honey, and lavendar. It's delicious and the Heimdals loved it.
Monica, Stephanie, Nayeli, Anthony, Nathan and Ryan, the coolest kids on the block
At the Rose Gardens Christina was kind enough to buy Nayeli a little parasol. She was obsessed with it and wouldn't let it out of her sight. She even insisted on falling asleep with it, but since she was sleeping in our bed while we had visitors, I moved it when Ben and I got into bed. At 4am she awoke bawling for her parasol, and since I was so tired I just gave it to her. Before I knew it Ben, myself, Nayeli and a fully expanded parasol were sharing the bed. Needless to say, it wasn't a great night's rest for any of us except Nayeli, who peacefully slept in the shade of her parasol. Here are a few shots that Ben snapped before he left for work in the morning:
Day two was spent at the coast. We drove to Astoria, where I had never been. It's a city that's situated on the Columbia River right where it flows into the Pacific Ocean and it is truly beautiful. We started our day by riding a 100 year old trolley along the boardwalk. It was fun to get a guided tour of the city.
Nayeli loved being with her cousins, especially Stephanie
Such a fun group!
With Monica on the trolley
Looking at the bridge that crosses into Washington
We then went to the Maritime museum. It was really well put together and had some fascinating exhibits.
My favorite part was this Coast Guard exhibit.
Teddy wearing cousin Ryan's glasses. Too cool for school.
We also went into a lighthouse boat that was really cool. By then my kids were both ready for a nap so I drove home. Tina and the kids however headed down the coast to Cannon Beach and had a great time. They were gone all day exploring the coast and came home exhausted but happy they'd had such a fun day.
Day three we went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and had a great time. We watched Planetarium shows, then when my kids were tired of that, I took them up to the children's area. The OMSI is a great museum and we had such a fun time.
Teddy playing in the water exhibit
Saturday, our last full day together, was a more relaxing day. Everyone slept in and then we drove into the city to go to the Portland Saturday Market. Tina and the kids bought some fun souvenirs, then we drove home to relax. Tina planned all the dinners for the week as well and we had a delicious dinner out on the lawn in front of our apartment. As we ate, it was fun to visit with Tina and her kids. They were so fun to be around all week.
Sunday we all went to sacrament meeting together, then they packed up their car and headed to Mark's house in Boise.We were sad to see them leave, but so happy they had come. Thank you for visiting Heimdals! We love you and sure had a fun time with you here!
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