July 2014

(written by Nate)

Summer is definitely in full swing here in Portland.  We've been enjoying the sun and doing lots of random stuff around town.  This past weekend it was a visit to the county fair with 4-H animals, a kiddy theater, and carnival rides.  We've done a bit of hiking in nearby Forest Park, lots of swimming at our club and biking to the playground.  Lily suddenly figured out she could swim without floaties and has been a little fish over the past couple of weeks.  She also got to camp out with me in a real tent and liked it, even if we were steps away from the kitchen and bathroom of our friends' cabin.  Elise has been getting more and more talkative but still enjoys playing on her own.  She also enjoys spilling her drink at every other meal, but whatever.  Paul is getting sillier, playing off of Lily with nonsense talk.  Each of them challenges us in their own way with whining, yelling or being mean, but they can all be real sweethearts too.  Holding hands with each other to cross the street or giving real hugs to each other are relatively common occurrences now.  Nicole's had the only real bummer of the summer, tearing her plantar fascia in her foot while playing tennis.  She's hobbling around now and is missing her daily early morning walks through the city and her escape to the Tennis court when she can.  But at least she didn't stick with her first doctor's recommendation to wear heavy hiking boots around for three months.  Between her injury and Lily's summer day camps (German camp, dance camp coming soon) I've been acting like a good urban commuter and taking the train to work while we persist as a one car family.  I haven't been getting as many long bike rides in as I'd like, but there's plenty of summer left, right?

Best buds on the front steps

Time for a haircut?  Not yet… 

Lily made inside-out PB&J which inspired silliness 

Paul sure knows how to pose these days 

Stuck in a walking cast/boot for about a week 

 Fun with friends

A surprise stilted cowboy during a poolside BBQ at the tennis/swim club


Lily's swimming milestone




Some interesting new dance moves