"I'm so....."

was the phrase we heard a lot of from the cute boys Chris and Nate while spending time with them in Portland! It was a short, but good visit. We spent lots of time doing outside things like playing baseball, picking tomatoes in the back yard, and some sidewalk art . The weather was "so beautiful". Actually September in Portland was terrific!

On Tuesday we went to the z-o-o after driving on the eye-5. Unfortunately many of the animals weren't out in their areas but we did get to go for a ride that was "so fun" on the zoo train, engine number 5. Then for lunch we decided to go on an adventure. Frank had been reading the lastest edition of Gourmet where there was a huge article on Mexican food and the 'taco trailers'. There was an extensive list of the trailers around Portland, and there happened to be one near Daniel and Kathy's house. Well, sure enough, we tracked it down! The proprieters didn't speak much English and Frank didn't speak much Spanish, but he got his order in. While waiting he struck up a conversation with one of the locals and he's not sure, but thinks he may have hired him as a landscaper and bought his truck. :o) By the way, the food was awesome! We had another culinary adventure that day....the conveyer belt sushi place. Interesting concept...tables all around the 'kitchen' with the conveyer belt running along. Each dish is 1 of 4 colors and marked with a different price. Needless to say, at the end, we had a big stack of plates. (It was a lot of fun and something we hadn't done before.

On Wednesday, Chris and Nate went to preschool and Frank and I did a little shopping in Portland (at Powell's Bookstore and the REI store). Success at both stores. That afternoon the boys and I made cupcakes and they 'helped' with making spaghetti. Frank made his famous garlic knots and everyone thought they were 'so delicious'!

The boys have really gotten interested in taking pictures (and can barely snap the shutter before wanting to see what the picture looks like). Well, we found a kid's digital camera and gave it to them after dinner our last night there. They were "so excited because we've never had a camera before". Of course 2 three-year-olds figured it out before the parents and doting Aunt and Uncle.

All in all, it was a great trip and we're looking forward to going back for their 4 year old birthdays!