We left Medford, heading north for Portland where we would spend a few days with my brother and his family.
I'm sure that Portland was at the end of the rainbow!
Clear sky and the moon was still up.
The sign says "Sunny Valley". Um....I think it was more like "Foggy Valley".
Chilly, but not as cold as Lake Tahoe!
Our plans for having dinner with Frank's nephew got cancelled so we were able to spend time at the Moore house that evening! The boys recently had piano recitals and we were treated to a private performance.
Chris playing "Camptown Races".
Nate playing "The Entertainer".
Since the boys had school Friday morning, we met one of Frank's friends from high school (in Miami) who lives in Salem, OR but came up to Portland for the weekend. So we met them for lunch downtown.
Rob, Penny, Leann and Frank
Pretty view of the Portland skyline.
Friday afternoon (the last day of school before Christmas break) many of the students participated in a Sing Along.
Nate sporting his Santa hat.
All the band members have kids at the boys' school! And they were great!
After school (and quite a bit of party treats during the day) the boys needed to burn of a little energy before heading home so we hung out on the playground at school for a bit.
My brother, Daniel, whipping up a batch of home made bread.
Just like Mama used to make.
Leann and Daniel
Yummy home cooked meal!!
You can't help but smile when you see Nate do his eyebrow trick.....
with both eyes. :o)
A round of Doodle Dice and several rounds of Left-Right-Center to end the evening.
Lots of fog on our way back to the hotel!
The next day we had plans to go to REI. One boy had a few $$ burning a hole in his pocket and another 'big boy' had a coupon he was interested in using.
Yep, when Auntie's along, she gets to sit with the boys!
A tradition Chris and Nate enjoy is making a gingerbread house. They got it all 'glued' together before we went shopping.
Let the decorating begin!!
Good teamwork!
A couple new additions this year - coconut for snow and pretzel rods for walls, etc.
(Mom may decide this may be the first and last year for coconut.)
Pretty proud of their creation!
Since a quarter (or so) of the gingerbread decorations didn't make it to the house, but rather into the tummies of two young boys, we needed to get outside and burn off some of that sugar!
The three of us played HORSE for a while.
A few weeks ago, Kathy made arrangements for
Willy Wonka at the Children's Theater.
This was a big night and the boys obliged by dressing up in their sharp button down shirts. :)
Chris, Aunt Leann and Nate
Christmas Twins - Leann and Kathy
Great family picture!! (Including Harry)
Not only were we going to the theater, we were going to dinner beforehand at
Perry's on Fremont.
Nate with his first-ever Shirley Temple.
Christ with his first-ever Shirley Temple.
These boys are the best eaters!!
Calamari rings
Calamari legs
Not sure if it was because we had a reservation, but we were the only table with a table cloth! :)
Nate and Chris l-o-v-e Caesar salads! (Nate showing his empty bowl.)
No kids menu for these two! Chris ordered a bluecheese bacon burger with ALL the fixings (including onions and mushrooms)!
Nate ordered yummy mac and cheese.
Nate was very adventurous and got Willy Wonka's autograph.
And Charlie's too!
Sunday we took the boys to the mall for lunch and a movie - The Muppets! :o)
There is an ice skating rink in the middle of the mall and they must have been having a Christmas parade that included kids of all ages. It was pretty fun to watch!
Not many kids had their fun Auntie and Uncle to take them to the movies!
Chris and Nate are the family fire-starters. They have been well-trained and got to try out some new long matches.
What a pretty picture!
The only advantage of having a window seat.....getting some good pictures!
Mt Hood
Somewhere near the Grand Canyon. (The pilot wasn't very good about pointing out significant landmarks.)
Thank you Dan, Kathy, Chris and
Nate for a fun time in Portland! The weather was great and we enjoyed all the fun things we got to do!
