We left a couple days early and spent two nights in Portland because Ben had a little work to do. We dropped Ben off at a hotel he needed to visit early one morning, and the kids and I navigated downtown Portland to find some donuts. After Ben was done, we tried to go to the OMSI, but aborted the plan when we saw about 15 school buses out front. We ended up visiting a really cool park near the rose garden.
The next day we drove through some of the most incredible scenery around Mt. Hood. We did a short hike to Zig Zag falls, and then went up to Timberline Lodge to get some chocolate cake and play in the snow.
The kids were amazing travelers this trip. Levi slept pretty much all the way to Portland, and then most of the time to Redmond. Maddie and Colter did great reading books, looking out the window, and doing a little snoozing. We arrived in Redmond, just as the Headlands did. We settled into our condo, and then headed right to the pool that was across the street from our complex.
The next day was mother's day, and the kids treated me to breakfast in bed (banana bread french toast) and then we went for a hike to a waterfall. That night we had some spectacular mexican food over at the Heavilands.
I followed Ben and the kids on their bikes to the treat shop. Their favorite part of riding bikes was watching all the little gophers pop in and out of their holes.
After their bike ride, we drove the kids to the stable, where they got to go for a little horse ride. The kids both LOVED being on a horse.
That afternoon I took Colter out for a little bike ride. I didn't take any pictures, but I want to remember this time together. I've discovered that some of my sweetest, most enjoyable times with the kids are doing impromptu, simple things together. We decided to head out for a little walk, and it ended up being one of my favorite times of the trip. We played all kinds of stories. It was so fun to watch Colter get confident on his bike. He would yell out "Leeeeeeeeeeets BLAZE!!!" and then start to peddle super fast. There was as little cement race track near our condo, and he was charging up and down he hills. I was so proud of him, considering just the week before, he was absolutely refusing to get on his bike, after he had a little scare with wobbly training wheels.
One day we went to visit Smith Rock State Park, which was incredible! It reminded me a bit of Sedona. We hiked down a steep hill, and then walked along the river until we found a little tiny beach to play at. The kids' favorite part of the day was finding a lego mini figure buried in the sand.
That night we met the Heavilands first at an amazing, but HUGE park, and then at a local pizza spot for some tasty grub.
Colter and I spent some time together exploring the river just below our townhouse. Ben and Maddie and the Headlands joined us later, and then we convinced the dads to jump into the river. It took a little convincing, but they both pulled through and had the shock of their lives in that icy water!
We spent one morning exploring Bend. We started at a park that had a little beach. Colter and Saisha built a really neat moat/island. Then we walked over to an area that had a bunch of stores and restaurants, and an extremely detailed map that even told you where you could fly a kite. HA!
We had some lunch and then indulged in some delicious ice cream.
That afternoon we did a date swap during nap time to play some golf. I ended up smoking Ben by a few putts, but the best part was just hanging out together. Even though Levi is low maintenance, it's still a lot of work taking care of a baby, so just getting some alone time where i'm not nursing, carrying a baby, or putting a baby to sleep, is extra special.
We had an amazing adventure at a Volcano National Park. We started off by driving up a butte to the top. It was incredible to see where the lava had flowed over 6,000 acres. Then we hiked down into a lava cave. I was proud of the kids for even trying it! Maddie made it about 1/4 of the way through before she was too afraid of bats. Ben and Colter continued on, while Maddie and I had a little picnic under the trees. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. The kids were in great moods, everything just flowed really well, and Ben and I found the area fascinating.
That afternoon we had a water balloon fight. It's always amazing how quickly you can blow through 100 water balloons! My loving hubby hunted all over the place for somewhere to fill up the balloons and almost gave up until my sister discovered the bar sink. score! We were super sneaky and did a surprise attack on Mark and James who were renting a bike at the time.
Another favorite part of the trip for me was playing games with Mark and Jessie once the kids were in bed. We would cart Levi in his little bouncy seat next door with the monitor and enjoy some adult time complete with delicious milk shakes. They introduced us to the game Ticket to Ride, and we loved it so much we bought it the first week we were home.
Then it was time to head home. Boo hoo! We took a different route home, and stopped off at a random train museum in a tiny town that was hosting some sort of board member train convention. Lots of interesting folks. The man running the ticket counter said "I should pay you for coming here!" Needless to say, I don't think they get a lot of traffic.
So so thankful for this time together as a family! Taking a trip with young kids is a ton of work. It takes so much preparation and planning and it usually takes the kids a couple days to settle in and get comfortable in a new place. Once we get in our groove though, I am always so grateful for the ability to take a trip together as a family. We always leave filled with new memories and lots of adventures tucked deep in our heart.
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