Rainy Day Project

It has rained for the last five months with only a day or two break here and there, and I've almost run out of ideas for indoor projects and things to do with the kids to keep them from bouncing off the walls. I got this idea from OMSI, so I asked Daddy to bring home some computer packing foam for us to play with. He has an almost endless supply of this stuff, so he was happy to oblige. The kids pounded golf tees into the foam and built different things. It kept Ryan occupied for several hours, and he learned a little bit about construction, like how to toenail two pieces together. I regret that I neglected to take a picture of our finished project. It was several stories high, and quite architecturally appealing, if I do say so myself!

Tip: If you decide to try this, DON'T use the regular styrofoam, use the plastic-type foam. It's nice and clean and doesn't fall into millions of little static-charged bits. Ask me how I learned this tip!

Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden

Ryan and Ribsy

Ryan, Ramona, and Abigail

The kids and I go to the library regularly, and they love to have me read books to them. Last year I started reading aloud chapter books to them, and they really like it. Among others, we have read Charlotte's Web, The Boxcar Children, and most recently, Ramona the Pest. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Zody, read to us every day, and one of my favorite books that she read was Ramona. The author is from Portland, and the Ramona books take place in and around the area. Ryan particularly likes the series, so when I found out there is a Beverly Cleary Scuplture Garden in a park in Portland, I decided to take the kids to see it.

Ryan liked seeing a life-size (maybe a little big) statue of Ramona, and he really liked Ribsy, the friend's dog. We only have two books left to read in the series, but it's been a fun walk down memory lane for me and hopefully a fun journey for the kids. He also thoroughly enjoyed the see-saw (much to my surprise) and tire swing. He even felt brave enough to swing on his bottom instead of on his belly like he usually does.

What Daddy's Been Up To

While we were busy playing downtown and having a fun time, Daddy was working hard trying to get the new location up and running. After a short visit to Saturday Market on Saturday (when else?), we were able to take a quick peek at what Daddy had been up to. This tangle of cables is just overwhelming to me! Who enjoys sorting that out? I guess Daddy does. We got a quick tour of the new space and his new servers and their racks, and after that we had to go and let him get back to work.

Sad Baby

Last summer when we took Ryan to OMSI for the first time, we went into this exhibit that shows the stages of life from conception to about the eighth month of pregnancy. The sign says that all the babies died by accident or natural causes, and while it's a fascinating display, it makes me sad each time we see it. Every time Ryan sees this one baby (preserved by some plasticine method), he always says, "Why is the baby sad?" It chokes me up every time, and I thought I'd snap a picture to post on his blog.

I counted. There are 44 lost lives in this exhibit, each one probably mourned and missed.

More OMSI Fun

Daddy's boss got him a hotel this weekend so he could get some sleep during the company's move. He also said that we could come and stay too, so the kids and I packed our bags and spent Thursday through Monday downtown Portland. We had a great time!

Our first activity was to go to OMSI on Friday. We usually only go for a couple of hours, but we spent most of the day there this time. Ryan loved one of their new additions, this semi-truck to load cargo into with the crane. We did the usual sandbox and waterworks, but we also went to see Dolphins at the OMNIMAX theater. Abby fell asleep about halfway through, but Ryan stayed awake for all but about the last ten minutes. I was surprised by how much he enjoyed the movie. It's not something he usually likes, but he was fully engaged in it the whole time he was awake.

Driving the Bus

One of Ryan's chores is to sweep under the table after breakfast and lunch. I have him pull out all the chairs so he can do a good job (at least good for a four year old). I went in to make my bed while he was doing this Wednesday, and when I came back into the kitchen he had lined up all the chairs in a row and he informed me it was his bus. So I cut up some paper into strips for tickets and gave them a Tupperware lid for a steering wheel, and they had a grand time playing bus for about an hour! I love it when THEY come up with neat activities that keep them busy, don't make a mess (well, the tickets did kind of end up everywhere), and cost nothing!

Oh, and he did a lovely job sweeping the floor too!

The Lord Provides

I am so excited! I got the final missing item needed to begin our homeschooling. I have done research for years now on curricula and homeschooling methods, and about nine months ago I found the curriculum that we are going to use. I used to feel stressed and terrified at the prospect of educating our children, but now I have a plan and a curriculum that I believe will work well for our family (Lord willing). More importantly, I have peace about homeschooling now.

Last year we purchased the printer we needed for printing out the books, and I also purchased some preliminary items and things I thought would be useful for teaching. We hadn't yet purchased the curriculum, and though it is relatively inexpensive at $195, we just kept coming up short for the purchase. Today as I was browsing through a used book store's pathetic homeschool section, I saw an item that piqued my curiosity. As I began reaching for it, instantly I knew what it was and my heart started beating faster. Sure enough it was the entire set of discs for our chosen curriculum, The Robinson Curriculum! Best of all was the price, a mere $15! I said a silent Thank You to the Lord, and promptly went and paid for it. I do have to buy the upgrade disc at a cost of $20, but it is still an enormous savings. Our God is so faithful to provide!

Eating Snow

Ryan remembers our "big" snowstorm of two years ago, and every year he thinks we're going to get that much snow again. Unfortunately, we rarely get more than a dusting. We woke up this morning to just such a dusting, and it got all of us excited. We hopped in the van and tried to find someplace where they got more snow than we did, but we didn't really have much luck. While we were driving though, it started coming down pretty thick, so I pulled the van over at Trojan Park and let the kids get out and play. They were freezing but had a blast. Ryan kept trying to catch a flake on his tongue and wanted Abby to try too. I don't think either one of them succeeded. As we got back in the van to go home, we talked about how great God is and how wonderful it is that He created snow!

Dinner and a Hockey Game

Daddy had a vendor dinner on Saturday and afterward got to go to a Portland Winterhawks game. The sales rep was bringing his wife and two kids, so Ed asked if he could bring his too, and the rep said yes. So we all had a free dinner and a hockey game. We each also got a free hockey puck, and Daddy won the doorprize and got a Winterhawks jersey too (actually, I won it but I wasn't in the meeting at the time). Ryan was grumpy for some reason, but he did end up having a good time. The free cookies helped a bit!

Nonna's Birthday

Nonna's birthday was last month, so last Sunday we went to visit her. We went out to lunch and then to a nearby park. The kids loved the covered bridge, and they ran back and forth and back and forth over the wooden bridge.

Daddy and Ryan walked in the rain along a short trail, but since it was raining, we had to leave, much to Ryan's dismay. After the park we went to Dairy Queen for some dessert. That's always a hit with the kids, and the adults enjoyed it too!