Another fun visit from Nana!

My mom came and visited this last weekend. We are really spoiled. It was her 4th visit since we moved here a year ago. What can I say, she just can't get enough of us. I told her it would just be easier to move up here. But she has Ian to take care of, and work, and blah blah blah. We'll just have to be content with her short weekend visits. Plus, this way she doesn't get completely tired of the circus living in my house. This time we didn't tell the kids she was coming. We just told them we had to pick something up in Portland. They got suspicious when they got to the airport, but Jefferson was so excited to see his Nana. He just kept saying how much he loved her. He told her, "Nana, you coming is like my dream come true!"
Like usual, we crammed as much fun stuff as we could into our days.
First we went to the Portland Zoo. We had a ton of fun. Not so much fun standing around for 20, here me, 20 minutes waiting for Grant. He got in trouble for throwing something and I told him we had to wait until he picked it up. He showed us all how strong-willed he is.
We all agree that this climate is much too hot for a Polar Bear!

Then we fed the birds, a favorite spot for my kids at the zoo.
EVERY time we go to the zoo, the boys ask me if they can go on the train. I always tell them we'll save the train for a BIG day (like Grant getting potty trained or something hopeful like that). I really just don't want to spend $3 a person for tickets. But my mom didn't seem to mind. So, we got on board, the kids were SO excited. The train started and we braced ourselves for what would be the most BORING train ride I have ever experienced! Grant was just stoked to be on a train, he didn't care where it went. Seriously, if you ever go to the Portland Zoo, skip the train! I felt like we were getting a tour of the zoo work areas. We saw work trucks, employee buildings, and best of all... the backside of the elephant exhibit complete with piles of elephant poo! Building after building... we didn't even see much nature. But wait, we did see this beautiful mural on one of the walls that resembled the forest! My complaining could go on, but it doesn't matter because the kids LOVED the ride. My mom watched the kids one night so Shawn and I could go out, so nice! The boys played Don't Eat Pete (our family favorite!) the whole night.
Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market. Last summer we were addicted the the Farmer's Market. When I heard that the Portland farmer's market was already open and that it's bigger, I had to go. We had a blast, nevermind the rain. To say that the Portland Farmer's market is bigger is an understatement. HUGE! Who doesn't love to buy fresh vegetables, get a snack, sit and listen to live music, and do a little dancing?

Then, we went to the park to feed the ducks and take a walk. After the kids were asleep each night, my mom and I worked on a project. We made these adorable bags from this pattern. I think I will use mine for trips to the Farmer's Market, perfect :-) What a fun weekend! And what perfect timing too. Shawn studied ALL weekend for finals. I usually get kind of whiny when he has to study so much, but with my mom here I didn't even realize he was gone. But now my mom is gone, and he's still studying, hmmmm!