Trying to stay cool...

It has been SO hot in Oregon this week. We are desperately trying to stay cool with no air conditioning. We live on the 3rd floor and in the later afternoon our apt feels like a sauna. We try to get out of the house as much as possible because it feels 10 times better outside then it does inside. Crossing my fingers that the weather is under the 90's this coming week. 

This is going to be a jumbled post of random pictures from our week.

Savannah is 3 1/2 and is full of personality. She is my determined and independent child. She is very adventurous and loves to play. She is also very social and finds a new friend everywhere we go. She likes to tell Tammy Lee what to do and will tell her to go to time out if she does something bad. I have to remind Savannah that I am in charge and she doesn't need to do that. She loves to tell me stories and likes to have my undivided attention. I love hearing about the stories she musters up in that brain of hers. 

She doesn't quite understand the difference between saying she and he. She pretty much calls everyone he's whether its a boy or girl. She also calls grown men little boy's. Her L's sound more like Y's so she pronounces it more like "Yittle boy." The other day we were standing in line at Costco and an older man was smiling at her. She gave him a big smile back and turned to me and said, "Mom, that yittle boy is so nice, he smiled at me." We all got a good laugh.  I am loving watching her grow and learn… she is such a cute girl. 

 Have I mentioned how wonderful our ward is? If we end up moving back her we want to make sure we find a home in this ward. We have met so many wonderful people and done so many fun play dates. We have loved it!

 Isn't my husband handsome!!!? mmm mmm mmm

 We were mentally preparing ourself for an hour of trying every trick in the book to keep two active girls reverent during sacrament. ;)

 Almost every night we go on walks together. We have a little trail right behind our apt complex. Savannah and Tammy Lee have become the cutest friends. I don't know if there is anything better than watching your kids laugh and play together. The other morning I built the girls a fort to play in so I could get some laundry started. They were having so much bringing their toys inside the fort. As they were playing and laughing I heard Savannah say, "Tammy Lee I love you…do you love me?" After a little pause Tammy Lee said, "Yes! I love those moments!

 For Fhe on Monday it was Savannah's turn to pick the treat. She LOVES donuts so of course she picked donuts. Stephen and Savannah went to pick up Krispy Kreme's after our lesson. She brought them home and couldn't wait to show us all what she had got. 

 Behavior Charts work like magic at our house. 

Waking up from a nap can be hard. Sometimes all you need is a good snuggle from your big sis. 

 We enjoy going to the beaverton library each week and always rent some fun books to take home and enjoy.

 Dish duty…. my little helpers! It deff created more of a mess than anything else but they had so much fun washing the dishes. 

Vancouver

A nice friend in our ward invited me and the girls to come hang out on Friday in Vancouver. They have a fake beach with a splash pad and a park. We didn't have any plans so we were happy to join them. I always love letting the kids play together while the moms chat and enjoy each others company. All the kids had so much fun and we were so glad we were able to go.

Tammy Lee is growing so fast. She is almost two and I can hardly believe it. She is SO attached to that blanket and binky she has. I only allow her to have them in her crib so she LOVES taking naps and going to bed at night because she knows she gets to have her blanket and binky. I am going to take her binky away once we get back to Utah and I am dreading it. She will be so devastated. Savannah never took a binky so I am unfamiliar with taking it away. If you have any advice or tips send them my way! ;)

Sand in the City

Last weekend we took the MAX to the city as a family. We went to a place called "Sand in the City." Once a year they bring a ton of sand and people sculpt all kinds of things with the sand. They have a big sand pit for the kids to play in, face painting, games, and yummy food. We had a great time and it was fun to explore Portland a little more.

 They were so excited to ride on a train!

 Voodoo donuts are famous in Oregon. Everyone was

telling us we had to try one before we left. They had them at Sand in the City so we

decided to eat our entire calorie intake for the day on one donut. But it was worth every bite… they 

were amazing!!!

Time is flying by...

They have so many fun indoor and outdoor parks in Beaverton. Last weekend Stephen and I took the girls to eat pizza with an all you can eat area along with a fun playground for the kids. 

The girls loved it and it was nice to eat and enjoy our food while watching the kiddos play.

It was a bit rainy this week in Oregon so we tried to get creative inside. We filled a big bucket of water with toys and this entertained these two for a while. I love hearing them laugh and play together. By the end they were both soaking wet!

 These two give me heart attacks. They like to climb everything. 

Tammy Lee wants to do everything

Savannah is doing.

We had a great week! We only have 3 more weeks in Oregon. This summer has flown by SO fast. It will be fun to be back home, see family/friends, and get our lives back in order but we will miss all these fun adventures. 

A week in our life...

It has been a nice and fun week. We tend to get out of the house a lot in the summertime. It keeps me sane and I think it keeps the girls sane as well. We brought very few toys while we have been traveling and I enjoy exploring and trying new places with my little side kicks. 

This is our typical week day schedule:

The girls wake Stephen and I up around 7:00, Stephen leaves to work by 8:00, I get my self and the girls ready, we eat breakfast and are off by 9:00. Some mornings we go grocery shopping, other mornings we go to the park, and sometimes we go to different museums. 

We get home around 11:00 and we eat lunch and have nap time.

 During the later afternoon we sometimes take a walk, sometimes we schedule a play date, and other times we go swimming. 

Around 4:00 we come back home and wind down a bit. The girls usually pick a fun craft or color. Around 5:30 I get dinner started and they get to watch a t.v show. While they are distracted I cook and then Stephen gets home around 6:30. 

We eat dinner, clean up, give the girls bath, play, and then bed time is at 7:30.

That is what our days are like.

Tammy Lee is my little snuggler. She loves to be held and cuddled. 

This particular day we made froot loop bracelets. I don't know if they enjoyed making the bracelets or eating the froot loops more. They aren't used to eating sugary cereals and they thought fruit loops were pretty great.

We had a tasty dinner at Ken and Molly's house Sunday evening. This is a pic of the girls enjoying dessert on the back deck.

They had chickens in the back yard. I wish you could hear all the squeals and giggles 

that were coming out of their mouths.

Tammy Lee was more interested in putting stickers on mom 

than she was of putting stickers on the paper. ;)

Savannah has always loved playing in the water since she was little. Tammy Lee is much more cautious when it comes to water. She is not a fan of splash pads bc she hates when water splashes on her face. While Savannnah played... Tammy Lee and I were the side line snackers!

I LOVE coming home from the grocery store and filling our fridge. Is anyone else like this?

I just love having a freshly stoked fridge and pantry.

Swimming fun with my little fish.

We are trying to try out every park in Beaverton before we leave.

Snapped a couple pics of me and my girls. Love them SO much!

Tammy Lee is attempting to do an under dog in this pic. 

It didn't end well in case you were wondering. Poor kid!

Fishtails and Farmer's Market

Something that I love about Oregon is that they have Farmer's Markets in every city. They are a big deal here and they are packed with fresh produce and all kinds of food to eat. We had fun exploring, buying a few things, and playing at the park and splash pad.

I attempted a fish tail braid. It was a little tricky bc I have so many layers that kept popping out but it was fun to try something different than my typical side braid.

Fresh cherries from the farmers market. Heavenly!!!

They had a splash pad near the farmers market and Sav wanted to play in it so badly. We told her to go ahead and run through it with her clothes on but she wasn't to fond of that idea. She eventually gave in and had a blast.

Tammy Lee loves going up and down little slides over and over again. It always takes her a couple minutes to build up the courage to go down a new slide for the first time but once she does she will go over and over again.

The girls have enough figurines to last them a life time.