A Long Memorial Day...

So I am sitting on Maria's couch pouting that I have to leave Portland in 6 hours...We had such a fun time exploring all of our old haunts and trying out new places as well...I won't spend a whole post writing about it all but I will post some of the many, many pictures that we took while here! Gary & Maria were great hosts as always and we thank them for letting us crash their casa!

On a note about Chase - we have officially started SCOOTING! It is more of a face plant than a scoot, but it is the cutest thing ever. I will get a video up when I get home but there are a couple of pictures in the mix of him on all fours. While being utterly adorable I am slightly afraid - the house must be baby proofed ASAP! xoxo

Chase was a trooper...up way past his bedtime by the time we arrived.

Still happy the morning after we arrive.

Getting ready to move. Love this face. On all fours!

The boys stroll to the Farmer's Market...they fit right in.

Chase is in awe of all of the natural pretties.

The Saturday Farmer's Market is killer - we got all of our dinner ingredients there and had an amazingly fresh meal that night. Maria bargains for her bread.

Family pic with Gary & Maria

Chase loved hanging outside.

And looking at these trees.

Chase came all the way to Portland for his first shopping cart ride.Memorial Day BBQ a day early.

Mike is very excited for BBQ sausages.

I miss this girl so much.

Laura, meet Chase. Laura is five months pregnant. Really.

Wine Country. Why did Mike leave the wine business again? :)

Play time at Argyle Winery. Yes, we brought Chase wine tasting. No, Chase was not the only infant at the wineries. This is Oregon after all.

I hadn't thought about the fact that Chase has not experienced real grass yet (our grass in our yard is f-a-k-e). He was not so sure if he liked it. Funny thing, I hated it as a kid too. We will stick to the fake stuff.

Hanging out at Laura's. I wish you could see the awesome boot planter behind him. He was in awe of the "country."

Chase got to meet Phyllis for the first time too.

Screen Door. Amazing.

PDX Here We Come!

We just landed in Portland, OR - Chase's first trip on a plane and he did a fantastic job! We took an evening flight so he would be tired, stuck a bottle in his mouth on the way up (not one tear) and he passed right out. On the way down, I was a little delayed on the bottle making (had to finish my article on why Kate from Jon & Kate Plus 8 is such a "monster mom") so we had a couple of wails when the air pressure got to him. After his bottle was in his mouth again the crying subsided and there were no more tears. Chase got compliments from the stewardess' and passengers alike - way to go Chase!

I'm hoping we see crawling while here in Oregon - yesterday he was full on getting himself up on his knees and rocking...just waiting for him to realize he can move those little legs to get where he wants to go!

I'll get pictures online soon of our trip - we are staying with Gary & Maria......I'm hoping that having Chase here for a week doesn't change their minds about getting pregnant soon!

Follow Up To Nic's Birthday Shopping Spree

I wanted to post a few pics of Nic's birthday, and our first night out to a club in a long, long, time...I have to say, we had so much fun, but after waking up with Chase the next morning, it will be a long, long, time before we go out again! Thanks to Aunt Sal and Uncle Bruce for taking care of the little guy and letting us crash at the house! xoxo

Look at Mike's face before we head out....

And now look at Chase's face...can we say mini me?!

It has been way too long since the three of us went out...with makeup on :)

The always fabulous Lauren...

A Visit To The Park

For those of you who grew up in Las Vegas, you may have gone to one of our local McDonald's as a kid...the kind that had a play gym and balls, and maybe even a train (think Mickey D's on Maryland). I have fond memories of play dates at these parks and I think that as a kid I probably thought that they were way cooler than they really were. Funny how things seem so magical and bigger than life when you are five.

Fast forward to 2009 and not only do I not plan on taking poor Chase to experience the joy that is a filler based hamburger Happy Meal but I am not even sure they still have the play gyms. But, in an effort to capture some of those enchanted memories for Chase, we are discovering that there are still places in Las Vegas that provide entertainment for kids (who would have known) and one such place is at the Town Square water park. Funny how before Chase I past right past this place not even realizing it was there, but a couple of weeks ago we went for a playdate and amazingly enough there was an entire activitiy center full of exciting things to play on some day soon, not to mention the way cool water feature in the center that allows kids to cool off on these scorching hot days....I don't think Mickey D's can top that!

A Post About Nicole...

For Nic's birthday, all she wanted in the world was a shopping day with me and Monica...well...she got us and the kids! We had a 9 hour marathon shopping day searching for THE Birthday outfit for Nicole's big fabulous BDay at the Palms...we had a great day, but alas, did not find the one :(.

Hey mom, how long is this going to take?Sofia had a blast...true shopper just like Aunt Nicole! We thought we were done after a long day...but we still had Barney's to hit!

Derby Days

In an effort to get in the spirit of the Kentucky Derby, Mike wanted to throw an old fashioned BBQ complete with Mint Juleps - It was a beautiful day and I wish I would have taken more pictures! Below is what I have...

Chase was worried that his picks for the races were not right...Mike on his grill...

Chase seems pleased with his picks...

Ready for bed after a long day!