PNWER week in Portland, OR

Dad had the PNWER Summit in Portland July 18-23rd, so mom and the kids tagged along to hang out in the city and use the free hotel room. Grandma Mary came too and joined in on the fun. The Ambassador declined the suite reserved for him, so PNWER gave it to us. We stayed at the Hilton in a room with commanding view and more square footage that our house originally had. :) We had a full dining table for 6, bar area, full living/dining areas, two bathrooms and separate king bedroom. We pushed a couch to the end of the bed and created Cole a "special bed" for the week. Grandma slept out in the living room on a huge couch.
Grandma, mom, Cole & Cora took the train down on Monday morning early. We all had breakfast on the train and C&C enjoyed walking all over! The views were fun and the trip went quickly. We then walked the .9 miles to the Hilton and met Natasha who rented us her BOB for the week in Portland.  Mom promptly lost her debit card (left it in an ATM) so there was some scrambling to get cash. We ate lunch and walked all afternoon along the river front park. The weather was gorgeous and the kids enjoyed playing on a dock & boat ramp we found. Cole must have run up and down the ramp upwards of 20 times that hot afternoon! Dinner that evening was a disaster, when we tried a noodle place (on the way to Whole Foods for groceries) and it ended up being way too spicy for the kiddos. Cole fell asleep on the way to the restaurant, and grandma practically had to pry his mouth open to feed him. Cora was screaming throughout the walk there and the dinner. Even the clerk ringing mom up for dinner suggested that I (mom) get "something to drink." Once the kiddos were fed they calmed down and we all stocked up on nourishing necessities for the week and took them back to the hotel.
Tuesday was cool and gray when we woke up. Mom went for a run on the waterfront while everyone else slept in until after 7am.  Grandma, mom, C&C enjoyed a deluxe breakfast  (grandma's treat) in the hotel restaurant. The kiddos ate free at the buffet so it was easy to meet any and all of their requests. After breakfast we all went to the Children's Museum on MAX, the public transportation train in Portland. It was a pretty amazing place. Cole enjoyed the veterinarian and construction play areas, while Cora really liked the water, climbing wall and tree house areas. We all snacked at a mini picnic table, which was fun until Cora bucked backwards onto the concrete floor - Ouch! We ate burgers at Carl's Jr. and then spent the afternoon in the swimming pool back at the hotel. Dinner was room service
Wednesday we went to the Portland Zoo where Cole put his head in a Dinosaurs mouth and we all enjoyed seeing animals in a different setting than we usually do at our home zoo. There was a neat train that went all around the zoo and riding it was a highlight for all of us.

Construction Cole!

The rest of the suite!

Ready to swim!

Cora the rock climber at the Children's Museum

Cole on the zoo train

Zoo Train!

The statutes were a bigger hit than the actual animals. Go figure!

Cole the vet

Cole being brave at the zoo

Our bedroom

Cole riding on a REAL train to Portland

Grandma and Cora on the zoo train

Cole sneaking a snuggle with grandma

Thursday we went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) in the morning. It was free b/c of our membership to the Pacific Science Center. Cole LOVED the trucks, the space capsule you could lay down in, and the science experiment room. Cora loved the Earthquake house that shook and played "I feel the Earth Shake . . . " again, and again, and again. :) Mom enjoyed the cafeteria that actually had healthy, vegan food for the kiddos. Pasta with basil, tomato and garlic was a huge hit along with a vegan smoothie. Thursday night grandma flew off to her high school reunion.

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Cole running down ramp the first day

Our rented stroller at OMSI

Friday mom, C&C all walked to a playground at the end of the green belt in downtown Portland. It was nice and we stopped for Starbucks along the way. Back to the hotel for some frantic packing  and then off to the Oregon coast to meet the Hardenbrooks!

Hike between Ravenna & Cowen parks

Today we all went for a hike starting at Ravenna Park - Ruth, grandma Mary, mom, C&C. It was a hot day, but nice and shady in the ravine. Cole is doing great learning to go potty, and he really enjoyed peeing on many trees along the way.  We played for a bit at the Cowen Park playground and then Kjell & Carmen joined us. Grandma went on a coffee run to recaffeinate mom for the walk back. Lots of exploring in the creek, throwing stones, and looking for wildlife.

Day out with Thomas (and Oliver!)

Hannah, mama, Cole & Oliver all met up at Day Out With Thomas in Snoqualmie today and rode a train led by the famous fictional character. There was time for photos with Thomas, snacks for all, playing with trains on tables, balloon swords, and fake tattoos. An awesome day for all!

Monday with Kjell & Carmen

This morning we went to the aquarium with Kjell & Carmen. Cole showed his cousin all the fish and played a fun game with toy whales. He was having so much fun in the glass bubble on top that he caught the eye of professional photogs who were doing a walk through. We signed a model release and he might end up in an aquarium brochure. Cora laughed at the tropical fish and crawled up on everything that Cole did.

We all walked to Wallingford park this afternoon to enjoy the sun with grandma and Daniel. Cole got in with some Japanese grandparents and their two grandsons who were playing baseball. Then Cole and Daniel rolled down the slope together. Meanwhile Cora & grandma explored the tunnel slide!

Cole riding

Zoo with Sophie

Today Cole, Cora and dad met Glen and Sophie at the zoo. Cole and Sophie spent most of the time playing hide and seek in the bushes and climbing trees.

Cole's quotes at church

Cole seems to like to provide comments or ask questions during the children's sermon at church. On one Sunday after Madeline (grandma and grandpa's dog) died, Pastor Carol was talking about remembering our loved ones who have died. Cole promptly yelled out, "Madeline is in heaven too" to which Pastor Carol had to stop and ask who Madeline was. We had to explain in front of everyone that she was grandma's dog. On another Sunday, after the sermon Cole yelled out, "is God in there?" (pointing to the baptismal fount.) The pastor had to explain in front of everyone that no, God isn't necessarily in there but he everywhere. Another Sunday had the Pastor giving a sermon about disciples and asked the kids, what is another way to describe a disciple? The pastor intern Ryan said, sometimes we refer to them as little children, kind of like you. Cole then yelled out, "no I'm a big boy" to which everyone in the church erupted in laughter. Ryan then had to restate and say, yes we could say the disciples are like children, big girls and boys like you. Cole always seems to be listening and you never know what he will say.