Flying to Neverland

As a birthday gift for myself this year, I bought season tickets to the Broadway Shows at the Hult Center. The musicals that they had on the docket were very exciting! This season they have Finding Neverland, The Lion King, Evita, The Illusionist, and Wicked! The price for season tickets was a really good deal (at least seemed like one to me) and it had something for everyone in the family. The Illusionist is a bonus one that you can add on to the packet for a discounted cost. At first, I was not planning on doing it but I think I may have to. I think Will may enjoy that one the most.

For the first show, I took Colin as my date to Finding Neverland. We both loved it! Colin was a little surprised that Peter Pan was not in it as much but once he understood the premise, he really got into it. We bought the soundtrack to the Original Broadway show and have been listening to it ever since. Meli, who did not get to go to this one, also loves listening to the soundtrack.

I loved getting dressed up and hanging out with Colin. He was a perfect date! Next up is The Lion King!

The actors did such a fantastic job! I was really impressed with the singing and overall production. Their was also an underline sense of humor that went over Colin's head that was a nice addition for the adults without ruining the children's story.


For my fellow Oregonians - definitely worth looking into. Even a bit of a drive is worth it.


                                                     




  ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses
                                                               
         The B Family

We got a Puppy (again)

In July, we started the month with some wonderful visitors from Ohio. The kids were so bummed when our good friends moved to the mid-west. The kids spent a chunk of the summer with their grandma and so we thankfully got to have a sleepover.

Even if the current state of things does not have me feeling very red, white, and blue - we used the holiday to teach the kids about what patriotism means (and what it does not) and how we can act and do our part to represent our country of immigrants.

We also added to the family with an adoption of our second rescue pup, Scout. Will and I went to the pet store for fish food and came out with a puppy. Will noticed that they were having an adoption event, while were there. I warned him about going over, but he insisted. He was smitten with Scout instantly. He reminded him of Sparky the Fire Dog from his military days.

Needless to say, the kids were very surprised. They thought it was so funny how their "anti-dog" dad turned into a dog-lover. We were stuck on a few names: Pippin, Scout, and Sparky. Scout won out with Pippin a very close second. We did a family vote. I was glad to get one of the book references (Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird or Pippin from The Hobbit).

It took Charlie a little bit to get used to Scout, but I think it has been very good for him. More about the adventures of Charlie and Scout to come! At first he was not sure what to think of this hyper little creature.

It stressed him out a little. We did have to up his Prednisone dose for a few weeks. 

I think he was secretly happy for a little brother though. 

Even one that looked an awfully lot like one of his favorite toys.

Until next time...

                                                                         ~ The B Family

Hiatus Over!

Apparently, I needed a little blog break, I cannot believe that my last post was in June! I have had a few people mention missing seeing our family updates, so I thought I would be better at making time for writing. Plus, I miss it.

So, some updates starting with June...

We had some beautiful sunny, lazy days!

We painted...a lot!

I have realized that Meli is my little shadow. I tend to have way more pictures of her because she is constantly around me. Colin is often doing his own thing somewhere else. I am trying to make sure that we both have our time together.

I was able to go on my first field trip with Meli. I have already made it to a few for Colin. It was easier when I was at home. My goal now is to do at least one for each of them a year.

We bought some fish.

 Meli has the neon green/yellow (Globi) and neon purple (Glostar). Colin has the neon blue (Tsunami) and the dalmatian molly (Patches). Will and I had a silver one name Silvara (who sadly passed). Since then we have added two otocinclus to help keep it clean (amazing!) and three snails. One blue mystery, one black mystery, and a red small one with cool designs.

We had a lovely visit from this lovely lady.

I love that she is totally on board and loves to do beer flights with us. This was at Tap & Growler. Awesome food and beer selections. 

We showed her several beer spots. Ninkasi is a favorite of Will's. 

We went on a road trip to The Grotto. I had heard it was a beautiful spot and I thought that Liz would love it.

It was such a sunny and beautiful day!

Then we took Liz to the coast the next day and it was in the high 50's/low 60's. This was Liz's first time and I think it left an impression. She was pretty cold most of the time but such a trooper. I thought it was funny that Meli and I were in t-shirts, Will and Liz were bundled up (east coasters!), and Colin was a mix of the two. 

 Some very brisk water caught Will and his mom off guard. I totally did warn them.

I promise. 

We came home and roasted some marshmallows. 

We ended her visit by taking her to one of our favorite places, Rye. It specializes mixed drinks. They have their menu broken out by pre-prohibition, prohibition, and post-prohibition. I love it!

They have an amazing chocolatier (spelling). So delicious and they pair it with liquor. They do a fantastic job at the pairing. Liz had (I think) an orange cream one paired with scotch. 

More soon!



                                                             ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                                      The B Family

Time Lapse: Mi-Ma's Backyard

Meli was funny with the squirt guns. She mostly just drank out of it.

This past April marked 5 years since we moved back to Oregon. Meli's first time seeing our beautiful state and (in my opinion) finding her home. I think Colin could fit in to either state, but Miss Mae definitely has a PNW (Pacific Northwest) spirit. 

My sweet, sweet boy

Good ol' Facebook provided me with a little walk down memory lane of that first month back home. What a fantastically, sweet time with my kiddos.  I was fortunate to be home with the kids for a few years before going back to work and I am so grateful for that period. I am so glad to be back to work now, but it was perfect timing to have that before school started and to help adjust to a new life.

That first summer, we spent a lot of time outside in MiMa's yard. Sprinklers was Meli's favorite thing. 

As the kids seem to be aging at such a rapid pace, I have been loving the memories from those first few years. We all have adapted to being in a new state. I think Colin took the longest since he had more bonds with East Coast family. Meli was not quite 2.

We also lived a block away from one of the local schools, which was a perfect place to take the kids. The air rocket launcher was an enormous hit!

Meli turned 7 this month, and I feel like it is closing a chapter. More about that in a future post. Mama is being emotional this month!

We Got Our Snow!!

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." - Dr. Seuss

I am glad the kids had a day of snow this season. It would be a bummer not to have at least one snowfall.

The whole family got out to enjoy the beautiful day! We were beginning to think that snow would not happen this year...but it did!!

Colin's first snowman

Snowman #2 that Colin, Mae, Daddy and I worked on

Mae's kitty. If you look closely you can see the ears, eyes, and nose. It also has a tail.

Happy winter!

       Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family