Strawberry picking

It was SUPPOSED to be sunny this weekend so we took the kids to pick some strawberries. Turned out to be cloudy, but at least there wasn't rain. (The first picture is very deceiving, looks sunny...it wasn't). Ella had a blast, even though the ripe strawberries were scarce due to our awesome weather.

Pulling the wagon. This was by far her favorite part.

She was too slow. We opted for a ride instead.

And these are our sad lonely strawberries. It hasn't been sunny enough this year turns out. The ripe ones were few and far between. They pretty much all went moldy the next day. Oh well, it was fun!

And Carter WAS there. He pictures like a true Jensen boy and so this is the only picture I got with his eyes open. =/

On our way home we decided to stop for some really awesome barbecue we found. It was tasty. Our little carnivore thought so! And Carter is following closely in her footsteps, he was also a fan.

Rose Parade

Finally had a sunny day. It was 82 degrees, so our friends Carrie and Jimmy came down from Seattle with their cute baby to visit. We went to the Portland Rose Parade. It was a fun, warm day!

Ella and Jimmy watching the game. Thanks for coming during the game Jimmy! Sweet Declan. He really is the sweetest baby. Love this boy.

Watching the parade.

And this is an awesome picture. Carrie stopped to feed Declan (sorry for the nursing picture Carrie) and had to sit on a bench next to a sleeping bum to do it. The skateboard next to Jimmy belonged to some other bum like kid too. Keeping Portland Weird. =)

And this is Brady's solution to not having a trash can when changing a stinky diaper. Haha.

Row, row, row your boat..

Why do we buy our kids toys?

The Sunny Day

Since it was finally sunny yesterday (not today of course) we decided to go over to the Rose Parade. They had a local smoke and BBQ competition so we got to sample BBQ from a ton of different places. Brady and Ella were in heaven. I am happy to report to you all that Ella says she is now a carnivore again. This did it apparently! We found a local BBQ place that is awesome, called Slabtown Ribs and Barbecue, so we are planning a visit there soon!

Ella in front of her favorite. She needed seconds of this one!

More sampling.

Ella got her face painted and loved it. She had a pink butterfly. She did want the one on her whole face but I thought she might hate it after the fact (and I'm cheap) but she indeed LOVED the one she got.

After her face painting.

Probably my favorite picture as of lately. Look at the 'tude she is giving me.

And my cute little non sleeping man.

She went fishing with Alaska Airlines and got a rose that lights up. She was in heaven.

And this is Carter beating her with her rose. Nice.

This place really is pretty when it's sunny. Now if it could only stop raining for a bit longer.

Cheese Slicing

Well, for Memorial Day we decided to take a trip to the Tillamook Factory. They said they were open and so we thought it would be a fun opportunity to go. So, we took the beautiful 1 1/2 hour trek...

Ella was SUPER excited to see how they make cheese, being that it's one of her favorite foods.

Yes, there are about 3 people working. They drew the short straws. Apparently they were open, but the packaging team had the day off. We just looked at a whole bunch of equipment. I was so irritated.

Ella was fine. There were samples. =)

And there was ice cream...really good ice cream!

Carter was also a fan.

And yes, that is my finger. We got a whole bunch of really good cheese that you can't buy anywhere else. We head to Fred Meyer on our way out (was not paying $4 for Ritz crackers to go with it). We got in the car afterward to head to the coast. Rainy and cold, but a beach nonetheless, only 10 min away. Ella asks for some squeaky cheese to sample. So, I try to use my teeth to open the package. I couldn't do it, so I remember a small cheese knife we had bought. I use the knife to open the package and you guessed it, sliced my finger instead. Three times, in three directions, and in three places. It gushed, so I tell Brady to pull over (on a bridge, haha). He turns around as soon as he can and heads back to Fred Meyer. I grab a bib and put pressure on it to stop the bleeding and he runs in. Needless to say, we didn't go to the coast. We headed home and Brady put me back together. Now my hand looks like this (you do NOT want to see what is underneath) and Carter thinks it's the coolest thing to grab on to. To top the night off, we drive through the rain, to get home and realize it was sunny and we left. Hasn't been sunny in a LONG time! Worst cheese tour EVER!!! However, it is very yummy cheese. =)

Seattle trip

Well, we were in Seattle again two weekends ago for babies. =) Here is Maren, just after her blessing!

Saturday, we went to an indoor pool (dang the rain!) Here is Patrick after his first trip down the slide. Silly boy.

Ella, watching her dad and Sean "try" to rope swing. Sorry guys, it wasn't too successful with that low rope!

Carter enjoying his tossing.

The kids in their new cute 4th of July outfits Nana made them. (And Nana, I can never get it off of her!) I love this picture because it looks like they are carrying on very important conversations over their snack.

And we of course had to see our friends Carrie and Jimmy's little Declan. He is the sweetest little thing!