End of Summer '13 - Early Spring '14

Lots to catch up on - about 3/4 of a year's worth! That just shows how busy we've been....
Last summer we went to Chicago for a month.  There, we celebrated TLM's 5 year old birthday, went on lots of fun trips, and spent quality time with lots of family.  The most exciting part of the trip was Aunt Hillary and Uncle David's wedding!! The girls were thrilled to be flower girls.  The trip culminated in Rosh Hashana.  We headed home, started school, then had break for Yom Kippur and Sukkos.  Shortly after Sukkos, MNM turned 2. We have enjoyed many visits from family throughout the year. Grandma and Zaidy joined us for Chanukah, and a short while later we had the opportunity to celebrate Saba and Savta's anniversary with them.
Although we did not experience the polar vortex this winter, it did snow twice and lasted each time for about 24 hours. The girls frolicked in the snow and enjoyed all the benefits of a snow day (hot cocoa included).
Over winter break, we headed down to the Oregon coast and enjoyed the beaches, despite the cold, finding sand dollars, making sand castles, and flying a kite, in addition to enjoying hotel amenities and the general relaxation of vacation.

In February, we took a short trip to Chicago to visit with family.  The girls thoroughly enjoyed the "real" snow! We returned, celebrated Purim, and this year SCM and TLM chose to be fairy princesses and MNM was a bumblebee.  Immediately after, we began preparing for Pesach.  We had a beautiful Pesach with Saba and Savta.

Onto the pics -and there are a lot this time - enjoy!!!

 Happy 5th birthday, TLM!

Kohls Children's Museum

Botanic Gardens

Mini landmarks made from Organic materials at the Gardens

Butterfly house at Botanic Gardens

White Sox Game

Kids' Zone Activities at the Sox game - all the girls in their new caps courtesy Uncle Stu-Stu

SCM in the batting cage

TLM's up to bat

SCM racing the cardboard baseball figure, and she won!

MNM exhausted and napping

SCM fielding and throwing practice

TLM's turn

Windella Boat ride

The Bean! Have YOU been to the Bean?

Visiting with Grandma Leah and Grandpa LeRoy

Drying off after playing the sprinkler at Saba and Savta's

 Jelly Belly Factory!

Selfie on the Jelly Belly Tour ride

Picking pears in Saba and Savta's backyard

This kid did not want to nap in the pack n play, so she just kept going till she dropped.

Baby chicks at the Museum of Science and Industry

Virtual reality butterflies

 Climbing the walls and enjoying the Toymaker exhibit 

MNM Pulling levers

 

 

Hillary and David's wedding!!!!!!

 

First day of School

 Ari Goldwag Concert - Ari and Moshe Dov doing "Am Echad"

Special Ari Goldwag concert just for school

Erev Sukkos

Our Sukkah

MNM turns 2!!

Loving her little dolly

Aunt Hillary with her neices

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme

Snow Day

Snowballs

Beautiful flower blooming in late Dec despite the snow

Mt. St. Helens!

Trail along Silver Lake

Sunset on the Pacific Ocean

Swingset on the beach

Sandcastles

Let's go fly a kite....

Ecola Park lookout over the Pacific

I can't get enough of those sunsets into the Ocean!!

Hike in Ecola park

SCM organizing our shoes at the hotel

Pacific Ocean as our backdrop for this portrait

 Fort Clatsop - along the Lewis and Clark trail. Possibly the last camp they set up before reaching the Pacific!

Reading together

Putting on a show

 Cooking and Baking for Shabbos

Impromptu Kumzitz on a motzei Shabbos

SCM as an Ima

Playing together

"REAL" snow in Grandma and Zaidy's backyard

EJs

More fun in the snow at Saba and Savta's

 

 Adar dress up days - Clash Day and Crazy Hat Day

 Adar dress up day - "cozy" day (aka Pajama day)

 Adar dress up day - Purim costume day

Actual Purim - 2 fairies and a bumblebee

Plus 2 Krispy Kreme employees

MNM davening "Shema" at the Purim sedua - using the siddur from her Shabbos groups!

 Pre- Pesach Haircuts

Island Crust post Pesach

Dance party!