Oregon Trip Pictures (1st 3 days)

At the airport. I am just impressed that in the last couple years the kids are very good at navigating airports and train stations with a backpack and a suitcase pulling behind them. It's a good skill to have but also shows that they get to travel quite a bit.

We arrived in before Hotel check-in so we first went and had lunch at a place called shut up and eat. It was very tasty. We went to the hotel after buying groceries and they weren't ready, as we were still early. So we went and had ice cream at a place called 50 Licks.

After resting for a bit at the hotel, we went over to the Science Museum. Daddy had not been able to join us there since our very first trip and this time we were also going to tour the submarine there. So that was something new on our visit there. We have been to this science museum three times.

For dinner on our first night we went to Old Town Pizzeria, which is the haunted Pizzeria we went to last time we were here. It was one of the things the kids really wanted to do as a repeat thing. The next morning I took the kids to the Oregon Zoo. Isabel is larger than a sun bear.

The other thing the kids wanted to repeat was going to the IRA Keller fountain which is a multi-level series of waterfalls and pools that everyone plays in. When we were here last time, 2 years ago, we went there twice. I think we will probably end up back here a second time this visit as well. It's free, it's close, and they love it.

Monday evening we join dad's boss and her husband and two kids that are the same age as Isabel at a pool hand water park that is near their house. Their kids do swim team in the summer and Isabel was having a good time racing with them. We ate at the food carts that we're just down the road from this place. Food carts are a big thing in Portland.

Tuesday was what I called nature day. We first went to the Vista house which kicks off a h

Tour through the Columbia River Gorge. There is a whole bunch of waterfalls and valleys and Dells that you can go check out. We only went to Vista house which has amazing views from the top. Then we went to two waterfalls

This is LaTourell waterfall. It is a waterfall we visited two years ago and wanted to take the kids back again. You can get right down into the waterfall. Last time we were right by it but there is a lot more water this time and so I wouldn't let them get too close because it was blowing really hard and fast. But they did get down into the creek a little further down to play. Just can't keep these kids out of water.

This is the kids at the top of multonomah Falls. Molton Oma Falls is a huge tourist attraction. It is considered the second tallest year-long running waterfall in the United States. It is a two and a half mile hike round trip to go to the top and back. We did this hike three years ago and by we I mean Henry and I made it to the top Isabel and Andy only got half way. She was a bit scared at that point to go any higher so she didn't but this time she was bound and determined to make it to the top. I didn't tell them though that the top isn't very exciting and all of the amazing views are actually from the bottom. But at the top there is a stream that they played in for quite a bit and got their shorts all muddy.

 And here is a picture of the 3 of us from the bottom. Trying to get a picture of the entire waterfall and the bridge in it.

 This was Isabel treat at the end of The Falls. This cookie is as big as her face.

 On Tuesday night we went to the international test Rose Garden. I let her use a camera and she probably took over a hundred pictures of roses until I finally took it away. She was also having her brother pose and take pictures of him. I have yet to look at them.

Isabel with her daddy at the international test Rose Garden. He wasn't so sure about my pic for an evening activity but once we got there and he saw how many roses there are and the Beautiful grounds I think he changed his mind. It was a bit frustrating trying to get there during rush hour time butt once we got there we had a very nice and relaxing time. Then we took the kids to the playground in that Park area to play at and finally took them to the Oregon Holocaust Memorial. We gave them a bit of a history lesson and read everything there and after we were all thoroughly depressed from all of it we decided we had to go have ice cream at Salt and Straw.

It took awhile for these photos to upload so not sure if I will have time 22 Henry's blog post this morning before we leave. I do not have my laptop along with me so it is just easier to voice all of the words but sometimes it has a hard time understanding me so hopefully everything makes sense.

Community Pool

Isabel with a couple of friends, that are sisters, to come to the community pool with us yesterday. The one with the purple goggles is her friend Hannah who came 2 Eagle Bluff camp with her and also the swim team with her. But Hannah doesn't do swim team during the summer like his abilities. Isabel does swim team year round.

Minnesota Achievement Championship

Isabel had a fantastic swim meet on Sunday. She got 2 B times, actually one was a B+ time and a C+ time, missing a B time by .98 seconds on her 50 Fly. Her B+ time was in the 50 Back and she got 1st place overall. Her 100 Free was the other B time and she got 5th or 6th overall for it. She got 3 ribbons, 1st, 5th and 6th overall. She did get 1st place in all her heats, but there was 3 heats for each race with 20 kids in each race.

This meet was for those with a C time or slower, which is what she had. This is the first time she had achieved B times. No A or B times could enter the meet. Her B times qualify her to be in the next Championship meet that is this weekend, but of course those events are all on the day we leave for Portland so she can't. It still qualifies her for that same Championship meet in March, so we will get that on our calendar.

More Camp Pics

They didn't have everything uploaded before I was going to bed so here are some more pictures from yesterday when she did the ropes course and zip line as well as the pioneer living class.

First 2 Days of Camp

Isabel is currently at camp for 4 days, this is day 2. She went to this same camp last year and loved it. They use the Yapp App to give us a few pictures every day so we know they are alive and busy. So, these are the ones Isabel was in the first 2 days.

Cabin time

Golf

Isabel is taking golf lessons this summer. At least for 4 wks in June. It's 4 wk sessions and she would not be able to do a wk in July so I wanted to make sure she enjoys it before we pay for 4 sessions again, but only go to three.

She is just on the practice putting green. Her lessons overlaps with Henry's soccer, so I just get to watch her for a bit before I need to run him across town for his stuff. I am totally a mom taxi this summer, but wouldn't have it any other way.

4th Grade Spring Concert Videos

Indian Chant on Recorders




One Call Away 





Thula Klizeo





Home





They also sang The Star Spangled Banner with the 5th graders, but they were on the sides and everyone stood, so it wasn't possible to record that one.

As a note, in 5th grade they can start band in November. I don't know any more than that about it, so I will have to inquire.

4th Grade Spring Concert Pictures

At home before the concert, showing off how pretty she is in a dress that grandma M made her.

They do an Art Showcase as well and the art teacher picks a piece of art from each child during the year she wants to be in the end of the year showcase. Isabel's is from November and her pastels pieces has Chicago in the background, as we had just come back from out trip there.

The whole 4th grade.....there is about 75 in her class, just a few under that maybe.

Her class section, she is in the 2nd row from the top. One of the taller ones in her class.

With her good friend Sav (short for Savannah) .

OLYMPIAN was the elementary school theme for the year.

Talent Show: Ballet - "If Only" (& Teacher's Act)

There is a talent show at school every year in which all of the elementary school gets to watch, but only grades 3-6 can try out to perform. Yes, they do have to try-out and kids do get cut, which Isabel felt so bad for some friends that were cut. Anyways, this is the ballet that she did in the fall dance session with her friends Lydia and Jillian. They were the only 3 from our school that was in the group. They spent the last month working on figuring out how to end & when to end, since it could only be 2 minutes long and this was originally about 3 1/2 minutes long. Plus there was a section that they did different things when they did the dance and they had to figure out what to do instead and agree. So, below you can now see it because I didn't tape her dances from the fall since I had forgotten my camera and only had my phone.




And then there was the Teacher's Act at the talent show. There were 15 acts total including an act by the Student Council and a Teacher's Act by just some of the teachers.

Phy Ed Team Tumbling Routine - 1st place!

In phy ed class they did tumbling routines. They have been working for about 2 weeks on them. Isabel was gone on our winter vacation for the first half of them planning and practicing. The kids had to make up their own routines and work together as group, nothing was planned for them.

They first had to win their class (6 groups) and then the top from each class had to perform again to compete against their whole grade to win one of the top 3 spots.

Isabel's group won their class and also happened to have the best score out of all the groups in the grade, so it wasn't really a surprise that they ended up winning first place.

Sorry, for the poor quality picture on this one. Apparently I was walking & trying the take the picture, but here she is with the other 3 members of her group waiting to hear the places.




And there you have the routine. This is the first time through. I taped the second time through on my new phone and it is not exactly uploading properly. Although they didn't really make any changes to their routine. They had a good one, why tweak it and potentially screw things up.

Isabel's teacher putting her medal on her. Then the phy ed teacher promptly asked for them back. LOL! She just had them for the pictures and needed them for the 5th & 6th grade routines (so she will get to do this again in the upcoming 2 years). She did say she will have something for them on Tuesday (no school on Monday) that they get to keep.

All 3 places! The 2nd place group did a nice job and have 2 gymnastic class girls & 2 dancers (one is a dancer & gymnastics) in the group. The 3rd place group actually didn't have any dancer/gymnastics kids in it and they did a really good job of picking out a variety of tumbling tricks and poses. In Isabel's group she does have a girl who is on a gymnastics team, but as well as she performed (which was great) the other girls still had to do very well together because this was a team rout5ine. I guess 5 years of gymnastics for Isabel may have been slightly helpful, although seriously her cartwheels and round-offs and backbends are just things she just does around the house or when we are trying to walk across a park. I am not kidding, she will cartwheel across a park.

Isabel's Tumbling Team

Isabel with her 4th grade teacher. I think she was pretty proud that the top team from her class took first place over the 4th grade.

Ok - got the 2nd run through of the routine to upload, so you can see it. There are just a couple things that are different that they added in, but it is the routine that got them their 1st place of the 4th graders.



Even though, Isabel did a good job on her routine and her team won first place, what I am most proud of her for is what a good sport she is and kind person. She was so excited for all her classmates and after many of their routines told them how awesome it was and parts that she thought were really neat. She was very positive towards others and not at all self-absorbed. She is just a nice friend and it makes me happy to see that she is encouraging of others

Surf Lessons!

The kids took Surf Lessons through Hermosa Riders.They loved it and want to surf again. The videos were taken during the 1st hour of their 2 hour lesson, so they did get better. Gonna take some practice though and afraid they won't get that in MN.

Swim Team Pictures

The first 2 pictures are just of her on the blocks at team practice. The last 2 are of her at a team swim meet. The ones at the meet were taken by a swim-mom friend whose daughter is also in the group of 4 picture. The 4 of them were in a freestyle relay together.

They actually did have a whole group (mostly) team picture and individual pictures done at their holiday party for swim team. A professional photographer took those, so that takes a while to get the images back.

4th Grade - Class Pictures

Isabel & her friend Koda wanted to plan a surprise for their teacher's birthday (in Februrary) and are giving her a framed picture of the class. Some crazy kids in here :) These are all of them I took. We were able to get these pictures because I also volunteer in her phy. ed class once a week in addition to the 2x a week I go in her classroom. Phy Ed is the only volunteer time that I actually get to be by
 her since I am basically just there playing with all the kids, but my other volunteer times I have students to work with that need additional help, which is not Isabel at all.

Anyways, I think the picture I am having made for the teacher is one second from the bottom. Her friend bought the frame already and some time after our trip the 2 are going to get together at our house and made a big card for all the kids to sign. I did order a copy of the picture for Isabel to hand out to all her classmates as well, as a surprise.

Crash Bandit......

4th Grade Christmas Concert Song Videos

"Celebrate the Season"



"Silent Night"
She has a speaking role in the beginning, then they sing the first verse in German and then English for the 2nd verse.



" 'Gonna Catch That Santa"
Santa appears at the end



"One Candle"
It takes a while for them to start lighting "candles" (aka flashlights) so it is dark in the beginning. This is the one she does sign language in.

4th grade Christmas Concert Pictures

FB had pictures from my phone, these are pictures from my camera.