"Outings"

I feel a bit like Mary Poppins or something. I love to take the children on "outings." For some reason it just hit me that's what's going on. I love outings to the park, train stuff, airplane stuff, any kind of museum, cultural events, music, races, etc. I especially like them when they're free! I have never been one to just be happy sitting at home, but now that I have a cute little Cohen who is like a sponge and his adorable little brother too, I just have to get out of the house and teach him a thing or two. I love to teach Cohen how things around us work and function. It's amazing how excited he gets about things. One aspect from one outing can turn into pretend games for a week, or checking books out about it at the library, or at least multiple conversations with me about our outing.

I really want to start some kind of low-key preschool or learning program with Cohen. We would both benefit; I feel like I've already got a good start because I'm always making sure he's learning something.... even if it's not working on letters or numbers. (Trust me we need to work on letters and numbers too.)



So here are some outings we've been on lately.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

This squirrel wanted to eat our lunch. He was not shy in the slightest.
Just beautiful. I posted about this place last year too. I just can't get over how wonderful it is.

Cohen in mid jump. He is a very active child to say the least. Everyone who sees him now, whether I know them or not, tells me this.

Parker comes on our outings too, usually like this.

This time we had Bridger, Aspen, Kaleb, and Cohen. I love the moms, Sabrina and Amber.

There was a big grassy area where geese and there goslings were doing there thing. It was so cute, and everyone wanted to go up to them and feed them. Then... the mommy geese thought we were out to kill her kids. Then the mommies of our kids (including me) freaked out a bit as the honking, hissing, and snapping geese chased our small children. Ok, don't feed baby geese, don't even get kind of close.

National Train Day at the Union Station

They had a clown show that Cohen loved. He mostly liked the circus music and just danced like he does, back and forth, until I told him we had to go. He would have kept going forever!

This is some famous steam locomotive. It blew it's whistle while we were really close like this.... it was VERY loud. Mind you, I live right next to a freight train. We didn't tour this train because the line was so long, but we got to go on lots of other passenger cars. It was good for Cohen to see what they were like.

I think this is some kind of fix-it train vehicle. They had it out for kids to play on. Cohen got a turn too, but I couldn't snap a good picture.

Troutdale Rail Depot Museum

We have been here before, but this time we took our great friends, Sabrina, Kaleb, and Avery.