Sam & Zak Visit the Station

It's been a couple of months since our last visit to Station 10 -- so with freshly made gingersnaps in hand, we headed over to the station to visit Matthew.

The boys had fun checking out the "new" engine. If you haven't heard the story you'll have to ask Matthew -- it's really long, but really good...well, good if you like things catching on fire!

Matthew had a burn earlier in the day -- a training exercise using an abandoned house. Hard work -- but fun for those guys that like to run into burning buildings.

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Sam and Zak hanging out on Engine 10.

Zak's first time "driving".

Sam's an old pro!

Good times!

Zak loved the engine!

Matthew on his burn.

The house -- once they were finished training,
they let it burn to the ground.

It's A Zoo!

Rainy weather is supposed to start next week, so we thought we should take advantage of the sunshine and make a visit to the Oregon Zoo.

After Sam's 4-year check-up this morning (for those who are keeping track -- he weighed 36 pounds and was 42 inches tall) we headed for the zoo.

Sam and Zak -- ready to go!

Sam popping up in the "gopher hole" -- I don't really know
what it's called -- but you get the idea!

Zak watching the lions in the new
Predators of the Serengeti exhibit.

The exhibits windows are so clean and thin that it actually
made me a little nervous -- but you can see that Zak wasn't bothered at all!

Sam watching the cheetahs from the back of a jeep.

Sam playing the drums in the Serengeti exhibit.

Walking in the rain forest.

Sam and Zak on the tractor -- still Sam's favorite thing at the zoo.

A typical ending to many of our trips -- tired boys!

Lil' Drummer Boys

There are still teenagers living at Grandpa and Nana's house -- so they have some pretty fun toys at their house that the boys love. This visit -- the drums were very popular! Grandpa keeps threatening to get the boys drums. Oh, please do not trouble yourself!

While we may not have a "traditional" drum set, the boys are very good at improvising -- almost anything in our house can instantly be transformed into drums. We are already blessed with many opportunities for them to make noise.


Everyone was pretty impressed by Zak's obvious skill at such a young age. It's unfortunate that his Mom is not as interested in nurturing this talent as his Grandpa is!

Weekend at Grandpa & Nana's House

As soon as Sam was out of preschool on Thursday, we headed down to Grandpa and Nana's house for a visit. We had a great time visiting with family, taking walks and going to the park.

We're looking forward to going back for Thanksgiving!

Zak received a fun present -- it didn't take him long before
he could get on and off by himself and go all over the house.

The boys riding together at the park.

Sam learned how to use the rock climbing wall
and he was great!
He went up so fast -- this was the only picture I could get!

Grandpa & Zak.

Great-Grandma Eleanor and the boys.

Zak goofing off with Uncle David.

Fun times with Grandpa & Nana!

Zak was wiped out on the way home!

The First Day of the Last Year of Preschool

Today was Sam's first day of preschool! He is in the Chipmunk class this year and his teacher is Miss Pam. There are only nine kids in his class and half of them were in his class last year.

Sam was full of information when he got in the car. He had a great day -- played with all the fun toys in his room, played outside on the playground, said the pledge of allegiance (he remembered all the words!) and learned some of the rules of his new class.

We went out for a special first day of school lunch -- Sam chose the place -- it was Red Robin, of course! We're looking forward to a great school year!

Ready to head off to preschool!

We had to drag him to his class...not!

Getting ready to go inside.

Sam found his seat and wrote his name on his paper.

Sam and Dad playing tic-tac-toe at Red Robin.

Zak enjoying a french fry!

Our California Adventure -- Day Six

Our last full day in California was spent at Disneyland! We weren't sure how long the kids would make it -- we figured we would head back to the hotel mid-afternoon and then Matthew and Sam could go back for a while longer. The kids did so great that we ended up staying all day -- and no one had a meltdown!

For the most part the lines were pretty short and we were able to go on quite a few rides. Sam's favorite ride was Splash Mountain. He and Matthew went on the Matterhorn twice and he loved it! Zak went on as many rides as he could -- his favorite was Small World.

We were able to stay for the evening parade, so we ate our dinner sitting on the sidewalk while we waited for the parade to start. It was great. I don't think Sam had ever seen a parade before and now he is a fan. All the characters and dancers were right in front of us and they asked Sam if he wanted to come out and dance with them -- and he did! I'm not sure who taught him how to dance with such abandon -- certainly not his Mom! He also did the Conga Line and then got to bang on a drum.

It was a long day -- but so much fun. We can't wait to take the boys back when they are older.

Here are a few snapshots from our fun day:

The traditional family shot -- just inside the gates.

The characters were all out when we got there -- Pluto was our first stop.

Matthew and Sam checked out the fire truck in Mickey's Toon Town.

Sam and Zak went on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride -- Sam was not a fan.

Zak's first carousel ride -- he loved it!

Hanging out on Main Street USA.

Zak loved Small World -- we went on it twice.

Mom and Sam on the Teacups -- we went really fast --
Sam couldn't wipe the smile off his face!

Sleepy boy.

Sam is an excellent driver -- this was one of his favorite rides.

Zak taking a little walk before the parade.

Sam was dancing in the streets and having a great time!

Our California Adventure -- Days Four & Five

Next we headed to Santa Barbara to visit Josh, Amanda and the kids. We really had a great time with them. Caleb and Sam played so well together -- Sam said it was his favorite part of our vacation.

We all met for dinner at Aunt Judy's house, which is on the Westmont campus. It was fun to walk around the campus and see the sights, including where the fire swept through last year. Judy also took us on a tour of the gallery -- I've never been that close to a Rembrandt before!

Caleb, Joanna and Sam all stayed in the same room and actually slept -- although there was quite a bit of talking before they finally settled down for the night.

Breakfast was at Cold Spring Tavern -- Josh and Amanda's favorite breakfast place. It was very rustic -- and very good! Next was a visit to The Mission, a walk out on the pier, the view from the Courthouse and the Art Walk in downtown Santa Barbara. Selah and Zak needed their naps, so the Moms stayed home and the Dads and big kids went to the beach for the afternoon. Aunt Judy came for dinner, along with cousins Martha and Daniel, who had just arrived from their road trip from Connecticut.

We had a great time with Matthew's brother and his family. We wished we lived closer!

Monday morning we headed to Anaheim for the final leg of our trip. We stopped at In-n-Out for lunch -- it was Sam's and my first time.

We dropped our bags at our hotel and headed for Downtown Disney for dinner and window shopping. It was early to bed -- we had a big day planned!

Caleb, Joanna and Sam at Cold Spring Tavern.

Big kids at the beach in Santa Barbara.

Zak, Joanna, Sam, Caleb & Selah


Sam chowing down at In-n-Out!
They gave him stickers when he ordered and he was
covered in them by the time he arrived at our table.

The giant fish tank at the Rainforest Cafe.