Bridgeport Village // The Portland Zoo

Just a fistful of minutes from our house is this fabulous, California-style, outdoor mall called Bridgeport Village that we have been crushing on lately. The kids and I will spend a few mid-morning hours there a couple times a week. We make good use of the playground, pick up a free balloon+bubbles from the Guest Services kiosk, and hit up the toy store so Kiel can enjoy the train table while I enjoy the A/C and browse. I am waiting for the perfect movie to come along, and then we will also skip Eva's morning nap to take advantage of the morning kiddie movies on Wednesdays. Clean, upscale, friendly, and super close. I like!! 

During the summer, they also host a concert series on Thursday nights. Tonight was the first for the summer, so we packed some pulled-pork sandies, chips, carrots, and homemade smoothies and had family night out.

Forgive the fact that this video is sideways and super brief, but I just LOVE the look of joy on the faces of the handsome men in my life as they listen to the band

...

On Monday, we went to the Portland Zoo with some new friends we met through a co-worker of Matt's. They have a daughter and son roughly the same ages as Kiel and Eva, respectively. Kiel had requests on which animals he wanted to see and we were able to see all of them, and more!

The big goats weren't very camera friendly. Not only were they shy, but they were shedding. Not super attractive. But we were impressed none-the-less. ;)

 

Hippos! These fellas started out in the water in very classic Hippo fashion, just eyes visible above the surface. But soon, they powerfully hauled their two-ton selves to the bank to nosh on leftover hay from breaky. Probably one of my favorite moments of the day.

Cheetahs. Right behind the glass. So rad!

When we lived in BC, we had a membership to the Vancouver Aquarium. I had the extreme privilege of taking my son there for his first birthday, where I also celebrated my first birthday. We now have a membership to the zoo, so perhaps a new tradition will be in order for Eva's first birthday.

Bye for now,

m

Summertime and the Livin's Easy

There is no excuse for my absence other than one teeny, tiny word: summertime. Ah, but it's a refreshing word, isn't it? Come see what we've been up to and how we've celebrated it so far this year.

A few weekends ago, we kicked off this wonderful season (in jackets, no less!) at my Uncle Kevin's home in Ferndale, Washington. We spent time with my family, including my Dad who was in from South Carolina, and Lincoln the Horse (pictured below).

 

Kiel couldn't resist learning how to muck the stalls!

Here's a super short video Matt shot on one of our Saturday strolls through the neighborhood to give you a glimpse of where our apartment complex is located.

And here are some shots inside of our main rooms...

 ...and the guest bath.

 So, do you feel like you've visited? :-)

We've had a few new friend's over, including this lovely lady, Courtney. Eva LOVES her, way more than the camera, so we have a half dozen photos like this one!

 We've also been exploring new parks like crazy...

  ...and taking trips to the coast...

 ...and hitting the pool on a daily basis!

 Isn't summer just the absolute best?

We'll be heading north this weekend for a mini-visit to Canada.  If you are around and want to have a coffee, just let us know! 

Because, c'mon, you know you want to spend some time chillin' with THIS kid.

 

Much love,

The Sarge's