Family circus

We're back on the plane. It's never quite as exciting going home from a trip as it is going out. But I'm afraid we stayed much longer in Portland, we'd not be welcomed back.  

Our trip to the west coast got extended from a week to 10 days when Eric was asked to stay for business purposes.  The timing couldn't have been better, and the kids and I got to ride his coat tails the last few days as he was treated like a king by Nike (whom his business was with).  We moved from my brother's house to the Nines, the fanciest hotel in Portland. We were treated to complimentary breakfast in the club suite each morning and free dessert and drinks each night. Last night when we got back to the hotel, the maids had come to lay out our slippers, turn down our beds, and Brady asked who turned on the TV which had some mood music and rotating pictures from the hotel.  "I love this channel," he said mesmerized and asked Eric to try to find the station this morning.  So this is all to say that we were precisely the high rolling clientele this hotel has come to expect.

Enjoy the view of the room with a view.

  

Of course, the hotel was fun, but nothing could beat the fun of life at the cousin's house.  Brady doesn't get to see his cousins often, but they make up for lost time when together. The last time we were in Portland, we celebrated Emma's birth and this time, we were able to celebrate her 5th birthday. She is the perfect older cousin, mature beyond her years and nice to everyone. Brady and Jackson adore her and all week Brady could be heard yelling "sister!" (as they pretended to be brother and sister) and Jackson yelling "Emma!" anytime she was out of his sights.

Jackson and Reese were a funny pair.  While Jackson would accost Emma with hugs by the hour, he'd often scoff at Reese when she tried to hold his hand.  They functioned more like a real brother/sister pair.  The type that love each other, but don't always show it.

Leo and Hudson joined the cousin party a few days after we arrived and the family circus was in full swing. We took a family trip to the coast, and while it was rainy and cold when we left Portland, we had amazing weather, amazing views, and an amazing time.

Among other favorite Portland activities were walking to see "da ducks" (Jaxksons favorite request beyond "Emma!"), wading in the creek, visiting and playing in nearby fountains/splash pads (after some cool days, Portland neared record highs), hiking, Chuk E Cheese, the city fair, and making a general disaster of Ada and Brad's house.

We are so thankful for Ada and Brad for hosting us (especially Ada, since she beared the heaviest load and wasn't actually born into this family) and we will be counting down the days until Christmas when two more munchkins will be added to the family circus!