Saint Nick...

Hmmm... I can't work out whether Turtle & Mu do still really believe in Father Christmas, or whether they're stringing us along, or whether deep down they know he's not real, but like the idea of believing. I mean what's not to like about someone who pops up every December bearing presents. Given that the boys have worked out that Father C has a hangar full of jumbo jets flown by remote controlled robots, and that the elves no longer make the toys (apparently they're all ordered online!), I'm fairly certain they know he's not real, real. So then I suppose the next question is at what age does "Father C" stop giving gifts? Christmas - fun, festive, and fraught with "issues".

It's beginning to feel like Christmas...

Portland is bedecked in twinkling fairy lights, the Made in Oregon sign is lit, and their is a red light on the deer's nose, Christmas trees are springing up in the parks, and carols are playing non-stop! Now we just need some snow.

A Portland Thanksgiving...

...with a fire truck! The boys and I had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at A and R's last night. There were dogs, people and children everywhere, and all was going swimmingly until the chimney stopped working, and smoke started to fill the house setting the fire alarm off. Well between the smoke, noise, alarm, and so on no one heard the phone ring. So the fire department, not getting a response, opted to send a fire truck with lights flashing. Hugely entertaining for the neighbours and a unique way to get Christmas lights. Obligingly the entire fire crew tumbled out and posed happily for photos. Hilarious!

Weekend adventures...

We had a wonderful weekend filled with fun. Friday the boys tried out the local pool and the "cool" water slide. It was high, long and fast! On Saturday we made our second (and successful) trip to the Pearson Air Museum. The highlight was the virtual flight simulator. Turtle crashed a few planes then proudly landed a Cessna at Portland airport. Mu flew a Wright Brothers plane and a Boeing, plus quite a few in between. In other happenings Turtle painted a money box cow that looks suspiciously like a pig but as far as he's concerned it's definitely a cow. Mu was delighted to finally be able to (after lots of saving) buy himself a new watch, and has "decided" he no longer wants a Palm Treo for Christmas. Apparently a 96 pack of Crayola crayons would be "better"!?!? R is home tomorrow - albeit briefly, but it will be nice to see him, and the weather is such that it is now dark at 4.30pm! Ugh!

Oregon in 3D...

Turtle has been working away on a 3D map of Oregon - well the main mountain ranges in Oregon. And viola! Here it is in glorious techincolour. Other developments this week - in no particular order -
- our new couch arrived - hurrah.
- I skinned all the knuckles on my right hand - ouch.
- R left on Tuesday for a week in China.
- The boys and I travelled to the Pearson Air Museum only to find it was closed.
- In anticipation of a very wet and cold winter I purchased a pair of wellies and a pair of slippers!
- I sliced a quarter of the way through my left thumb and nail with the bread knife. Nasty.
- Mu announced he'd like a Palm Treo for Christmas, and Turtle chimed in and said he'd like some post-it notes!?!
So a bit of a mixed week - who knows what the weekend will bring. We've decided to make a second attempt on the air museum, and I'm avoiding all sharp implements for now.

Cloudy with meatballs...

A busy day shopping then off to the movies with Turtle and Mu. We saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3D. Love those 3D glasses. Lots of fun! I'm still reeling from the size of the 'medium' coke and popcorn. Seriously you could have feed a small family for a year with that amount of popcorn! The boys are back to school tomorrow after a four day weekend, and we are just about starting to count down the days 'til Christmas.

Pumpkin hunting...

We went "pumpkin hunting" on Halloween which was fun. The results of our first ever pumpkin carving are below - not bad for first timers. This afternoon we stomped our way through all the leaves at Hoyt Arboretum. The boys have the day off school tomorrow so we're off to the movies, but the best part is we get to sleep in - hooray!