OMSI & Einstein...

We trotted off to OMSI the other day, and besides it being pleasantly quiet there was an excellent exhibition on Einstein. We spent hours in the science labs, had a hilarious virtual roller coaster ride, before heading home four (!!) hours later...
Note: the blurry photo above is of the boys jumping in front of an interactive gravity wall. It was pretty cool.

One cool convertible...

Turtle has been saving and saving and finally last Saturday had enough "cash-bucks" stuffed away to purchase this nifty little number. Pretty impressive what you can do with Lego these days.....

How to keep cool...

Last week things got increasingly hot. So early one morning we took a walk up to Washington Park. We wandered through the trees and dappled sunlight, and came across...

...jet sprinklers! Excellent - the boys tore their shirts off and tore through the sprinklers, getting thoroughly soaked in the process.

We then strolled home, and just as we reached the edge of the park Turtle's paparazzi radar when off, and once again we had half a dozen shots of his hand.

Sewing camp 101...

The boys finished sewing camp today and the end results are:
- one extra-long floral pillow case
- two small cushions (one with decorative stitching, the other with a face)
- two floral place mats, with decoratively stitched fabric strap
- a selection of 'pocket' bags of varying sizes
- a selection of decoratively stitched fabric strips (see 'martial arts style' lion below).

The boys chose all the fabrics and threads, and both are quite chuffed with their 'sewing bounty'. When last asked, they both rated sewing 101 higher than last weeks computer gaming course!?!

Cable car No. 16...

Turtle's latest drawing - a very detailed cable car, complete with route map.

A tale of two boys...

One who gets so wrapped in what he's doing it can be hard to get his attention...

...and the other who refuses point-blank to have his photo taken.

Summer berries...

Summer has finally arrived in Portland. Mid to high 20s each day, warm balmy evenings - pure bliss! On Saturday we headed out to Portland's perfect little bit of 'rural' Sauvie Island and went berry picking. It was great fun, and we returned home with enough berries to feed an army. So it's been smoothies, fruit ice cream, & fruit-with-every-meal. I'm even considering making jam!?!

An afternoon stroll...

...with two rambunctious ten-year olds. First up Turtle informed me there was to be "no photos" and accused me of paparazzi tactics. As the first image shows, he clearly has the makings of a professional bodyguard. We proceeded to wander through the immaculately groomed streets of our 'hood, before...

...entering the park. What is it with boys and the need to seek out ledges? Before long we were "off road" and into...

...the depths of the park. I love that in under five minutes walk from our apartment, we can be surrounded by trees. We proceeded to stroll amongst the "skeenary", and concocted a ridiculous story about dogs taking over the world. And as we left... 

...I made a last-ditch attempt to get photographs but failed miserably. Clearly I wouldn't cut-it as a pap, and my children are developing camera avoiding skills which will prove handy should they become pop-stars, or fugitives.

Pecos Bill...

The boys and I have started reading Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of all time. It's a rip-roaring tale full of adventure, and the mere fact that Pecos was "raised by coyotes" was enough to stop the boys in their tracks. Could that really happen? Well I suppose anything is possible.... Personally, I drew a parallel between a lack of table-manners and "running wild with the coyotes", but elected to keep that to myself for now. 
The end-of-year class picnic was deemed a "great success" by both boys because "all of the food we took was eaten"!?! Oh and they also had a "heap of fun". And as of 3pm this afternoon it will be full speed ahead into the hols!
Image from Barnes & Noble.

Sunshiny sunshine...

Portland has been basking, and I mean basking, in glorious sun all weekend. And with temperatures well into the 70's to boot! With R off on an adventure, the boys and I made the most of the sun with lots of walks, meals al fresco, and general lazing about in the sunshine. Of course plenty of drawings were produced, and we spent this evening sorting ourselves out for the week ahead. School finishes on Tuesday, and then it's full speed ahead into the summer hols. Let's hope the sun sticks around.

Mmmmm...

This afternoon we found ourselves at Saint Honoré devouring ridiculously creamy custard filled pastries. Mmmm....

Overnight camp...

The boy's class have their end of year sleep over tonight. The two elementary classes stay on after school ends, play games, make dinner, build a campfire, and then (weather permitting - it's been really wet) sleep in tents in the school field. Turtle was so excited last night he couldn't sleep, and between the two of them they took enough gear to school this morning to last a week! R and I just hope the rain stays away long enough, and that the boys at least get a few hours sleep.
Image from here.

A weekend of...

We've just had a weekend of drawing (lots of), scone making and eating (with jam and cream), library visiting (are 30 books too many?), and sculpey clay cat making (see sculptie the cat above). Very relaxing and pleasant indeed.

Harry S & cell structure...

Turtle has finally finished his Harry S Truman project. Note the "eagle from the official presidential seal" on the right-hand side... As for Mu's Hoover project, well let's just say he appears to have spent longer on it that President Hoover did in office. All is not lost though, he has at least been learning about cell structure and function. Mu that is, not President Hoover.

Fantastic fish...

You've got to love these two crazy boys - especially when you see cute drawings like these. That little rainbow fish is my favourite!

And then you find little notes that say "make Mummy a present", "Remember to get Jess Chambers music from Mummy". Long may they stay so sweet and gentle....

A Friday in May...

The boys had last Friday off school, so we headed out to make the most of the wonderfully summery weather - first stop a picnic in the park, then a game of soccer, followed by a much needed trip to the pool to cool down.

When you're...

...10 going on 13 and trying really hard to be independent and pull away, sometimes you need a little 'something' to snuggle up with at night. So you ask your Mum to get some nice soft fabric and make a little 'cushion' with eyes and you name it Cushie. And just knowing that he's there makes you feel a little braver....

What does this mean...?

To the untrained eye it might mean the bike lane ends, but according to Mu it's an "innovative bicycle crusher"...

Cupfins...

...a cross between a cupcake and a muffin. Or should that be muffcakes....? Either way they've received a rating of 4.2.5 out of 5 from Turtle. Probably helped by the masses of white chocolate chips in them!

New York, New York...

We survived our trip to New York. Our first day was long (with a 4.30am start), and we had a few hassles accessing the apartment we'd hired. But it wasn't long before we were settled in. In the four days we had we managed to pack loads in, and the boys did extremely well with long days on their feet exploring the city. Being able to grab a cab from A to B was a godsend at times. We rode the subway at Turtle's request - a very efficient way of getting about. Museums were visited, we braved the horrendous crowds and took the boys to FAO Schwartz - a true mecca of mass consumerism! And all three NYC Apple Stores were viewed (of course!). Lady Liberty was seen, shopping was done, parks were wandered with obligatory squirrel hunting. Overall we had a great time - a few highlights are listed here.