Uncle Greg's eyes! What a sweet picture of the two of them.Wednesday we took a train ride that started in the Columbia river gorge and went up toward Mt. Hood through all the orchards. We looked out the window some, but spent more time enjoying each other's company. We thought the kids would love riding on a train. John was having so much fun with his cousins, I'm not sure he noticed. Eve kept asking "ride train?" I think the train was so big she didn't realize she was actually on a train. Never the less, it was a lot of fun. We had an absolutely FREEZING picnic at the turnaround point (not just by my standards...they ran out of hot chocolate on the train!), and headed home to the station.
A special treat for me on this trip was meeting Grandpa Bucky's sisters Ida (from Argentina) and Zoe (from Connecticut - we met only briefly before). Of course, they were all born in Morocco, but have scattered quite a bit and have been living in their respective places for quite a while. It was fascinating to just sit and listen to them. They have such a soothing sing-song brittish accent, and an amazing life full of amazing stories to tell.
Choo choo! Cristina and John became special buddies during the trip. It was so fun to watch them together and see them become such great friends. John would do anything Cristina asked. I need her to move here!
A particularly sweet picture of Eve with Uncle Rob
I promise Aunt Sue and Uncle Rod had a fun time; although it sure doesn't look like it :) It was great that they were also able to make the trip and we got to spend a good bit of time catching up with them. They were also a wonderful help with the kids.
The train's rumbling kept Ellie asleep pretty much the whole trip...except when Uncle Greg woke her up to play.We drove back to Portland through the Columbia river gorge. Most cars stopped at Multnomah Falls. It's beautiful, but I've seen it, so the camera and I stayed in the car with sleeping Ellie. John and Eve were in another car on the way back (we split the family between a rental car and Michelle's rather than renting a van to save money) so I'm not sure if they were awake to see it or not.
Thursday USA played somebody in the world cup. Clearly I'm a big soccer fan. Seeing as that the Buckinghams were raised on a soccer field, we headed up to Rob and Sharon's house in Longview to watch the game. It was good family time! After the game, we headed back to Portland. Mom and Michelle were gracious enough to take John and Eve back so Buck, Greg, Ellie and I could have a whirlwind tour of downtown. We took a trip through Powell's bookstore (covering an entire city block), and headed to Chinatown. On the way we found the 24 hour church of Elvis...complete with a sun visor (a little ironic for Portland, but we had to show it off). It was rather amusing, but unfortunately we didn't have a quarter for the slot.
We walked through Chinatown, peeped into the "windows" of the Chinese garden (it was already closed), walked along the waterfront some, and headed to "big pink" (a tall pink building with a bar/restaurant on the 20th floor). Our plans were to just get a drink at the bar since it's rather pricey, but Ellie forgot her ID and got kicked out of her first bar...seriously. We got a table to order drinks, but Ellie was upset she couldn't go in the bar, so I walked her around. We peeped over people's tables, and apologized of course, to see the view.Friday began with a special treat. We took the kids to Voodoo doughnuts. There are 2 locations, and we went to the 2nd, not the original, but still yummy fun. They have a huge list of funky flavors and toppings. It was fun because they had a revolving dessert display case to show all the choices. So hard to choose. I think John chose the one with fruit loops on top, and Eve had one with purple sprinkles. She just ate the top. What we didn't realize is that it was VERY grape flavored.
John knows his way around a doughnut. 
I never quite figured out what mine was. It was no Krispy Kreme, but certainly an experience not to be missed. We continued to downtown to ride the MAX, which is the tram in town. Fortunately there's a free zone. Even more exciting, the free zone crosses the river! No pictures, but it was fun. The kids loved it and crashed hard from their sugar high when we got back to Michelle's.
Eve woke up before letting us know and helped herself to some Oreos from the suitcase. Caught red handed. Do you have any idea how hard it is to say no to that face? Or not laugh while taking this picture??? Daddy's so mean!Here are some more pictures from our trip to the beach. Looking back, I figure there are hardly any pictures of Buck and me...ever, but it's just easier for me to add to this post.
One last tickle before he shaved his beard
One last tickle before he shaved his beard
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