Babysitting in Portland

We just got back from our babysitting gig in Portland.  It was a wonderful week - had so much fun with the Littles.  My DD was in Alaska on business; DSIL was home but was working, which was perfect. He managed the mornings and most bedtimes - which kept the kids more on their routine, easier to forget mom wasn't there!

 

 Mr M is playing baseball this year - his first team adventure.  Too cute.  It is 'coach pitched' and he and his best friend are the only kindergarteners on the team.  At this age, everyone gets pitched to; everyone gets to run to first.  By the end of the season, outs are made in the field but the last batter still gets to chase everyone home. Dad is an assistant coach, often on 3rd base coaching - the second before I took this picture they were having a "High Five" moment. But this was cute too!

Two more games and enthusiasm is still high - I think that means the coach was good and the whole season was a success! The favorite activity on the field is to kick up the dirt while you are standing there! Both teams! At Tuesday's game we sat by 3rd base - with the wind, I kept my sunglasses on to protect my eyes!! But still felt like I'd been in a dust storm!

The second game we saw; we were smart enough to set up the chairs slightly in the outfield! Ha - what they say about 'old dogs, new tricks' is wrong!! But we piled the Littles in our car to go for Menchies frozen yogurt after the game.  Next time we will brush the boy off before allowing him in our car!!  The back seat on that side was liberally covered with field dust!  Made me smile to see it days later.

We played lots of games there.  HORSE out at the basketball hoops, Miss P still is the up and coming champion - making Papa work for his wins!  She asked him about why he won so much ... he explained her time is coming.  She'll be beating him soon and then she'll be winning all the time for the rest of their games!  When that happened at the neighborhood picnic's epic "Dads against kids" volleyball game.  Well, suddenly, the dads weren't interested in playing!!  I don't think Papa will get away with that with Miss P!

There's a ping pong table in the garage now, M and I spent the time after kindergarten playing there.  I play for cooperation not the win ... 'let's see how many times we can get it back and forth without missing it'.  We got to thirteen times (once)!!  Pretty good considering 6 years olds don't have much of a reach and Nana hadn't played for years!

And when it was too hot to be outside or dark ... we played Ipad games; Pictionary; Tensies Dice game; and other board games.  We're very active up there, until bedtime, then Papa and I basically collapse to the couch until bedtime for us!  Sometimes it's even more than 15 minutes later than the kids' bedtime!!!  LOL!

The Clydesdale Horses were making an appearance at the local bowling alley (odd venue since they didn't bowl!) and we walked over; had dinner and watched them harness up and pull the wagon around the parking lot.  It was a 'small town' type of activity.  Since it was in the neighborhood, the kids saw a lot of their classmates too.  A nice evening to walk about and so much nicer now that the kids can handle the 1/2 mile walk without whining and asking to be carried!

 

The horses are enormous, we were close enough to really see them.  The harnesses themselves are 5 feet tall!  The men working with the horses were tall, yet only came to the horses back.  The Littles looked really little even 20 feet in front of the horses.  AND the official Dalmatian was with them. The classmates in the crowd asked us if that was Meg - 'our' Dalmatian!  Nope, it was Chip!!

On the way home, we stopped by the 'play park' for a brief run about.  It's interesting to see how the equipment changes in use as the kids age.  For Miss P it's all about the story, heroic adventures are being conquered on it.  Mountain climbing to avoid danger - rappelling across raging rivers ... etc.

As for Mr M - well, an older boy was racing cars down an incline and M joined in immediately!  I don't think they knew each other - just a common interest!  The photos of that didn't turn out - sun didn't cooperate, darn-it!


 

 
 I can't resist a walking together with Papa picture!

After a week in 80 degree weather, coming home Sunday was quite the shock to the system!  It was cool and damp here - we felt like we were freezing!  But got used to it.

I'm in overdrive in the sewing room this week.  Have a wedding anniversary quilt for A&J2 due the end of July; a wedding quilt for a Great Nephew due Labor Day weekend and a BOM project to finish for the Newport Quilt Show the first weekend in August!!  YIKES!

And of course, today I'm off to babysit one day in Medford!! Who can say "No" to a day with the 2 yr old - just the two of us!!  Hope the weather cooperates!

Laters!!!