Yesterday, The Zoo Really Was.

A heads up for next year to all of you who decide to do Mother's Day at the Oregon Zoo; be prepared for rediculous crowds. The gorgeous weather and a Mother's day brunch made for a gigantic crowd. We did have a good time though, even if we didn't get to see all the exhibits. Porter loves the animals and it's a treat to be with him no matter what we're doing. When we got home, Jana and JJ had prepared a lovely meal for us; beef brisket, delicious asparagus and mashed potatoes and carrots. Al made a cake on Saturday so we enjoyed that for dessert. It was so great to be with new mom Jana and old pro mama Maryanne to celebrate the day.

A Fun Couple of Weekends

Happy Birthday!

Key Lime Cake - so good.

Grandpa and his boys.

Grammy & babies r us.

Beautiful flowers and beautiful Porter.

Such a good helper!

Enjoying the gazing balls.

We have been suffering through another typical Oregon Spring...sunny and warm, cloudy and cool, rainy and cold and hailing and really cold, all in the couse of 6 - 8 hours. Twice, Porter and I left the house to take our walk in the glorious sunshine. When we had reached the point of no return at Staats Lake, the rain and wind blew in and drenched us both with cold cold golf ball sized drops. I had thought to bring along a waterproof covering for Porter but it's not recommended that you put a plastic garbage bag over a baby's head and face. So although Porter's body was dry and warm, his little face was wet and cold. It's an interesting study in mental toughness to be a mile away from home, have a crying baby in the stroller, AND have an overwhelming need to pee! But we made it home and after drying off and warming up, all was right again.

Crazy Oregon Spring is also the time when annuals need to be planted. So we packed Porter into the car and headed off to our favorite nursery where we purchased petunias and other wonderful color spots to fill our yard and pots with lovely color all summer long. Al planted 7 huge pots with an asortment of flowers so they should be gorgeous by the time summer shows up.

Last weekend, Jana and Finn, Maryanne and Porter and I met my niece Sammie (Jeff and Kerry's eldest) at Washington Square for lunch and shopping. Sammie is expecting Maisie Claire any day now, so it was fun to squeeze in some girl time with her before her big day. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory then picked up a few things at Pottery Barn for Kids, Jack & Jill's and Baby Gap. Sammie was hoping that walking might get labor going and maybe it did just a little. I got an email from her this morning and she's having some stronger contractions as well as some other indicators that L&D is coming soon. Can't wait to meet you Maisie!

Last night at our family dinner, we celebrated both Corban and Lauren's birthdays. As they will be out of town on their actual b-days, we combined them last night with a taco dinner. AJ made yummy margaritas and we kicked off "taco season". With the Enns' 2 b-days, then JJ's at the end of May and finally AJ's in early June, Thursday night dinners will have a decidedly "Cinco de Mayo" feel for the next couple of weeks. Birthday people get to choose their dinner and they all choose tacos. Ugh! Fortunately they all like different desserts so it's not completely a lost cause.

Spring Has Sprung

Sammie's Baby Shower

Darling Sammie & Porter

Austin's big excitement: The Diaper Genie

Austin really knows Sammie's circumference

Sammie & the DeBacker clan

hosts, sister-in-law and mom-in-law

Easter & Two Birthdays

Porter, Beckham. Beckham, Porter.

Easter kisses

Happy Sweet 16, Lauren!

Last weekend was a busy one. We had Bob & Peg Kirkland here from Thursday evening till 7:00 Easter morning. We said goodbye to them and then rushed off to the 7:45 service @ church...Praise God for His beautiful "saving" plan called Easter. Later that morning Al and I hosted Easter brunch. Thankfully I got all the prep done on Saturday night and everyone helped by bringing food for brunch. It was a fun time together with family and until the end, I didn't take one picture. Sheesh! We did celebrate both Porter and Lauren as they each had a birthday that weekend. Lauren turned 16 and Porter turned 1. Lauren was exhausted and Porter had an awful cold but they both soldiered through. We missed Jana, Finn and JJ as they stayed home to rest before a busy day with JJ's fam.

Bob & Peg

This past weekend, Al's best friend from high school & college came up from Chico, CA for a quick visit. Bob brought his great wife Peg,and together they brought some of their cool musical instruments. Bob and Al spent hours and hours together when they were young, playing water polo and swimming AND writing and playing music. After college they lost touch and Al played his guitar only occasionally. Bob however, became a high school English teacher AND a professional musician. He and his wife Peg and two fellow music makers have made several CDs and travel all over playing gigs. Bob is heavily into the mandolin and is called to play with different bands on a regular basis. Peg has a gorgeous voice and plays guitar and percussion. Needless to say, our house was filled with music all weekend and Al played till his very out of shape fingers nearly bled. He was in heaven! On Saturday, Al and Bob played a little water polo at the Kroc Center. Al hurt his shoulder and Bob threw out his back...not the young jocks they once were:-) We did some wine tasting and sight seeing and had a yummy dinner at Farm to Fork in Dundee. It was so cool to re-connect with these old/new friends. The 35 years just disappeared and we talked and talked and talked. We have plans to visit Bob and Peg in Chico and I know they'll be back this way sooner rather than later. So fun!

Baseball, Baby & Birthday

What's better on a sunny Spring day than a baseball game? It was cold, & when you buy outfield seats, you have no access to the actual stadium. What's up with that OSU?

Finn's first Thursday night dinner.

Al's folks took us to Spirit Mountain for a birthday dinner. Happy 59th Al!

Meet the Amazing Finn Tokala Avison

March 19, 20107 pounds 12 ounces 20 1/2 inches
Who is happier?
Porter gets his first look at his cousin

And So, We Wait

Finn is officially 1 week overdue. Jana feels great. The rest of us are on pins and needles. Even cousin Porter, who was 11 days late, has his bags packed in prep for the big day. Come on Finn!

Waiting for Finn

My Hearts at Home Sweeties

JJ converted a double closet into a darling crib and shelves

Troy & Michelle's VERY precocious 3 yr old, Myla

No, Jana is not in labor yet. She's been having lots of contraction action but nothing that's got her heading to the birth center. She's walking all over town in hopes of getting things started but so far Finn is content to stay put. In the mean time, we have almost finished his nursery, I have spent a delightful evening with my Hearts @ Home girls and had dinner in Portland with Jana's college/after college/pre marriage/after marriage roommate. Michelle and her husband Troy invited Al and I to their beautiful home for a fabulous dinner. Troy is an amazing cook and Al and I ate way too much. And unlike my usual self, I only took one picture of that evening. Enjoy.