Champoeg State Park

Since last weekend was Liam's birthday, we skilled the field trip for last week. But we mad up for it this weekend! We spent all morning at a beautiful state park just minutes from Newberg. Champoeg state park is a wonderful place for taking long, quite, nature walks. It is filled with historic markers and information about the park's relevance to Oregon history.

We started our walk in the Oak Grove day-use area of the park. We decided to take a scenic walk through the wetlands and fields. We ended up walking a total of about 4 miles, through wooded areas filled with wildlife. We saw various birds (including a woodpecker), squirrels, and chipmunks.
    
We stopped at one of the many historical buildings on the walk, and saw the monument that stands where the first Oregon settlers took a vote to decide if they wanted government. It passed 52 to 50 (close call I'd say), and Oregon became the first western state to adopt a system of government.

If you would like to take a long quiet walk with river, forest, and field views, than this is a great place to go! We saw several people and dogs (the park is very pet friendly) while walking, and even saw hundreds of bicycle riders as the park was serving as a pit-stop in some cyclist activity. 

Our little family has taken many walks in the park and have enjoyed it throughout the year. In the spring, flowers are blooming and the animals are out and about. In the summer there is the river and many other outdoor activities to partake in (Frisbee golf, horses-shoeing, camping, and various picnic areas). In the fall the leaves change colors and the park offers a quite, calm walking area. And although we have never braved a winter out there, I'm sure the scenery is beautiful then as well!

The park does charge a $5 donation for day-use entrance into the park, so there is that to consider. But to be so close to the Portland area, and not be able to tell, is amazing! It's like you go back in time to the pioneer days. There are no sounds other than the ones you make, the wind from time-to-time, the river, and the animals that live there. It's a fantastic place to go and Liam loves our walks there. You should take a look!
*Oh but one piece of advise: if you have allergies, take something before you go. I learned this the hard way!

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Portland Children's Museum

Last year for Liam's birthday we went to the children's museum. It was such a hit, that we decided to make it a birthday tradition! After a quick dentist appointment, we headed up to the Washington Park area of Portland. The Children's Museum is located in the same parking lot as the Oregon Zoo. Since we arrived bright and early on a rainy Monday, the parking lot was pretty empty. The price to get in is a bit spendy ($27 for the three of us), but if you really enjoy your time their, you can get a year-long pass at a somewhat reasonable price, although I can't remember exactly what it is off the top of my head.

As soon as we walked in the door, Liam was mesmerized by the water room, which is located directly across from the main entrance. This is such a fun area for the little ones! The museum provides smocks, so the kids can splash and play and parents don't have to worry about having a wet kid on their hands. There are so many hands-on activities just in the water area, that we stayed in there for a good half an hour the first time, and Liam insisted on going back twice.

Then we moved on to the transportation room. The have a city bus, ambulance, and a huge train set. Liam liked exploring all of the things in this room, but kept coming back to the trains.

After the trains, it was back to the water! This time Liam and his dad built dams and created waterways.

The construction zone and the fish tank were also fun! He wanted to look just like Grandpa, so he put on a tool belt and carried around a big pipe. 

Next was the clay art studio and the light exploration room. Both were fun, but didn't quite keep his interest.

Then we found a room with a sensory table filled with rice. For some reason, this was pretty exciting to Liam and we spent quite a bit of time there.

We had the best time while visiting the Children's Museum. Liam was so interested in every room and the activities that they included that he was sad we had to leave, even after two hours and no nap. He played so hard, that the second we were in the car and moving, he was out and stayed that way for 3 hours. 

If you're looking for a fun and educational way to spend a morning/afternoon/evening, there is no better place than the Portland Children's Museum! There are so many rooms, each with their own interesting activities, that  no matter how many kids you need to keep occupied, there will be something for everyone.

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Little Clippers

Today we took an outing to get Liam's hair cut for our family pictures tomorrow. In the past we have taken him to the Barbers. It's pretty hit and miss. We had one good experience (the first), but the other two were not great. After his last visit, and his daycare provider asked if he had gotten a hold of the scissors, we decided we had to find a new place.
We heard from several people, that there was a wonderful place off of Kruse Way that is especially for kids. I took a look at their website and was blown away! They have a huge play area were the kids/parents can hang out until or after their appointment.

  





We walked in and Liam went crazy! He ran from toy to toy, from car to car, with the biggest smile on his face. When it was his turn, he got to choose which car he wanted to sit in and what movie (yes, I said movie) he wanted to watch during his hair cut. The hair stylist was amazing with him. Every other time we have taken him, I have had to hold him, distract him non-stop, and it tends to end in tears. This time we saw none of that. He sat calmly, even smiled at points, did everything she asked him to do, and we ended up with the best hair cut he has ever gotten!

When the hair cut was over (which only took minutes), Liam went right back to playing. They told us that they we couldn't close until 6pm and that we could stay as long as we wanted. They also offered Liam a balloon (yellow of course) and a sucker because he was such a big boy! They really know how to treat little ones, and as I said before, they do a fantastic job.

 If you're in need of the perfect hair cut for your little one, I would highly suggest Little Clippers in Lake Oswego.

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Papa's Pizza Parlor

Tonight Joe and I met some friends at Papa's Pizza Parlor. It was a great place of little ones! The pizza was yummy and they have a wonderful play area with slides, tubes to crawl through, ball pits, a carousel, and even a mini-farris wheel. Liam and his little buddies ran themselves ragged. The play space is huge and they even have a helper (who wears a referee shirt) to help supervise the kiddos. It's also a completely different room with walls of windows looking into the restaurant. This was a brilliant idea on the part of the owner, since you can see your children playing, but you also can't hear the hoards running wild within the walls.
The restaurant is clean and very kid friendly. The prices were comparable to other sit-down pizza parlors in the area. The difference was that they are not only super kid friendly, but they also took time to think about what would make the adults happy. Separate spaces, a lot of fun things for the kids to do, great food, and good prices. What else could you ask for?!

NW Blueridge Dr. Beaverton, Or

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Forest Park Trip

Forest Park- Portland, OR

For Easter, our little family decided to explore the gigantic Forest park which is set right in the middle of Portland. Joe and I have both been there before, though not for a while and Liam had never been, so we thought it would be a great way to spend Easter morning. It's so strange when you head that direction. The huge buildings are set only blocks away from the entrance of the park, but once you go in, you can't hear or see anything but pure, beautiful nature. We decided to take Maizy (our family doggy) with us which was a wonderful idea. The park is very pet friendly and she had a great time. 

As we started out Liam and Maizy took turns exploring all of the new sights, sounds, and smells, so we were stopping quite often. But once we got going, neither of them wanted to stop! The trail is paved for a portion, but then turns into a mix of gravel and mud, which I attribute mostly to the season. Even with a stroller we made it pretty far, although I would not suggest taking one unless it has off-road capabilities. Next time, I'm thinking we'll take a pack. 

It was such a lovely day with no rain, some sun, and a great deal of other hikers to keep us company. We wandered for quite a while, stopping from time to time to explore a new area and see new things. We loved it so much that we decided to have our next round of family pictures taken there. We thought it would make a beautiful backdrop and that it would continue to remind us that we are going to be more outdoorsy, and take advantage of all the amazing things there are to do in our area.





If you're looking for a great place to hike and a lot of nature, look no further than Forest Park. It's close (as in -IN the city) and is a wonderful place for families and dogs. Bring a lunch and have a picnic, bring a camera and take some pictures, or bring hiking boots and wear yourself out! Either way you are sure to enjoy your time there.

Liam at the end of our trip!

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Heading to the Produce Stand

I grew up in Newberg, which is just a few miles from where I live now. When I was little, I remember some for the best spring/summer days included a walk down to Ray's, the local produce stand. Imagine my excitement when soon after moving to Sherwood I see a sign saying, "Ray's produce-coming soon!" Last summer Liam, Joe, and I spent many a summer morning, walking to Ray's to pick out our fresh, local produce for the week.
Today was the beginning of that tradition for this year. We spent the morning walking to the library, then to Ray's to pick up some yummy apples for the pastry we are making for Easter dinner tomorrow night, as well as some grapefruits, tomatoes, and kale. All of which was grown locally and sold from a family owned business. With the economy the way it is, the best we can do for one another is to support the small businesses. The produce is always delicious and very inexpensive compared to the grocery store. It was so nice to relive some of the best childhood memories I have, and to start those for Liam.
If you are in the market for some yummy produce, you should check out Sherwood/Newberg's own- Ray's. They are friendly, helpful, have great food, and you will be putting your hard-earned dollar back into our local economy. Also, later in the year, Sherwood hosts a small local farmers market. Sherwood Saturday market is open every Saturday from May through September from 9am-1pm. They host various musical acts, have local produce, and handmade crafts. Happy shopping!

One of the booth at Sherwood's Saturday Market

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What it's all about!

Hello Everyone!
After this wonderful weekend of sun, I realized how much my son and I have missed being outside, active, and social. We spent the last two days out and about, going to new places and doing new things, and we loved every minute of it! When writing a post for my other blog, I thought about how important it is to stay active, enjoy nature, and support your community. That is when I decided that I needed to make more of an effort to do these things. One way I thought of was to write a blog about our adventures in the great northwest and share our exploits with others, so that they can be more active as well.
Because I'm a teacher, and only work part-time at this point, it's important for us to find inexpensive, or even better, free activities and places to explore. So everything that you see on this blog will be cost effective, fun, and right in your own backyard (if you live in the Portland are of course). Also, I want to help support my community and local businesses, so you will see many featured here from time to time. I think that this will be a great way to keep me on my toes as well. If I know that I have to keep supplying interesting posts for my readers, I will be sure to keep the field trips coming! I want my son to appreciate the area we live in and the people that live in it, and I can't think of a better way to foster that, than to remind him of it as often as possible.
Happy reading!