Polar Express, Hood River Oregon

Joe and Liam at the resturant

I am WAY behind in my fieldtrip posts!


Last December, we took Liam on a ride to the North Pole on the Polar Express. It was one of the best fieldtrips we have taken (I think it was the best)! Because our family is on a bit of budget, and the Polar Express is a tad spendy, we had to plan way in advanced for this little trip. We bought our tickets in September, and put a little money away for it for the four months leading up to it. On the day of the trip, getting to Hood River was a bit of a chore. We decided to go on the evening of my last day of work before winter break as a kick-off to our fun-filled holiday. We had to rush to get on the road for the hour and a half drive, but once we were there, it was wonderful.



Liam and the chef

Hood River is an adorable little town on the way to Mt. Hood. It is filled with cute shops and many yummy places to eat. Once we entered the town, we scoped out the train station, walked to the town's Christman tree, then found a little cafe in the heart of the town to get a quick bite before leaving on the train. The Trillium was the perfect place to eat. It had great food, low prices, and had a stockpile of toys and games to keep the kiddos occupied while waiting for their food.


Liam and Mommy waiting to head out

After we finished our meal, we made the short trek back to the train station, where we took a quick bathroom break, checked-in, and looked around the station house. Within minutes, the station house was filled with excited kids in their jammies, waiting to board the train. When we finally climbed onto our train car, Liam had finally decided that he wanted to put on his pjs too. We found our seats, settled in, and got him changed and comfy.




Cookie and Cocoa time!

We were very excited when we learned that, completely by chance, my mom, step-dad, and two of my sisters had gotten seats just feet away from ours (they reserved seats a month or so after us, and we didn't think we would get to sit together). As we waited to head up to the North Pole to pick up Santa, we were entertained by the chefs sang and danced for us. Once we started moving down the tracks, the cookies and hot chocolate was served and the chef read us the story.



The conductor

About a half an hour into the ride, the conductor came by with his hole punch, which was one of Liam's favorite parts of the trip. Throughout the ride, the hobo wandered in and out of the train car, asking for bites of cookies, and teasing the little ones. For me, this was the best part. The man who played the hobo part was fantastic! He acted and sounded just like the character in the movie!

Watching the world go by

Around an hour into the trip, we pulled into the North Pole train station, where we were able to see Santa's house, the toy shop, and the reindeer barn. Soon, Santa was in our car taking time to meet with each and every child on the train. He was also fantastic! He asked Liam what he wanted for Christmas, asked if he had been a good boy, and gave him a beautiful bell to take home. Liam still asks to play with the bell (which we have packed away with our Christmas stuff).



Liam, Santa, and his bell

The whole way back to Hood River, Liam was all smiles. He was so pumped afterwards, that he stayed awake the whole way home, even though it was an hour and a half drive, in the dark, hours after his normal bed time. He enjoyed each and every part of the evening. I'm so glad that we took the time, and made the effort to make these memories. Because it is something we have to budget for at this point in our lives, we probably won't make the trip every year, but it will be something we do as often as we can!

Pumpkin Patch Trips: Three in One Season!

Last Fall, our family took many trips to the pumpkin patch. We started off the season with a trip to Roloff Farm. This is the pumpkin patch featured on the TV show Little People, Big World.

We wandered the pumpkin patch first, looking for the perfect pumpkin. Once we found what we were looking for, it was off to the animals. Yes! Roloff Farms has several animals, some that you can pet, and some that you can't.The first animal area that we came to was the petting section. There were goats, sheep, and a donkey. When we finished up with them, we walked a little further and found the exotic animals. There was a porcupine and a small cat of some sort. Liam was so excited!

There was a pumpkin fun house, where each room displayed a pumpkin family....interesting, but the kids liked it, a haystack pyramid, a snack bar with coffee, hot chocolate, and other treats, and face painting. There is also a gift shop, but it was pretty much a souvenir shop for the show, not very pumpkin patchy. Overall, the kids had fun, but it was too commercialized for me.

Later that week, we met up with some friends to visit The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm near Woodburn. As the name hints, this farm is best known for their Tulip Festival in the Spring, but they also host an awesome pumpkin patch in the fall. I think that this is one of the best pumpkin patches I've been to for young kids. So much to do!

They have archery, a corn maze, rubber duck races, pedal tractors, potato guns, a pumpkin cannon, two hay rides, and a couple play structures for kids to climb. The gift shop is filled with holiday items and yummy treats and there is a picnic area with a food cart. Unfortunately  my camera started to act up while on this trip, so I don't have a whole lot of pictures to show, but the ones that I do, show some of the fun we had.

The Wooden Shoe is a bit pricier, in that you have to pay just to get in, plus pumpkins, plus anything else you choose to purchase. But if you plan to make a day of it, it really is a great place for the little ones. Liam had a wonderful time and was so upset when we had to leave. But it was nap time, and it was raining (per the black clouds in the sky).

The last patch we visited was our family favorite, Hiser Farms near Dayton. We love this patch because it is very family friendly, has a lot to do, family run, and (until recently) was not overly commercialized. Now there are a few "money-makers" like the helicopter ride and the authentic army tank, but it still has the same old small-town stuff that they had when I was a kid as well.

There is an old barn where they show The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown in the loft, and have a floor full of animals to pet, feed, and observe on the lower level. There is an old fire truck to climb on, and ride (for an added fee), a corn maze, hay stack slide, peddle tractors, a small train, pony rides, hay ride, and of course, the pumpkin patch.

The gift shop/food bar is adorable and filled with handcrafted items and delicious food. The prices are the best we've found (other than the extra activities, which can be a bit pricey depending on how many you choose to do), and the pumpkins were in the best shape of all the farms we visited. As the years go by, and the farm becomes more of a tourist attraction than a authentic farm, we may be on the look-out for another place to purchase our pumpkins.

Coastal Train Ride

Liam loves trains! Well, he loves anything that travels (trains, planes, cars, trucks, construction vehicles, etc). But when we saw a Groupon deal for a train ride along the Oregon coast, we couldn't pass it up. We made a day of it and drove to the beach early in the morning, stopping for breakfast on the way. We took a scenic drive through some of the smaller coastal towns and to a stretch break when we saw a nice beach. It was October, so it was on the chilly side, but Liam still had a blast chasing the seagulls and playing in the sand.

After our play time, we drove to Garibaldi to have lunch and wait for our train to arrive. Before it was time to get onto the train, we explored the historic trains that are on display at the train station. Liam loved climbing up into the engine and pretending to drive the train. There is also a city park with a playground right next to the station, so we spent a little time there too.


When it was finally time to board the train, we climbed on and picked a table to sit at. I have never seen Liam so excited! He was smiling from ear to ear and watched everyone come on board and take their seats. A few minutes later, we were off! The train runs along the coast the whole way, so the views were amazing! It took about a half an hour to reach the other end of the tracks.


Stopping in Rockaway was wonderful! This was our first "trip" with a potty trained toddler, so Liam and I got off the train and walked to the public restrooms that were on the other side of the parking lot. When we returned to the train, there a couple of vendors selling treats outside the train. We bought a bag of homemade kettle corn., which was still warm! The layover in Rockaway was a half an hour, just enough time to check out the town square (which the train station is located). On the way back, we once again enjoyed the lovely view, ate our yummy snack, and met the conductor, who punched our tickets.

After returning to Garibaldi and exiting the train, we played on the playground until it was time for the train to leave again. Liam wanted to see the train chug away, filled with it's next set of passengers. The train blew it's whistle and was off! On the way home, Liam was so exhausted that he snored until we reached our front door. This is a wonderful activity for a train-lover or a little one, and we enjoyed it just as much as he did.

Watching the Train Chug Away

Portland Japanese Gardens/Washington Park Playground

Japanese Gardens

The Portland area is known for it's natural beauty and outdoorsy activities. Last summer, our family took a trip to one of the most beautiful and unique places that Portland has to offer. The Japanese Gardens are nestled in Washington Park, near the Oregon Zoo.
When we first considered going to the Gardens, Joe and I were not so sure it was the best place to take a busy toddler. We thought that he may be bored, loud, or just plain nuts. Boy were we wrong! Liam loved the walking the paths, seeing the fish in the ponds and the waterfalls, and running on the beautiful decks that surround the gift shop and visitor's center.

View of the Portland skyline from the Gardens

When searching for pictures to put in this post, I had a very difficult time choosing, there are so many amazing sites to see. The manicured gardens, the stone pathways, waterfalls, fish ponds, Portland views, and authentically built structures, offer so many things to see. The gardens are quite large and took us a little over an hour to walk through.

Washington Park Playground

After leaving the Japanese Gardens, we drove about 1/2 a mile down the hill to Washington Park Playground (you could easily walk). This is one of the best playgrounds that we have found in the Portland area. It is huge! There are structures for babies all the way up to older kids.

We had a picnic lunch and explored the park. There are swings, a sandbox to dig in, ramps to climb, slides, poles to slide down, bridges to cross, and several wonderful places to sit and relax.

At one point, Liam needed to use the restroom. We walked down a small hill to the building that houses the bathrooms. It was then that we realized that the structure we were standing in used to be the elephant house at the original Oregon Zoo. It was so cool to think that years ago, elephants roamed the area of the park and slept where the picnic tables stand. Across the street from the elephant house is a train station that connects to the zoo, and travels through the forested area.

Both of these destinations are worth a visit. We plan to take several trips back to the Washington Park Playground this summer, and will possibly add a train ride to the day. We had a great time!

Elephant House (old Oregon Zoo)

A Morning at the Movies

Every summer, Regal Cinemas hosts what's called Summer Movie Express. For nine weeks, during the summer, Regal cinemas have family friendly movies that only cost $1 per person. These movies are shown at 10am on Wednesdays and are so family friendly, that your kids can talk, walk around, and be themselves in a theater setting.
Last summer, I took Liam to his very first theater movie. We saw The Smurfs (the movies tend to be a bit older, definitely not newly in theaters). This was the perfect setting to try out a toddler's first theater experience. There was no worry of whether or not he would stay still, be quiet enough, or that we might have to leave in the middle of the movie. These movies are also prefect for little ones because they are offered so early in the day. I was able to take Liam and still get him home in time have lunch and take an afternoon nap.
Liam did a wonderful job, but there were a couple of times that he asked questions, asked to sit in my lap, and said things like, "It's too loud.", so I'm very glad that his first trip was in this setting. No one commented on his movements, no one complained that he was talking, in fact several other kids were doing the same thing. This took the pressure off of me, to make sure my son was "perfectly quiet and still". It was a fantastic experience, and we'll be doing it again this summer!

Liam's first trip to a movie theater

Silver Falls State Park, near Silverton Oregon

It's been quite some time since I wrote about our adventures, but both of my boys are sleeping soundly, so I thought I would try to write about one of them. To celebrate my husband and my wedding anniversary this year, we took Liam and our dog, Maizy to Silver Falls State Park which is located just a couple of miles from the vineyard where we were married. We all had a wonderful time!

The park is a great place to go, no matter what you are in the mood for. It has miles of forested trails and several waterfalls. We were not able to walk any of these trails on this trip because they do not allow dogs on the trails for safety reasons. There are many places where the trails are narrow and back to a cliff, and the park rangers explained to us that there have been times when two dogs have met, got a bit out of hand, and someone has ended up falling off the trail.

Since we were unable to take advantage of the wonderful trails, we decided to have a picnic and go swimming in the river that runs through the park. There is one particular area of the park where the water pools and is shallow enough to be safe for little ones (with supervision of course). We spent the day laying in the sun, snacking on our favorite foods, and wading in and out of the river. Joe and Maizy played fetch several times, and Liam and I went to the playground that was just steps away from our picnic table.

The park also has many covered meeting areas, in fact we used one of them for our rehersal bbq. The covered areas are easy to rent and come with several picnic tables and at least one bbq grill. Silver Falls State Park is a wonderful place that is family friendly and packed with fun things to do. Unfortunately for Maizy, next time we plan to leave her at home and hike through some of the beautiful trails.

Newberg Old Fashioned Festival

The last full weekend in July, my home town of Newberg as the Old Fashioned Festival. It is a fun way to spend a four day weekend. With two parades, rows and rows of booths and vendors, a carnival, live music, fireworks, and yummy (not healthy) treats, you will not be bored for a second. The kick off to the festival is the children's parade which takes place Thursday evening. This is parade that anyone young, or old can be in a parade. It's even fun for the spectators! Liam and I decided to sit this one out and just watch, and boy were we glad we did! We left with fistfuls of candy and we saw Lightning McQueen and Mater!

Because the festival is held at a park, there is always the playground to keep the little ones occupied. There are several slides, swings (the regular kind), bars to climb and an old fashioned stage coach to "ride" in. There was also a boy scout section where they had a really cool swing and a rock wall to climb. Liam was a bit small to go on the swing alone, but he climbed the rock wall like a spider...with help, of course. I think Liam is going to love boy scouts!

Saturday morning we always go to the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast offered by a local club with my grandparents. Then we stake out the best spot for the big parade and visit until it begins. It's an early morning, but it is so worth it! I may be biased, but I think it's the best one that I've ever seen! There are several bands, dance teams, floats, old cars and trucks, and police officers and firefighters. Once again, we left with a bag full of candy and with one tired boy.

The carnival is geared toward the teenage crowd, with a handful of rides, some games, and a live band. Liam wanted to go on the rides, but he was a bit too small and they were far too spendy, but we decided to play a couple of games instead. He won a stuffed tiger when he went fishing and caught a big one!

All of these parts of the festival are wonderful, but the very best part is the fireworks show Saturday night! They usually last about a half an hour and it's non-stop! They do a great job of having a couple of false endings where the fireworks just go and go, then they stop and a couple of seconds later, their back! It makes for one exciting night. On Sunday there is a car show and more music at the main stage, but if you ask me, Saturday is the best day to visit.