Slide sisters

The girls checked out the bouncy houses and slides at Pump it Up Jr. in Beaverton this afternoon. They thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards, they went to see Nana (stopping for a treat at Starbucks on the way).

Pita princesses

Audrey and Kate went out for Lebanese food last evening at Nicholas Restaurant. They weren't very adventurous eaters, filling up on the enormous, fresh-baked pitas.

Tubular!

Audrey and Kate went to play in the snow on Mount Hood today. It was a pleasant outing, with temperatures in the 50s. We went to Mount Hood Ski Bowl to try out the snow tubing. Audrey went down a couple of times with Dada, but then rode all by herself the rest of the time. Kate wasn't supposed to ride, according to the rules (since she was too young), but Dada snuck her in and rode with her so she could get a few trips down the hill as well. The girls also enjoyed eating, playing in, and throwing snow.

Honey's birthday

Audrey and Kate helped Honey celebrate her birthday yesterday. They made a cake for her, and Audrey helped blow out the candles. Keith and Allison came with Allison's mom, Coco.

Teeth time

Audrey and Kate both had a dentist appointment today. It was Kate's first appointment, although she had tagged along for her big sister's appointments. Audrey went first so Kate could see how it works. Audrey loves going to the dentist because there are toys to play with, movies to watch, and lots of prizes. Kate did really well during the cleaning, sitting by herself in the chair (holding Dada's hand). For the dentist's exam, she wanted to sit on Dada's lap.

A potential cavity they saw on one of Audrey's teeth last visit had not progressed, which was good news. Audrey has a loose tooth, meaning her big-girl teeth are starting to come in a bit early. The dentist thought there's a potential Kate could need braces when she's a bit older, given some crowding of her teeth and a bit of an overbite.

But otherwise, a clean bill of health for both. They celebrated by sharing a cinnamon roll at the Fleur De Lis Bakery (after waiting 30 minutes for the fluoride treatment to wear off, of course).

Training smartphone

Mama has a small, folding travel alarm clock she doesn't use anymore. For awhile now, Kate's been pretending it's her "computer". Today she insisted on leaving the house with it, carrying it to church in her sweater pocket and pulling it out to look at occasionally. Perhaps she was mimicking Mama and Dada with their smartphones.

Friend of trees

We finally had the struggling tulip tree in our parking strip removed in the fall. We ordered a replacement tree, a black tupelo, through Friends of Trees. Yesterday was the planting day in our neighborhood. Kate supervised the volunteers as they planted the new tree, then went out to inspect their work.

Mall moves

Audrey and Kate held an impromptu dance party while shopping with Mama at Macy's in the Lloyd Center yesterday.

Orchestra orientation

Audrey and Kate went to the World Forestry Center this afternoon to hear the Portland Youth Philharmonic perform a short selection of classical music as part of a music-discovery event for young kids. On they way in, they clambered up onto the decommissioned Shay steam locomotive displayed out front. Once inside, they got to see and try out (in Audrey's case; Kate wasn't up for it) several instruments as part of a musical scavenger hunt before heading into the auditorium to watch the performance. Then it was off to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner (after one more climb on the locomotive).

A bicycle built for two

Audrey and Kate are getting too big for both of them to ride together comfortably in our Burley bike trailer. With the biking season approaching (at least for us non-hardcore, fair-weather bikers), we needed a new option. We decided to get a trail-a-bike for Audrey. A friend recommended the Burley Piccolo, which supposedly has a sturdier mounting that reduces swaying. We found a used one on Craigslist, although the seller was in Longview, WA (we had heard the Piccolos are popular and used ones are rarely found). Anna drove to Longview to get it earlier in the week, and today we hooked it up and tested it out with a ride to Glenhaven Park. Audrey really seems to like it; she gets to feel like she's riding a real bike.

Minor nobility

Audrey and Kate played "royal family" with Dada this morning. They decorated crowns, dressed up, danced to some classical music (as well as some techno), and posed for a royal portrait. Dada suggested they look "regal" for the picture, explaining that it meant "serious" and "important". Kate interpreted "serious" as "angry."