A night without Pink(!)

Audrey and Kate are spending the night with GG tonight. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision while we were in Beaverton this afternoon, and as such, the girls did not have any PJs or changes of clothes with them. It also means Audrey doesn't have Pink -- her well-worn, much loved blanket-bear -- with her. Pink has been Audrey's nap and bedtime companion and all-around trusty comfort-giver since Audrey was about nine months old. GG texted to say that Audrey couldn't find an acceptable substitute from among GGs collection of stuffed animals (she couldn't find one that "smells like Pink"), but was going to give bedtime a try anyway. Hopefully she'll still sleep okay. It's been a weekend of milestones for Audrey: she graduated from preschool on Friday, rode a bike all by herself without training wheels for the first time yesterday, and is now going to spend tonight sleeping without Pink.

Lord, hear our prayer

Kate "reading" along with the service at church this morning.

Audrey rides a bike!

Surprising both her parents and herself, Audrey rode her bike with no training wheels all by herself today! We had taken off the training wheels on her bike awhile ago, but put them back on after that first trial run and hadn't made another attempt until this week. Today Mama took her down to the Archbishop Howard School parking lot to practice. After a few assisted rides, Audrey finally took off on her own. She needs help getting started, and hasn't quite figured out how to brake, but once started can keep herself going. (Note: In the first video below there's some background noise from a kid riding a gas-powered go-kart.)

Uppy uppy!

After a visit to the Rebuilding Center today, Audrey and Kate both wanted to be carried.

Audrey's preschool graduation

Today was Audrey's last day at Heartwood Preschool. A graduation celebration was held in the evening at Normandale Park. There was a short program to honor Audrey and the other graduates, after which there was a family potluck picnic. Later on, the kids class presented teachers Amy and Karma with their graduation gift: some garden tools and mosaic stepping stones with the kids' names they had created for the Heartwood plot in the Frazer Park Community Garden.

Big spender

Audrey got to make her first purchase with the allowance she's been earning this evening during a trip with Mama to Target to buy school supplies. She spent $4.14 on a water bottle and a booklet of Hello Kitty stickers.

Staying cool

Audrey and Kate kept cool today with a trip to couple of fountains in the city. They spent lots of time on TriMet vehicles, since Mama needed the car for work. First they rode a bus, MAX, and then the streetcar to get to the fountain at Jamison Square (pictured). They said they liked the Salmon Street Springs fountain they played in after the Bridge Pedal on Sunday better, so after getting lunch near the square they rode the streetcar and MAX to the Salmon Street fountain. After playing there for a bit, they took a couple of buses home. Thankfully, all of the vehicles were air conditioned.