Random Pictiures of Aliyah

Dinner with Cousins

Scott's cousin Michelle was in town with her husband Heiden, so we joined them for dinner at Steph and Cory's house. Jalen and Cory have become quite the buddies...it's so fun to see how much Jalen looks up to him and how much Jalen brings out the kid in Cory. We then got great entertainment out of Jalen wanting to pick out his own drink from the fridge...to then find out there were only adult drinks to choose from ("adut dinks" as J says).

Jalen and Cory working on photos of the family:

Jalen taking his pick from the beer selection.

Donaldsons came for a visit

We were super lucky to have our very special friend Stephanie and her daughter Elliot come to Portland to visit. We unfortunately had crummy weather, but we made the best of it and still had a great time. Most of all, it was just nice to catch up and spend time together! Thank you ladies for coming to see us.

A few photos of Jalen and Elliot keeping themselves entertained at dinner (@ Bridgeport Brew Co.):

Stopped for yogurt during our "girls trip" to the mall:

We spent the next day at OMSI, where Elliot was fascinated by "the sand pit" and Jalen was off playing in the "water area" and the "market/kitchen" :-):

After a few hours of the kids being stuck inside because of the rain and naps, we decided to take them to John's Incredible Pizza/Arcade for dinner. We're still not sure if that was a good or bad idea :-) :

Getting ready for bed:

Elliot giving Aliyah a few snuggles before bedtime. She was SO good to her...such a natural with babies:

The last night they were in town, Stephanie and I were able to sneak out for a bit, while Scott watched the kiddos. We enjoyed a nice hot stone foot massage at The Foot Bar in downtown Portland. It was a quick outing, but well worth it!!! Scott is the most amazing husband/father and always willing to help out...including taking on three kids for one night. We couldn't help but laugh, however, at the craziness we walked into when we came home. The kids were playing "jump on daddy," while Aliyah lay by herself on the bed (notice 3-year-old Elliot has a watchful eye on Aliyah, making sure she is okay)...everyone was having a great time!

Palm Desert

What a fantastic trip! We were so lucky to have the opportunity to meet Scott's parents in Palm Springs where they are staying for few months. Scott and Skip played in the Member Guest Golf Tournament and walked away as winners. Aside from lots of golf, we kept ourselves busy with pool time, shopping, La Quinta Art Festival, rides in the golf cart to feed the ducks or fish in the course ponds, lots of great food, a trip to Sea World, and just enjoying the beautiful weather.

First day of travel:

First Night in town, we all hoped in the golf cart to have dinner at the club and let Jalen practice his swing on the driving range:

Linda had a great idea to let Jalen "paint" on the back patio...he had a great time painting his name with water:

Pool Time:

Shopping on El Paseo Drive

Out to lunch at the Club House:

A day around the condo, just playing in the sun and feeding the fish with daddy:

Remnants of the tree that fell over from a tremendous wind storm the night before:

Linda and I took the kids to the La Quinta Art Festival, which was a show case for some pretty amazing art work...we loved these life-size metal sculptures:

Team Pierce the morning of the their big day - they finished as winners of the tournament: