Portland - Last Days

We came back from Portland Sunday night at 11pm. It was a wonderful trip! We were pretty tired when we got back, but it's been a few days now and we are getting back to the old routine. Here's a recap of the last couple days in Oregon:

On Saturday, we spent the day with Bart, Lisa & the boys. We drove to McMinnville to tour the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, home of the Spruce Goose. http://www.sprucegoose.org/

The Spruce Goose is quite the sight to see! It's amazing that it's built out of wood. And it's size is even more impressive. The kids enjoyed sitting and watching the educational videos...because the seats were airplane seats - seatbelts, tray tables and all!

The Spruce Goose

There was a children's interactive area where we spent quite a while. The kids tried flight simulators, and sat inside some of the planes and a helicopter. There were also toy ride-on airplanes that the little ones enjoyed.






We just happened to visit the museum during World War II Living History Weekend, so there were WWII battle re-enactments happening in the Oak Grove behind the museum. Our timing was just right, as a battle was scheduled during our time there. After touring inside, we headed out to the viewing area. It was a surreal sight... all of the artifacts and reproductions. There were even people rebuilding military Jeeps and driving them around. The battle was quite loud, and everyone but one person was dead in the end. Jeremy wasn't too fond of the noise, but it didn't seem to scare him. He just covered his ears.



After the battle, we decided to drive back to Bart and Lisa's house in Sherwood. We hung out there for a bit, then took off for dinner at Shari's followed by playtime at Safari Sam's.


Safari Sam's was AWESOME! http://www.jungleoffun.com/ One whole length of the building was occupied by a huge jungle gym, which the kids ran around and around in. We didn't even make it to the arcade area, as the kids were so into the jungle gym. There were rope ladders, padded obstacles, and tons of stuff to climb on and around and under and every-which-way.

Aiden rode only one or two rides the whole time. This is one of them. He likes putting in the tokens himself.

That's Jeremy in the back climbing up! He's getting so big!

Maria and Lisa got brave and decided to try the "black diamond" path in the jungle gym. That was quite the trial for us! Maria had quite a time using the rope to get over the wall mid-way through the course...but she made it! Next, Bart and Drew took a turn. Andrew brought Aiden along with him, because Aiden was too little to do it by himself, but REALLY wanted to go in that area. He was quite grateful to Daddy for taking him.

Later that night, the adults went out to the movies while the kids stayed home with a babysitter. They were already all worn out from Safari Sam's and the museum, so they just watched a movie, and Jeremy and Lincoln went to sleep. So Bart, Lisa, Maria and Andrew went to the Regal Cinemas to see Hancock. That's such a good movie! We were really glad we picked it. That night, we stayed in a hotel next to Bart & Lisa's, the Crowne Plaza.

Kids after a long day

Sunday morning, we enjoyed the brunch buffet at our hotel. Aiden got so excited. He came back to the table and told Maria, "Mommy! I didn't know they had CRAB here!". He's his father's son alright!

"Say Cheese!"

After brunch, we headed out for the Enchanted Forest theme park in Salem. http://www.enchantedforest.com/enchanted_forest.html




It was just the right fit for Aiden and Jeremy. Perfect for their age. It's themed around fairytales, so you visit the homes and settings of the fairytales. There are rides which were also good age-wise for the kids.




The kids' favorite ride was the Challenge of Mondor. The ride vehicle has a gun to shoot illuminated targets throughout the journey. Aiden had another favorite ride - the Ice Mountain Bobsleds. This is a roller coaster with covers over each car to deflect the WATER you travel through and under during parts of the ride. He gets a real kick out of roller coasters. Jeremy didn't like it as much. He said it was "kinda scary" for him. He prefers the slower rides.

The kiddos in line

The kids seemed to enjoy the stage show the most, though. It was the tale of Cinderella, but told in a funny manner, with a goofy dude playing one evil stepsister and a life-sized barbie doll playing the other. The slapstick humor and silly sounds of the show really had the kids laughing.

Watching Cinderella

We went to Bart and Lisa's after the park for dinner. It was sad to say goodbye, as we had such a good time with them in Oregon. But we decided to make it a Pascoal family vacation destination, so we will be back!

The kids on Bart & Lisa's Trampoline
Top row: Bart, Jacob, Lisa, Anthony, Maria, Andrew
Bottom row: Lincoln, Jeremy, Aiden