Happy 80th!

We all went to Portland last week to celebrate dad's 80th birthday!

Here he is at 3 years old, back in Japan...

...and here is his modern day "mini me" at 3 1/2 years old! 

Uncanny resemblance!

We took a beautiful drive up to the Gorge, stopping at the Vista House for a look.

The Vista House was built in 1918 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and as a rest stop on the historic Columbia River Highway. 

Cool building!

Then a stop at Multnomah Falls, the second tallest year-round waterfall in the country at 620 feet. 

Posers!

It was nice and cool here, a great escape from the hot city.

This was taken on the upper bridge.

A little reward snack for hiking up to the bridge.

We took the back road to Mt. Hood, which was very long, but very beautiful.

All smiles by the time we arrived at Timberline Lodge.

The lodge is beautiful - massive timbers, local artisans did the stone, steel, and woodwork throughout. A real gem of a landmark.

Uncle Tak and his favorite nephew.
 

Jiji and his favorite grandson.
 

We had a delicious dinner at the lodge restaurant, complete with an enormous cake for dessert.

Naomi and Maya told the baker to do a cake with Jiji drawing Mt. Hood - nailed it!

And an actual family portrait!!

A walk along the waterfront...
 

And some carnival action, set up for the Rose Festival!

And more snacks! 

Spoiled and sugared-up kids.

Naomi asked for help making Swiss meringue buttercream -  I was more than happy to help this budding baker.

The cupcakes, vanilla with a lemonade strawberry filling, were delicious!

The kitchen? A disaster.

We made a quick but awesome stop at the Washington Park Rose Garden, just minutes from Kara & Henry's house.

The roses were in full bloom and, despite the drizzle, it was gorgeous! 

 

The roses seriously looked like something out of "Alice in Wonderland!"
 

 

Photo not enhanced...these were so gorgeous!

We stopped to smell the roses, yes.

Just in love with the dogwood too!
 

We had a great time staying with the Alvarez family for a couple of nights too!

Saying good bye to Grandma and Jiji!

And in true "Portlandia" fashion, the outgoing carpet at the airport has a cult following. 

It's been in the airport since the 80's and is now being slowly replaced. Now that the beloved carpet's days are numbered, hipsters everywhere are laying claim to this iconic design. 

Haha...only in Portland!
 

Mother's Day

Friday was the big "Mothers Surprise" party at Kenzo's preschool.

Each child requested his mom wear something very specific to the party. 

Mine was benign: pink skirt, pink top, sparkly shoes. Others didn't get off so easily and looked like they were ready for a night out at the casinos!!

The classroom was decorated and ready for our brunch, made by the teachers.

Hand made cards, and jars with bulbs for the moms were on the tables.

The kids acted out a few books about moms...

"What Mommies Do Best..." was the title of the book for Kenzo's group.

"They can take you trick-or-treating at Halloween!"
 

Another group acted out the book "Are You My Mommy?"

Such a sweet and special party!

Then we "bribed" Kenzo with a trip to see dinosaurs in exchange for a good night's sleep...it worked, I think?

Pretty cool exhibit, complete with a bounce house and obligatory dinosaur gift shop.
 

Much more brave the second time through...

About 1 minute inside the exhibit, I wondered if we just negated the good sleep with the scary dinosaurs. 

The hour inside the bounce house negated all worries.

Mother's Day breakfast at Firesign, which is now officially a tradition.

Then a hike up Shirley Canyon with the Goodman family to work off the breakfast.

Me, Kenzo, Chase, and Lisa.
 

The water was running, although not sure how long that will last this year!

This rock would usually be under water.
 

Eric and Ken.

Selfie with the boys.

The boys did great on the hike up the mountain, over boulders and streams!



 

Bikes and Dogs

Sweet Luna is staying with us this week while her owners are on vacation.

She is such a good dog, despite being blind and bumping into things all the time.
 

And now it's T-ball time...well, at least in our backyard.

We took Kenzo out for another ride and this time hit the dirt trail!

He loved it, although it's more nerve-wracking with more obstacles to navigate! 

Biking through Sugar Pine Point State Park.

This was the site of many cross country events at the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Hard to hear, but he says "I like riding on dirt!"

 Visited Melanie's pups again - they are 4 weeks old and simply adorable!

I mean, how can you resist this face?!
 

We had Willy over for a playdate!

He's 9 months older than Kenzo, and at least 9 inches taller! 

"I won't be able to climb through here when I'm 12!"

We rode all around the campgrounds again, and Kenzo wanted to show Willy the dirt trail.