Oma, look what I am doing now!

Thank you, Oma, for introducing me to the joy of doing dishes ...
I took your suggestion a little bit further and now really like to soak my feet in the sink!
(And if I do not get to do the dishes when I want to do them badly, I show my parents the chair that I need to stand on and if they tell me that it is not the right time to do dishes, then I let them now about my frustration by having a meltdown!)

P.s. Since you have gone back home,
I have been asking Mami in places where we went together "Oooooma?!

Andrin's transitional object ...

Well, I guess we have to wrap our head around this one!
All the beautiful soft and fussy stuffed animals in his crib ... and now this ...

I guess we really got a BOY!

Afternoon in the park

Since we were lucky to get another beautiful day, we went with Andrin to the park this afternoon. We all had a lot of fun!
Afterward, we went for dinner to an Italian Pizzeria and Andrin surprised us all by saying "Pizza."

Dorris Ranch

This afternoon, we took advantage of some wonderful weather (I am sorry to say this for all the people that have to suffer through snow, ice, and cold temperatures) and discovered a new hike. A few months ago, there was an article in the paper on Dorris Ranch in our neighboring city, Springfield. It is an old filbert/hazelnut farm with some interpretive trails. It was really worth the little drive and our time. The orchards are beautiful and the surrounding forests are magical and the view of our river, the Willamette, was surprising with its wildness.

our little forest gnome ...

hiding between Mami's legs ...

A lot of stops on our hike ... there were too many branches, stones, and leaves on our path ...

Andrin steering a tractor ...

Good bye Oma!

This morning, we had to take Oma back to the airport. We know that she was missed at home by Opa, but we will also miss having her around and all the fun we had together. Andrin will remember her helping him with the slides, the merry-go-around, and all the other fun activities at the park, but also the hike up Mt Pisgash, the visit with uncle Ti, ... And Mami and Papi will remember their first date in a looooong time thanks to Oma!

Thank you for visiting us, Oma! We are looking forward to our visit in September!

Enjoying the spring weather ...

The last few days, the weather has been crazy. It is mild, the sun is shining, and we have enjoyed beautiful hours outside. Oma has been impressed by all the flowers that are blooming, including daffodils and crocus.

Discovering Eugene

Today was our day to discover Eugene. We walked along the river path to downtown. Uncle Timmie had to stop at some shops and we did some sightseeing. On our way, Papi drove with the stroller into some glass and we had a flat tire ... We took the opportunity and had coffee at our favorite cafe downtown. Uncle Timmie was a little bit disappointed by our downtown, but who can blame him ... and especially if you are used to New York?!

At home, we had some good food and then played some SkipBo ... Andrin also lent a helping hand ...

Day at the coast

We spent Saturday at the coast. Looking at the weather forecast, it seemed like it would be the best day for some stretches of dry weather (we did not even expect any sunshine!). And we were lucky and had a decent day at the coast with no rain.

We drove to Florence. Andrin enjoyed having his personal entertainment in the back of the car with Oma. They looked at books, had their finger nails filed (we heard a lot of "meeeh"), sang songs, did some counting rhymes, ... In Florence, we strolled through Old town and had a cup of coffee in our favorite coffee shop. Andrin also got an apron from Oma so that he can do even a better job cleaning the dishes.


We then took a stroll at Driftwood Shores and since it was getting close to Andrin's nap time, he did not really have a good time. But Oma and uncle Timmie gathered some sand so that Andrin's sandbox will be filled with real Oregon coast sand.

No trip to the coast without some seafood. We stopped at Mo's to get some good fish dishes and Andrin was all happy (even though he still did not have a nap). After our lunch, Andrin crashed in the car and had a good nap (all the way home to Eugene).


On our way home, we stopped at Whitaker creek and Oma and uncle Timmie looked at the beautiful winter steelhead.

At home, there was more play time and also some outdoor fun with a big fat cat!

Uncle Timmie is a hit!

Today, I met the only remaining family member that I have not met before ... uncle Timmie (Mami's youngest brother) who is now living in New York. We were expecting him last night, but his flight from Seattle to Eugene was canceled and he had to take a flight this morning.
On our way back from picking uncle Timmie up at the airport, we stopped to get some pancakes. Oma really loves pancakes and we had promised to take her out when I was born and she came to visit ... finally, we made it and she really enjoyed her Hawaiian pancakes (I had some blueberry pancakes and they were pretty good as well ...).

After my afternoon nap, we went to show uncle Timmie around the University of Oregon campus. We also stopped by Papi's lab. Uncle Timmie left quite the impression on some people in the lab ...

Getting ready (still a little bit sleepy) for our walk with my new friend, kitty Tim!

After some playtime at home, we went out to eat at Lucky Noodles, one of Oma's favorite restaurants in town. We had a good time and the food was really good. And that is when I decided that I really like my uncle Timmie. I think my Oma even got a little bit jealous because it did not take me quite as long to warm up to uncle Timmie than it did take me to warm up to her ...

Helping uncle Timmie inflate his air mattress ...

And yes, I did a lot of walking around our house today. It is easier to get around there since I know every little corner of my house ...

Another day with Oma

Today, we had some more fun with Oma. In the morning, we went grocery shopping and then played at home. In the afternoon, we went to a store to buy a birthday present for my uncle Jorrit and then walked along the river path for a little bit. We saw lots of ducks and geese. I got really upset when we had to head back to the car and had of my melt-downs! But back at home, I was happy playing with my new little pans and kitchen utensils. And that is how my day ended ... playing, playing, playing! And now we are waiting to hear from uncle Timmie that he landed safely in Seattle and is boarding the plane to Eugene.