Portland vacation

We just got in today from our trip to Portland. It was long, it was fast and it was too much time spent in the car, but nonetheless, we had a good time. Our boys were such troopers. They did fantastic! I couldn't have asked for better. Owen, was a charm to everyone who saw him and Keaton and Andrew, well, everyone kept asking us "How old are your twins?" We stopped taking the time to explain that they weren't so we would just say they are 4, since Andrew could pass for a four year old literally.
We left on Wednseday morning. The drive was great and we made frequent stops to let the boys get out and stretch their legs and get all the wiggles out.



We made one great stop to Multinomah Falls, just outside of Portland. Have you ever been there? It is amazing! I highly reccomend it next time you are in the area.
It was beautiful. It is just off the highway and this huge waterfall just cascades down the moutain. There were a lot of trails that lead up to the mountain so we went out and went hiking. The place was swarming with tourists and I can understand why. Such an amazing place and it was a good way to cool off.













We went to pick up Grandma and Grandpa Snyder from the airport and stayed with them for the remainder of our stay. It was so nice to be with them. We have been able to see them quite abit this year and my boys can't get enough of Grandpa's stories. They love them so much! Thanks for being such a bright spot of our vacation! We love you! Grandma had what Keaton called a "magical purse." She had pretty much everything in there to enteratain my boys, from pears to balloons, she was so prepared for little ones. I could really learn from that. Next time mom, you will be impressed.



The whole reason for our trip to Portland was to attend the funeral for my sister-in laws' father Bryon, who passed away after a 3 year battle with Lou Gerigs Disease, aka ALS. It was a sad funeral. Toni, his wife, spoke at his funeral as well did all the other kids. It was his wish for his funeral and also that each one of his kids play a piano piece of his favorite songs. It was a very emotional funeral.
Before the funeral began we had some time to kill so we let out boys loose on a baseball field and we just played with grandma and grandpa. We had so much fun. Thanks for making that special for my boys. They are still talking about that.









His graveside service was held in probably the most beautiful cemetary I have ever been in. It overlooked the whole city of Portland and since he loved the bagpipes, a man was standing up on the hillside playing music in the background. My boys were so intrigued by that. We attemped to get our family picture taken, but as always you can never get all your children to smile and be happy for pictures. It was Andrew's turn this time. They were so hot, tired and hungry, that they didn't want any more pictures taken of them. So this was good as we got.



Our last and final day we decided to start out early and take them to the Portland Zoo. That is another must see if you are there. They have the BEST zoo I have ever been too. There were so many exhibits, shows and animals, that we were sorry we didn't get to see it all. They had trains that had mulitple courses to run and tours to give, but we just didn't have time. Next time we will do that. My boys loved all the animals. They were all out and active in this zoo, not much like the one we have here in Boise. It is the sorriest zoo I have ever been too. That must be why kids are free on Thursdays ha? To get more people to come. Here are some fun pictures of our visit.





It is so nice to get out of town for a few days, but even better to be back at home and in our own beds. We had a great time and we can't wait to go back to spend time on the beach.