First RACE!

We went to the Nike store to use a Friends & Family coupon, and I scored Madelyn her very own pair of silver Nike's. She picked them out herself and was very excited. On the way home she talked about running in them (as Mom does), which reminded me that there was a Kid's Dash preceding the 5k near our house that very night! So I told Madelyn about it and the only problem was she couldn't understand why we weren't going to the race right now. When we got home she was all abuzz about her race, and after dinner she got herself dressed in some exercise clothes and her new Nike's.

We were leery of her enthusiasm, because in the preceding weeks we had been struggling with her refusal to participate in dance class--even when she was excited about it all day. So Gary and I weren't getting our hopes up too high as we drove down to the high school, got Madelyn registered, and pinned her "race bib" on her Nike shirt.


Here is Madelyn looking so sure of herself among all the big runners. 

She walked so confidently over to the starting line and stood with the other kids for instructions. 

And she's OFF!

Running and smiling!

I ran alongside my big girl, taking her pictures and cheering her on. 

As she rounded the corner, Madelyn started to lose steam and said to me, "Mom...running is kinda hard!" Oh, this made me giggle! (Finally, a little respect for me!) :)

Daddy helped jog Madelyn across the finish line of her very first race. It was probably about two-tenths of a mile.

High five!

This girl is so proud of herself, and she should be! She even earned a ribbon that says, "Future Cross-Country Runner." What a special night!

Madelyn vs. Lilly

I absolutely adore my friend Wiyaka, she's definitely one of my bestest. It is a special treat to spend time with her and her kids, since they live far away. Usually--or at least sometimes--Madelyn and Lilly play nicely together. But there is something between them creating a very interesting dynamic. Madelyn is a thinker, and she tends to be somewhat sensitive.  Lilly is a do-er, with a very spirited personality. She seems to know how to push Madelyn's buttons, and enjoys doing it. This sends Madelyn into an emotional meltdown with possible retaliation, so a lot of our time is spent rushing to calm brewing storms or deescalate full-blown hurricanes.

I am laughing looking at these two pictures, which seem to sum up their relationship perfectly. For myself, and probably Wiyaka too, who know these two well, the message is conveyed wordlessly. But I'll translate in case it isn't as obvious for the rest.

Here, Madelyn was relishing a peaceful moment taking care of Baby before Lilly came happily, boisterously bouncing into the scene. The looks on their faces are precision-perfect. 

It's a little bit hard to tell from the side, but here I've captured the Stare-Down. Eyes narrowed, lips tightened, the intensity can be downright frightening coming from a couple of 3.5-year-olds.

Hopefully as they grow and mature, a beautiful friendship will blossom out of all the great moments they share.

Three Little Ladies

Madelyn was quite interested in Kylah again, as she was when we first met her during our trip to Las Vegas. I think she felt honored to be given the responsibility of feeding her a bottle.

I realize this picture is just blurry, since I had the camera on the wrong setting, but I think it looks kind of pretty. Madelyn's smile there says it all, to me.

Then our wild little Lilly wanted in on the action too! She's used to baby sister.

Check out Kylah's skinny jeans! 

Won't she make a wonderful big sister? Sigh...

Three adorable girls!!!

They were giving Kylah raspberries on her tummy, which is about the funniest thing to Madelyn.

Cute Hair Girls

We sure loved having a girlfriend to play with!

Madelyn let me do this half-ponytail for her after Lilly asked for one, and then the butterfly adornments were Madelyn's idea.  They stayed like that all day!

Enchanted Forest: Bobsled Coaster

We watched several log-cars come splashing down the 40-foot plunge finale of the Big Timber Log Ride, and Madelyn insisted that she wanted to do it.  We noticed just outside the gates that Madelyn and Lilly were both barely too short to ride with an adult. We decided to take a chance and wait in line, however, in case they weren't stringently checking. I held the purses and the baby in the viewing area for 10-15 minutes, but alas, they were dismissed for not meeting the height minimum. Too bad.

So instead, we moseyed over to the Ice Mountain Bobsleds. I was once again the purse/baby holder, half-expecting Madelyn to come running down the stairwell to me before boarding, having changed her mind.

But instead she went on a real roller coaster with her daddy.

Gary said the most fun aspect for him was listening to Madelyn squeal with glee from start to finish.

She loved it! What a big girl.

That's it for pictures from Enchanted Forest!

Enchanted Forest: Train

Trains would definitely make Madelyn's list of favorite things, so she was thrilled to ride this one.

I also happened to think this was about the cutest darn train ride I've ever seen!

The lighting on this picture is weird, but see how giddy she is after it was finished!

After the train Lilly and Madelyn panned for treasure. They each got a bag full of colorful polished stones and crystals. So fun!

There's even more Enchanted Forest up next.

Enchanted Forest: Frog Hopper

New to Enchanted Forest since I have been is a kiddie ride area. First we all walked through to look at the options so the kids could choose which they wanted to do and we could purchase the right number of tickets. Madelyn chose the train and the "bumper boats." We started with the small, circular boats floating in about 18" of water, whose movement was mainly affected by a current of water being pumped into the pool. The "ride" attendant waded around and pulled boats out of corners where stuck and kind of spun them around half-heartedly when she wasn't helping a child board or disembark a boat.  Madelyn walked up two of the three steps to board her little red boat before turning back. She looked frightened and determined not to do it. We encouraged her to give it a try--she loves the canoe/teepee ride at fairs, but Madelyn was just about in tears. So we walked around the side and watched Lilly enjoy her boat ride. Behind us was a ride called the Frog Hopper, which we hadn't really even shown to Madelyn. It was really more of a big-kid thing. But as Madelyn grew bored watching Lilly, she wandered toward Frog Hopper, which was getting ready for liftoff. The attendant asked Madelyn if she wanted to ride, and she nodded. Then she got handed her tickets to the lady and walked right through the fence without hesitation or asking for me to come with her!

Madelyn selected the red frog seat, and let the ride attendant lift her up into it and put the big locking bar over her lap.

Yes, this is a children's ride, so I shouldn't be so shocked. But this girls moments before wouldn't step into a bumper boat that hardly moved. And the Frog Hopper repeatedly springs up probably 20 feet in the air (?) and then bounces back down.  

Madelyn looked delighted the entire time, no trace of fear. 

We were beaming with pride and excitement for her discovery of the thrill ride.

More Enchanted Forest coming up next!

Enchanted Forest: Storybook Lane

Any self-respecting Native Oregonian has pleasant (or perhaps, frightening) memories of visits to Enchanted Forest. It was Gary's brilliant idea to meet Wiyaka and her 2 girls there. They were traveling up from California to stay at our house for six days (fun!) and this unique theme park is right off of I-5 on their way, making a nice break from the long drive.

We started in "Storybook Lane," which is the part of Enchanted Forest I remember most. Other attractions have been added periodically since this family-run park was opened in 1971. Its history is fascinating to me, but I'm a nerd like that. 

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The witch's candy house from Hansel and Gretel. Madelyn wondered why the witch had her head in the oven. Umm...

Lilly and Madelyn psych themselves out for a long, dark tunnel. You could not see that far inside without my camera's flash. 

Here's where Madelyn finally crawled out, after crying in the dark for a few minutes. But I think it was more because Lilly accidentally stepped on her hand than because she was afraid.

At the bottom of a slide which I believe came out of a generic witch's ear. 

This witch, whose nose Wiyaka is straining to pick.

Wiyaka, Lilly, Gary, and Madelyn experience the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe slide.

More Enchanted Forest in the next post!

Sand in the City

Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Dale took Madelyn down to the Sand in the City event in Portland while I was at work. 

They rode MAX downtown,

...saw cool sand sculptures in Pioneer Courthouse Square, 

...played with bubbles and other cool science experiments like a homemade lava lamp and water diver, 

...and saw a puppet show!

Hangin' out with Mr. Portland.

Waiting for the train to go home. What an exciting adventure! Thanks G&G!

Chilly Waterslide

A friend introduced us to this great outdoor pool and waterslide facility that is part of the Portland Parks & Rec system. Unfortunately we chose a chilly day to go, so even though the water was pretty warm, everything above the surface was cold and I wore a hoodie when we had lunch on the deck.

Madelyn loves the waterslide! We actually went back to this place with Lilly and Kylah a couple of weeks later on a sunny day, and had even more fun then. :)

Bundled up for a quick snack.

Pool Party

My Aunt invited all the cousins who live in the area to bring kids over for a swim while her son was visiting with their new baby.

Unfortunately it turned out to be kind of a chilly afternoon, so it was a bit challenging to really enjoy being in the water. On top of that, Madelyn has been extra clingy and was exhibiting fear-of-water symptoms. Therefore, it was not the most fun we've ever had in a pool. What happened to THIS girl?

How embarrassing that I look naked. The neck strap on this swimsuit broke, and I rushed out to buy a replacement the day before, but was having second thoughts about the new suit and didn't want to wear it so it couldn't be returned. I hope no one was offended by my strapless suit.

After getting out and warmed up, we enjoyed a nice BBQ potluck and played with toys on the deck.

My cousin Sarah Ann's two youngest kids Rachel and Matthew with Jack and Madelyn.

Jack's birthday is in November, then Madelyn in December, and Matthew's is in January. We only see their second cousins occasionally, but it was great to see them playing together and to take cute pictures.