Thanksgiving 2010

For Thanksgiving this year, we invited my parents and Rob here to spend the weekend.  They arrived on Thursday, just in time for dinner, which was wonderful and we had a great day together.  The next day, we got up bright and early and headed for the train station in Pasco to ride the train to Portland.  We have gone to Portland on the train several times now, but never with Grandma and Grandpa House and Uncle Rob.  The kids love to ride the train; the seats are big, they can get up and walk around as much as they want and they get to go to the dining car and play games and get snacks.  While most of us were riding the train, Jim and Calvin rented an 11 passenger van to drive to Portland so we would have someone to pick us up from the train station and have a car to get around for the weekend.  Plus, Calvin would have been a nightmare on the train.

We got to Portland about 12:30 pm where Jim picked us up and we went to get some lunch.  After lunch, we headed over to OMSI for a few hours.  We had a great time looking at and experiencing all the exhibits.   My parents have never really spent much time in Portland, so this is a place that they had never been to before.  It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

From there, we went to the hotel to check in, get settled and decide where we wanted to go to dinner.  We went to a place Jim and I used to go when we lived in Portland called Sweet Tomatoes.  It was very yummy!!!  They even brought around freshly baked chocolate chip cookies while we were eating which the kids thought was the best thing in the world.  And, of course, it is their favorite place to eat in Portland now.  After dinner we went back to the hotel and the kids went swimming with Grandma and Rob.

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel and went over to Washington Square Mall for a couple of hours.  Dad needed to get a little bit of time in at Sears while he was there--especially since it is a much bigger Sears than the one in Idaho Falls.  We had a good time just shopping in the mall.  From there, we went to the Portland Temple to walk around a little bit and enjoy it's beauty and peace.  I still love how you are driving up the road that leads to the temple surrounded by trees, then, all of the sudden, there is the temple.  It is so beautiful!

To end our trip to Portland, we went to IKEA on the way out of town.  I love IKEA!   I always end up finding more things than I should to buy there, but I did pretty good this time and only bought a few things.  I actually think my mom bought more than I did this time.  After IKEA, we all piled into the van and headed home.

It was a fun couple of days and a nice break from everyday life.  We had such a great time with Mom, Dad and Rob and I think we will do it again sometime and maybe throw in a couple days at the coast while we're at it.

 On the train...Haden clearly did not want me to take his picture...I totally did anyway! ;-)

 Rob, however, had no problem with me taking his picture...he was a very willing participant.

 Cooper loved this station at OMSI...he could have stayed here all day.

 Calvin spent quite a bit of time stacking these blocks.

 This was Calvin's favorite place in OMSI...the ball room.

Dude, I cannot believe you actually fit in that space capsule!

Lexie with Grandpa and Grandma House. My dad always has to find some kind of sugary treat wherever he goes.  This time, Godiva chocolate.

My six beautiful kids outside the Portland Temple.  This is where it all started 16 years ago!