Cascades Raptor Center

This weekend I took the kids to the Cascades Raptor Center.  I had been intrigued by this place for a while.  And then there was a Living Social deal, so I finally decided to check it out.  I'll just put my naivete on the line and define what makes an animal a raptor, because before I visited the Raptor Center I did not know.  

 What is a Raptor? - "Raptor" is another word for bird of prey: eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, osprey and kites ... hunting birds with keen eyesight and hearing, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping and killing prey, and curved beaks for ripping up their food. Raptors are not the only predators of the bird world, but they are the only ones that hunt with their feet!

 So there you have it. I have to say it was a neat little place.  All the raptors that were housed there are permanent residents due to either a mental or physical disability.  There were several species of owls, and quite a few bald eagles which were fascinating.  My favorite was perhaps the snowy owl, which was white and big and I just wanted to give it a big hug!  The kids were intrigued by the birds, but Mateo was probably more interested in the rocks and sticks on the ground.  Oh well, someday they might thank me for taking them.

Cutie pie

So cute. So sweet.

Easter weekend

Holidays are pretty fun when you have young children who get so excited that today is a little more special than all the rest of the days.  And presents are involved.  This Easter was even extra special because we were spending it in Portland with Matt's cousin Mitzi and family.  This includes their 5 year old son, Nolan, who I think has become Mateo's idol.  The boys have so much fun together, it's ridiculous.  The day started off with Easter baskets...

Then we headed outside (notice the sun people!) for the egg hunt...

And then for the goods....

After playing a long while outside, the boys headed in for Easter egg dying.  I won't tell you the story about how Mitzi boiled the eggs, or so we thought, until Nolan - in mid decoration - had his egg crack in a big surprise and yolk was everywhere.  There were only a few tears.  Okay, I had to mention it...it was a highlight of the day.

 

The next day, to ease the pain of having to leave Nolan's house, we planned a fun Portland afternoon for the kids.  We went to the Chinese gardens...which was really pretty, and such a nice little sanctuary right in the middle of the city.

We continued from there to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).  I was tired of lugging my camera with me by this point, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it's a really cool place.  They had a Lego exhibit, and so many things to see we didn't make it through the whole place.  Tired, we headed back home and Elise was asleep before we even got to the freeway.  Overall, a great holiday weekend for the family!

Dinner with the Cravens

Alas, March is over.  I admit I did not blog everyday, but I was pretty close and I had a lot of fun doing it.  So, although I can't promise a post everyday, I will definitely increase what it was from before.  Thanks to everyone who gave me the positive feedback.  I needed it!

We met up with our friends the Cravens last night for pizza.  They are the family that has kids who are both within a month of Mateo and Elise.  Except, Tiya is 8 months pregnant.  I am not, or ever will be again.  So her life will become even more busier than mine very soon!  It was also a gorgeous evening, so we sat outside by the river and the kids ran around and saw nutria (not an animal you spot in California-I never heard of them until I moved here) and geese.  Then of course there was the carousel...always fun. 

 Liam and Harper