So it's been awhile.

So I've been lazy. Not extra busy, extra lazy and it's been awhile. After a month of waiting around life has finally started in Portland. Ashley has preschool Tuesday and Thursday and both kids have swim. (I have yet to fully recover from losing Davey's 2x a week preschool. Sigh.) Ashley's preschool is wonderful. Her teacher has been there for 25 years and the general set up and schedule is perfect for a threes class. I am glad we found a good school out here since leaving such a wonderful school in Charlotte was one of my biggest anxieties. Since it's a coop I am parent helper 4x between now and January and on-call sub 4x as well. No preschool for Davey means what would have been his tuition each month now can go towards babysitters. Ashley's favorite things about preschool:
1. The babydoll/play house area (she loves the play washer and dryer)
2. The arts and crafts room, especially the glitter paint
3. The guinea pigs, Peanut Butter and Jelly (who will not be weekending with us)

The gym I belong to has great swim lessons. Members pay $35 a session. It's such a deal. Davey is in a mommy and me class. All the other babies have been taking swim since they were in utero. (well, 4 months, but you get the idea.) Davey didn't scream, but he said "no thank you" and "get out now" a lot. Ashley is the only one in her class. This means she is getting private lessons. It rocks. She practiced some strokes and getting toys from the bottom of the pool. She loves swim class.

The only trip we did recently was Crater Lake. It is a beautiful National Park, and the deepest lake in the US. Because it was formed when a volcano collapsed, no rivers or streams flow into it. It is 100% filled with snow melt (averages 44' a year) and rain. This also makes it one of the cleanest lakes in the world. There is all sorts of interesting info about Ceater Lake. You should google it because I am too lazy to type it on the tablet. The kids had a blast camping. The campsite was incredibly dusty so they were filthy. We planned better and cooked dinner (hot dogs) and made smores on the fire Jason made with firewood we collected. The general verdict on camping from Jason is that it's great until the sleeping part. Then the ground is hard and it sucks. We will work on improving that next time.

Up next is a trip to Seattle where we will rough it in a Marriott. :-)