Some More Spring Break Pics

Spring Break With The Goguens

Spring break 2009 was filled with fun and adventures with our dear friends the Goguens. It had been far too long since we'd seen them, but all of us just picked up where we left off. Benjamin and Kjell especially seemed to have the sense that they've been friends since Kjell was just a little baby, and Tyler joined the clan as a full-fledged big boy. All three raced laps around the house saving the town of Salem from fires and unsafe drivers while using Kjell's firetruck, police car, and recycling truck. At least three times a day the living room was a tornado of toys and boys playing as hard as they could. At bedtime each night there three little people who were tuckered out.
We visited the zoo and the Oregon coast so the boys could say they'd touched their toes on the Pacific's blustery shores. Jamie tried very hard to fly a kite and we all enjoyed the beautiful (if typcially stormy) day. We also enjoyed the preliminary heats at the world famous Salem Soapbox Derby, and rode our friends at the Salem Carousel. During our trip to Portland, we had doughnuts at the quirky Voodoo Doughnuts in a colorful part of town. On the way, we rode the the Max and walked from under the Burnside Bridge. A homeless man with a prolific tic and spastic noises prompted Kjell to ask (at the TOP of his voice) "What is that man doing with his mouth, Mom? Why is he making those noises Mom?" He also was very inquisitive when the proprietor of Voodoo Doughnuts came out of the bathroom putting his pipe and pot paraphenalia away. "What is that stink Mom? Is it is a skunk?" We quietly agreed that it did smell like a skunk and then proceeded on our way past some panhandlers and headed for the zoo.
The Goguens enjoyed Portland and we wished we had more time with them and more time to show them a few more sights, but having stretched three boys as long as we could without naps, we headed home.

It was such a great time and reminded us how much we miss all of our friends in Charlotte. Thank goodness for summer vacations and spring breaks that will allow us to visit and be visited. We still welcome our the friends from the other coast to make the trek out west.