Fun at Laurelhurst Park

Our friends Samantha and Elianna came over yesterday for a playdate. We walked to Laurelhurst park to slide, swing, and picnic. Soren ate his first cashew. It was a fun afternoon!

Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge

On Sunday, it was another beautiful fall day so we drove to Eagle Creek for a hike. To our surprise, the Salmon were spawning! I've seen it on TV, but seeing it firsthand was something else. Soren loves to be outside and he was in his element at Eagle Creek.

Mount St. Helens

The day after Sauvie Island, Cindy and I took a road trip to Mount St. Helens. After being given a firm directive to listen from a tourist guide named "Suzie," we were right on track to have a productive day. The volcano was worth the trek there and then some. It was a powerful thing to see. Note to travelers: it is much colder 4000 ft above sea level than it is down in the valley of Portland!

Getting ready for Halloween

To bring in the fall season, Cindy came out for a visit over MEA. We had tons of fun, as usual. During one of the really beautiful days, we took a trip out to Sauvie Island and ran around the corn fields, straw bales and straw bale pyramid, pumpkins, and tractors. We came home with the perfect pumpkin, ready to be carved!

Soren Gets Excited About the Election

Soren and Mike like to cook

Soren and Friends

Soren's favorite shirt.


Soren's new friend, August, came over last Sunday with his parents, Michele and Paul, for a play date.


Paul wanted to show us his tongue. Paul and his brother, Thomas, live across the street from us. They're a bit older than Soren, but by next year Soren should catch up!


Mel and Judy Zinter are the parents of our friend, Susan. They spent 10 days in Portland on a wine tasting tour. They brought us delicious pears, that were a treat for many days! Soren gave them a tour of our neighborhood. We went to our first Vegan restaurant, had coffee at Stumptown, cupcakes at St. Cupcake and took a quick home tour of our block. It was a good afternoon.

Near Mount St. Helens

Our Minneapolis friends Bill and Brad were in Seattle for a wedding this weekend. On Saturday, we met halfway between Seattle and Portland. We had great greasy hashbrowns and eggs for breakfast, then toured the Mount St. Helens visitor center.

A lot can happen in just 60 seconds

Neighbors on Friday Night

Soren is walking! And he loves his chair!

Just days after we moved to Portland, Soren discovered how to walk. We went to Pottery Barn and got him his own chair (Thanks, Bob & Elsa!!). Soren thinks he's pretty special when he sits in his chair.

Our new house in Portland

We moved to Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago and have been very busy getting settled into the new house. Here are a few quick photos. As you can see, our house sits up on a hill.

Sunday at the Beach

We brought Soren to one of the beaches at Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz on Sunday. We had the whole beach to ourselves with lots of room to play. Not sure who played harder, Mike or Soren. Anyways, it was our last full weekend in California together and we were very glad to not have to say 'good-bye' to the ocean. Portland is about 1 1/2 hours away from the Pacific. We leave for Portland on the 21st!

Soren likes to walk the dog

Playing Hide and Seek

Cindy's Trip to San Jose

While Steven was in New York for an IBM conference, Cindy came to stay for a week and a fun week it was! We made homemade pasta, lounged in the Rose Garden during sunny afternoons, drove to Santa Cruz and had fun on the beach, traveled to Sonoma for wine tasting, AND watched lots of "Law and Order." The day after Cindy left, Soren couldn't figure out where she went and kept on crawling back to her room to see if she was there. It was good bonding time and we miss our Dindie.