After a very busy 4th of July, Sheri & Nicholas found some time to drive down for one last visit with cousin June before she headed home after several months of physical therapy & rehab after a bad car accident. We were thrilled to see how much progress June had made since our last visit. June made Nicholas feel very special by giving him lots of attention including "rides" on her bed. We are looking forward to visiting her again soon. WELCOME HOME, June!!!
We decided to get a Zoo membership this year. What a great idea that was! Nicholas gets so excited every time we go. We've made 2 trips already this summer. The first trip was with our MOMS Club. Then, a week later, John took the day off to have some fun with us.
Nicholas LOVES the elephants--especially since we got to watch one PAINT a picture on our last trip (I included a photo of it below). In case you were wondering, the painting starts off with a "spray painted" background via the elephant's trunk (yes, it could be quite messy if we weren't on the opposite side of the protective glass). Then, the elephant picks up a paintbrush in his trunk and and with a few brush strokes ... TA-DA! ... a masterpiece has been created.
The (Portland) Oregon Zoo
** Many thanks to my friend, Tina, for the pic of Nick & I.
As exciting as it was to watch the elephants, Nicholas was equally excited about watching the bears--ALL the bears. But, we had the hardest time pulling him away from the polar bears. We got there just as the keepers began tossing fish down from up above. I had a lot of fun watching Nicholas. He was pressed up against the glass with the biggest smile on his face.
I can't wait for our next Zoo adventure!
John decided to kick off July with some freshly mowed fields, and a chance for some father-son "heavy machinery" bonding time ... however, Nicholas wasn't as thrilled about the plan as Dad was. Nicholas 
was excited about SEEING the big green and yellow tractor--sitting on it was an entirely different matter. With some coaxing from Mom & Dad, Nicholas finally agreed to check it out, as long as it was turned OFF! And, while John didn't get to have his father-son tractor ride, I think John still enjoyed his day in the sun amidst the fields of wildflowers!
There's only one way to celebrate the "4th of July" ...
... and, I think we've
figured it out. 
Here's a peak at how we enjoyed the holiday.
