Originally, it was just for a week or two. Maybe a month. Or a few months. But I returned to the office 15 months after Oregon closed down because of the pandemic. Not wearing a mask for the first time was abnormally normal and normally abnormal.
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Saddle Mountain Hike
We asked our realtor where his favorite hike was, and he named Saddle Mountain. Then our friend Leah mentioned she was going to climb Saddle Mountain the coming weekend, we joined her for the ascent.
Saddle Mountain is a difficult hike up about 1,600 feet in elevation, often with trails of loose rocks and steep paths. We arrived around 7:40am after driving up 7 miles from Highway 26. At the top, we were at 3,290 feet in elevation. We could see several mountaintops and marveled over the clouds below.
At first, I don’t think I’d ever want to do this hike again because the top was so windy so the reward wasn’t as satisfying as say, a waterfall. However, after seeing some other photos taken from the summit, perhaps I could be convinced to do it again so I could photograph a sea of clouds passing by.
On Pointe’s performance for Sleeping Beauty was delayed, like many events last year, due to the coronavirus. Thankfully, the pandemic is getting closer to a new normal, and they were able to showcase their hard work this weekend.
Jenni and the kids all attend On Pointe School of Ballet and performed in Sleeping Beauty.
- Jenni played a Lady in Waiting
- Kadie and Violet played the Flowers
- Bruce played the Wolf
See the photos below for brief recap of the story.
See all of the photos from the performance.
And here’s a brief video highlight of the sections Jenni and the kids performed in.
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Happy Birthday Gerbils!
It’s embarrassing that we only have two blog posts about our gerbils. And the only other one was when we first got them from the store. They have been an adorable addition to our family and we love spoiling them.
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Hayden’s 2nd Year
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Adelman Peony Gardens
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A Duo of Dales
We hosted our first sleepover since the beginning of the pandemic with our neighbors this weekend. Our kids wasted no time making up the moments they’ve missed.
We visited Rivendale at the Jenkins Estate, but on the way there, Annabelle highlighted that she enjoyed Hazeldale Elementary School’s playground. So after a brief trip down memory lane at Rivendale, we jumped back into the party wagon and headed off to Hazeldale.
I’m so grateful that playgrounds are moving away from sawdust and using turf. I’ve heard from our homeowner’s association that it’s cheaper to maintain and no more slivers in hands and knees.
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Playing at Bethany Creek Park
I’m always on the lookout for awesome parks in our area. Kadie and I spotted this one on Google Maps earlier this month and were admiring the zipline-swing at Bethany Creek Park. We also visited Orchid Playground for their rope climbing polyhedron.
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How We’re House Hunting
When Kadie didn’t get into the International School of Beaverton, it triggered the beginning of our ongoing house hunt. Our neighborhood middle school and high school have low ratings and a reputation for disengaged students. When we looked at our finances, it didn’t appear that we were able to move immediately, so we chose to home school Kadie for her middle school years.
Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. A year after, when we started looking at houses again, the pandemic took over, and the other two kids transitioned into distance learning at home. When school started back up in the fall, all three kids were home schooled. Our home started feeling a bit cramped, we were stuck with ourselves, so we decided to try searching for a house again.
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Happy Mother’s Day
We don’t get together as often as my mom would like, so we always try to get a photo when we are all together. 
Celebrating the mothers! 
Jenni, Kadie, and I made a Dove chocolate bouquet for Mother’s Day. 
We visited Gram and played Chinese Checkers with her.
