Newport

The first week of September, Jason and I took Rayne for a mini vacation to Newport on the coast for a few days. We stayed at a fantastic hotel called the Elizabeth Street Inn. Our room was awesome, and the view was amazing.

We had been to the aquarium in Seaside before, and Rayne loved it. So, we thought she would equally love the larger aquarium at Newport. And we were right. She had so much fun looking at all of the beautiful fish. The aquarium also has some stunning glass work on display in the tanks.

The aquarium has some otters and sea lions and seals, as well as a tank with a walkway under it, so the fish swim over your head. Rayne really liked the sharks.

Rayne also got to play on the playground, which had lots of fun animals to climb on.

And finally, Rayne got to choose a souvenir from the gift shop. Of course, she chose a soft seal, which she promptly named Amy!

The rest of the trip was spent relaxing, playing on the beach, exploring Newport, and of course enjoying the perfect sunsets.

The Zoo

Bubba Rayne's first trip to the zoo. August 30, my birthday. It was a gorgeous day. Mid 70's, sunny.
When we go to the zoo, rayne was very excited to see all of the people. She loves to people watch.
But, then, we went into Stellar Cove. She saw the sea lions swimming past the glass, and she looked up at me, "Mo? Mo?", touching her fingers together in the sign for MORE. She couldn't get enough of the huge creatures swimming past her.




Next, we went to the primate exhibit. A chimp was barely visible from outside and Rayne was intrigued. But on the inside, that big chimp came in and she couldn't get out of there fast enough! Maybe it was the human like features, or the way he moved, but she wanted nothing to do with him.
We went outside to the orangutans enclosure, but one look at the big male and she was outta there!




We got some ice cream, then headed for the elephants. Thinking she might be nervous, I tried to explain to Rayne that these guys are HUGE. Bigger than daddy huge.
When she first saw Packy and another elephant outside, she was interested. But when we got inside, she was HOOKED. Inside was where Rose Tu and Samudra, the baby, were having lunch. Rayne saw him and started shouting, "Baby? Baby?" And pointing to Rose Tu and Saying "Mamma? Mamma?".

After a bit we headed outside to see what the other guys were up to. The handlers were out with Packy and the other elephant, and as a crowd gathered, started having them do some tricks.

Rayne LOVED it, and didn't want to leave.

Finally, we got her to go with the promise of more cool animals to come. We headed for the Africa exhibit and checked out some plains animals. We even got to see a giraffe from the top!

The final exhibit is a frontier homestead exhibit. Here, Rayne got to pet goats and cows and even drive a tractor.

After a long and fun-filled day, my tired little girl slept all the way home.

Outside

Rayne is an outdoor girl. She LOVES to be outside all the time. Any time, rain or shine. Posted here are some images from our yard, and the flowers, fruits, and even some friends that surround Rayne every day.

Tricycle

Bubba got her first tricycle a couple of weeks ago. She had been coveting the neighbors bike for some time, so we decided it was time for her own. She got a Radio Flyer in blue, red, and yellow. It fits her very well, and she already kinda gets what the pedals are for, even though she can't quite get it to go yet. She has take a couple of spills already, but she gets right back up and tries again!

Firsts

Wow, what a day. A day of firsts for Rayne. First haircut, first bike, first real Farmer's Market.
It was a great day. We started at the farmer's market, where Rayne sampled fresh doghnuts and met some nice dogs who were bigger than her dad!
Next, we went to Pigtails and Crewcuts (a "creative kids salon") where she sat in a red airplane and watched Finding Nemo while she got her first haircut. I love the way it came out...she looks like such a little lady now.
Check out the before and afters...

After the haircut, we went to get Rayne her very first bike! A beautiful red, blue, and yellow tricycle that fits her just right. She loves it, and we will post pics soon....

ttfn

love to you all

Heat Wave!

OK, more like Heat Ripple. It was almost 90 degrees for over 3 days! That's huge for people is our region of the world.

Rayne really liked all the time she got to be outside. She played in the pool and with her new little fountain toy Grandma Sue got her from dusk until dawn all weeknd.

School

Rayne goes to school 2 days a week. She loves it. Gets to play with a ton of other kids, go for long walks everyday, and just basically be a kid.
The school is fantastic. They have a long table where the kids get to eat lunch and snacks together. They have a short little sink where they learn about handwashing. They have oversized blocks for climbing on, and each room has a great little patio to go outside and play.

Here are some pics from school, taken last week.