Zoo Lights

If you will remember, we got a family membership to the Zoo for Father's Day. We upgraded so we got free admission to the summer concerts and the holiday money maker - "Zoo Lights". We passed up going during the recent cold front we had. Although it was nice and dry for 10 days (which is very rare in Portland in December!), the highs were below freezing over most of that stretch.

Then the rains returned. We got a nice break in the rains on Friday night and seized the opportunity to throw the wagon in the Outback and head to the zoo.

I think Priya was just happy to be back in her wagon, but she seemed to enjoy the lights as well. They were pretty impressive lights and they were all throughout the zoo grounds, even on the trains.

Priya stayed nice and warm in the mittens and hat that her Grandmaman knitted for her.

The zoo had animal mascots walking around the zoo. Priya was not too excited to see any of them, especially Mr. Lion. Even when we would roll by them in the wagon, she would lean away from them in the wagon as we went by. It looked like she was getting her gangsta lean on!

It has been hard enough trying to keep her from pulling at the lights on the Christmas tree at home. This was just impossible.

The Hunt for the Perfect Tree

Our first year here in Portland we headed out of town a little bit in search of a christmas tree in the small town of Sherwood. Looking for a tree in Sherwood's forest? Has a familiar ring to it. But we were not here to steal from the rich. We just wanted a good deal on a nice Noble Fir, and we found it. $25 for any tree you cut down on a family farm. They even tied it to the top of my car and gave us some cookies and hot chocolate. And the farm had amazing views of Mt. Hood.

What a great way to spend an afternoon looking for the perfect tree. Of course we didn't right down the address. So, last year we spent close to an hour driving around the area before we found it. Still didn't write down the address. But, at least this year I remembered the name of the road. So, it only took us 15-20 minutes to find the same family this year! It was a nice day again, but the clouds kept the mountains out of view on this day.

So, off we went in search of the perfect tree. No need for those small trees, we need a big one. But Priya sure liked this one closer to her size:

Just like the previous two years, despite walking around the whole property, we ended up picking one right near the front. That's Priya and I in front of the chose one. Then Priya and Sona decided to help me cut it down:

Mom and Priya standing in front of our fallen prize. Now all I had to do was carry it back to the car. Once we got home, Sona was pooped from running around the farm. You know Sona is tired when she does not try to remove this Santa hat:

After struggling to get the tree to stay upright in the stand, we got it decorated the next day. We had to put the kid friendly ornaments on the bottom and Priya headed straight for them:

We even have presents under the tree already thanks to Grandmaman and Pappy. Early season's greetings to all!

Early Thanksgiving in the Sun

Thanks to my overlooking the full vacation schedule at my work, we ended up heading to Sarasota before Thanksgiving to spend some time with Grandmaman and Pappy. Regardless, the sun was shining (mostly) and it was a relaxing several days with family.

After taking a second to bask in the sun, Priya took Grandmaman and Pappy for a walk down the pier in Bradenton. She loved watching the pelicans here on the pier.

The beach in Bradenton had a sandcastle competition. Priya was amazed by this professional one with all of the cartoon characters of classic Christmas specials.

She was hesitant playing in the sand at first. But it didn't take her long to get into it and soon she was filling her bucket with sand. She especially enjoyed destroying all of the stuff I made in the sand. Even after going home for a nap she refused to go inside. So, Pappy had to swing her to sleep in the hammock. It was a bit chilly that day, so we covered her up to keep her warm:

A short but sweet trip with family in the sun.