Portland for Pedestrians

Mom, my sister, and I spent Sunday in Portland. We rode the light-rail into downtown, then got off and walked.

And walked some more.

And then we walked some more.

We walked around Lloyd Center, the SW Harrison area, and then up to the Pearl District, where my sister used to live.

This is a fun city to walk in, and there is certainly a lot happening here. It'll be great fun next spring and summer to take the boys around town and explore.

The following photo is for Colson. Colson, THIS is a pigeon. There are a lot of them here. I didn't see any eating hot dogs, but that's probably not for lack of trying.

We hopped on the streetcar quite a bit. I had a picture of me actually hopping onto the streetcar, but it disappeared from the post. I'll have to try to find it later. But below is a picture of the car.


Here we were looking to see when the next car is coming. At this point in the day it was still mostly sunny, but about 20 minutes later it was grey and rainy.


After touring what felt like much of downtown, we stopped for a quick dinner and then caught a movie at Pioneer Place. (Looking for a good movie? Go see "Social Network.")

The next time I can get to the computer I'll post more pictures from the day, and some from our new hometown. Hopefully later tonight.

Guess Where I Am?

Well, I'll take pity on you and tell you. Because that's the sort of big-hearted person I am.

These pictures are taken at Cascade Locks, about 30 minutes east of Portland. We stopped here to take pictures. As it turned out, my parents were INSIDE the restaurant eating lunch when we stopped. M. and I didn't know this, though untill we called them later.




The Columbia River.

Here's the bridge across to the Washinghton side. It's raining a bit and is hard to see some of the mountains. But the colors are beautiful.

There'll be more to come!

First Grade Open House

Hello! Welcome to our first grade "Open House!" Come on in!

Colson is our first grade student this year, and is making excellent progress, having benefited from listening in on what his brothers have been due for the past few years. Colson has surprised us all by being remarkably academic, characteristic he's kept well-hidden under his gregarious, hammy personality.

READING
For reading we are using both "Phonics Pathways" and the "Pathway Readers" series. I have used "Phonics Pathways" to teach all three boys how to read. When a child gets about halfway through the book, I add in the "Pathway Reader" primer book. The Pathway Readers are basal readers used in Amish schools, and are filled with sweet stories. I'm enjoying reading them again with Colson. Colson is mid-way through the second-grade readers and says that reading is his favorite subject.

MATH
For math we're using the "Singapore Math" series. Again, it's something that all three boys have used. (When you find something that works, why change?) Colson is finishing up the 2nd grade math book and will be starting the third grade book sometime in November. The hardest part about this is that there's so much more writing in 2nd and 3rd grade math, and as a first grader he's just not ready/able to write that much. So we do a lot of the textbook portion orally, and just leave him the workbook portions to write out.

LANGUAGE ARTS
For spelling Colson's working his way through "Spelling Workout A." For grammar we're using "First Language Lessons" by Jessie Wise. I discovered FLL with Brogan, and am enjoying it again with Colson. It covers 1st and 2nd grade grammar, and I love the gentle approach it takes with students. The first grade lessons are almost all done orally, with writing increasing in the second grade. SO far Colson has memorized three poems and can tell you the definition of a noun and the difference between common and proper nouns. If reading is his favorite subject, grammar just might be his second favorite.

BIBLE
Colson and I are using "Leading Little Ones to God," another book I've used with all three boys.

HISTORY
We are studying the Middle Ages with "Story of the World: Volume 2." I think this is my third time through this book. It's a wonderful world history book for younger students.

That's our Open House. We're looking forward to a great year!

According to my kids, "you totally need this, Mom!!"

Apparently, it "has YOU written all over it! Get this, Mom!"



I have no idea what they're talking about.