days of summer: portland part 1

i'm so excited  that i have a moment 

to blog about our unforgettable trip to 

the oregon coast this past summer.

we had such a fantastic time, we hope

to make it an annual summer trip and

as the kids get older, there's no limit to the

fun that can ensue!

our first stop was to shop til we drop at the

woodburn shopping outlet. with it being back to school

season there's no better way to shop than with no tax!

anybody else feel like busting out an outkast song?? lol

we spent most of the afternoon/evening getting all of our shopping

out of the way so that we could enjoy the rest of our weekend

actually enjoying oregon.

i will say, it was the best decision we made because

we saved hundreds of dollars on tax and

took advantage of some great sales!

the next morning we went out for breakfast to a charming 

little place called slappycakes but while we waited

for our table, we took a stroll around a little

food truck park and built up our appetites reading the yummy menus!

finally our table was ready! and it was time to make

some delicious pancakes right at our table.

the toppings we chose were blueberries, bananas, chocolate chips,

pecans and whipped cream. i foresee us re-creating this

experience at home very soon! 

once our tummies were full, we ventured over 

to downtown portland to grab some donuts at voodoo donuts

before we journeyed to the coast.

man, there is just so much to explore in downtown portland!

we will have to plan another trip where we stay

here and visit everything this city has to offer.

funny story about the above photo, while following directions to

voodoo donuts, we quickly discovered that there was a morning

farmers market going on and every street we had to turn on was closed!

argh!

charming little eating area next to voodoo donuts!

the girls having a moment while we waited

in the voodoo donut line up

it's food truck city over there!

the walls are sparkly!

with our donuts in tow, we started making our way to the coast 

and had to cut through this pretty amazing tunnel.

quick hold your breath!

the drive was absolutely stunning, the trees were

towering!

and before we knew it we were at cannon beach!

stay tuned for the fun!

can i be split in half?

for the last few weeks,

i have felt like i can't divide myself enough

between my 2 girls, and even more

so now that my oldest has spoken up about it.

parents of two: help!

recently emma has talked about how

she feels like i spend all my time with olivia

and she feels like i love olivia more than i love her

*heart broken*

of course i don't love her less but it's

been challenging trying to explain the needs

of a 2 year old since in emma's eyes her baby sister

is capable of doing everything she is.

she feels like she's reprimanded for more

and olivia gets away with more (uh oh, insert 

older sibling syndrome) i remember

my sister always got in trouble and i as the

baby didn't.

is it too much to explain that when you're 6

you should be proud that you're more independent

and don't need help getting dressed? or that

school review comes before the bugs bunny and tweety show?

or that mom and dad expect good active

listening?

*sigh*

i feel like a broken record these days and

pretty much the only thing i can come up with

is figuring out activities that her and i can do

that gives her more time with me

and she feels there is balance.

any thoughts?