Chaos with the Coles

Our nephew Brandon got married last weekend in a little town in Oregon about three hours from Portland, so we decided to turn it into a family vacation and visit Portland, including the city's main attraction...the Coles Family. We shacked up with them in their adorable house complete with a kitchen that is smaller than our master bathroom. Seriously, who designed houses in the olden days? And that was back when moms actually had to cook every meal, rather than let McDonald's do it for you. Other than the kitchenette the house is awesome. (Don't worry the Coles won't get offended...they're renting!) It has a basement that kids can, and do, spend hours playing in. It is also located in the charming Multnomah Village, which pretty much makes up for the dinky kitchen.

The kids loved spending 45 minutes at the Children's Museum. It would have been longer, but we arrived 45 minutes prior to closing. That's how we roll! Mira and Olivia Coles are obsessed with their teeth. Steve showed Mira how to wiggle a loose tooth properly, and so she was doing that the entire time, including during her t-ball game!


There is a section of the museum where children can apply their own face paint. Isn't that every mother's dream?

Steve examined the crocodile teeth and just in case you were wondering, the anatomy is correct!

In a previous post I had mentioned the violent nature of my children. I just want you all to know that usually they are quite sweet. They are great conversationalists...

...and very loveable!

A trip to Portland would not be complete without a visit to the Rose Garden...even when the roses are not in bloom! Isn't that what imaginations are for?

Steve and Dustin are alike in many ways. They are both great Dads. They are both very helpful husbands. And they both roll their eyes and shake their heads at their wife a lot!

If Steve and Dustin's jobs fail we now have a back-up financial plan...The Max and Mira Modeling Duo!

We were told the Portland Zoo is a must, and it did not let us down. The concensus is that the favorite exhibit was the Polar Bears. Those are massive and beautiful beasts. It was truly amazing to see them. I don't even attempt to take pictures of animals behind glass, because without fail there is a big streak of reflecting light down the middle of the picture. Instead I took pictures of my beautiful litte beasts!

Can you tell which children were lacking sleep? Thanks for the exciting (and exhausting) time Coles Family!