A hike at Peavy Arboretum

The family spent Saturday afternoon hiking at Peavy Arb outside of Corvallis. We crossed to Polk County on the Buena Vista ferry; we climbed on the old wooden wheels; we found huge crayfish in the lake (alas, no net to catch them!); we watched Daddy balance on logs in the lake and not fall in!; we played on the logging teams logs; we hiked up, up, up a steep hill with only minimal whining; and then the kids ran down the logging road to the car.

The best tool for getting milk? A saw!

One day recently I was nursing Ewan in the early evening. It was a mixture of laziness and curiosity--trying to get an over-cranky toddler to sleep and wondering if nursing would work.
After about 15 minutes, Ewan says, "Can't get milk Mama."
Mama: "Oh that makes sense. We usually nurse only once a day, in the afternoon. I bet Mama doesn't have any milk at night Ewan."
Ewan thinks for a long minute.
Ewan: "Need hammer Mama."
Mama, laughing, "You think a hammer will get the milk out?"
Ewan: "No. Need saw Mama. Need saw that cuts wood."

A Sunday at Willamette Mission State Park

On the paved biking paths at Willamette Mission State Park, the whole family can bike, including Ewan! He is a pro on his glide bike now, lifting his feet up even while slowing down. We took a break for blackberry picking, and we stopped at the Willamette River for fishing, cricket chasing, rock throwing and other rocky-beach activities. We plan to go back for rides on the ferry and filbert collecting!

Craydad hunting

We returned to McDowell Creek County Park after our visit last year. We hiked up the creek in search of crayfish, but in between spotting the crustaceans, we got warm in the sun, found beautiful fungi on logs along the water, and came upon an old rowboat. Also, we caught 5 crayfish. Michael and I alternated between calling them "crayfish" and "crawdads." It confused Eli enough that at the end of the day, he was calling them "craydads." Given his locavore/eat-off-the-land bent, Eli convinced us to bring them home to cook. They are now frozen in his lunchbox in our freezer.