Oregon Wine Country

Last time I took my parents wine tasting I managed to get my favorite picture of them.  Here we are trying again.  The weather did not much cooperate with us but we still hit 2 vineyards and stayed outside the whole time.  First stop was Anne Amie.  Don't go for the wine but do go for the view.  

After Anne Amie we drove on down the road to Lange and it was worth it.  The wine was MUCH better and the views were just as great.  Props to both vineyards for the people pouring, they were nice.  Anne Amie has a much smaller taste than Lange but that's OK since we didn't care for their wine anyways. 

The next set of pictures were all taken at Lange.

That Angry Birds sweatshirt is in every picture we have.  The kid can't go a day without it!

Once again posing.  sigh  No more 'natural' pictures of Little Miss for awhile. 

Some of my favorite peeps all in the same picture.   Little Miss adores her Papa Joe. 

Nana Cakes

Nana and Papa came to town for Nana's birthday so the kids got busy.  Busy making cupcakes that is.  They even got to frost them.  And no I didn't get a picture of the finished product, my bad.  Did I already post the pictures from wine tasting?

Swimming, the Ordeal

First class for swimming for Little Miss.  It was all cupcakes and unicorns and face in the water and oh what fun, as evidenced here:

Then came class two and the water up the nose incident.  Then it turned into "I am not going back in the water."  I would be driving in the van, say taking the kids home, and I would hear a little voice say "Mama, I don't like swimming."  Tucking her in for the night and as she is giving me a hug she whispers in my ear, "I don't want to go swimming." 

Class three was a substitute instructor.  As we are sitting, waiting for class to start the whimpering and whining starts and 'not going swimming' and 'huggy, huggy, mama'.  The instructor asks if it is OK if he picks her up and puts her in the pool, and I say go for it and take off.  I am watching from the spectator area, watching him spend one-on-one time with her, engage her with toys, grab her as she climbs up the side of the pool and attempts an escape.  Thankfully there are two instructors because he was clearly into getting her over the fear.  At one point she told him she had to use the potty.  I know this as one of her go-to, get me out of what I am doing tricks so as she sits on the potty and nothing comes out we discuss that she is going back to the pool.  After lengthy negotiations both sides come to an agreement.  She will sit on the steps so that water does not get on her face.  Oh, and she gets a treat after class.  (I never said that I was above bribery of a child in the right situation).  In she goes, off I go.  By the end of class she has jumped off the side of the pool and in the process GOES UNDER WATER!  What do you think happened then?  She laughed!

The giant, pink lollipop she picked out has served us well.