Last weekend we were in celebration mode after Sam's successful defense of his dissertation. It was such a relief to have that over, that we were determined to celebrate all weekend long. (Later I would regret that decision, but that's another story.)We spent the weekend in Portland with Sam's family - and were lucky to have gorgeous, sunny Oregon weather as icing on the cake. We got to visit the duplex we will be living in NW Portland, trying to figure out what furniture will fit and what we will have to store. We hung out in NW at the park right by our new home, and went shopping for a big family dinner with Kim and her friend, Sanjiv, (who are founding members of the Morgan Fan Club!) Morgan had so much fun with them, including lots of time wading in the fountain at Jamison Park with Kim and "PapaRon" (yes, that is all one word). Now that Sam's parents live across the street from it, Morgan has been there a lot. But we are at a new point, because anytime we get near it, Morgan says "wawa? wawa?" and wants to play in the water - day or night. I can already imagine some of the tantrums that will take place, but the fun definitely outweighs any drama.
Sam, Morgan, and I visited my parents as well - swinging on the swings at their house and wandering around my parents' growing garden. Since our new place doesn't have much of a yard, I told my mom that Morgan and I will have to come to her place so they can play and I can get my gardening "fix" in. I am my mother's daughter, for sure. That night, Sam and I treated ourselves to a yummy, grow-up dinner at the Carlyle and a walk around NW Portland on a night that felt like the middle of summer. I finally had a reason to dress up. :) It was SO amazing to be back in our old neighborhood, and more incredible to think that we will be living there very soon. For the past few years, I just accepted that we'd probably never live in Portland again, especially not back in NW. We are so lucky!
To finish off the weekend, we took Morgan to the zoo for the first time. I had been excited about this for months because she loves animals, and there's just something about seeing your kid experience something for the first time. For her though, it was more a people zoo. She was so fascinated with watching all the other kids and people, that the animals were just a bonus! She was also pretty sleepy and nap-deprived, but seeing penguins swim in front of her and live elephants walk around perked her up and she seemed to enjoy it. We didn't stay too long (the key was getting there right when it opened), but it was just right for her first trip. She's at an age now where we can have conversations (more or less) about things that happened yesterday or some other time. Since we've been home, she really likes talking about the penguins ("pin-gua") and tells us that the hippos were "nigh night." 
Below is a little montage of video clips from the weekend: at the park, at the zoo, and riding the elevator (which she calls "ada-ba-de-a"). Little does she know that she will become a city kid very soon!
