Visting the Portland Aquarium

 

Today we had a chance to visit the Portland Aquarium for the first time. The kids and I joined our friends Will, Angela, Alex and Henry and had a wonderful time. The Portland Aquarium is fairly small but filled with fun and interesting exhibits.

One thing that I was particularly excited by was the number of touch tanks in which we were able to touch fish, sea stars, rays, sharks, and more. I'm not sure if Hezekiah actually touched anything, as he was fairly nervous. He even had a plan going in; if a shark came by, Hezekiah would tell the shark, "I'm a boy, not a fish," so that the shark would not bite him. Annaliese, on the other hand, put her hands right in and tried to see what she could touch. The rays did make her a bit nervous though, and I think the only one that she touched was on accident.

 

 

The tank with the rays and sharks is very large, allowing for a lot of people to view, touch, and even feed the animals. The rays beg for food and so will come to the edge, sticking their "heads" out of the water which made it very easy to touch them.

 

 

The Portland Aquarium also has a "jungle" room which includes frogs, chameleons, a large climbing play structure, and a bird enclosure in which you can feed lorikeets. The final room includes kids costumes which makes for some adorable photo opportunities, as you can see below. Aren't those the cutest hammerhead sharks you have ever seen?

 

If you go:

Website: http://portlandaquarium.net/

Address: 16323 S.E. McLoughlin Boulevard Milwaukie, OR 97267

Open: 365 days a year from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tips: We were told that the slowest time of the day is after 3 p.m. They do not sell food. There are tables in two separate rooms but these tables can be rented out for birthday parties so they may not be available to eat at.

Time: With little children who have little patience, one trip through took us about one hour. Hezekiah was excited to go through again and we were there for over 2 hours.

Additions: They will be adding puffins and otters but I do not know when those exhibits will be up and running.

 

 

 

 

 



World Suicide Prevention Day

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Approximately 1 million people worldwide die by suicide each year. (Approx. one every 40 seconds.) The number of lives lost each year through suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined. Those numbers are shocking to me and I am guessing to you as well.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) is encouraging people to light a candle near a window at 8pm this evening (Sept. 10) to show support for suicide prevention, to remember a lost loved one and for the survivors of suicide.

Please join me in remembering my late husband, Eric, and others who have died. Please light a candle this evening.

If you are in distress please call a helpline. You can find information at www.iasp.info.



 (This information was provided by the IASP.)

First Haircut

Well, it was finally time for Annaliese to have her first haircut. A trim really. Some bangs. Honestly, I loved the messy mane that hung in her face and gave her an "I'm A Kid So It Doesn't Matter What My Hair Looks Like" look. But the girl won't keep barretes in for more than a few minutes and ponytails usually get pulled out sooner or later. I just felt bad for her, always staring through this curtain of hair. So, this evening I pulled out the scissors and trimmed a little off of the front. I think it was a success!

Before:



After: 



Adventures at the State Fair

Yesterday our family had a great time at the Oregon State Fair. The kids have been to fairs in the past but, being once a year, they are basically a new experience every time. We spent most of our time in the barns since, as Hezekiah said on the way there, "Annaliese likes animals." Of course, the rest of us do as well. Here are a few of the photos along with some of Hezekiah's quotes (in parenthesis).

We were able to see goats...

("They're very nice.")

("I wish we had one like this to keep inside.")

...cows and pigs...

("I found a pink one!")

...ducks, chickens, and rabbits...

...and horses.

("If you tried to get on there with out a ladder you couldn't. He would just walk away." Side note: This was quite true. His back was about as tall as me, 5'9.")

For a treat, we got the kids' favorite, soft-serve ice cream. Hezekiah did a great job sharing an ice cream cone with his sister. (That is, of course, until he decided it was "too cold" for Annaliese to eat any more.)

He thought that the tractor display was great and even found this handy seat for sitting to read his new tractor catalogue.

Hezekiah learned all about forest fires and Smokey the Bear. I helped him make a necklace using stamps on a piece of wood. I was very happy that he wanted to stop for a few minutes to try a craft!

We also visited the Rock U: The Institute of Rock 'n Roll exhibit. For adults (without kids) there was a lot to read and learn. Our favorite parts were the instruments to play, including a giant keyboard, African percussion instruments, and electronic drums. His daddy would have been proud of his little drummer.

Our family had a wonderful time exploring the fair and left thoroughly exhausted. Thank you to my parents for coming along and lending so much help. I couldn't do this without you.

The Hippos

Last week the kids and I went to the zoo with my sister Brittany. This is one of the photos that I took of myself and Annaliese.

I looked at it yesterday, thinking of making it my profile picture on Facebook. I thought, "I should put a caption: Annaliese and I and a big turd." Of course, the grey thing is not a turd; it's a hippo.

This evening the kids had a bath. After the water was emptied and Hezekiah was out, Annaliese decided to poop in the bathtub. Of course, Hezekiah had to see. He looked in and said, "It looks like a hippo."

Either my son thinks like me or I am begining to think like a three year old.

Merry Christmas!

We would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Hezekiah hopes that everyone enjoys eating "candy cans" while relaxing in their "jamamas". And don't forget the true reason for Christmas- Jesus's birthday (or was it baby Moses's... or Hezekiah's...?). And this evening we hope that you can all enjoy the "Christmas outside" (Christmas lights) that Hezekiah has been enjoying so much.

Truly, we wish everyone a beautiful day with family and friends. Remember the love of Jesus, who left his home in Heaven to live and die on Earth for you and me.

With love,
The Linauer family

Happy Half Birthday to You!

My son Hezekiah is now two and a half years old! I cannot believe how quickly he is growing up. In these two and a half years he has learned how to scoot, crawl, walk and run. He has learned how to make sounds, words, and sentences. He can even pray for our dinner! He has formed preferences for things like trucks, trains, bananas, and yogurt. He has changed from a baby to a little boy.

I love Hezekiah immensly, even when he is driving me crazy. He is a sweet boy who loves to be silly. I cannot wait to see what the next two and half years have in store.




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