noel playing @ the mall, part 2 (video)

i uploaded this quite a bit ago and am just now realizing that i didn't post it. so. . . here's noel & maddie playing at the mall (again). same day, same play. :)

noel playing @ the mall (video)

i hope this plays properly. . . we'll see.

multnomah falls

here we all are at multnomah falls in the columbia river gorge. it was so cold! and it actually started snowing while we were there. at first we couldn't tell if it was mist from the waterfall freezing or snow, but it turned out to be snow. it was beautiful to see the frozen waterfalls, although multnomah falls wasn't completely frozen, the area around it was.

here's damian, maddie, and samson outside the lodge. it was nice and cozy in there, even though we only used the bathrooms --they were warm!

here i am with our noel. snug as a bug.

dame in front of the falls. you can't see the top of the upper falls or the bottom of the lower falls, but it's really tall -- 620 feet from top to bottom.

this picture is shows a bit more, although the bottom part is cut off. oh well. all the white around it are icicles.

we took the historic columbia river highway back, stopping by many other waterfalls and the vista house which overlooks the gorge. it was so freezing and windy up there. i only got out of the car long enough to snap a couple pics. thankfully one can enjoy the view without getting out of the car.this is the view facing east, up river.

this is the view west, looking back toward portland and vancouver.

here are a bunch of icicles along the side of the highway. it was pretty impressive to see in person. some of those icicles were as tall as i am.

it was nice to get out of the house and go for a drive. living so close to the gorge is great. we left after breakfast and made it back in time for lunch. which is perfect with two small kids. i'm looking forward to summer so we can get out and hike around a bit without freezing our tushes off.