My kind of town... Part 2

Growing up in Chicago, with a huge family, meant lots of laughter and a lot of LOVE.  Even though we live far from Chicago, it is important to me to keep in touch with my aunts, uncles and cousins and to foster a loving relationship between them and my kids (not hard to do, though.)

It was wonderful to see my aunts/uncles...

Aunt Ava with her grandchild Jakey and Bubby
Elliot hugging with Aunt Esther
Snuggle time with Uncle Mike
Elliot sharing his baseball cards with Aunt Rita, cousin Nina and Savta
Reading a book with Aunt Helene and Bubby

...and wonderful to spend time with my cousins...
Cousin Jamal 
Baseball with cousin Jono
Leafing through old pics with cousin Nina
Cousin Robyn and Lea playing peek-a-boo
Painting with cousin Adam

...and so special to play with my cousins kiddos.  I have to admit I feel "old" when I hang out with my younger cousins and their children.  I mean, I used to baby-sit for some of these cousins.  Weird, ya know?
Playing house with cousin Lea
Cousin Michelle reading to Samantha and Miles
Photo opportunity of 4 out of the 5 great-grandchildren (Jakey below)
Miles loving on baby Jakey.  He kept pointing to him and saying, "baby" over and over.

Ok, so here is where I really get sentimental, but for great reason.  My Bubby has to be one of the strongest, most beautiful, kind, and beautiful (have I mentioned beautiful?) woman in the entire world.  Seriously!  She is a Holocaust survivor, a mother of 5 children, a grand-mother to 24 and a great-grandmother to 5.  Bubby lives her life by following her heart and giving nothing but love.  A great motto to live by.  We love love love our Bubby.
Bubby love
All smiles
Playing the piano together
Playing catch with Bubby
Snuggling with baby J
Love fest with Samantha
Bubby and all of her great-grandkids 
Tickle termites w/Bubby
Bubby w/the Browns
We had a nice vacation in Chicago.  We packed a lot in and hope to be back for another visit sooner than later.

Handy Beni (a.k.a Saba)

Saba came over today to hang out with me and the boys.  He brought a long some gifts for all of us, which was super nice, but the main attraction was this wooden pull toy for Miles.  

Saba, like me, likes to browse 2nd hand stores (must run in the family.)  While perusing the store he found this wooden truck with a magnetic attachment to grab the shapes form the trailer.  However, the shapes were missing.

So, Saba decided to make his own shapes.  He made the 6 shapes out of wood he found from the Oregon coast, rivers, and only one had to come from Home Depot.  The shapes fit perfectly in the trailer and are magnetic.  
Both kids were pretty excited about the truck.  Elliot was so excited he even forgot about baseball for 10 seconds (and then it was back to showing Saba his Portland Beavers baseball calendar.)
Miles really likes his toy and enjoys spending time with Saba.
Miles is also wearing the hat that Saba got for him.  It was 80 degrees in the house, but he didn't want to take it off.  Thanks, Saba, we are impressed with your craftsmanship. 

Camping Brown Style

A family camping trip was on the list for this summer and we decided to head up to Washington to visit the beauty of Mt. Rainier.  We found a great camping spot in the park along the Ohanapicosh (spelling) River and stayed there for 2 nights. 

Elliot getting dirty from the very beginning
Excited about the tent

Playing by the river at camp
More river fun
Our little beach

When we weren't at camp, we were hitting the trails every chance we got.  There were a number of family hikes that Elliot could keep up with so we stuck with those.
Miles wearing my shades in the backpack
Checking out the huge roots of this tree

Loops around the cedar
Shadow fun
Only one person across this bridge at at a time.

Evenings at camp were spent around the fire, smores and small hikes around the camp sites.  There were river trails and a trail leading to some hot springs.
Miles discovered the lantern.
Yum... smores!!

When visiting the visitors center near our campsite, Elliot discovered he could become a Jr. Park Ranger.  He was ecstatic.  Elliot needed to complete his Jr. Park Ranger Activity Book and attend a class.  That is all he talked about the rest of the day.
Working hard on his book at camp.
Miles helping by keeping camp safe.
Participating at class.
Ranger Bev handing Elliot his certificate and badge.
Officially a Jr. Park Ranger!!
Check out his badge.  He wore it proud every day -     especially on hikes!

Mt. Rainier was more spectacular than I had imagined.  It's size and beauty was breathtaking. We spent a good long day hiking around the mountains flowered meadows while staring at its glaciers and snow packed peaks.
Da Browns
Da Bros'
Mt. Rainier 
Meadows at the Mt.
A wildflower
In route... we stuck to some easier hikes so Elliot could walk.  This particular one was a 2 mile loop to a spectacular view of a glacier.  Some uphill, but Elliot did awesome.
Elliot proud of his badge.  He was constantly making note of it and wanted to let people know not to pick the flowers, litter or get off the marked trails.  At one point he stopped to listen to a guided talk by a fellow "park ranger" and was flashing his pin.  This ranger did not notice him or his pin and he was confused as to why she didn't.  He took his title of Jr. park Ranger very seriously.
More wildflowers
A funky/hairy one
Chilling out after a long day of hiking.  During the hike, Elliot stopped periodically to check off wildflowers we saw along the way.  We had a great time, despite some stress w/the little ones and look forward to more Brown family camping in the future.