spring break road trip!

We hadn't planned to go anywhere for spring break but when our childcare provider mentioned she'd be out of town we thought instead of making alternate arrangements we would just take the day off too and go on a mini-vacay! We chose Portland as our destination - someplace new for the kids, not too long of a drive, lots to see and do and perfect for 3 days away.

So, we hit the road and off we went! The kids always do a great job in the car. I brought along a few new surprises (books, new pens/coloring books and figurines) to keep them entertained and Simon took a nice, long nap.

We arrived at our hotel and the suite was enormous! Definitely the way to go when traveling with kids. A big room with 2 queen beds, big bathroom, full kitchen and spacious living room. Perfect for exploring, playing, coloring and snacking.

 We wasted no time and headed down to the pool. It doesn't really matter to the kids what type of hotel we stay at, as long as there is a pool!

  l love that Simon gets all the hand-me-downs from the big kids. I'm not sure where Carter's old swim towel is so we brought Lucy's instead. I think he looks great in purple!

 Then it was nap time before heading out to dinner. Of all the amazing restaurants in Portland we ended up at the Spaghetti Factory. Definitely not Matt and I's first choice when we could be much more adventurous but the kids absolutely love it so we thought we'd keep it easy and go someplace familiar.

 The next morning we woke up, had a delicious (free) breakfast at the hotel and then headed to OMSI - the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. This place was huge! With our membership at the Pacific Science Center we were able to get in free which saved us a ton of money too. There were so many exhibits for the kids to play at, read about, touch and run through. We could have stayed several more hours and will definitely go back next time we are in town.

 There was an exhibit about water conservation so it was showing different ways we can reduce water use around the world, or make it easier for other countries to get clean water. Lucy just hopped right up as we read the signs. Ha!

 The space room was great and the kids loved pretending to be astronauts!

 My little crew. Such a fun getaway and a great way to spend family time together.

 One of the last rooms we visited was the birth room. Clearly my absolute favorite part of the museum and one I could have stayed all day in. It was funny to see many of the same posters and signs in the exhibit that I use every day in teaching and that are displayed in my office. The kids were excited too, except Lucy...who had just been kicked in the face by Simon's foot. Oops.

 After OMSI it was time for a snack so we headed to VooDoo Donuts for a special treat. The kids were in awe of how many fun donuts there were to choose from. We decided to grab a few to share and head back to the hotel. Tired kids + crowded donut shop + lots of sugar =  recipe for disaster. A quiet private room to eat sounded much better!

Our final morning we walked through downtown to visit Powell's Bookstore. We usually go to the bookstore in town at least once a week. The kids love reading and we wanted them to enjoy a giant bookstore with thousands of books. We spent almost 2 hours searching and reading before they each chose a book to take home.We packed up our things and got on the road. It was such a fun little getaway and the perfect way to end spring break!