Great weekend so far

Let's backtrack and start with Saturday, which felt like the most perfect day in the universe.

At breakfast Rachel said abruptly, "When I'm not nice sometimes, I get myself in trouble. Sometimes grownups do, too."

Uh, yes, honey...

"Sometimes I get myself in trouble if I don't put things away," she continued. "Then I get myself in trouble."

As I was getting her dressed, she said, "I wanna see Sarah and Noah naken, and see what they say." I firmly told her that, no, we would NOT greet my friend Sarah and her 4-year-old son Noah by not wearing clothes.

Rachel and I met them at the Eastbank Esplanade. It was so cute watching Noah point out all the different kinds of boats to Rachel. She really likes him, I can tell. We had a really lovely walk along the Esplanade, which is an elevated walkway along the East side of the river that connects the East side to Waterfront Park. Say what you will about our former mayor, Vera Katz, but the Esplanade may possibly be the best thing she's ever done for Portland.

The visit ended when we were halfway down the East side, when Sarah said she'd better get Noah home or he would complain eventually about the walk and make her carry him (which she ended up doing, anyway). Rachel tried to hug and kiss him goodbye and it's clear he is so averse to getting hugs and kisses -- he made a big face!

So, Rachel and I continued our walk (she was in a stroller because of her cast) and dropped in to Saturday Market. The market is a wonderful showcase of local artisans -- really good ones; I could have dropped hundreds of dollars on trinkets for the house and really lovely jewelry for myself -- and she was so patient while I browsed. It helped that she nodded off for part of it. I got two lovely rings for $10 each and some clip earrings that I can't wait to wear.

Then we crossed to the other side of the market and I saw some folks carrying cups of fruit. I found out where they'd gotten it and shared a healthy snack with Rachel -- papaya, watermelon, canteloupe, jicama (which neither of us liked); then we watched a break-dancing exhibition; she played with some water balloons in the fountain and then said SHE wanted a balloon "from the ballon man. He's next to the MAX train."

I didn't believe her, but I turned around and -- there he was! Next to the MAX! "HOW did you know he was there??" I demanded.

"I don't know," she said, with that Cheshire cat smile of hers.

Rachel then insisted she wanted to get wet, since a bunch of kids were playing in various fountains along the route, so I promise her we'd go in the big fountain next to the Hawthorne bridge. I told her I'd take her in my arms and we'd have to run very very very fast. She seemed agreeable until we actually did it -- the force and coldness of the water scared her; I think she thought I'd have a towel to dry her off. (No, Rachel, we'll have to use Mommy's shirt). We went home, met Drew who'd come back from the farmer's market with cherries and from Costco, and while he monitored her napping I went outside and weeded forever (I filled four buckets with useless, dead flowers. But I also picked a lovely bouquet of roses from our garden). We want to make the house pretty for y'all who are coming for Rachel's birthday!

Then we decided to give food-cart dining a try, and had the most fabulous dinner at a bunch of them on Belmont Avenue in Southeast Portland. WOW. I had German meatballs, a pretzel and a latke thrown in by the vendor, who as it happens is Jewish and her grandmother was a Holocaust survivor from Austria, and the vendor has a daughter turning 3 in August and lives in Laurelhurst, the neighborhood near us, and wants to get together for a playdate....and Rachel had pizza and Drew had a falafel sandwich and we all had homemade Fudgesicles from an incredibly friendly vendor, and then we went home and watched the latest Star Trek movie, the one starring Chris Pine, while I ironed and ironed a whole bunch of skirts and pants that I now fit into -- clothes from my pre-pregnancy days that Drew insisted I not throw away -- and then we went to sleep way too late.

But it was a great day.