The Cheap Vacation

Shawn is on vacation. I know for some people that means that they go away on "holiday", but we're broke. Our previous vacations would usually consist of one trip to a nearby beach or attraction, followed by several days lounging on the couch playing Mario Kart or Star Wars Battlefront. With our lack of funding, it looked as if this time off of work was going to be spent in the traditional couch potato position.

We have a son now and I really want to have family traditions. I want to be able to say that as long he has been with us, we have made the most of our time together. With this in mind, I have resolved to do something each and every day of this vacation in order to make the most of the time that we have to spend together as a family. When I first began to plan our activities, Shawn was less than pleased. He was skeptical about handing over "his" vacation, which I delicately explained was no longer "his", but "ours" as a family. He has admittedly had a fun time thus far. These are the things we have done as of today.

Saturday :
Car Show
There were booths for local vendors of all kinds of cool clothing and artwork, live music, and of course lots of classic hot rods and vintage motorcycles.
Cost: Free


Sunday:
Vancouver Lake
We planned this day at the lake, not knowing that there were boat races going on. We got to watch the boats, and even though we didn't really know what was going on, we still had a good time. A picnic lunch proved to be not only froogle, but filling, and a nearby play area allowed Caleb his first trip down a slide (in mama's lap, of course).
Cost: $2.00 parking


Monday:
Oregon Zoo
Caleb's first trip to the zoo was a lot of fun for everyone. He loved to watch the marine animals, and especially loved the waterfalls, fountains, and other water features; with or without animals. We packed the same picnic lunch as the lake trip, but with some added snacking to get us through all the walking we would be doing. We were so tired that we didn't even get to see the penguins! This will probably be the most expensive of our vacation outings, but I think we really got our money's worth!
Cost: $19.50 admittance, plus I couldn't resist the cute zoo baseball cap for Caleb, which costs and OUTRAGEOUS $12.99!
But look, it's SO CUTE!!

Tuesday:
Trip to Hillsboro, OR to visit Caleb's cousins
Grandma and Grandpa are babysitting in Hillsboro, OR while Shawn's sister and her husband are on a short getaway. Shawn's mom got a cold while they were out there, and because of the laws in OR was unable to buy regular old cold medicine without a prescription! We brought her some Sudafed and then stayed the whole day to visit.
Cost: Just the cost of gas, that I am not going to waste my time calculating.

Tomorrow we are headed to Multnomah falls, we also plan to take Caleb swimming, to the Aquarium (since he liked the fish at the zoo so much) and hiking / bird watching at the Audubon Society, where we will also visit their wildlife rehabilitation center. Many, Many thanks to my wonderful friend Janell, who is letting me try out her Ergo pack!!!