Pumpkins and Sun

We were very lucky with great weather on a Saturday, so we capitalized and took the kids to the pumpkin patch. We've gone to Lakeview Farms every year since we moved back to Oregon, and it continues to be a hit!

This year we brought along my parents who had a great time helping and watching the kids have fun. There were lots of people, which made some of the lines long, but there were still plenty of great pumpkins to choose from. The girls had their faces painted and had a great time running around the hay bales. Of course the dragon and shark in the lake were highlights. Another successful year at the pumpkin patch!

Field Trip Time

Last week Grace's preschool group had their first field trip. It was a trip to the fire station. I was actually pretty excited to see what their set up was like inside their little "house". Grace, however, really didn't want to go. I had to drag her out the door, and bribe her with bringing a toy along in order to manage a peaceful arrival.

Our tour started out great. We got to see the truck up close and listen to the firemen talk about what they do. The boys especially had a great time. Grace wanted to see, just from a distance. The firemen let the kids shoot an extinguisher with water in it across the lawn. Of course, Grace didn't want to participate. Then came the excitement. They got a call on their radio. We all scampered over to the predesignated meeting area, and watched as they loaded up and rolled out with sirens and lights going. Afterwards, we all just sort of stood around and tried to corral the kids for a photo. At that point Grace was like, "why did they have to leave? I don't want them to leave. I want to shoot the water. Will they come back now?" It just figures.

I was secretly hoping that our tour would end this way. It was quite the send off....I just wish we would have had a few more minutes there first.

Just Another Day

So on Friday I happened to enter into my 30's. How did that happen? It seems like just last year I was graduating from high school, and headed off to college. Okay, so maybe not last year, but still...not that long ago. I always thought 30 would be horrible, and truthfully, I'm still not sure it isn't. I am going through waves of feeling great (ie: hey I'm 30, smart, hot, and got my stuff together, go me) to suddenly feeling not so great (ie: hey I'm 30, my body is going to start getting old, I will never be young and hip again, the next step is 40, yikes). So yeah, I am conflicted to say the least. I guess I don't really have a choice, so here I go. It can't be that bad. At least I feel like a real adult now.

For this great celebration Chris and I took a mini-vacation to a local B&B called Chehalem Ridge. It was a short drive to get there, and the views were amazing! It was a gorgeous house right on the side of a mountain with great views of the Tualtin Valley. We had a yummy dinner at Dundee Bistro and our breakfast in the morning was quite tasty as well. We spent the day walking through a corn maze, shopping at Lloyd Center, watching a movie (Contagion), then to a fondue dinner. It was so nice to spend some time with Chris and have a couple days without changing diapers or dealing with normal life. Thanks to my mom and dad for having all the kiddos for a couple nights! It was a relaxing little getaway!

Baby to Boy

Today I was brave....

After I finished cutting Chris's hair, I decided that it was time for Neil. I loved his long blonde locks but they were getting pretty long. I just didn't realize how grown up he would look when I finished.

Here is Neil yesterday...

And today...




So I am new to this boy haircut thing. I have been clipping Chris's hair for the last 10 years, but a baby is so much harder! I usually use the #2 on Chris, so I got out the #8 for Neil and it was still soooo much shorter than I was planning on. Oh well, I think it turned out cute in the end. Just don't inspect it too closely when you see him. He didn't want to hold still.

I just can't get over how much more grown up he looks. My baby is turning into a toddler.

Watch Out

Neil is on the verge of taking his first steps. He is cruising around and scooting on his bottom. He's getting really fast too! Today I left him alone for a couple minutes to run something upstairs. When I came back he was in the kitchen emptying the cabinets. Then, a few hours later, he managed to scoot into the bathroom, pulled himself up to stand by the toilet, and was chewing on the seat! Ahhh, I remember this stage. Any day now and I am going to be chasing him around everywhere. He's already proving that he needs to be watched much more closely.

Big Girl

Today was a big day for Grace...first day of preschool! She was soooo excited to go this morning. It was fun to see her get her back pack on and for once let me do her hair without complaining. I can't believe how big she is! I have a feeling that she is going to LOVE preschool this year!

The first of first

Yesterday was Claire's first day of school in the first grade. When did I get old enough to have a first grader? Yikes!

I was a little bit nervous for her because she was put in a class without any of her friends and with the teacher that I was least excited about. She came home however all smiles and really happy with her new class. She got to pet a hermit crab and she said that all the kids were really nice and so was her teacher. Yay! Now I can relax and let her have a fabulous year and make lots of new friends.

I was planning on walking her to school, but I was pretty sick that morning so daddy had to take her. This was great until I saw the picture that he took of her....and her shoes that really did not match her clothes. Oh well right. She was sure happy with her outfit.