The Pynns' Place

And the Winner is...

2012-01-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

well, we'll get to that in a minute. :)

First, thanks to all who played along. It was fun to see the responses on the returned quizzes. We had people drop off papers, email answers, blog comment entries... so many ways to keep in touch.

So, go ahead and check your work... the correct answers are written in red below -

Lots of surprises for Jason this year, but which one of these was NOT one of them:
a) Falling through the ceiling
b) Having so much fun at a Taylor Swift concert
c) Wendy now loves vegetables (Come on, did you really think this would ever happen?!?)
d) Realizing that driving a minivan, while a blow to man’s ego, really isn’t all that bad

An expensive kid, Owen managed to break:
a) Our laptop
b) Our motion-sensored trash can (twice!)
c) Several toys
d) 4 Christmas ornaments
e) All of the above (Sad, but unfortunately true!)

Wendy & Jason love Craigslist! Which of the following amazing and practically free finds did they not score from Craigslist?
a) a patio set (practically begging for refurbishing!)
b) roof rack for our van (ready for abuse!)
c) washer & dryer (potential communicable diseases and all!)
d) new BBQ grill

The kids’ official bedtime is what?
a) 7:30
b) 8:30
c) 9:30
d) What bedtime?

That said, what time do the kids actually go to bed on most nights?
a) 7:30
b) 8:30
c) 9:30
d) What bedtime? (We plan to work on this...)

After selling our house, we found ourselves homeless for a spell. How did we feel about packing up and living with Grandma & Papa Thompson for a while?
a) Grateful
b) Grateful
c) Grateful
d) Grateful

When was Baby Addison was born?
a) The Fourth of July
b) Father’s Day
c) Her birthday
d) Both b & c

We stopped writing this quiz midway through because:
a) it’s X-Factor elimination night!
b) Christmas carolers are here!
c) we had to stop Owen from eating out of Hailey’s dog bowl (although we had quite a few people guess "c" as the correct answer...)

What event occurred exactly one week after Addison was born?
a) We moved to our new house (although some one pointed out that it was technically only 6 days after Addie's birth, not 7 full days)
b) Jason started a new job
c) Wendy learned that grocery shopping with three kids in the cart leaves no room for, well…groceries

Avery’s first time to California; Owen’s first plane ride; Addison’s first dip in the Pacific Ocean; Jason’s first lovely sister. All these are thanks to what?
a) Uncle Nathan and Aunt Melissa getting hitched
b) Winning the lottery and genetic science

Jason avoided Facebook again this year. What does he tell people who ask him why he’s not on Facebook?
a) I believe in real friends
b) I can’t stand the unfriending
c) It’s far too complicated, I’ll just tweet

Wendy and the kids fill many days with:
a) Playing at the park
b) Art projects
c) Reading books
d) Playdates with friends
e) Picking up. Picking up again. And picking up some more.
f) All of the above

What do you think of the quiz so far? (This was a gimme... we won't force you to like our idea)
a) Whose dumb idea was this, anyway?
b) This is fun!
c) A prize? Really?

How was Jason the biggest pain in the butt this year?
a) Insisting we all wake up by 7am on Saturdays
b) Getting rid of cable TV
c) Giving Wendy weekly progesterone shots while she was pregnant – in the caboose! (Glad this won't be included in next year's quiz!)

Owen’s got a lot to say these days. His current favorite expression is?
a) Jus kimming! (“Just kidding”)
b) Mamma told that! (as in “Mom told me that I could, so there!”)
c) I do it!
d) Actually, no. (as in, “Yes, I’ll eat broccoli. Actually, no. I won’t.”)

Which of the following is not something Wendy would like to find more time to do?
a) Organize and alphabetize our DVDs (Really? Why would I spend precious time doing something that will be destroyed within moments?) :)
b) Design landscaping for back yard
c) Play more piano
d) Take more photos
e) Start kickboxing again

And now... drum roll, please...

We begin with honorable mentions~

First person to return quiz?
Carmen Pynn

The only people who actually paid $.44 to mail responses?
Grandpa George Pynn, Bridget and Tymon Johns

The person who made up their own answers to the most number of questions?
Amber McAllister

The people who turned in their answers just in the nick of time?
Alyssa Mackelprang, Heidi Jarman, and Kari Perry

The couple with the most correct answers?
Larry and Velma Thompson

But, you didn't have to have the right answer to enter the drawing!

So, without further adieu, the winner is...

Matt and Kim Fairbanks!!

Are You Game?

2012-01-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

We hope that your new year is off to a FABULOUS start!

This year, we were debating whether to write a letter to stick in our Christmas cards or not. We didn't do anything that grand or exciting, so who wants to read a boring list of the ordinary things I've done this year? Not me! Then Jason came up with the idea of sharing our year's highlights in the form of a quiz - to make it at least a little more exciting. And with the chance to win a prize? That makes it quite exciting, right?

The idea is that if you complete the quiz and return the answers in some way (email, phone, blog comment, etc) then you are eligible to have your name entered in a random drawing. We will pull out one winning name on January 13th and send them a prize. You don't even have to have the correct answers to be entered! It's worth a shot, right? :)

So, if you haven't played along yet, feel free to try your hand at the questions below...

We will post the correct answers and winner's name right here on the blog on January 14th!

Begin ~
Lots of surprises for Jason this year, but which one of these was not one of them:
a) Falling through the ceiling
b) Having so much fun at a Taylor Swift concert
c) Wendy now loves vegetables
d) Realizing that driving a minivan, while a blow to man’s ego, really isn’t all that bad

An expensive kid, Owen managed to break:
a) Our laptop
b) Our motion-sensored trash can (twice!)
c) Several toys
d) 4 Christmas ornaments
e) All of the above

Wendy & Jason love Craigslist! Which of the following amazing and practically free finds did they not score from Craigslist?
a) a patio set (practically begging for refurbishing!)
b) roof rack for our van (ready for abuse!)
c) washer & dryer (potential communicable diseases and all!)
d) new BBQ grill

The kids’ official bedtime is what?
a) 7:30
b) 8:30
c) 9:30
d) What bedtime?

That said, what time do the kids actually go to bed on most nights?
a) 7:30
b) 8:30
c) 9:30
d) What bedtime?

After selling our house, we found ourselves homeless for a spell. How did we feel about packing up and living with Grandma & Papa Thompson for a while?
a) Grateful
b) Grateful
c) Grateful

When was Baby Addison was born?
a) The Fourth of July
b) Father’s Day
c) Her birthday
d) Both b & c

We stopped writing this quiz midway through because:
a) it’s X-Factor elimination night!
b) Christmas carolers are here!
c) we had to stop Owen from eating out of Hailey’s dog bowl

What event occurred exactly one week after Addison was born?
a) We moved to our new house
b) Jason started a new job
c) Wendy learned that grocery shopping with three kids in the cart leaves no room for, well…groceries

Avery’s first time to California; Owen’s first plane ride; Addison’s first dip in the Pacific Ocean; Jason’s first lovely sister. All these are thanks to what?
a) Uncle Nathan and Aunt Melissa getting hitched
b) Winning the lottery and genetic science

Jason avoided Facebook again this year. What does he tell people who ask him why he’s not on Facebook?
a) I believe in real friends
b) I can’t stand the unfriending
c) It’s far too complicated, I’ll just tweet

Wendy and the kids fill many days with:
a) Playing at the park
b) Art projects
c) Reading books
d) Playdates with friends
e) Picking up. Picking up again. And picking up some more.
f) All of the above

What do you think of the quiz so far?
a) Whose dumb idea was this, anyway?
b) This is fun!
c) A prize? Really?

How was Jason the biggest pain in the butt this year?
a) Insisting we all wake up by 7am on Saturdays
b) Getting rid of cable TV
c) Giving Wendy weekly progesterone shots while she was pregnant – in the caboose!

Owen’s got a lot to say these days. His current favorite expression is?
a) Jus kimming! (“Just kidding”)
b) Mamma told that! (as in “Mom told me that I could, so there!”)
c) I do it!
d) Actually, no. (as in, “Yes, I’ll eat broccoli. Actually, no. I won’t.”)

Which of the following is not something Wendy would like to find more time to do?
a) Organize and alphabetize our DVDs
b) Design landscaping for back yard
c) Play more piano
d) Take more photos
e) Start kickboxing again

Pencils down!
Now all you have to do is get this back to us by January 13th. We don’t care how you do it (drop it off, mail it back, email answers, call with your guesses), but if we get it by the deadline - you’re in! A random winner will be drawn for a prize.

The winner – and correct answers – will be posted on Wendy’s blog, pynnsplace.blogspot.com, on January 14th! Good luck!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was filled with sleepy eyes on some...
and excited eyes on others!
Stockings and a few gifts before church...
and the rest to be opened later (after a tasty breakfast of chocolate drinks and donuts).
Gifts that were delicious (yes, we are kinda cheap)...
gifts that were oh-so-comfy...
and even gifts that surprised! (What cute little babe on her first Christmas!)
There were things for very sweet big brothers... magical Daddies (Jason opening his new magic trick set from the whole family)...and, of course, there were things for princesses! We celebrated together...
and loved our time together.
We had a very fun-filled Christmas at our house. Unfortunately, Avery was the first to come down with a sickness about 4 days before Christmas. With her fever of 104, we weren't able to visit and play with some of our family in town as much as we would have liked to. Owen and Addie came down with runny noses and yucky coughs on Christmas weekend, and Jason and I were enjoying the bug closer to New Years. We still enjoyed spending time as a family and singing Christmas songs around the house.

We went to see Santa, passed out treats to friends, mailed out Christmas cards, made homemade gifts for family, lots of baking, and plenty of shopping - it was a busy month! But, the best parts were spending time with our extended family, giving thoughtful gifts to those around us, and talking about the birth of Christ each and every day. Although it can't be captured in pictures, we really tried to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Even Owen seemed to understand this year, which made everything more fun.

We hope your Christmas season was filled with family, friends, fun, and - most importantly - the spirit of Christ.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-12-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! We LOVE Christmas at our house. My goal this year is to have all of our "preparations" done by December 18th this year - 1 week before Christmas. It always seems that we are racing around like crazy right up until 4 AM on Christmas morning. That creates for a stressful holiday season. Our motto is simplify!

That being said, there are just some traditions that you gotta do, right? :) Here's a few of the things that have been going on around our house...

Countdown to Christmas~

This year we began a new tradition. I love children's books, and since the kids are getting a little older we began a Countdown to Christmas with nighttime stories. I wrapped up 24 of our favorite Christmas stories. At the first of the month, we began choosing 1 book each night to unwrap and read at bedtime. Some of the books were more Santa-ish, but more than half were all about the birth of Jesus. The kids loved unwrapping a gift each night. And the best part was - all it took was a roll of wrapping paper and an hour of my time! I'm looking forward to doing this again next year!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree ~

This year we branched out (ha, ha, ha) and tried a new kind of tree. A friend told us about a local blueberry farm that had Christmas trees for sale. It was not publicized, so no one really new about it. They just had some gorgeous Noble Fir trees that they were thinning out, so they were selling them to passerbys who happened to drive on this back road. We got a 10 foot tree for a fantastic deal. We'd never tried a Noble Fir, but it was so cheap that we figured, "Why not try it this year?" Even though we didn't get the whole go-out-in-the-woods-and-chop-down-your-own-tree experience, we were very happy. The night we went to get it was cold and super foggy (hence the spots on our photos below). We were out there with headlamps on our heads. It was a fun family outing.

Addie was a perfectly patient and happy little tree hunter.

Decorating the Tree~

The kids were super excited to decorate the tree this year. They were very "helpful". At least 5 ornaments were broken within a 30 second period... oh well. We had a good time putting all the unbreakable ones on the bottom half of the tree. :)

Jason helping Avery reach the top.

Owen, trying to be very careful as he adds an ornament.

Admiring our work

I love this ornament. I gave it to Jason as a Christmas gift the first year we had Avery.

This is the view that the presents have sitting under our tree.

Christmas Eve is here...

A Gingerbread Neighborhood

2011-12-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, Avery and I invited over a few friends to make Gingerbread Houses together. We used to do a Gingerbread House Day when I taught 1st grade, and it is one of my favorite memories. And the fact that we love candy and frosting around this house, makes the tradition a continuing favorite. We didn't do our annual house building party last year (having just sold our house, teaching preschool, and being pregnant), so we were so excited to have a few people over again this year!

The gingerbread houses were actually made out of graham crackers, but it's not about the house anyways, right? I made 18 houses the night before, and then a bunch of friends showed up, with candy in hand, to decorate! It was a little crazy, but very fun. Including all the moms, siblings, and participants, we had at least 30 people here to party with. We watched some Rudolph, decorated our homes, and taste-tested a lot of treats. We had a few friends who couldn't make it due to conflicting Kindergarten schedules or preschool parties... I am sad to think that next year our schedules will become even trickier. So glad that we could make the time for happy little memories like this!

Only a portion of the candy supplies and frosting

A little Rudolph to entertain those who are waiting

This is where the magic happens

So happy to know all these fun Moms who like to play along

Serious concentration

Avery, taste-testing a possible decoration

More creations...

Owen, next to the finished houses

Avery with her finished product (love the face on the side)

A few of the kids with their homes

Leavenworth Lights

2011-12-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

The first weekend of December, we took a fun family trip over the mountains to a little town called Leavenworth. The whole place was transformed into a Bavarian Village a few decades ago, and it is the perfect setting for a Christmas celebration. Each weekend in December, they have a tree lighting ceremony where they light up not only the trees, but all the little shops in the downtown plaza. Jas and I had gone 6 years ago, before we had kids, but it was fun to go back this year.

Our great friends, the Kleins, came with us to see the festivities. We love getting together with their family, and we don't get to see each other as much as we would like. It was a very quick trip during a busy time of year, but we're so glad that we had the chance to go.

We spent Friday night at a hotel in Wenatchee, the next town over. Jason had to work all day, so we didn't even get over there until 8 PM. The kids were so excited to sleep in the big beds and stare at the trains out the window. Then, in the morning, we went out to breakfast and headed to Leavenworth.

We walked through shops, got a bite to eat, and people watched. It was very busy with at least a couple thousand people milling around this tiny town square. We had bundled ourselves up really well, but it was surprisingly not too cold. Until the sun went down, and then all of a sudden the freezing set in. As we were waiting for the tree lighting ceremony to start, poor Owen begin to feel the drain of the no-nap-day. With his mittens dangling from his little hands and his hat pulled down tight on his head, he kept saying to me, "I so cold, Momma. Go car. I so cold."

It really was a beautiful sight when they lit all the trees and buildings. People were singing and it certainly felt like Christmastime. With our heater turned on full blast and a little peppermint hot chocolate from McDonald's, we headed home in a very comfortable fashion. It was a fun weekend that the kids are still talking about! We love this time of year!

Gettin' ready for bed

Checking out the train tracks in the morning

Coming into the town of Leavenworth

Owen meeting Santa for the first time this year...
last year he screamed, this year he was brave.

Meeting Rudolph (and the Grinch behind Monique)

Owen found this tractor puzzle that he was in LOVE with,
unfortunately it was too expensive to take home.

He just had to go inside to check it out.

All of us meeting Santa later in the day (Avery had to work up her courage).

These boys are so cute! Parker and Collin loved to hang with Addie.

Addie was such a great baby as we wandered through town.

The main square getting ready to be lit.

The shops

Our family, waiting for the lights

Our whole group

The largest tree all decked out... just waiting for the lights!

The Lights!

Downtown

"They're All Gone!"

2011-12-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

This morning, Owen came to me and asked if he could have some crackers. While the box was already in his hands, I agreed. A few minutes later, he came back with the empty bag to inform me that "The Wheat Thins all gone." He matter-of-factly was crumpling up the bag to put in the garbage. I was surprised, as we had only opened the box a few days earlier. I shrugged and said, "OK. Put it in the garbage."
Luckily, I happened to stand up and walk by the table soon after. No wonder all the Wheat Thins were "gone"... Owen had almost half the bag spilling out of his bowl on the table! He had been watching me walk by with a semi-sheepish smile on his face. When I saw the bowl, he knew that he'd been caught. The garbage-bound bag was still sitting on the table though, so he didn't put up much of a fuss when I piled a few good fistfuls back into the box. I'm sure they will just be eaten by him tomorrow.

The Good Fruit

2011-11-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

I love fruit in the first place... but why not make it even better?!?

These are a few caramel apples that we decked out recently. The one on the left is a recreation of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's Apple Pie concoction. The one on the right just has some toffee bits with M&Ms. And the strawberries? Well, what else were we to do with the left over chocolate in the pan?

Turley Trot 2011

2011-11-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

It has become a tradition for me to run in the annual Turkey Trot. I've done it each year (when I'm not pregnant) since we moved to the area. This year, I convinced Jason that he should run it also. He agreed, reluctantly at first, and I went online to print off a training schedule for him and myself. My goal was just to finish with a reasonable time. I just thought it would be fun to run together.

The morning of the race was chilly but dry. Jason's Mom came over to watch the race and hang out with the kids while we were running. Avery wanted to run the kids 1K, but she wanted Jason and I to both run with her. Owen didn't want to be left behind, so Jason ended up carrying him for the whole kid run. This was a great warm-up for our 5K. :)

It was nice to have someone to run with. Jason thought his first 5K was "a worthwhile dose of real exercise". He agreed that he may do another 5K with me in the future, but he's not interested in the 1/2 marathon that I plan to do again this summer.

After the race, we went and picked up donuts for the whole family and went home to drink hot chocolate. It was a fun family outing.

Jas and Owen before the Kids Race

Avery and I all ready to run

Our finish line picture
(although the clock is off by about 25 minutes)

Grandma Pynn getting some exercise while carrying a sleeping baby and the diaper bag!

First Spoonful for Addie

2011-11-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Now that Addison is 5 months old, we have started her on cereal. She wasn't really a fan of the multi-grain version, so we have already moved onto the oatmeal variety. Although, she isn't really crazy about that either. Hopefully the solid food will help fill her up a little and help her sleep longer at night.

Open up...

This tastes funny

Hmmm...

Tummy Time

2011-11-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Really? Who says this is a good idea?

Happy Halloween

2011-11-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a huge hit at our house this year! Avery began planning out her costume long before. Of course, she kept changing her mind too. Avery finally decided to be a black cat. She was quite cute!

Here is Avery headed to her preschool Halloween party with Daddy.

Owen decided that he wanted to be a chocolate chip cookie. I made his costume out of felt with my Mom's help. He looked adorable. He even had a chocolate chip hat. That is Owen's answer to every question someone now asks him...
"Owen, what are you going to be for Halloween?" "A COOKIE!"
"Owen, how old are you?" "A COOKIE!"
"How are you today?" "A COOKIE!"

"Milk and Cookies"
Owen and his cute friend, Cami

Avery playing the cake walk at the church party

The kids trick-or-treating at Grandma & Papa Thompson's

Addie was a cute little Snuggle Bunny

Our new neighborhood is awe-some for trick-or-treating. There were families arriving by the busloads to come trick-or-treat. We had heard that you need a ton of candy. We only walked through 3 blocks and the kids got so much candy! It was a cold, but very fun night. Owen wanted to head home after about 45 minutes. Avery could have stayed out all night. Jason took Owen and Addie home after an hour, and Avery and I stayed out a little longer. By the time we made it to the last few homes, Avery's fingers were so frozen that she had to ring the doorbell with her wrist. We came home and drank hot chocolate and munched on candy.

All ready to head out

Mr. Cookie patiently waiting

One neighbor had built this huge caterpillar out of pumpkins

The kids organizing candy a few days after Halloween

We had to make a little learning opportunity out of all those treats. Avery created this huge graph for 15 different kinds of candy she had. Owen wanted to have a graph too...

And this picture I just loved...
Avery reading a story to Owen as they sit on the stairs

Addie - 4 Months Old

2011-10-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Miss Addison is now 4 months old! It's so hard to believe. The time has gone so fast. She is simply the cutest. She has such a mild temperament and is the most patient baby ever. We love to cuddle her and squish her cheeks. Addison loves for you to sing to her and always smiles when you dance with her. We just love her sweetness!

More Soccer

2011-10-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Avery's soccer class just ended. She had such a great time. I loved that they were able to play outside on days with nice weather. We were lucky enough to have a few of those practices.
Avery did a fantastic job of listening to the coaches and following directions. She improved her soccer skills quite a bit too. Owen and Addie were good little spectators as well. At the end of the class, they had each player run through a little tunnel (made out of flag markers), and they were given a certificate. Avery is already looking forward to playing again.

Owen, digging in the dirt of the mole hills.
Can you see the dirt flying?

Our little viewing area (complete with snacks and water bottles,
of course)

What a good baby!

Great goal, Avery!

End of the season

Big and Little

2011-10-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

While still pregnant, I bought Big Sister, Big Brother, and Little Sister shirts. I realized last week that Addison will soon not fit into her Little Sister shirt. So, on a sunny day this week, we headed out to snap a few pics. Unfortunately, the sun was right in our eyes and it was Addie's nap time, but the kids tried hard. We got a few cute pictures to capture the day.

Avery and Owen are wonderful older siblings. They love Addison and are always concerned for her when she cries. They love to make her smile and squish her cheeks. They often compete to see who gets to hold her first. It is fun to watch them entertain her, and she always is interested in what they are doing. And it is the only time that I ever see Owen being gentle!

Another Generation

2011-10-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

When Avery was born 5 years ago, we inherited this wooden cradle from my parents. It was purchased back in 1970 or so, when my older brother, Pete, was born. It was the cradle my parents used for myself and 3 of my siblings. Other neices and nephews have used it as babies too. Now, we have used it for all 3 of our children to swing them to sleep. Addie is getting too big for the cradle now, so I wanted to catch a few pictures of her before we packed it up and put it away. As Jas and I are the last ones on my side of the family to have kids, it may not get any use again until the next generation gets much older.

Fair Time 2011

2011-09-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

The evening after we returned from San Diego, we went on our annual trip to the State Fair. The kids love to see the animals. ride the rides, and eat the food. I had gone the week before with my good friend, Alea, so that I could ride all the "big kid" rides. This night was all about the kids.

The first stop was to see the animals. The fair was almost over, so most of the animals that were left were just sheep.

Owen was all about the cotton candy.

More cotton candy, Dad?

Avery and Owen on the motorcycles: Hands in the Air!

This one is blurry, but it was so cute to see the two kids riding together in this little car. Owen was driving, and they looked like a little, old couple.

More?

Addison was a happy little baby while enjoying the lights.

A San Diego Wedding

2011-09-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

In mid-September, we left the gray skies of Seattle and headed to the sunny beaches of San Diego for a special event. Our whole family traveled to California for Uncle Nathan's wedding. The traveling part was a little overwhelming. It was the first time we took all 3 kids on an airplane. With all of the carseats, luggage, snacks and in-flight entertainment for the kids... we had our hands full. Luckily, we traveled with Jason's Mom who was a big help.

Owen was beside himself with excitement. We got to ride in a car, take a shuttle bus, fly on a plane, ride an underground train, take another shuttle bus, and get in a new car - all in one evening. He loves different forms of transportation. :)

We got in late, late on Friday night. Jason and Nathan went golfing on Saturday and then we had a big family dinner that evening. The kids did fairly well, but they were getting mighty squirrely after 3 hours in a fancy restaurant.

The wedding was on Sunday evening on a beach. Melissa looked beautiful, and Avery would have loved to hold her hand all night long. Of course, just as the ceremony was about to begin, Avery informed us that she needed to go to the bathroom. The only public restroom was at least 1/2 mile down the beach. So, Jason asked some strangers, who lived in a house right on the beach, if she could use their bathroom. Luckily, they were very nice.

The ceremony was short and very nice. Uncle Nathan and Aunt Melissa were cute and so happy. They did a few pictures, and then we headed to a local Italian restaurant for a celebration dinner. We are so glad that we were able to go and enjoy such a special event with Jason's brother. We love Melissa and are very happy that she has joined the family. We hope to be able to see them again soon!

Melissa and her Dad

Addie being held by her Great Aunt Debbie

Husband and Wife

Awwwww...

This is what Owen did during the entire 20-minute ceremony: played with the chain on the garbage cans. I didn't say anything... he was being quiet!

The kids loved Uncle Nathan and Aunt Melissa

The ring bearer

Avery, the flower girl

What a great looking couple

Our fam at the beach

On Monday and Tuesday, we did a little sightseeing with the kids. We headed to a lighthouse nearby and a national cemetery. The kids enjoyed getting out and seeing new things.

On Tuesday, we packed up and headed to La Jolla beach before going to the airport. It wasn't incredibly warm out, but the kids had a blast playing the sand and water for an hour or two.

Addie's first time with her toes in the Pacific Ocean... it was chilly.

Avery was proud of her writing our names in the sand.

Grandma Pynn helping Avery jump over the waves.

After getting cleaned up, we went out to lunch with the newlyweds. Then headed on our expedition to get home again. What a special weekend!

The Little Soccer Player

2011-09-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Avery started a UK Petite Soccer class this Fall. She plays once a week for an hour at the local community center. The best part? If it is nice, then they play outside. But, if it is not nice weather (as it usually is not), then they have the indoor gym to play soccer. Avery has been having a fantastic time in her class. There are about 15 kids and 2 coaches. Her coaches are 2 guys, probably mid-20s, with thick British accents. They do an awesome job of having a new theme each week that all their drills are centered around. So far, Outer Space and the Disney themes have been Avery's favorites. She is definitely improving with her ball control and dribbling. And she looks so cute in her shin guards. :)

Avery, scoring a goal on her Coach.

Happy Birthday, Avery!

2011-09-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

5 Years Old?!?

Where has all the time gone? :)

Avery had her 5th birthday and was lucky enough to celebrate with family and friends this year. She requested a rainbow cake for her family party. We celebrated on Labor Day and invited both sets of grandparents and her Aunt Dooda and Uncle Rob's family. It was a beautiful sunny evening. The kids played in the yard with water balloons (lucky Rob was busy trying to fill them as fast as the kids were breaking them), and then we had a delicious dinner. After rainbow cake and ice cream, Avery opened some gifts and played with her cousins. With the exception of a few toys getting stuck in the neighboring trees and on the roof, it was a fun-filled evening for all.

Addison and Papa Thompson sharing a moment.

A Backyard Birthday Barbeque

Grandma Pynn and Addie enjoying the sunshine

Blowing out her candles

Cousin Delaynie patiently waiting for her piece of cake

Owen trying, desparately, to ride Avery's new bike

A few days later, we celebrated with a few of Avery's good friends. It was a "water theme" party. Avery had originally wanted a "mermaid" party, but we thought the boys would appreciate more of a general theme.

We decorated plates with beach scenes, ate watermelon and goldfish crackers, played water balloon games, duck-duck-goose (they live near the water, right?), and ate our beach cake. It was a fast 2 hours, but it was filled with fun. Avery loved having so many friends over to play at the same time.

Decorating plates

All played out and ready for snacks!

The Beach Cake

The Preschooler

2011-09-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

The new year has begun! Avery loves everything about her preschool (although she wishes that she could ride a schoolbus). This is the first time that she has gone to a "classroom" setting, rather than an in-home environment. She has 4 other kids in class that she already knows which makes the whole thing a little less scary.

*Side note: I have struggled with the decision about whether to send Avery to Kindergarten this year or hold her out another year. I have worried about this decision for over 5 years - ever since I found out her due date of August 29th(had she been born on her due date she could have gone to Kindergarten). She missed the cut-off by 5 days. I'm sure everyone close to me is tired of hearing me list the pros and cons over and over again. In the end, it came down to the fact that because her birthday was 5 days after the deadline, they wouldn't let her in (unless she could basically test out of Kindergarten). It is a relief to just be settled.

I'm glad that she is having such a fun time at school this year. She loves to learn, draw and color, remember crazy amounts of details, and pretend play. The part she is most looking forward to about preschool is meeting more friends.

First day of preschool:

What a fun day!!!

Avery with her friends, Emily (and a dancing Lucy).

Addison's Blessing Day

2011-08-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

On July 31st, our sweet little Addison had her blessing day. She was an alert, calm little girl during her special blessing. We were lucky to have lots of family there to be with us. Addison is such a relaxed, easy-going baby. Her sweet personality is a blessing to us, her family.

We love you, baby girl!

Cousin Delaynie hanging out with Addison

Cousin Todd with Addison

(the oldest and youngest grandchildren on the Thompson side)

Grandma and Papa Pynn, along with a few cousins :)

The girls

Addie with her 2nd cousins - all 3 were born within 2 months of each other.

Birthday Boy

2011-08-23T23:04:00.001-07:00

On July 25th, Owen turned the big 2 years old. He didn't really understand the significance of his birthday, but he was pretty excited about the cake that I was making. He thought it was pretty funny as I sang Happy Birthday to him all day long too. And there was no denying his enthusiasm when he was the one allowed to rip open the wrapping paper on the gifts. Owen was a happy birthday boy, for sure!

It was Jason's first day back to work after paternity leave, but we were adequately distracted with lots of family visiting. We were planning on having a fun, relaxing BBQ in our new backyard, but wouldn't you know it, it rained and rained all day long. So, instead of hanging outside and playing lawn games, we all crammed inside to enjoy our BBQ food. Thank goodness we now have a house large enough to hold the 25 family members who helped Owen celebrate! Both sets of grandparents, Aunt Keri, Aunt DooDah and Uncle Rob, Aunt Tammy and Uncle Jerry and lots of cousins came to the party. That's a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday, Owen! You are an adorable 2 year old with a sweet personality, hearty chuckle and infectious grin. We love you!

Hamburgers, hot dogs and lots of chips!

Papa Pynn on the grill

Some of the girls being silly

Grandma Pynn ready to party

Aunt Tammy and Uncle Jerry enjoying the grub

Birthday festivities

One of Owen's favorite gifts: a VERY sturdy (and hard) baseball bat.

And his very own bike helmet... now Avery doesn't have to pry her's off Owen's head to ride her bike.

Avery enjoying Owen's new Thomas toothbrush... Owen loves it, contrary to what his face may show

Blowing out the candle on his baseball cake

This year he used a fork! :)

Sprinkler Fun

2011-08-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

This picture depicts their personalities perfectly! :)

Miss Addison: 5 weeks

2011-08-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

We love our sweet little girl!

Sweet Baby

2011-08-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the World to our sweet little girl, Addison Hope Pynn.

Addison was born on Sunday, June 19th. Funny enough, this year that was also Father's Day. She is the best little gift that Jason has ever (and probably will ever) receive on this special holiday.

With this pregnancy, they continued to tell us that she was too small. Along with this concern, and the fact that Owen tried to come early, I had a lot of extra appts. By the end, we were going to 2 non-stress tests, 1 ultrasound, and 1 OB appt every week! When they told me that they wouldn't let us go past my due date, I was not too disappointed - that is a lot of scheduling with 2 older kids around.

We were set to be induced on Sunday, but when I called on Saturday afternoon to find out what time to show up, they informed me that there was no hope to get in on my scheduled day. They told us to plan on Monday or maybe even Tuesday. So, Jason and I stayed up until almost 1 AM since we figured the next day would be full of sitting around. After Avery waking up with a nightmare at 3 AM, I went back to sleep about 4 AM. My cell phone rang 45 mins later to say that my induction was scheduled for 6 AM, but that they wouldn't have room. There were at least 2 other women still ahead of me, so just wait for further instructions. (Why did they have to call to tell me this?) Since I was already awake, I got up to use the bathroom. As I am drifting off to sleep 5 mins later, I say to Jason, "Those other 2 ladies better be quick." And 30 seconds later the phone rings: "Never mind, we do have room. Please be here by 6:00." It is now 5 AM. I jumped out of bed to shower and Jason ran around getting things set up for our two older kids... we were not prepared to be gone. No clothes set out, no breakfast ready, etc. Luckily, we were staying with my parents, so the kids were able to stay asleep.

When we got to the hospital, they took us into our room. After an hour of paperwork, they asked if I had eaten. I hadn't (because they told me not to eat with Owen's pregnancy), but I guess I was supposed to this time. So, they ordered up some food... and then we waited an hour for it to come. Finally, around 9 AM they started the pitocin and broke my water. By 10:30 I was having strong enough contractions that they gave me my epidural. Things were progressing fairly normal. Two hours later, I was feeling a lot of pressure, and it didn't feel like the epidural was working anymore. The nurse checked and surprisingly agreed - "You are right! Uh, hold on. We'll call the doctor. Don't push." Every few minutes they would come to give me an update on the Doctor's whereabouts - "She's just getting off the freeway." "She's in the garage." "She's just getting off the elevator." Once the doctor got there, we pushed for about 20 minutes. And then she arrived!

Addison Hope was born at 1:35 PM. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces - our biggest baby! She was 19 1/4 inches long and had beautiful dark hair. She is also the most mellow baby we have had by far! She loves to cuddle, usually only cries when she needs something, and tolerates a lot of love from an older brother and sister. Owen loves to give her hugs and kisses, and he is always very concerned when she cries. Avery loves to hold her and tries to calm her by talking and talking to her.

Addison is such a "well-behaved" little baby with a sweet personality. We love her so much!

During the ultrasounds, they could never get a clear picture of her face -
because her hands were always in the way!

Her first bath.

Avery and Owen meeting their little sister.

Owen was happy to be with his family. He loved Addison right away. When it was time for him to go home, he climbed up to give the baby a kiss and said, "Bye bye, Baby."

Avery kept a close eye on what the nurses were doing to her baby sister.

Addison (1 day old) - wearing the hat I made for her

All ready to go home

Our traditional stop at DQ on our way home from the hospital

Baby Addison: her first night at home.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2011-06-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we headed into Seattle for a little baseball. Knowing that we were supposed to be having the baby on Sunday, we figured it would be a fun family outing before baby arrived. The night was sunny and fairly warm for the most part. Baseball games are always more fun when the stadium roof is open.

The kids had a great time! Avery was rooting for the Philly's because she preferred their red uniforms to our home team's teal outfits (I can't say that I blame her). However, she quickly changed her team preference for two reasons: 1) she didn't like to be the only one cheering when "the red team" did something good and 2) the Mariners were actually winning, and Avery always likes to be part of the winning team. :)

Owen was more interested in the planes overhead and the food being sold by the wandering vendors. He played with the chairs and stared at the boisterous college guys behind us, but he got nervous when the crowd would suddenly start cheering loudly.

We had a very fun evening. We watched a little baseball, ate cotton candy, and sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"... and Avery has been singing it ever since!

Jason and Avery cheering for a home run.

Oh, The Things They Say...

2011-06-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have become horrible at posting during the past 6 months. And there have been many times that I thought, "That is too funny. I need to write that down." So, here is my quick documentation...

Owen has been our "late bloomer" in the talking department. He jabbers like crazy, but didn't really begin to use words until about 3 months ago - and he's almost 2 years old! He is now at the stage where he will say something and then repeat, repeat, repeat until you acknowledge his observation. His favorite item to point out? Basketball hoops. As we drive through a neighborhood, he MUST point out each and every basketball hoop with "BALL! Ball! Momma, BALL!" At which point, I MUST acknowledge the hoop of which he speaks... and our new neighborhood is filled with basketball hoops.

Avery, on the other hand, has continued to add to her lengthy vocabulary. Some of her favorite phrases? "Speaking of which..." "Well, now that you mention it...." and "You gotta be kidding me!" The other day, Owen was getting into something that he was not supposed to be playing with. Avery, very authoritatively exclaimed, "Dude! That is totally unexpectable (unacceptable)!"

And last week, Avery wanted to go outside to play on Grandma's play set. She finds it boring to play out there by herself, so she wanted Owen to come with her. However, Owen seems to have no awareness that if he is 5 feet up in the air, he should not lean out and hang over the top of the slide. So, he is not allowed out there without supervision. When I explained to Avery that Owen could not go out without me or Daddy to watch him, her reply was "But Mom, I'm pretty much an adult." While I admit she often seems to be 4 years old, going on 13... that is still not adult status. :)

... And Soon There Will Be Three!!

2011-04-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Yep! It's true. We are highly anticipating the arrival of our new baby girl this June! Soon these little shoes will be filled with chubby, squishy toes.

Each of our pregnancies have been very different, including this one. With Avery, there were no problems at all. Not even a touch of nausea. I could work full time, go to kickboxing, and landscape our entire front yard. Owen's arrival... well, I was told no exercise from the beginning, and once I hit 28 weeks I was laying in a hospital bed for 40 days. This time around, our doctors have been taking every precaution. Things have gone smoothly so far, but I've felt very high-maintenance. Lots of extra appts and ultrasounds, weekly injections, and careful supervision. And, of course, the dreaded protein intake.

Luckily, we have just entered the final trimester, and everything is looking great! Our little girl is "too small" but that is what we were told with our last two as well. I wish they felt small when they were born! She is still growing proportionately. Her head, arms and legs are all measuring fine, but her waistline is little (that is something that we do not have in common these days!). At our last ultrasound, the doctor couldn't get over how much hair she has on her head. He commented at least 3 times on this fact. :)

We are all very excited. Avery was literally praying for the baby to be a girl. She was pleased with Heavenly Father's decision. Owen is pretty oblivious to any upcoming changes. All he knows is that I won't pick him up as much as I used to. While I am glad that we still have 10 more weeks to get settled (and choose a name!), we are certainly looking forward to meeting our new little girl!

Here is an ultrasound of baby girl (taken at 16 weeks).

And me, taken to mark the beginning of the last trimester (28 weeks). Thanks to my photographer, Avery! ;)

Organic Slushies

2011-03-11T17:25:00.001-08:00

What do you do when it looks like this outside and you are stuck at home?

Eat snowcones, of course!! These were the fastest slushies we've ever made!

And we didn't listen to Daddy or Grandma when they tried to tell us that snow is made out of dirt and rainwater...

Top 10 Pics of 2010!

2011-01-09T22:22:00.001-08:00

This year has been filled with new adventures and everyday routines, relaxing evenings and stressful decisions. But, as we look back on the year, spending time as a family is the best part of each day. What better way to look back on a year than through pictures?

Here are my Top 10 Pics of the year 2010...

At the park : January

Making Faces: January

On the Move: April

Sittin' Pretty: April

Bath Time: July

Fun in the Sun: August

Sleeping like a Baby: August

Sweet (photo by Becky): September

On the Farm: December

Paradise: May

Christmas Fun!

2010-12-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! We love this Christmas season and all that it brings with it (except maybe the traffic and crowds - and the week filled with flu this year). Besides that, we love the excitement, anticipation and family traditions. Some of the fun included:

Snowflake Lane
The night before Christmas Eve, we headed down to see the Snowflake Lane presentation. For approximately 20 minutes, the streets of downtown Bellevue are filled with real drummer boys, a Snow Princess and Rudolph, festive music, and "snow" falling from the building tops. We were more prepared this year and headed in early. It gets so crowded that there is almost no room to stand. We got there early and staked out our spot. Our friends, the McAllisters, came along for their first visit and the kids had a great time. The weather was a little chilly, but dry and windy - perfect conditions for falling snow bubbles! Add on a frosty at Wendy's on the way home = fun, festive evening.

O Christmas Tree!

For the past 3 years, we have bought out Christmas tree at a local tree lot by our house. This year, Avery said that she would rather get the tree from Costco so that her shoes didn't get dirty. What? The tree lot has pre-cut trees with beauty bark covering the ground. Well, rather than Costco or the tree lot, we went to a U-Cut tree farm this year. Due to price, we bypassed the Grand Firs that we love, and picked out a nice big Douglas Fir instead. We went more for quantity than quality. But, we still got a beautiful tree. The kids loved running through the rows of trees.

Avery and Owen helping Jason to saw down the tree. :)

It took us a few days to get the decorating finished, which is what Avery had really been looking forward to. She and Jason put all of the decorations on. They were careful to put only non-breakable ornaments on the bottom half of the tree, but Owen was actually very good about leaving the tree alone.

Fortunately, Owen was more preoccupied by the vacuum while decorating.

Adding the angel on top

A Visit with Santa

We went to a Christmas Breakfast at church a few weeks before Christmas. Santa came to visit and Avery was very excited to see him. Owen... not so much. It makes for a great picture though, right?

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve with Jason's family at his Mom's house. It was nice to visit

Grandma Pynn and Uncle Nathan, as well as Jason's Oma, Aunt and Uncles. The kids were spoiled and had a great time playing with toys. Owen took a little while to warm up, but anyone with a little bit of food is able to break the ice with him. Spending time with family is the best part of the Christmas holiday.

Avery and Owen with Grandma Pynn

Owen opening up his Lego dump truck.

After we got home, we still had to set out milk and cookies for Santa. Avery was positive that he would like chocolate chip cookies. After all, those are her favorite! Then we had our traditional reading of our Silent Night, Holy Night book. It's nice to end the evening with a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

Christmas Morning!

Christmas morning was a nice, slow morning. The kids slept until 9:30 (don't worry, we realize that this won't last long). We had some hot chocolate, opened stockings and gifts, played with new toys, and enjoyed a quiet morning. Later in the day, Uncle Rob and Aunt Dooda came over with Delaynie to Grandma and Papa Thompson's house and we had a big family dinner. It was certainly a fun-filled holiday!!

Coming down the stairs...

Owen couldn't wait to eat the orange out of his stocking...

Owen - happily eating his way through Christmas morning.

Jason opening his thoughtful gift from Avery: Kids 2-in-1 Cherry shampoo. He had commented that he really liked the smell a few months earlier, and Avery knew that he would love it!

Avery's favorite gift of the morning: a storybook that reads to her three of her favorite Disney stories.

Owen's favorite gift: a vacuum cleaner from Aunt Dooda!

Owen really got into the unwrapping this year.

We bought Avery a "make-it and love-it" Build-A-Bear. This is what I spent my Christmas afternoon working on...

While she waited, Avery sat in this box for almost an hour playing with her new doll.

We hope you all had a fantastic Christmas season filled with family, friends, and special memories!

No More Reindeer Jumping on the Bed!

2010-12-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, Avery performed in her first official "dance recital". She just finished her Intro to Ballet/Tap class this week, and she had a fabulous time! There were 10 little girls in her class and they spent 8 weeks in class together. It was fun to watch her do the ballet stretches at the barr and clop around in her tap shoes. The teacher had a special recital for all of her "younger classes". Each class just did 1 short little song. Avery's group had the fun dance of "No More Reindeer Jumping on the Bed" and they really got into it! It was very cute.

Avery playing with her costume as she waited for the music.

In starting position...

They all shouted "No more reindeer jumping on the bed!" as they shook their finger to the music. (Avery is on the far left.)

Good Job, Avery!

Avery's Turkey Trot

2010-11-29T17:47:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, Avery participated in her second race. She ran the Kid's 1K Fun Run at this year's Turkey Trot. She had participated in a similar race for St Patrick's Day last March. While she didn't really mind the running, that's not what made her want to do it again. She fell in love with her finisher's medal! Her face shone as brightly as the gold around her neck. Once she earned her first medal, she was itching to run another race. She has been looking forward to this Turkey Trot ever since her last race. Hopefully, someday, she will enjoy the race for the sheer love of running and being fit, but for now, it's the means to an end. :)

She did a fantastic job and ran the whole way. Good job, Avery Girl!

Boo!

2010-11-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween is much more fun when you have kids. Some may not agree, but I enjoy it more. Avery spends hours on her costume - she plans, decides, changes her mind, plans, changes her mind again, etc. She finally settled on being a horse once we found "just the right costume" at the consignment shop. I actually branched out and made Owen his costume this year. He was Peter Pan, although Jason says he outfit looks more like Robin Hood. Either way, he was incredibly cute!

We started out the weekend with a party at our church building. Avery enjoyed playing the games, face painting, and wandering from room to room for the treats. Owen enjoyed eating the candy.

On the night of Halloween, we visited just a few houses. We went to Grandma and Papa Thompson's to show off the costumes and trick-or-treat. We stopped at a few friends' homes and then headed to Grandma Pynn's house. There the kids loaded up on candy. Luckily, we've all been enjoyed the fruits of their labors! :)

"Take another one? Well OK, if you insist."

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-26T17:29:00.001-07:00

What would Autumn be without a trip to the Pumpkin Patch?

In mid-October, we had the chance to go to a local pumpkin patch with Avery's preschool group. While it wasn't the most beautiful weather that week, we lucked out with a fairly clear, crisp morning. The kids were very excited and couldn't wait to find the perfect pumpkin. They rode in wheelbarrows, ran through the patch, and checked out virtually every pumpkin there. I had Owen in the backpack almost the entire time. I didn't want to deal with him running around. Turns out, he LOVED riding in the wheelbarrow! Had I known that, I would have lightened my load and put him in there a lot earlier in the trip.

After we selected our pumpkins, the kids checked out a few animals and had a blast running through the hay maze. The bales of straw were old, wet and mildewy on the inside, but I think Avery ran through that stinky maze for 40 minutes. Hours later, as Jason was sitting near her on the couch, he couldn't figure out what smelled so funny. Turns out, it was the sweater she still had on. Aaawwwww, the joy of Fall!

We Love These Gals!

2010-10-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

On a highly anticipated October weekend, our family had the pleasure of being visited by two of the most exuberant, comical, and enjoyable women on the planet. Two of my college roommates, Jauna and Kimmi, came to stay the evening with us. Each of them were in Seattle for just a few days, and lucky for us, we made it on their schedules! Kimmi actually stayed for a few days and celebrated her birthday here. It has been 10 years since the three of us lived together, but we love to reminisce about the great times we shared. Jason has always been part of the group as well, so we all have fun memories together. We had a fabulous time catching up, eating treats, and reliving old memories. It is wonderful when you get together with old friends and it feels like you haven't spent any time apart. Avery was in heaven too. She loves to entertain company.

Thanks for the fun weekend Kimmi and Jauna! Until next time...

"Happy Birthday Kimmi. Can I have some?" ~Owen

Just One Hug...

2010-10-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

"It's a pillow; it's a pet. It's a Pillow Pet!"

Sometime this spring, Avery saw an infomercial for a Pillow Pet. And she has not stopped talking about it ever since. At first, I thought it was a little silly. Why would we pay that much for a stuffed animal? But, the longer she kept talking about it, the more I realized how important it was to her. So, for her birthday, her Grandma and Papa Thompson bought her the Unicorn Pillow Pet that she so desperately wanted. It came in the mail a week after her birthday. She was ecstatic when she opened it up. She squeezed it to her chest and proclaimed, "Just one hug and you'll fall in love!" There is no doubt that marketing ploys work in our home!

Avery just had to take a picture of her new friend with our camera! :)

Happy Birthday Avery!

2010-10-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Somehow, over the past 4 years, our adorable little newborn has turned into a 4 year old! It is really unbelievable how quickly the 4 years has passed. Avery is a fun-loving, sensitive, and extremely chatty little girl. She loves to color, play with her stuffed animals, and steal as much screen time as she can. Luckily, she also enjoys being outside, attending her dance class, and just plain going out. She will ask each morning, "Mom, where are we going today?" She loves to wrestle with Daddy, help Mommy in the kitchen, and she can giggle with Owen for hours. While I sometimes feel that she is 4 going 14 (can you say emotional roller coaster?), she usually tries hard to please, and she really is a big helper.

For our family birthday party, Avery really wanted a Hello Kitty cake. She was so excited about the whole thing, she even "helped" me frost the cake. We went to the park and ate pizza, opened gifts and sang Happy Birthday. She was lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents there, as well Laura and Rob's family and "Cousin Rob". Avery loves spending time with her extended family.

What a cute birthday girl!

Blowing out the candle.

Owen had a blast with those balloons.

For some odd reason, Avery LOVES cards. It is almost her favorite spot at a Target store, second only to the toy section. This was the same card we bought Uncle Matt over a year ago. It plays the theme song of "Rocky", and Avery still plays it every time we go to the store.

She finds it hilarious. :)

Opening her treasure chest of dress-up clothes.

Somehow, Avery managed to get 2 parties this year. This is the first time that she has really wanted a friend party. As it was a crazy time of year, we had a small party with a few friends from our neighborhood and one of Avery's new friends from church. Avery chose a Princess theme, which was amusing as half of her guests were boys. They didn't seem to mind. They ate Princess Spaghetti-Os, watched Cinderella, and enjoyed some cake and ice cream. Avery wanted a princess cake, and I have always wanted to try one of those that you actually stick the doll inside. Luckily, I knew a friend who had made one before. It really wasn't that hard, but I was up until midnight, the night before the party, frosting her dress.

The Princess Tiana cake

What a great time!

Happy Birthday, Avery Girl!

They're supposed to roll!

2010-10-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

A year ago, I found this awesome deal at a garage sale. Barbie Rollerblades for $1!! Really, how can you beat that? Of course, I had to buy them for Avery. I've waited all year for her to be able to try them out, and finally realized that our window of opportunity was slipping away. Fall is here! So a few week ago, after dinner one night, we headed outside for our first rollerblading lesson.

Helmet? Check. Knee pads? Check. Elbow pads? Check. Roller blades? Check. It was quite the production. Avery was all excited... until she began to roll. Although I was holding her hand the entire time, she did not like the feeling of rolling. I tried to tell her that was the fun part of the sport! She was content to walk in her rollerblades, but rolling was out of her comfort zone! She was so stressed we couldn't get her to look up for even one picture. Even though her initial assessment was that rollerblading was too hard, she did decide that she was willing to try it again a few nights later. And, I am happy to report, she did much better the second time around. :) She relaxed enough that she actually had fun. Too bad I don't have any pictures of that! I'm so glad she liked it.

Dancing Shoes

2010-10-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

For Avery, the Fall means dance time. She took a little Dance Theater class last year at this time, and she LOVED it. So in her mind, if it was Fall again, then it was time for another dance class. This time I was excited to see that they had a Ballet/Tap class for her age group. She enjoyed the ballet part, but loved the Tap! She likes to show off her favorite move: toe-heel-STOMP. :) It has been really fun watching her in class. One of her best little friends is in the class with her, so it has made this season extra special. Her listening skills are much improved since last year, and she finally got over her fear of "the dreaded beanbag". For whatever reason, last year she would not leap over this little beanbag on the floor, unless another student went with her. This year, she had no worries. She's looking forward to her recital in December where she will dance to "No More Reindeers Jumping on the Bed"!

I love the light-filled room where the dance class is held.

Avery and her pal, Ashley

Sailing over the dreaded beanbag!

First time in tap shoes

So fun!

Fun at the Fair!

2010-09-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Do the Puyallup!!

Fall time means Fair time! We made our annual trip down to the fair this year with both kids. I had gone two days earlier with a friend to do the Dizzy Pass rides. Avery had been highly disappointed when she didn't get to come. She looks forward to the fair all year long. And rightly so, what's not to like about the fair?!? (Jason could give you quite a long list!)

The rides were the main attraction for Avery this year. Owen was not feeling well. He had a cold all week and was on a steroid medication along with an inhaler. The steroid makes him g-r-u-m-p-y! So, the evening was not so enjoyable with him. We even thought that we might have to head home after only 20 minutes because he was screaming uncontrollably, but luckily he calmed down and we had time to play.

We hit the rides, met some Backyardigans, ate treats, listened to some live music, and saw a lot of different animals. But, the part that Avery seems to remember the most? I had gotten a "student admission pass" which lets people in for free... but you are supposed to be 18 years or younger. So, as we were walking up to the gate, Jason told Avery to pretend like she didn't know me... because how many 18 year olds have two kids? Well, Avery did not think that was very nice. "It's not nice to pretend like you don't know someone Daddy!" She still talks about it weeks later. While I did get in for free, I don't know if the $11 savings was worth it. It seemed harmless at the time, but it made a lasting impression on her! Good thing the rest of the evening was so enjoyable!

She's almost tall enough...

Owen's head all sweaty... from crying.

Roller Coaster!

Avery and Mom on the swings

Waitin' for the music to start...

Avery loves these hedge sculptures each year.

All night long she kept asking to use one of these foot massagers. It was her lucky night - we found one that was permanently going. Why not massage your hands and feet?

Our Little Beach House

2010-09-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

See our little beach house? Well, it was our's for the weekend anyway...

In early August, we went for a weekend at the beach with the fabulous Baumchen family. This trip has been discussed for years, and finally this year we made it happen. We stayed at this fun little cottage on Whidbey Island. It had plenty of space inside, and it was literally across the drive from the water. We had an awesome view of the ferries coming in and out. There was sand, surf, but no sun! Of course, the weekend that we went was one of the rainy ones. Good thing we had a nice little cozy place to stay.

We had a great time playing at the beach, venturing around the island, and just visiting. We stayed up late playing games and chatting (well, at least the girls did). The kids had fun sleeping in the loft and playing with all the sand toys. On Saturday, it was a miserably wet day. So, someone had the idea of going to visit the old military camp Fort Casey. Now, while this may sound fun to some, after years of being drug through this and many, many other similar military/historical/fort-ish sites, I was unenthused. The kids loved it though! They ran through all the dark, dank holes and had a wonderful time. And I love the fact that it actually made for some great pictures! I guess even cold, gray cement can be exciting when you're there with friends. :)

It was a really great weekend! Riding the ferries, running in the rain, and eating plenty of desserts... we were all sad when it was time to leave. We'll just have to do it again!

Summer Camping Trip

2010-09-16T14:13:00.001-07:00

This summer we went on our annual camping trip with our great friends, the Kleins. Each year we have gone somewhere different. We've tried tents, cabins, and trailers. This year, as neither family had a baby (Owen turned 1 on our trip), we decided to try the tents again. Of course, both of our families had to bring larger tents than the last time we did it. The kids had so much fun!

We ventured up to Bellingham and stayed at Larrabee State Park. Jason and I love this area, and we had never camped overnight here. We knew that there was a train that ran through the park, but I didn't realize that it ran ALL NIGHT LONG, every 45 minutes. And, it seems that they are required to blow their whistle while chugging through the park. This is the Burlington Northern too - a big, loud freight train. Owen would actually cry during the day when he heard it coming, but miraculously he slept through the noise at night. We were staying right near the water though, so we had fun playing in the bay. It was gorgeous weather, as well. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

We had a great time cooking camp food, roasting marshmallows, going on hikes, and exploring Bellingham during the day. Poor Monique and Jeremy got a trip down (our) memory lane! We drove through campus, toured downtown, and stopped at Mallards for delicious ice cream. We ate lunch at Boulevard Park and flew kites at the Bellingham Marina. This area is absolutely beautiful.

I had some fun pictures of our campsite and our ice cream stop, but somehow one of our memory cards had formatting issues, so I think they are lost forever. Unfortunately, I also lost my favorite photo of Monique wearing a headlamp on her forehead, and the boys attempting to set up two large tents in a small area, in the dark! Ah well. I stole the first few pics off of Monique's blog (Thanks Monique) and luckily had more photos on our second camera!

Until next year... (when we may just try a cabin again)

The kids playing in the tent.

Avery and Samantha with their face paintings.

The adults hanging out by the water.

Having fun on the rocks.

Avery and her buddies.

They went exploring and found purple sea stars.

When we were at Boulevard Park, we came across a "festival" - not uncommon in Bellingham. The kids could make all these arts and crafts. Avery became an impromptu ladybug who walked in the Kids Parade.

She loved it!

Jason and Avery flying a kite at the marina.

Our buddy Parker - enjoying the sunset.

Bellingham Bay

Oh, Thomas!

2010-08-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

Each summer, in the small town of Snoqualmie, a very popular train chugs through town. Last year, when Thomas came, I thought Avery would enjoy driving by the train station to see Thomas. Turns out - not such a great idea. Of course, she wanted to go for a ride. Unfortunately, you have to buy tickets months in advance. Well, she has continued to talk about riding all Thomas for the entire year. She would constantly ask, "Mom, is it almost summer yet? Because once summer comes again, then Thomas will come back for me to ride!" So, of course, I knew what was in store for this summer.

As these tickets are ridiculously expensive, we decided that Avery would have to work a little for this treat. I made her a chart that said, "Avery, come ride with me! ~Thomas" with 60 empty stars on it. Yep, 60 stars! She could only earn the stars by cleaning her toys up - 1 star/day max. About 2 months into it, I began to worry that she might not finish. But, she did it! She finished 4 days before her deadline, and she was very pleased with herself.

The big day had arrived!

Owen got to come along for the ride.

Here we go...

A view of Snoqualmie River from atop the high cliff.

Water, Water Everywhere!

2010-08-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

How many kids can you fit in a small, plastic pool?

A few weeks ago, a few of Avery's friends were over to play on a very hot day. Tanner and Campbell were waiting for their new baby brother to be born, and Emily and Dallas came to cool off in the water. Between all the kids, toys, and baskets that were in this tiny circumference, there wasn't much room for the water!

Owen's First "Real Meal"

2010-08-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

While this actually happened in July, I had to document the fact that Owen is now eating real food. This was his first meal where he ate all the same things that we were eating... pancakes, eggs, and watermelon. Can you tell how delighted he was?

The Confidence of a 3 Year Old

2010-08-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Avery - checking out her reflection in her playroom mirror.

Rock N' Roll - SEATTLE!

2010-08-20T16:38:00.001-07:00

They say that setting goals is a way to make your life more meaningful. I would have to agree. You often learn new idiosyncrasies about yourself, and you have the opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Shoot for the moon, you may fall upon a star, right? But, with my ~~stubborn~~ determined spirit, often falling on a star isn't good enough. Maybe my next goal should be to relax a little. :)
Last year, as I laid on bed rest for 9 weeks, I was watching another hour of mindless TV in the hospital, when coverage of the 1st Annual Rock N' Roll Seattle Marathon come on. As I watched people running, partying, and celebrating at the finish line, I thought, "Look at how lucky those people are - that they can run." I set the goal for myself then and there that I would be participating in that race the next summer. My enthusiasm continued through the winter months, as I happily registered for the race in December. But as the spring months began to blossom, and the time for training began, I started to think, "What in the world was I thinking? I don't even like to run!" After almost a year of doctor's orders of "no exercise," it took me awhile to get into shape.

While I wouldn't say that I love running, by any means, I can say that my opinion of the sport has drastically improved. There were a few times that running helped clear my head of stressful situations or allowed me to appreciate the beauty of the area where we live. I listened to way more music in those 3 months of training than I usually have time for. I learned getting my Saturday morning 8 mile run done at 8 AM is a good idea - then I don't dread it the rest of my day. I realized that I have inadvertently set a good example for my daughter, who always asks to go running with me and even ran in her first 1K this year. I discovered that I actually have time in my day for important spiritual moments when I am awake and aware before my children get up. I developed closer friendships with a few running buddies and discovered new trails. I also learned that eating a delicious, sugary maple bar donut promptly after running 9 miles is not the best idea. And, most importantly, I know that I can run 13.1 miles!

The big day of the race finally came. I rode in with some friends from my church who were also doing the 1/2 marathon. None of us ran together, but it was comforting to know that they were there. I had only slept for 4 hours the night before - Jason was on a business trip in Canada and his plane was delayed. He ended up driving home at 2 AM so that he wouldn't miss the end of the race. It was cold as we were standing around waiting for the starting gun. There were 25,000 racers total. It was a huge crowd! I felt great at the beginning. By about mile marker 4, I drank one of their power drinks which was not a good idea. Next time I will stick to water. Besides the taste, it made my face and hands all sticky as it sloshed over the cup - you have to keep running while you drink, ya know? By about mile 8, I was feeling determined. I had forgotten my stopwatch at home, so I had no idea what my time was. They did have clocks at each of the mile markers though, so I was able to check my pace. My set goal was to finish around 2hrs 15 mins, but I was really dreaming of coming in under 2 hours. By mile 11, I started to feel sick. I kept thinking, "I better get a good finish time because I am never doing this again." The last mile we were running through downtown Seattle. I kept thinking that I had to walk, but I was determined to run the whole thing. It was soooo exciting to see the finish line! My finish time was 1 hr 57 mins. I'll take it. :) I didn't feel so great after I got home that day. I assumed it was from running so hard, but I realized the next morning that I had the flu... now I might need to do another 1/2 marathon - just to see if I can run faster. After I finish my next goal of relaxing!

So happy to be with my family at the finish line.

The race ended at Qwest Field in downtown Seattle.

My friend Beth and I with our bibs and medals.

It's Fun to be One!

2010-08-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated Owen's 1st birthday with a family party. We loved having so many loved ones there to celebrate with us. It was a mild, sunny day at Lake Sammamish. We had plenty of food, sand tools for digging, and a happy birthday boy: all the ingredients for a fantastic get-together. Thank you to all who were able to make it!

Owen's cousins made sure he was the highlight of the party.

The Baby Cake
(which says: Owen's 1st Birthday)

"Hmmm... Do I like this?"
His first real taste of sugar (except those mini marshmallows Aunt Keri kept giving him).

Yep, he likes it!

Smashing every last crumb, in usual Owen fashion.

As Owen's sister would say, "Get in there and show that cake who's boss!"

After a quick clean-up, Owen moved on to the presents.

The adults visited...

while the kids were enthralled by the sandpit.

Once the other kids realized it was present time, Owen had plenty of help.

The Papas philosophising.

A very happy birthday boy!

What a fun evening!

Happy Birthday to Owen!

2010-07-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone. Owen is now officially a 1 year old! When you look at his chubby legs and round, squishy cheeks, you would never know that he was a wee 5 lbs, 11 oz at birth. He was long, but so skinny. We called him our "little monkey". He seemed so fragile at first.

While our 27 pound boy is no longer tiny, and is anything but fragile, he is still super cuddly and contagiously happy. He loves to eat and never tires of watching Avery's every move. He would rather be in Mom and Dad's arms than anywhere on his own. As long as he has company and food, he's always in a good mood.

We've never forgotten the miracle surrounding Owen's birth. We are so grateful each and every day for this little rosy-cheeked, easy-going, chuckle-prone son... but especially on his birthday!

Day 1: Peaceful Baby

Week 1: Our Little Monkey

1 1/2 Months

3 Months

6 Months

12 Months

Happy Birthday Little Man!

A Little Summer Fun

2010-07-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Last week Jason headed out of town for another business trip. Rather than staying at home by ourselves, I decided to head down to my sister's house with the kids to hang out for a few days. It was the beginning of their summer break, so we found some fun ways to kick off the season.

Our first stop was Wild Waves and Enchanted Village. I hadn't been there in years, and it was certainly a different experience to go with kids! Avery loved the rides! Oh, you should have seen the look of sheer disappointment on her face when she would stand against their measuring stick... and not measure tall enough. Luckily, there were a number of rides that she could go on.

Avery is the one on the right - with her hands in the air!

Oooh, she's makes her Mom so proud!

This was the water coaster that I agreed to go on with Tate.

My sister assured me, "Oh, you don't get that wet..."

"Like this wet??"

This was poor Owen's look for most of the day!

We had fun riding the carousel, going on spinning rides, and then playing in the water park. It actually became rather sunny out. Avery did have a slight mishap on one of the water slides. She was not big enough to go down even the slides in the kiddie area, so I wasn't too worried as she ran around. However, when she wandered up to the top of the large, twisty, purple slide with her 7 year old cousin, the kind employee measured her with the stick (which showed she was about 8 inches too short), and then decided to let her go down anyway. He told the 7 year old to "just catch her at the bottom." Tate informed us after the fact, "Well, I tried to catch her, but when I came out of the water I couldn't find her. And then the lifeguard got to her first..." I don't think we will be getting a season's pass there until next year!

Our other big adventure was the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. The kids had an awesome time, and they got so excited about each of the animals. The aquarium portion even has an area that you can touch sea stars and other animals. It was the perfect activity for the day - an opportunity to get outside and walk around for a few hours, yet small enough to see all the animals and still have time to play in the KidZone area.

The Elephants

Touching the rubbery underside of a starfish.

Avery and Delaynie happy in the shark's mouth.

Watching the walrus who weighs 3300 pounds!

How tall are you compared to a Polar Bear?

Hmmm... good thing Avery doesn't live in the Arctic.

Avery as a happy, little snail.

In the KidZone, they have this crazy seat that you can spin and spin and spin in.

Avery took a couple turns and giggled the entire time.

Owen, possibly a little unhappy that he spent the entire day riding around in a pink stroller.

All Grown Up

2010-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Avery's last day of preschool was about a month ago (yes, I am still catching up). One of our neighbors, Ms. Paige, had 5 little kids in her preschool this year. Avery loved going each Monday morning. She learned more about letters, worked on crafts, and played games. She always had plenty to tell me about at the end of each day. Avery always put a lot of thought into what she wanted to take for show-and-tell each time (it was supposed to begin with the letter they were learning about that day). It's been fun to see her grow this year. And, on her last day, she desparately wanted to "ride her bike to school". She looked so grown up with her backpack on, riding her bike... even if it was just across the street.

Freedom Day

2010-06-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

On May 26th, we celebrated a new "recognition day" around our place. It was Freedom Day. Last year, this was the day that we were told our little baby was going to be born premature. I was sent to the hospital to finish out whatever time I could before the baby came. It was a very hard 6 weeks in the hospital. But this year, we celebrated a different story. I am free: free to walk where I want, free to pick up my kids, free to smell fresh air. It certainly gives perspective for those who are not as fortunate. Most of all, we are free to love our little boy who was born happy and completely healthy. For that, we are incredibly grateful!

Paradise

2010-05-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

Earlier this month, Jason and I had the chance to spend a week in Maui. It was awesome! We'd been planning and saving for the past few years, so when a great deal appeared we were very excited. We'd been to Oahu 7 years ago, and we loved it. So this time around we decided to try Maui. It was beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, and there was a ton to see and do.
And we owe a HUGE "thank you" to my mother-in-law, who served, watched, and entertained our children at home!

We took sooo many photos, that we tried to pare them down... but this is still a long post! Don't worry if you just skim past the travel log - I won't be offended! ;)

Leaving the Seattle airport... notice the gray, cloudy, cold, rainy sky.

When we landed in Kahului, it was only 1:00 in the afternoon. We picked up our car, stopped at Costco, and headed to our condo. We were staying about an hour from the airport in Kahana. At one point in our drive, we were following behind this truck. It was the first reminder that life is done differently in Hawaii... :)

The condo that we stayed at was perfect. Each unit has an ocean view. You could see both the islands of Molokai and Lanai from our deck. We loved to sit outside and eat our breakfast each morning.

We didn't want to waste any time, so after we settled in the first day, we grabbed some Subway sandwiches and headed to Kaanapali Beach to watch the sunset. It was warm and beautiful. We walked from one end of the beach to the other as the sun went down. What a great way to start our vacation, right? As we headed back to our car, we discovered that the gates of the public parking lot had been locked - with our car still inside (as well as a few others). Can you tell from the picture why it was a little confusing?

The next morning we couldn't wait to get outside. Along with the fact that Hawaii is 3 hours behind, we were awake by 6:30 AM. After eating breakfast and packing a picnic lunch, we found a shop that rented snorkel gear for a cheap weekly rate. We got outfitted and headed to Kapalua Beach, which is supposed to be one of the best beaches on the island. It was pretty nice.
We laid in the sun and snorkeled for 3 hours. We were trying to be cautious - we do have Washington skin, after all. Let's be careful and head inside early. As it turns out, we got BURNT! We were wearing sunscreen, but I think the snorkeling did us in. Our shoulders, backs, and legs were painfully red by evening time. We lathered up with aloe, headed to Lahaina to walk around town and drown our pain in ice cream.

While wandering through town, we found one of those deals: "If you come listen to our sales pitch for 2 hours, we will give you a great deal on adventure trips." So, we did it. We willingly gave away 2 hours of our life, and in exchange we were able to sign up for a Volcano Bike Adventure, as well as a catamaran snorkel trip.

One of the experiences that we had wanted to try was the Haleakala Sunrise Bike Tour. So, the next morning, after a restless, sun burnt, sleepless night, we got up at 1:30 AM to head off to our adventure. We drove to Paia to meet our bike tour by 3 AM. From there, the shuttle drives you 1 1/2 hours up to the top of Haleakala Crater, which is the world's largest dormant volcano. The elevation is over 10,000 feet. After watching the sunrise, you get on a bike and ride 26 miles down the side of the volcano, back to Paia where we had left our car. All of the tour guide books say, "If you haven't ridden a bike in the past 10 years, the top of the world's highest volcano is not the place to refresh your memory." Well, as I had not ridden a bike since middle school, this advice made me a little nervous. Jason assured me, "Ahhh, don't worry. You'll be fine." Very reassuring.

We arrived to the top by 5:30 AM. It was freezing cold at about 30 degrees and incredibly windy. Luckily for us, the sky was completely clear with the clouds below us. It was an amazing sunrise. You can see just a sliver of the silver moon.

This is a picture inside the main crater. It's 21 miles in circumference (which is large enough to contain Manhattan). You could see it clearly once the sun come up... unfortunately, I completely missed this portion of the trip. Just as the sun was about to break the horizon, I discovered something new about myself...

I guess I don't do well with quick, high elevation changes.

Yep! As I was standing at window inside the visitor center (which had just opened moments before), I started to feel sick to my stomach. I began to lose my hearing and my head was pounding. I didn't want to give up my spot at the window, but luckily I turned around and found Jason right about the time I blacked out. I have never fainted before in my life. I came to quickly, and then we spent the next 45 minutes being questioned by a paramedic. At one point I thought I was fine, but as I stood up to leave, all the symptoms came back again. By this time, they decided to put me on oxygen. Jason kept reassuring me that we didn't need to ride the bikes down the volcano, but I didn't want to miss out on our only chance. So, after almost 2 hours at the top, a park ranger drove us down to meet our shuttle driver at the starting point (luckily this was only at 7,000 ft elevation). Although I wasn't sure it was the best idea, I assured Jason that I was just fine to ride the 26 miles back to town.
Can you tell I was a little nervous still?

The road had 29 switchbacks (180 degrees) right from the start.

You see some amazing scenery, but I was too concentrated on watching the road ahead. At one point I asked Jason, "Do I look as tense as I feel?" His response was, "Uh, yeah."

It was a fun bike ride. We went though Kula which is a town in Upcountry where all the rich people buy mansions. We stopped outside Tom Selleck's old home when he was filming Magnum, P.I. and somewhere around there Oprah has a vacation home. It is also known as cowboy town up there. After grabbing a bite of lunch, we made it the rest of the way down. I was relieved to see our car!

The next day we went for a nice drive around the Northern part of the island. It has scary one lane roads in many parts, with a steep drop off on your left side and road signs warning you that the 30 foot rock wall to your other side produces falling rocks. But we found some awesome views that made this drive our favorite one of the entire trip.

Somewhere near Mokolea Point, we found this short hike that leads to a blowhole. We decided to venture out and see if we could find it. We took a scenic route, and wandered through an area that was described as an "acid field". All of the rocks had been eaten away by the salt water mist, it created rock formations which resembled black Swiss cheese.
We did find the blowhole. It shot about 30 feet up in the air. Jason decided to go down and get a closer look...

The next morning was our snorkel trip to Molokini Crater. We had to be at the Maalaea Harbor by 7:45 AM to board our boat (along with 100 other people). The crew was rather entertaining though, so it was a fun boat ride. They take you out to Molokini Crater which is reviewed as being one of Maui's best snorkel spots. The coral was pretty spectacular, but the fish weren't any better than we had seen as local beaches.

They also take you to Turtle Town and let you get off and snorkel there as well. We saw 3 huge turtles, and one of them swam so close you could reach out and touch him (although that would incur you a $100,000 fine for harassment of these protected creatures). Their shells were literally about 5 feet across.

After getting off the boat, we headed up to the Hana Highway. Everyone who goes to Maui says that you must drive the Road to Hana: "Going to Hana is a journey, not a destination." It winds 50 miles of narrow road along steep coastal views, past waterfall pools, and even through a tropical rain forest. We did stop at a few places along the drive.

Jason skipped rocks into the Honomanu Bay.

This was a triple waterfall nicknamed "The Three Bears."

Here is an old lava tube. It really is amazing when you stop the think about how Hawaii was formed.

One of the activities that Jason was intent on doing while in Hawaii was camping on the beach. When we finally made it to Hana, we were planning on setting up camp and staying there. But we discovered that we weren't allowed to due to a lack of permit. So, we continued on another 45 minutes to Oheo Gulch. Here we were able to stay at a National Campground. While the idea of staying on the beach sounds rather romantic, it turned out to be rather uncomfortable. It was so windy that we had to take the rain fly off the tent because it was ripping so hard as the gusts came through. And then, of course, it started to rain...

And, did I mention that there is NO food service within 3 hours of this stop? Yep, we came through Hana too late for dinner (they close at 8 PM). So our dinner consisted of Chips, bananas, granola bars, and a few Starbursts for dessert. As we ate by the light of the parking lot lights (Did I also mention that we didn't come prepared with a flashlight either?), we even had a few officers stop by to check and see what we had in our cooler. They weren't expecting to find Capri Suns, that's for sure!
But, with the dawn of morning, I awoke on my 31st birthday on a Hawaiian beach. Trying to ignore our sore muscles, sunburnt skin, and hungry stomachs, we headed off on a hike to one of the Seven Sacred Pools. There are actually more than 7 pools, and it turns out there is nothing really sacred about them (it was all a marketing ploy in the '60s), but what could be better than swimming in a sacred pool on my birthday?
Partway through the hike we wandered through a bamboo forest. Not only was the sight amazing, but the sound of the wind blowing through the bamboo was awesome! It was a fun experience.

This was one of the many smaller pools along the way.

Our hike led us to the Waimoku Falls. We had seen quite a few waterfalls on our trip, and I had mentioned to Jason that, having grown up near Snoqualmie Falls, they weren't really too impressive. This waterfall was spectaular! So big that I couldn't even fit the whole thing in my camera lens. It's 400 feet tall, and the best part is that you can swim right up to the bottom of it.

Here I am, about to take a dip in my sacred pool...

but Jason said it didn't count unless I got all the way in the water.

So, he got to take a nice cool plunge as well
.
As we headed back to Kahana, we drove all the way along the southeast side of the island. It was a primitive road in many spots, and it felt nice to make it back to civilization. One of the neatest things we saw was all the sugar cane. We had an impromptu lesson about how they burn the fields and it begins to crytalize the sugar inside the cane before it's harvested. We decided to take a picture of me with my favorite food in it's most raw form.

One of the best deals that we found when we were planning our trip was for our rental car. We found a "word-of-mouth" outfit that rents cars for way cheaper than the regular companies. So, we opted to get a convertible while we were in Hawaii. It was THE BEST decision. We spent so much time driving that it was nice to not miss out on the sun during that time (although I do regocnize the fact that we had to sunscreen up everytime we got in the car).

Some of the beautiful views in upcountry Maui.

On our last full day in Hawaii, we decided that we wanted to just hang out and relax. We hit a local Hula performance in the Pineapple Court of Lahaina Mall. It was a bunch of kids performing and it was really adorable.

And then we headed to our most favorite beach in Maui: Makena Beach. It was absolutely breathtaking.This silly umbrella that we were using kept blowing away, so Jason kept having to retrieve it. It was entertaining watching him wrestle it to the ground. :)

Jason tried his hand at Boogie Boarding. There were some guys near us trying out snappy tricks, but we were content with just trying to stay on the board. Jason was pretty good at it, and somehow I managed to end up with so much sand in my hair that I was still shampooing it out a week later.

On our very last morning, we had to find something to do before heading to the airport. So, we got up nice and early and headed to Lahaina. We had signed up to try a Stand Up Paddleboarding lesson. Unfortunately, we haven't developed those pics yet, but I can tell you it is harder than it looks. It's takes the balance of standing on a surfboard with the arm strength of paddling a kayak. It was fun to try, and a great workout, but a little boring. Our instructor, Sonny, must have thought so too, beacause after an hour he asked us, "Do you want to go catch some waves?" So, we had an impromptu surfing lesson as well. That was way more fun.

After a fun filled week, we were sad to be leaving paradise. Yet, extremely happy to be headed home to our kids - we missed them a ton!
Luckily, we will always have beautiful memories of Maui!

(photo:Makena Beach)

Who Says, "It's always a fun day at the park!"?

2010-05-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's All Gone, Owen!

2010-04-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has held our 25 pound, 9 month old can attest to the fact that Owen loves to eat! When his bottle runs out, his protests are heard far and wide. He can down 8 ounces in less than 6 minutes. Simply put: He loves food!

Now that he is getting older, we have had fun testing out new foods with him. Unfortunately, Avery has developed taste buds similar to mine, which makes for some incredibly picky eating. It will be really refreshing if Owen takes after Jason - eat anything and everything. So far, his appetite seems to take after his Dad. Owen can eat and eat, and never seems to get full. And when his bowl is empty?!? Well... Avery has already learned to plug her ears as she yells (to be heard over Owen's indignant shrieking), "It's All Gone Owen!"

Owen's first taste of vegetable: Sweet Potatoes

Owen loves crackers

This is a cool contraption that you put frozen fruit into. Owen is sucking on frozen strawberries.

He grips on tight and gives that look, "Don't even think about taking this away."

Now, we have found one food that Owen isn't too crazy about: Peas! Don't get me wrong, he still ate the whole container, but his enthusiasm was lackluster at best.

Maybe it's genetic....

Avery wasn't a fan either.... (March 2007) (Notice they are wearing the same bib? A great teacher friend gave this to me at Avery's baby shower... it says, "Give Peas a Chance." Ah Nancy, you know me well.)

Oh-ho, the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin'!

2010-04-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Whenever I get a package in the mail, this post title is the song that starts running through my mind. I blame this on my parents who only allowed us to watch musicals and documentaries on Sunday afternoons. Haven't you ever seen the Music Man?

Anyway, about a month ago one of my great friends Darci came up with a fabulous idea. It was called a Favorite Things Swap! (Is a certain song from the Sound of Music now ringing in your ears?) The idea was similar to a chain letter, but way more fun. Basically I stuffed a package with 5 of my favorite things (one of them being homemade) and mailed it off to a gal in Utah. Then, a few days later, a package came for me from Nebraska! It was from Darci's big sis Alison, and it was stuffed with 5 of her favorite things. And, lucky for me, she has great taste! :)

As I excitedly opened my gift, I discovered cute handmade greeting cards, tasty cinnamon bears (which Jason opened immediately), a beautiful homemade pendant necklace, a "keeping it together book (which I can definitely use), and a cool Camel waterbottle - perfect for all this marathon preparation! Thanks Alison! What a great idea!

Life

2010-04-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

What? It's been almost 2 months? I know, I know... life has been so busy. I feel like we are constantly running, and I have so much to journal about. But, the farther behind I get, the less motivated I am to sit and write. So, today, I just want to say:

I love this little guy!

He is my cute, cuddly, sweet, chubby little monkey. Even if I have spit up on my shirt or my ears are ringing from his latest temper tantrum, he is always lovable. I think it has something to do with that cheeky grin...

Let's Pretend it's Spring

2010-02-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

We have been so lucky to have gorgeous weather these past few weeks! Our tulips are blooming, the parks are busy, and we are pretending that it is spring time.

HIKE
Last Saturday we headed out to hike a local trail that leads to a set of waterfalls. The path was crazy busy...it felt more like we were at the local zoo, rather than a secluded nature hike. It was a total of 3 miles, and Avery walked the ENTIRE trail. She didn't slow us down at all. Other hikers were commenting on how exuberantly she was walking along. We did have to stop for multiple water breaks, but we were amazed at her energy! We brought a few snacks, and I was pleased to catch a few pics in the sunshine. We played in the water and admired spiderwebs. Avery pointed out our own Northwest version of "palm trees" = ferns. It's amusing what connections kids will make. It was a great afternoon. The only problem is that we could feel ourselves being tricked into thinking it is spring! We are so looking forward to getting out there again, but it will probably be awhile before we are able to. We'll take it while we can!

Walk in the Woods
We are also really lucky to live in an area with miles and miles of trails out our front door! Avery and I decided that we wanted to go for a walk through the forest last week. We called up some friends and headed out for a quick jaunt through the woods. Avery was on the lookout for deer, but the closest thing we found was a random dog that wandered away from his owner. The kids had a fun time! The hardest part is always the last stretch. Our trail ended on a nearby road, so we walked up the sidewalk back to our starting point. They were pretty worn out by the time we made it back to the picnic table... Owen couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

We love the Park!
Nothing beats a fun, sunny day at the park! Last week we headed out for our first trip of the season. My friend Karen came along and we tried to get a few pictures of the kids playing. Avery moves so fast, and Owen did not like the sun in his eyes. The poor kid hasn't seen too much of it in his short life. :) Avery had a great time playing on the slides and drawing in the baseball field. Thanks for the fun morning, Dear Park! We will be back!

Beautifully Tasty!

2010-02-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Have you ever hesitated to cut a cake because it was too pretty? I am usually the first to dive in, but last week Avery and I created a cake that was almost more fun to decorate than eat.

I have been wanting to try and decorate a cake with marshmallow fondant for some time. Fondant frosting looks so nice, but I don't like the taste of regular fondant. Marshmallow fondant calls for marshmallows, powdered sugar, and Crisco... how can that possibly taste bad? It was pretty tasty. Next time, however, I will try to get the fondant thinner though. It was a little thick, which resulted in a sugar headache for most of us who happily consumed our dessert. Avery had a great time helping me to make the flowers and sticking them on. The multiple-step process took 3 days to complete the cake, so I don't plan to replicate another cake anytime soon. But, maybe for a special occasion, like a first birthday or something. :)

Avery loved playing with the leftover fondant. It really felt like play dough. As she hadn't finished her lunch earlier in the day, she wasn't allowed to eat any (No lunch? No snacks!). She followed the rule so well, I actually gave in and let her have a taste. She loves sugar.

Snow Day!

2010-01-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

What is white, wet and hard to find (this year at least)? Snow!

Usually we would have enjoyed quite a bit of snow by this point in the year, but it has been such a strange winter so far. Besides one light dusting last month, we haven't seen any of this white commodity! Avery has been waiting to make a snow angel, and I don't know that it will happen this year at our place. So we got together with our great friends the Hadleys for a little Snow Adventure. Avery and Madelyn love playing together, but haven't had a chance to see each other for a few months. They were the best of friends again. Madelyn was so kind to Avery - she pulled her around almost all afternoon!

We had orginally planned on going snowboarding (the adults, not the kids), but due to a few recent complications, we had to postpone that plan. Even though Jason's still suffering from an unexplainable neck pain, he was able to suck it up and go down one short hill with Owen for his first time on a sled. So it turned out to be a fun family outing.

We had a great time sledding down the hills, laughing at the kids, and filling up with warm cocoa at the end of the day. What a perfect winter afternoon!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Here's a short little video of our afternoon fun (make sure to turn off the blog music on our right hand sidebar). Happy Winter!!

Baby Face

2010-01-11T17:27:00.001-08:00

The many faces of our cuddley, sweet, oblivious, easy-going Owen! We love him!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-28T23:22:00.001-08:00

It's the most WONDERFUL time... of the year!

We love Christmas at our house! This year the season seemed to fly by even faster than usual, but we still found time to fit in quite a bit of celebrating. Christmas morning holds new excitement as our kids are getting old enough to anticipate! Even the little magic of the holidays- Our advent calendar worked wonders at getting Avery to eat her dinner (She couldn't wait to see what her treat would be each night for dessert). We have tried hard to remind Avery that Christmas is truly a celebration of Christ's birth. She has a small nativity that she likes to play with, and we have been reading the nativity story at night. Yet, she still nonchalantly said to Jason a few weeks ago, "Christmas isn't about giving! It's about getting presents!" Hmmm... maybe next year.

The first to wake up...

Running into the living room

Avery received this gift from some of her older cousins. We had it set up in the living room when she came downstairs. It was an excellent idea! She played happily while waiting for Owen to wake up.

What a great dollhouse! Thanks Kiki and Becca!

The baby was the last one up!

Avery helped everyone open their gifts this year.

A happy little elf.

"OOOOOOoooooooo!" Avery's most commonly heard phrase; followed closely behind by, "I love it! I love it!"

Avery showing Owen the socks that she bought for him.

A fun morning was had by all!

After eating cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for brunch, we spent a few hours playing with new toys. Then we headed over to Grandma and Papa Thompson's for more family fun and dinner. While I do love getting presents, the best part about Christmas is definitely the time with family and friends. We love making these new memories together.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-28T23:03:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Eve was filled with anticipation! Avery was beside herself. This is the first year that she has really understood what Santa is all about. We headed over to Jason's Aunt and Uncle's house for Christmas Eve dinner. It was delicious food! Then we visited, opened up gifts, and ate dessert.

Avery loved this Santa hat that Anna had - it lit up, played music and the top of the hat flipped back and forth in random patterns.

Owen and Oma

Avery opening up a gift from Grunkle Kevin and Graunt Anna. She said, "Oh, I love it! I love it!"

Owen and Grandma Pynn

What a perfect spot for a sleepy baby!

After we got home, the kids got into their Christmas PJ's, and we had to set about getting ready for Santa. We set out the cookies and chocolate milk, and Avery had to make sure he could get in the house. One of my favorite traditions is reading the book Silent Night, Holy Night. We have done it every year since Avery was a baby. With all the excitement of Santa and gifts, it is nice to focus on the real reason we are celebrating. Avery loves the Nativity story.

All ready for bed!

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-28T22:51:00.000-08:00

One of the days I miss most about teaching First Grade at Maple Hills is the Gingerbread House Day. As we taught a unit on shelters, we linked (very loosely, I admit) this fun project to our Social Studies curriculum. This year I realized that Avery would probably enjoy the project just as much as I do.

So, one bright, sunny winter morning, we invited over a bunch of friends to decorate gingerbread houses with us. We had a house full of kids and adults, and it was a ton of fun! Christmas movies playing in the living room, frosting and candy piled high in the kitchen. We actually had to take turns decorating in shifts. A little crazy, but we all ended up with some pretty cute houses. We're totally doing this again next year! We did take the easy way out and used graham crackers instead of gingerbread... but who actually eats the houses anyways?

Our Tree

2009-12-28T22:41:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas season began with the ever important hunt for the perfect tree. We love having a live, pine-smelling, grand fir tree. Luckily there is a nice little lot not far from our house. It was quite cold outside - so much so that all of the trees were literally frozen. Avery absolutely loved running up and down all the tree-lined aisles. We found the perfect one quickly and headed home for some tasty hot chocolate to warm ourselves up! Can I just mention, I LOVE my hot chocolate machine! :)

Martha Stewart's Favorite

2009-12-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

I LOVE cupcakes! They are delicious. So, when I stumbled upon a news story outlining Martha Stewart's all-time favorite "Top Ten Cupcake Recipes", I was intrigued. It wasn't until I began to peruse the recipes, that I realized I had never made a cupcake from scratch before. Now, it was a challenge! Luckily, a friend of mine was celebrating her birthday, so I had a great excuse to whip a few up. I chose the Boston Creme Cupcake recipe. And.... they were oh-so-tasty! I had not realized that they would take 2 hours to make (who would have thought cupcakes would require boiled milk?), but they were well worth it. MMMMMMMMMM! They disappeared too fast.

Turkey Trot 2009

2009-12-09T14:46:00.001-08:00

Yep! I was crazy enough to do this "trot" again. Although it didn't feel much like a trot... My goal was simply to beat my time from last year. After being on bedrest for 3 months this summer (and being told "no exercise" at all since basically last year's trot), I thought my goal was pretty daring. By the first mile marker, I was already thinking to myself, "Am I crazy? Why do I do this?" Anyways, I was so happy to finish, red-faced and panting. It felt much harder than last year! Maybe that's because I ran faster though - 27:45 minute finish! I had beat my personal goal by 3 1/2 minutes. My next goal: a half-marathon in 6 months.

Roommates

2009-11-19T16:00:00.001-08:00

Avery and Owen are now roommates! And Avery couldn't be happier!

We had tried to prepare Avery for the fact that she would be sharing her room when the new baby came. We didn't realize how seriously she took this responsibility until that first night home from the hospital. She was happily climbing up the stairs to bed, calling for Owen, when I told her, "Now you realize that Owen will sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room for awhile, right?" Oh, the look of disappointment on her face.
So, you can imagine her elation when the big night finally arrived. They have actually done really well. Owen is usually sleeping for 10 hours straight at night, and on the off nights that he wakes up crying, Avery is good about going back to sleep. I had told her that if Owen cried a lot, then we might have to put him back in our room. So, each time that I have had to go in at 4 AM to take Owen out, Avery has sat up in bed, "Mommy? He did a pretty good job, huh? Let's try again tonight." As long as there is sleeping going on, I'm game for anything!

(Don't worry - these were staged photos. Owen does sleep in his own crib.) :)

We did have to redecorate a bit. Although Owen wouldn't realize that the brown and pink flowers covering the walls were not boyish, I knew it. Avery has now had 2 rooms specially decorated for her; I just didn't feel right about not making Owen's first room special for him. And what could be more cool than a Hawaiian/Surfboard decor?

I finally figured it out...

2009-11-19T15:59:00.001-08:00

Having only had one girl baby in my life, I had a misconceived notion... You know all those cute baby boy pictures in the bath? The ones with the washcloth covering the little boy's private parts? Well, I unknowingly thought that the washcloth was there for decency measures. And rightly so. What little boy would appreciate a revealing photo in future years. But, with my own little precious boy, I have learned otherwise. No, that washcloth is not there for mere modesty. It has an even more practical purpose. It is there to protect the bather from the bathee. To protect your nice, freshly washed church clothes from being peed on! Owen has done this trick to me more than once. Why have I not learned my lesson, you ask? I always think I've got it covered! And, how am I suppose to clean the diaper area without moving the washcloth? That's always when he gets me...

The innocent Owen, "Why are you shrieking Mom?"

Avery-isms

2009-11-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

What does a 3 year old think about?

All summer long, Jason and I kept saying, "We need to write down the funny things that Avery says." Of course we never got around to it, and now I can't remember most of them. But, here are a few that I didn't want to forget...

June 2009 (2 years old) -
(Walking into a grocery store with Jason)
Avery: Daddy, let's get something delicious for me to eat.

July 2009 (2 years old) -
(Riding with Dad in the car. They had been listening to a John Bytheway talk about being philosophically careful at choosing which path you go down in life. The CD had talked about how you wouldn't blindly get in the car and not ask where you were going. Jason didn't realize that Avery had been listening to the audio book as she stared out the window until...)
Avery: Daddy? Which path are we going on today?

August 2009 (2 years old)
(Avery was eating lunch at the table as I cleaned up the kitchen. When I picked up our digital camera, I noticed the memory card was missing. Upon realizing that I had taken it out a few days earlier,...)
Me (frustrated): Great! I think I lost my memory stick.
Avery (helpfully): I think I lost my memory too, Mom!
Sometimes she is more on-target than I would like. :)

October 2009 (3 years old)
(We had just picked up lunch for a friend at McDonalds, and we were now headed to her house to eat our meal together. Avery was in shock because I had bought her a Happy Meal. We never buy her the meal, we always just get a big meal and split it. Today the toy had actually been worth the extra buck, so I splurged on it.)
Avery: Mommy! Why did you spoil me like Grandma does?
Me: I just wanted to. Because you are such a good little girl, today I wanted to spoil you.
Avery (giggling): Oh!! Well, now Mom, you have to spoil me all day!
Me: All day?
Avery: Yes! And Daddy too!
Me: I have to spoil Daddy?
Avery: No, Daddy has to spoil me too. All day!
Why not milk it for all it's worth, right?

October 2009 (3 years old)
(Driving in the car with me. Avery is always planning for the future.)
Avery: And some day Mommy, when I am big, I will get to sit up there (pointing to the front passenger seat)! When my bum bum is too big to fit in my car seat and I am big like Daddy.
I must admit that I began snickering a little, thinking to myself, "Wouldn't Jason like to know that he has a big bum bum?"
Before my thought was complete, however, Avery finished up her thought...
Avery (very excited): And then I will be a Mommy!"
Touche.

These pictures were taken at the Bellingham Marina in August. Avery loves to move it, move it.

Smiles All Around

2009-11-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

Our little Owen has learned how to smile! Well, actually he learned at about 9 weeks (a month ago). But he was such a serious/worried looking newborn, it was a relief to see his gummy grin! A baby smile is one of the cutest, sweetest things in the world, I think. He is getting so big too. His chubby little cheeks are so squishy, and he will often laugh when you kiss them. While he doesn't pass out smiles profusely, they are definitely worth the wait. As long as the conditions are right (he has a full tummy, clean diaper, and recent nap), he usually has an easy smile. What a happy little boy! We love you, Mister Owen!

Slightly amused smile

Avery and Owen playing on his mat

Staring at "the baby" in the mirror

What a cute baby!

Just look at those cheeks.

Most recent pictures (Nov. 10th)

A smile for Daddy.

The Puyallup Fair (Part 3)

2009-11-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

While I realize that our annual Fall trip to the Fair was 2 months ago, it is such a fun family tradition that I still had to document it. As Jason is not too fond of going on rides, I went once with a friend and then we went back as a family. It was a fun evening! Avery loves everything about the fair - the rides, treats and animals (in that order). Jason and I took turns holding Owen and going on rides with Avery. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I met some interesting people in the fast food restaurant outside the fair, but besides that we had a wonderful time!

Avery practicing for the rides...

After a few rejections for being too short, she was so happy to find the ones she was tall enough to ride.

Avery and Daddy on the carousel.

Avery really enjoyed this helicopter ride - it went pretty high!

Playing in the ball pit while Daddy and Owen watch.

Riding on the Tilt-a-Whirl... this is the first of many big-kid rides that Avery and I will go on together!

Owen was a great little baby all night.

I LOVE these rectangle ice cream bars with nuts and chocolate! You can only find them at the fair.

Avery loves the animals... unfortunately, we didn't get to the fair until the last weekend so the only animals left were sheep.

Sheep + Spandex.... interesting.

The Puyallup Fair (Part 2)

2009-11-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Do the Puyallup!

So, every year I head to the fair... at least once. This year I went twice. The first trip was for the sole purpose of buying a Super Dizzy Pass and riding on as many rides, as many times as you can! My kind, generous fried Alea agreed to go with me. She left her sweet little girl at home (for her first day away since birth) and came to get dizzy. Jason was kind enough to take a vacation day from work, and he had the joy of staying home with both kids (Owen was about 6 weeks at this point). Don't feel too bad for him though, the fact that it means he doesn't have to go on any rides with me - he would be willing to do just about anything. :)

Alea and I had a great time! We went on a bunch of rides, ate cotton candy and roasted corn, wandered through some booths, and went on a few more rides. The best part of the day was watching Alea worry and fret as we stood in line to enter, and then state, "That wasn't too bad - kind of fun actually" as we exited the ride. Thanks for coming Alea! I'm already counting down the days 'til next year!

(All these pics are stolen off Alea's blog - in all the excitement for the rides, I failed to remember my camera.)

As it was already raining when we got there, we thought,
"Why not go on the water roller coaster first?"

Alea trying to get psyched for the upcoming ride. I don't think that asking the ride operator how often the bolts get checked really helped her feel any better. Don't let her fool you - she went on every ride out there.

Look at all that fun just waiting to be had!
(Yes, this picture was taken upside down on the Inverter ride).

Going through the not-so-scary Haunted House ride.

Headed up the wooden roller coaster - this is one of the best!

This is the Zipper ride. You can't see it's ominous behavior in the still picture. But envision the main vertical arm spinning clockwise, and all of the individual cars spinning in the opposite direction. All that holds you in your seat is a lap pad. I have to go on this ride every year because it is the one and only ride that I have ever had to get off (I was crying so hard when I was 8 years old that the ride operator stopped the ride - my sister made me get on in the first place). Now I have to go just to prove to myself that I can do it each year.

This is Alea's excitement after I share with her my traumatic experience years ago. And have you ever read the sign at the entrance to the rides? Why not simply write, "Turn Back Now!"

Riding inside our cage on the Zipper.

What a perfect evening for the fair! Nice pic, Alea!

A Little Sunday Afternoon Fun...

2009-11-08T19:53:00.001-08:00

You gotta watch them both!

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2009-11-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

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Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

While there are a lot of things I don't enjoy about Halloween, having kids has reminded me of how much there is to like about the holiday! And the costumes and candy are my favorites. :) Avery was so excited this year. It took her 2 months to decide what she wanted to dress up like. Her ideas ranged from a ballerina to a bat to a goblin. Finally, she decided on a butterfly. Owen, who obviously has no say, was destined to be a monkey from the moment he was born. We had a great time trick or treating at grandparents' houses first, and then we headed to my sister's neighborhood to fill up Avery's pumpkin. She had a great time running from house to house with her cousins Tate and Delaynie. While she was a little timid at the first 2 houses (whispering "Trick or Treat" and hiding behind me), once she warmed up, there was no holding her back. She was weaving around other groups and barreling up the doorsteps. Avery was sad when we told her that she had come to the last house of the evening. Good times!

The Butterfly!

Avery and Delyanie loading up after about 10 houses. Delaynie wanted to go home and Avery couldn't get enough.

Owen's first Trick or Treat.

Uncle Rob dressed up as a Castle.

Cousin Tate was a Knight in Shining Armor

Avery on the run to the next house.

All that candy. Looks like she'll need some help eating it. :)

Owen wasn't really too impressed... "Really Mom? A tail?"

Owen and Daddy relaxing.

Avery trying to share the magic with Owen.

What a happy little monkey!

This was awesome sunset light in my Mother-in-Law's backyard.

Happy Autumn!