Time for pumpkins

It's halfway through October already! We have been so busy. This weekend we were up to Washington for a couple of reasons. We stayed with Kiki and Scott which is always fun. We spent Saturday at PLU because my dad was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award. We were proud of him and glad to support him but It was also fun to reminisce about my days at PLU. It has changed a lot and just a tiny part of me thought it would be fun to go back and relive those days. I also had a chance to visit with Kristin Anderson, my college roommate. I hadn't seen her in 2 years so we tried to cram in a lot of talking in a few hours.

Friday, before we left for Washington, we spent a few hours at the pumpkin patch. Besides climbing hay stacks, holding baby chicks and riding the hay slide, we also took a hay ride. One of things I love to do in the fall is hit the farm for a good ol' fashioned day at the pumpkin patch. For those of you who know my previous partner, Andrea,...Ryan is sitting with her daughter, Natalie. Isn't she cute!!!

Mt. St. Helens trip

Wow..I almost forgot I had this page. Since school has started I hardly have time to sit down, let alone update my page! Last week I went to Mt. St. Helens with my 4th grade class. The weather was quite cloudy and damp which was a bummer. We were hoping that September might bring us more sun. Anyway, it was an incredible trip. It was fun to watch my students realize the massive power of Mother Nature. I went to visit Mt. St. Helens about 7 years ago with my mom. I had forgotten how incredible it was. This picture is from a trail above Johnston Ridge. Mt. St. Helens is to the left of the picture...you couldn't see it anyway. The valley below it was just as breathtaking.

New truck

I know...I know...Don't ask.
Just thought you'd want to see it.

Good Buddies

This morning the boys got up earlier than Matt and I did. They started playing out in the loft with their toys. It was beautiful. Matt and I dozed back to sleep for a few more blessed minutes while our sons bonded! It was so cute to listen to them play together. At one point I heard Ryan say, "That is a really nice house Lukie." I know every mother hopes that their children will be friends as well as siblings but I would be thrilled if my boys become as close as Karlynn, Jon and I are. Of course, not long after the nice comments from Ryan, they erupted in to a shouting match after Luke destroyed Ryan's house. My momentary motherly bliss had ended.

First Visit From the Tooth Fairy!

Ryan lost his first tooth on Monday. Daddy helped pull it out while they were on their trip so it surprised me to see a toothless grin when he got home. He was so excited to show everyone and to place the little tooth under his pillow. He is sure that the tooth fairy is his parents (what a skeptic!!) but didn't complain when there ws $2.00 under his pillow in the morning. I felt a slight twinge of sadness when I was holding the tooth in my hand last night. It's just another reminder that my boys are growing up. It seems like yesterday when that little tooth was popping up through his baby gums!

State Fair Fun

Every year, we go to the State Fair sometime during Labor Day weekend. It is one of the signals that school is about to begin because I always distract myself from my school jitters by going to check out the animals and eat some good, greasy fair food. This year I shared the fair fun with Luke since Matt and Ryan are out of town. Of course, Boppa and Grandma and Kiki came along for the ride. Luke loved watching the cows getted milked...I just felt for the poor, swollen things. Brought back way too many sore boob breastfeeding memories!!! After seeing the cows and the sow with her gaggle of piglets (Dad's favorite part). we headed to the buildings. Luke did not appreciate the quilts, cakes and decorated tables much. Nor did he have time for the commercial booths. He was a trooper through it all and loved his corndog. We finally hit the rides and it verified that Luke is indeed ready for Disneyland. The faster the ride, the more he liked it. He was even throwing both hands in the air...Another fun time and very sore feet!

They're In!!

On Saturday, Luke and I went with my parents to Scott and Kiki's house. It is a great house with lots of growing room for the two of them. Personally, I hope the growing starts soon....into the cute little yellow room that is amazingly already decorated for a sweet, baby powdered kind of thing. Anyway, we were assigned kitchen detail. Mom whipped out her bag of rags and Mr. Clean and I took the scissors and attacked the drawers and pantry with contact paper. I had a blast organizing all of the different items into sensible places. In no time, we had the kitchen and pantry looking good while Scott tackled box after box after box of living room, family room and bedroom items. A few highlights...Why does Karlynn have so many coats that she doesn't wear? Another interesting find was the roll of scotch tape that had been so delicately wrapped in packing paper...weird. Last but not least was the coffee pot that was packed, old grinds and all. Mom about hurled while I was fascinated with the science experiment going on in our midst. GROSS.