October Days

According to my calendar, October is almost over?  How exactly did that happen?

We celebrated David's birthday this month, got a couple of good pumpkin patch trips in, hosted many a play-dates and suppers, enjoyed the amazing weather by getting a lot of yard work done and taking long walks through our neighborhood, and David and I (and Jonas) even got a date day to go antiquing in Camas, WA.  Basically, we made the most of one of our favorite months.  

It's good to be putting memories into our new house, making it feel more like home.  

did you know Camas is so pretty?

poor David, carrying my antique store finds down the street

cafe lights on the front porch was a good addition

teaching baby J the art of cloud watching

pumpkin carving

nature walk treasures

Just a Few More Pumpkin Photos

I know; you've read one pumpkin patch post, you've read them all.  BUT these pictures make me laugh, and that means they must be recorded here. For posterity, of course. 

David always wants me to take pictures of him jumping off things to make it look like he's flying.

We do this every time we're at a pumpkin patch with a straw pyramid, or really, anywhere outdoors where there's something tall. It seems I've taken 100s of these pictures over the years.  It will be neat to see him still doing this when he's 90.

But check out Christian this year!  How nice to see a time honored tradition carry on to the next generation.

little cutie pie

This particular visit was at the beginning of the month when the weather was still summer-like.  I wore a scarf because it was October and that's what you're supposed to wear in October, but in reality we were all SO hot.  Bathing suits would have been more weather-appropriate.  (But super weird.)

presh

gramma came, too!

Aaannnndd...that's a wrap on pumpkin patch season 2014.  We'll see you in a year. 

When the Children Don't Sleep, Nobody Sleeps

Posting is long over-due here, but I have to pop in and say I wish you could hear the squeals that go along with these gigantic smiles.

Sleep has been rough over here lately, but at least one of us can maintain joy about the whole situation.  Of course, the joyful one is the one who is given ample opportunities for slumber.  He just doesn't always take them. 

Between night terrors (Daphne), midnight bathroom issues (Daphne and Christian) and wanting to eat every three hours (Jonas), nighttime has been a wild ride. 

It's like Disneyland, only free.

shaking off the cobwebs with a walk

fall collections

Jonas: 4 Months

A few of Jonas's current favorites:
-laughing at Daphne
-chewing on his hands
-staring at his feet
-looking at Mom with sad eyes so she will hold him
-eating in the nighttime
-yelling at people
-drooling
-spitting up
-wearing bibs/changing clothes a lot because of drooling/spitting
-letting his hair turn blonde
-grabbing stuff

Today he filled his diaper and spit up at the exact same time, while sitting on my lap so that I got the leakage of everything on my pants.  That is raw, 4 month-old talent right there.

The Predictable October Post

We are fresh back from our MCC Sale weekend!  I'll try not to spend too much time talking about it since I'm sure that gets boring year after year.  (You can read about last year here.)

This post from 2012 gives vital information about our yearly sign photo, which must be shared because we nearly had a sign-catastrophe this year.  You'll notice our previous photos are all with the sign hung on a lovely fence with that cement ledge for us to pose ourselves on. 

Imagine my great angst when arriving at the sale this year to first off  NOT SEE THE SIGN AT ALL, bringing out an angry monologue about needing the sign because this year's photo included a new person and thus was very important and how will we survive if this photo tradition has died...and on and on.   Finally we saw the sign, but we found it in a most horrific location: right by the doors with the no smoking signs/other random signs/poor lighting/reflections...just an all around not good situation. 
 
(The angst I felt was very similar to how I felt when shopping at Salvation Army last week for used canning jars and finding them being sold for $1.99 and $2.99 each.   Robbery!  But that is neither here nor there.) 

So we made do with our sign photo despite the difficulties.  I would encourage the sign people to get it right next year.

thanks for cooperating for the photo, David

thank for cooperating for the photo, no one

The doughnuts were especially good this year, probably because we get smarter each year in our efficiency with them.  Remember this fascinating doughnut cutter story from December?  What I did not disclose in the story was that I actually bought the last two cutters, one for me and one for my sister to go with her Christmas gift.  They came in VERY handy on Saturday. 

I added this photo just because it's so flattering

We missed GAL's family, though, so come back next year, guys!

Why we didn't take a picture with all 5 great grandchildren I'll never know.  Except I do know, because David took this picture, not me.  A proper cousin photo, plus a better sign photo, is on the list of things to improve on for next year I guess. 

Jonas is missing

It's Pumpkin Patch Time!

Today started a week of paternity leave for David.  He cheated a bit and spread his time out so we could trick our minds into thinking he's had longer time off for the baby.  Plus now we can use this next week to go to many pumpkin patches and do other fun fall activities. 

First up on our agenda was a pumpkin patch we've never been to before, although once there I felt deep down in my brain that I had been there as a kid?  It's The Flower Farmer in Canby.  We didn't know about the train when we went today, but the train was the familiar part to me.  I don't know, I might be making things up.

Anyways, we drove down the back way so we could ride the Canby Ferry.  The Canby Ferry is so fun we kind of want to buy a 20-ride pass.  If it doesn't expire for years so we would have a chance to use all 20 rides, it would totally be worth it.

children like ferry rides

I think we've decided this particular pumpkin patch will have to become a yearly place to visit.  The kids loved every bit of it, it's beautiful, the owner guy is super nice, it's a great place for a picnic lunch, we got to ride a ferry to get there, we went on a weekday and so had the place to ourselves...I could go on and on about the loveliness of our day.

Once home I artfully arranged our new pumpkins in various places around our property, until Daphne came along behind me taking back HER pumpkins and scolding me for decorating with HER pumpkins because SHE wants to decorate with them.  She went to David and said, "Mom keeps stealing my pumpkins for decorating, can you tell her to stop stealing my pumpkins?" and he said, "Are you seriously tattling on your mom to me?"  (The exchange reminded me of this post, and this post from exactly 2 years ago today.)  She took her pumpkins and hid them under some bushes, and now our front yard looks like a fall Easter egg hunt gone awry.

the happiest pumpkin children you ever saw

Happy Fall, y'all.  May you not stoop so low as to steal pumpkins from your children.

Nicest & Sweetest

 “After all,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest & sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” 
                                  ~L.M Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea