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

The Dining Room: Part II

(If you missed the 'before,' click here.)

He finished!  Doesn't it look nice?  If our house was about to get hit by a tsunami and I had time to grab five things, this cupboard would definitely be one of those five.

I've always been a fan of antique pie safes.  Years and years ago we were on a little weekend trip to central Oregon and found pie safe tins at an antique store.  Now, finally, they are being put to good use and I have my own pie safe-inspired piece. 

Isn't the hardwood counter top beautiful?  That's extra hardwood from our old house that apparently had been in the attic all those years.  David grabbed a few boards before we moved out, but now that these have been shined up and put to good use, he wishes he had grabbed more.

With all the fall touches, this room is definitely my favorite room.  I mean, when all the other rooms aren't my favorite, then this one is my favorite.

Daph putting the room to good use with her math work

What We Did On the First Day of Fall

Let me share some more house love, since that's a topic that hasn't been beaten to death yet.

We love that we feel like we live out in the country even though the Portland border is a mere 40-ish feet away.  Our street is so quiet we can meander around on it for a little nature walk and not see a car the whole time we're out.  I try to teach about street safety and Christian's like, "but there's NO CARS here!"  It's confusing to him. 

And if we didn't love all that enough, now the leaves are starting to change, turning our street into a rather magical place.

Since rain is in the forecast for the week, we took this morning to walk through crunchy leaf piles and collect bagfuls for leaf rubbings (we straight up copied this activity, cute leaf garland and all).  Daphne was very impressed that you can make leaves show up on paper.  She's pleased with our garland hanging prominently in the family room.  (Our house is decorated like a kindergarten classroom.  Such is life.)  We called it Science, Art, and P.E. and then gave ourselves high 5's for a school day well done.  Oh, we did Reading later because we're not total slackers. 

Christian loves doing whatever project Daphne is doing, even if his shorter attention span means that after only a few minutes of coloring he's on the floor tearing paper to bits.  Then 5 minutes later he's throwing trucks down the stairs. 

Jonas was content in the Ergo and then in his seat, taking in all the activity.  I tickled his chin so he giggled and squealed, because babies like nature walks, leaves, and fall, too. They also like naps. 

Jonas: 3 Months

I'm sure all have heard the good news that Gilmore Girls is coming to Netflix streaming on October 1st?  It's just SO difficult to load DVDs all the time (not to mention my DVDs have been viewed so many times they've practically worn out) so this news will make my life infinitely better.

That doesn't have much to do with Jonas, but I couldn't bear to keep the good news to myself.  After all, sharing is caring!

Anyways, back to Jonas at 3 Months. What a sweet, smiley, squishy, chatty little doll he is. There's not much more to say beyond that he's practically perfect.  He gets a little mad when he's tired and we've kept him up past his nap time.  Stiffens himself up like a 2x4 and refuses to relax.  He doesn't especially love being hungry, either.  I guess what I'm trying to say here is that as long as he's napped and fed he has nothing to complain about, and so he doesn't.  Isn't that the nicest?

Christian asked if we could get another baby like Jonas soon.  I told him that's probably not a great idea right now, but it makes me happy that he loves his baby so much.  Daphne is the perfect little mother and loves to babysit him while he's awake.  That keeps both of them entertained; big win for me.  Baby Christian was always a little frightened of Daphne and her smothering ways, but if Jonas is irritated with her, he yells.  No crying, just a nice and firm, "back up, lady!" yell.  It's funny.

We all like him quite a bit.  With those cheeks and eyes and that tiny tuft of hair sticking up atop his head...he's basically irresistible. 

photo courtesy of the fabulous Michelle

We Have Pumpkins

September has rushed in and our fall activities are getting underway.  Even with our few scheduled weekly activities we're still feeling quite lazy-ish because HOME SCHOOL.  Yay.  More on that another time, I'm sure, but basically we can't handle having to be somewhere every. single. day. so we've become nerdy introverts who school at home.  Except our social calendar is ridiculous (home school perk I never really considered), so never mind on the introverted part.  Nerdy, I don't know, but this is how Christian dresses himself.  So maybe?

Bible Study Fellowship started Wednesday and we are all happy to be back.  I thought Daphne would be going with David this year, but since she's still 5 she gets to come with me.  She's happy to be back in her class with old and new friends.  Christian ran freely into his classroom this year instead of wrapping himself around my leg and wailing.  That was nice.  This year's study is the life of Moses, Exodus through Deuteronomy.   If you need a good study, we can't recommend this one enough, so look for one in your area.   Or come to mine and be my friend!  (Or go to David's and be his friend.)

poor David didn't get a first day photo

After BSF was peach canning time.  Jonas took a nice long nap while the big kids stole peaches yet still wanted me to fix them snacks and were generally in the way.  There is just no telling which child is my favorite.

I don't understand his fashion choices

Thursday we gathered pumpkins and gourds from my parent's house. (Thanks, Dad, for your wild gourd patch.)  This house is a dream for the holiday decorating, putting a crimp in regular unpacking.  The guest room is still a disaster, but hey, we have pumpkins! 

'every leaf speaks bliss to me fluttering from the autumn tree'

I need piles of pumpkins around the gate