a message from the boy...

H A P P Y

H A L L O W E E N !!!

sunriver

last week the three of us got outta dodge and spent a week in sunriver. it was low-key, relaxing and exactly what we needed. i don't know that either aa or i realized how great it was until we actually came home and realized how nice it was to have nothing to do for six whole days except walk to the village for coffee! we took a lot of walks, went on some bike rides (with the boy in a rented trailer!), didn't get up before 7 once, watched some movies, took a few dips in the hot tub, ate some good food, loved on our boy all week and celebrated my b-day. it was a treat! here are some pics from the week:

**not sure how well these translate in pictures, but kellen somehow found wiggled himself under the stool. he thought it was really funny at first and then wasn't quite sure how to get out...as you can see, he managed to work his way out!

oh and the boy learned how to roll it - as in "patty (or is it pat-a??) cake, patty cake, baker's man...roll it and pat it...". he was super impressed with himself and wouldn't stop rolling it the whole week! here's our attempt to catch it on video:

can you guess...

...what the boy is going to be for halloween??!!

perfect day for a pumpkin patch!

we had a very busy weekend, between a visit from meme, a duck game, spending the night in salem and dinner with grams...but the highlight of the weekend for me was our family visit to the pumpkin patch on sauvie island. aa and i had been looking forward to taking the boy to his first pumpkin patch and sunday was THE perfect day! it was sunny and warm without a cloud in sight! since my mom was in town...we all decided to go - my mom, three sisters, two dads, our six kids and one exchange student.

kellen wasn't so sure about the hay ride and all in all, i can't say that he was overy impressed with the whole experience (although he did have some fun pounding on a pumpkin in the field!). while he may not have gotten a lot out of the visit this year, we are excited about making this a family tradition...there is nothing better than a beautiful, fall day, a hay ride, fresh corn on the cob, the smell of kettle corn in the air and going home with the perfect pumpkin and a bag full of farm fresh produce! here are some pics from our day:







here's a link to the rest of the pics:

The Pumpkin Patch

you know you are sleep deprived when...

...you find the telephone in the washing machine as you are putting the clothes into the dryer! oops. i guess the boy can finally have the phone for good!

don't forget to register to vote!!!

the oregon deadline is october 14!

a good day for a marathon...

no, not to run in the marathon...just to go cheer on all the runners! this morning we hit the road early to get a bit of inspiration from all the runners running in the portland marathon. i love watching a marathon - i actually get a little teary thinking of all that they've done to get to the starting line and to get through the 26.2. today, i was definitely thankful to be on the cheering side, but a little part of me was a bit jealous - you feel unstoppable, like you could do pretty much anything after completing your marathon. i'm not sure if i have another in me; right now it feels like i would simply never have the time to properly train for the distance, but i'll never say never.

i wish i would have brought my camera...the boy had lots of fun waving to the runners and he got lots of smiles back!

these pics of us being lazy after watching all those runners will have to do!

ps. someone is 10 months old today! unbelievable...that one year mark is in sight!

a message from the boy...

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!