halloween

There is a couple in our ward who has the best pumpkin patch. Every year they invite all the kids from their primary classes, along with their siblings, to come pick a pumpkin. There were tiny ones and huge ones, smooth and warty. We had a great time choosing. Even Greydon who was given a face washing by an enormous Newfoundland. Levi weighs 180 lbs. But Greydon barely even batted an eye. Just kept walking. We hosted a small BYOP party with some new friends and had a great time. Certainly wasn't the same as the good ol' days...

yellow bedroom, ugly fireplace

If Holly can post her yellow bedroom then I can too. And just to keep to her theme, I want a black and white comforter set for the fall/winter. My old black one has seen better days. In the meantime I love the yellow flowers, perfect for summer. The fireplace - I think it is UGLY. Way too rustic for my taste. One of my bedroom walls is also this same brick. I want to paint it to look like Cotswold stone but haven't yet convinced Reed. Oh, the picture above our bed will be replaced. Just hung it there to get it off the floor. I'll put that at the bottom of the stairs.

finally...kitchen pics

Just a little progress. Wasn't the free standing range great though. We actually had a free standing sink for a weekend. Nothing in the kitchen but the sink base. No cabinets or countertops around. Try doing dishes. We finally have drawer pulls and knobs on. The lighting is all done. My dad comes this weekend to do the crown moulding, under cabinet lights and light baffle moulding. The floor will be installed on the 21st. That will be sooo nice. Although you can see that particle board is quite a nice upgrade.

Boy, Oh, Boy!

Our boy is 1 year old. Wow, that was fast. Can I just say that I am so glad to have another boy. And he is all that. He loves tools. His eyes light up if he sees something Grandpa left out, like a pile of screwdrivers. Or a saw or drill. you name it, he knows a tool when he sees one. And all little boys like to dig in the dirt. All they need to be entertained is a pile of it. With a tool in hand, life is perfect.

cousins

Aren't they so cute! Isadora and Arthur (positively medieval names) are my little sister's kids. Fienna loved playing with her friends. And Isadora? She collapsed in tears nearly every time Fienna let go of her hand. Their birthdays are just 8 days apart and it was so fun to watch them together.

Under the crabbing dock

So a few years ago I found my initials carved into the bench at the end of the dock. They were surrounded by a heart and someone else's initials. Pretty exciting. For some reason I was sure that it was about me but now I can't remember why. Maybe it was actually my name, not just initials. I didn't bother to check on this trip. We didn't even walk out on the dock, just stood under it. The exciting part of the day was finding all of the clear little jelly fish. My brothers and cousins and I used to have fights with these things. We'd dig a little pit and smoosh all the dead jelly fish up into mush. Then launch them at each other. Pretty fun. My kids weren't interested in that activity. They tried to sneak some home though.

Lake Marie on the Oregon Coast

These are just random photos from Lake Marie. I remember it always being freezing when I was a kid but that didn't keep my kids out of it. They did a little bit of swimming but mostly digging...pits for "hot pools", pits to bury themselves in, pits for sand castles, or in Greydon's case, digging for a little snack. Fienna is pouting in the third photo because she fell in. She was so excited to go "fwimming" until she no longer had a choice in getting wet.