Boo!

To kick off this season of costumes and spooky tricks, I had my own version of Fall...

Boo.  I broke my elbow. Boo Hoo.  I fell off my bike.

Luckily, I have this girl taking care of me....

...and Auntie Ali who dressed me this morning and good friends who haven't allowed me to refuse help.  Doug returns home from a work trip tonight, so he and I will bond in new ways since he will need to wash my hair, shave my legs, do my hair...!! Spooooky......

Hey That Rock!

This past week, the four of us snuck away for a couple perfect days to Cannon Beach, OR.



The adorable-ness factor was off the charts: kids running and playing in the sand, Doug in heaven flying his kite and digging big holes, the four of us bundled up in rain coats eating ice cream cones and taffy, meals filled with fish and chips, burgers, pizza (and beer), our first attempt at a brother-sister slumber party.

But my personal highlight of the trip was Cameron's excitement for "Hey That Rock!", known to the rest of the world as "Haystack Rock."  When he would see images of the rock in paintings or photographs in stores or restaurants, he would yell "My see Hey That Rock! Look, there Hey That Rock is!"  When we would walk along the beach to the rock, he would exclaim, "Hi Hey That Rock!"  I don't want him to ever realize its real name... unfortunately, he has recently stopped calling Sophie "Gaga" as he has recognized how to correctly pronounce her name, and I'm sad about that.  In order to keep his adorable Cannon Beach nickname in place, I will now only refer to the rock as Hey That Rock.

Cannon Beach is one of our favorite places in the world, and this small getaway did not disappoint! It had been a while since the kids (Doug, included) had been able to fill all their pockets and every orifice of their bodies with sand.  And, the kids were in awe of the immense size and power of the ocean and its waves.  It was a great transition into fall, and I'm so thankful for this trip.

 

kite flying as a couple

extreme kite flying positions!

Until next time, Hey That Rock!

A Blur

Life this September has been a blur.

Days are full and good.  But, the days blur together into weeks, and time marches quickly on as my sweet children change and grow and thrive.

And tonight, my Friday evening looks like this:

{Some blurry shots of Sophie practicing piano before her next lesson and Cam catapulting his body over a ball.}

2014-2015

Our school year officially began last week.  Love my family:

Sophie was so excited to return back for her final year of preschool and to learn alongside her amazing teachers and best friends.  Her transition back to school was seamless.  We are so proud of how hard Sophie works, how much she loves to learn, and how thoughtful she is with the people in her life.  Her weeks are also filled with so many enriching activities--- soccer, ballet, farm class, and even piano lessons. We just love our bright, little Sophie-Soph.

This fall marks some exciting transitions for Cameron, too--- a new "sports" gym class and soccer. The changes in him over the past month have been remarkable.  He is so talkative, regularly making us laugh with his funny jokes and impeccable timing.  He loves to say "Mommy, my doing my own thing."  And he truly does his own thing, playing legos, driving cars and trucks, pretending to be a cat...  He is a RASCAL, and I admit that I am wrapped around his finger.  That dimple, his funny jokes, his huge smile, and his "hug kiss" break me every time.  We are also so proud of his social interactions with kids his age and the ways in which he interacts during learning situations.  At his first soccer class, he ran and played hard and followed directions so well.  I was pleasantly surprised! Today, at the library, Cam listened during story time and yelled out an answer anytime the librarian asked a question (even if the answer had nothing to do with her question). For example, the librarian asked the kids where they thought the monkeys were hiding, and Cam yelled, "At the airport!" (This is currently his favorite location for everything).  She asked other questions and he replied (incorrectly but with gusto): "up in the trees, look up dare", "at Papa's house and Papa is a man", and (my favorite) "Gaga at school and my have no monkeys jumping on the bed."  Later he was closely talking to a little girl and he said "My Cam." She replied with her name, and he came running back to me, yelling "My made a new friend, mommy.  My friend name Ally."  He was beyond excited to yell this story to Gaga when we picked her up from school! His confidence and his energy cannot be beat, and we love how gentle and curious he is becoming.  

The other wonderful part of our back to school routine has been quality time with Grady who is spending time with us during the days.  These two boys overwhelm my heart.  They are both at such a fabulous stage, and I'm thankful for this opportunity to be a part of Grady's days.

Soph: Mommy, are you sure this is ok? Seriously? There are two 2-year old boys here...

Sophie tried to run to Africa to escape the boys... but they tracked her. 

Soph: Mommy, seriously? Look at how they eat! 

There is SO MUCH to love about these two rascals!

What could they be thinking??

These guys are becoming such great buddies, and they constantly crack me up with their funny comments and gestures to one another.

It's exhausting being so busy...

We are looking forward to a fun and busy school year. 

But, after week 1 of our school year routine, we were excited to welcome our special friends, the Nivisons, who drove all the way from Seattle to enjoy the  Labor Day weekend with us.  It was such a special weekend filled with a lot of laughter and a lot of gratitude for friends who feel like family.

Here's to the 2014-2015 school year!