Plug

Anyone looking for the perfect gift for their daughter or niece? Please check out my mother-in-law's new site. She has made some very amazing little outfits to fit 18" dolls. Wish I had a daughter to spoil.

Poor Guy

This little guy lost his life this morning, and we lost power. Thankfully our loss of power, was only temporary.

This cannot be good

Seriously, how old does he think he is?

Seven Months Old

To Portland and Back

Friday, we took a family day and headed down south, to Portland. Jason was planning to go down anyways, to a store down there, so I invited the boys and I to tag along. He was glad to have the company. We made a day out of the trip, and had a great time. The weather was perfect, no rain at all.

Jason dropped Levin, Philip, and I off at the Children's Museum, while he and Owen went into town to make his purchases. Really, I think Jason wanted me to not be with him, so he would not be told no on how much he could buy. He was upgrading his home theater speakers, in case you were wondering. And yes, he did ask. I still don't understand the whole sound thing, but apparently it sounds better then before. I mostly took pictures of our time in the museum, but there are a few more to share.

Excited to go in and play!

Philip was happy to watch Levin dig here. That's my timid Philip. Not sure what's not to love about a giant pit filled with rubber dirt.

Philip watched Levin build, before he finally dove in too.

Making sure the Alligator becomes a super brusher like Levin was last month at our Dentist.

We even did a little grocery shopping.

The boys and I were finishing up our time at the museum, just about the same time Jason and Owen made it back to the museum. We met up at the car, and packed the stroller with all that we would need for the rest of the day, and headed towards the train station, for a ride into downtown.

Not on this train. This train sits outside the World Forestry Center, and was simply fun to climb up in and see.

We caught the train, underground, in a tunnel, and both Levin and Philip were a little unsure of how noisy it would be, so they sat with their ears covered. Jason got a little scared too!

The train ride turned out to be fun for the boys, as did the rest of the day. We spent the afternoon in downtown, mostly just window shopping. We did make a stop in at Powell's Books, and then of course Finnegan's Toys. Who doesn't enjoy wandering through a big toy store? We walked till we could walk no more and then headed home, just in time for bed. What a fun town, and a fun way to spend a nice fall day as a family.

Leaves are falling

We tried a fun fall craft this morning. At first sight both boys were reluctant to jump in and try, but eventually did. It may not go down as there favorite craft ever, but its hard to beat projects involving paint. They did enjoy going outside and collecting the leaves for their pictures.

The craft is simple and only uses items I am sure you all have on hand. Those being: paper, crayons, glue, and leaves. First, we collected some leaves from around our yard, ones that I thought would make good designs on the paper. Then, to make things a bit easier for the boys, we glued the leaves onto a sheet of paper. Next, we placed a plain piece of paper on top of the paper with the leaves. Finally, we took the side of a crayon and colored over the leaves to transfer the leaf design onto the blank paper. Simple, yet a fun little momento to hang on our fridge for a short time.

What are your fun fall craft ideas?

The Last Days of Sunshine

Last Monday we took advantage of the sunny day, and headed out to the pumpkin patch, once Jason got off work. We had a great time, seeing the animals, playing with the toys (they have bowling, mini golf, and little cars to ride in), and allowing the boys to wind themselves, and us, in cirlces through the corn maze. The boys also had a great time searching for just the right pumpkins. We found some squished ones (and decided those were gross), flat ones, heavy ones and some tippy ones. But, after some careful looking, we picked the "perfect" pumpkins.

Wedded Bliss

Today is the day we officially celebrate 10 years worth of wedded bliss. Pretty good considering we crammed it into only 6 years.

So depending on how you look at it, that means we're good for the next four years and are due for a couple years of wedded blah. Or think of it as 6 years of wedded bliss for one of us and 4 years for the other.

Either way, it's been a great ride so far! Thanks to all of you who have been there to support us along the way.

The Parties

Because our house seems to shrink, when we host both sides of our family, we held two separate parties for Philip's third birthday. For the first party, we had the Van Gilder clan. The second party was with the German family, minus Aunt Heather.

Speaking of Aunt Heather, she did call during the party. Philip nearly brought us all to tears, with his pitiful plea, asking Aunt Heather to come over. He asked her if she wanted some cake, and of course she said she would love some if she could be there. To which he replied, "well, come to our house." We tried to explain why she could not join us, but Philip seemed so concerned that she would not be able to enjoy a piece of his cake with him.

Philip is our little observer, and will find even the tiniest of bugs. Hence the bug cupcakes and inchworm cake.

Sorry for the long line of pictures, but here are a few snippets taken from both parties.

Three Years Old

Yesterday, was Philip's birthday. His third birthday. We started they day off with a special breakfast, and ended the day with a small party, celebrated with the German side of the family. Last Thursday, we had a party with the Van Gilder family. Pictures of both parties to follow. But for now, here are a few early morning birthday pictures.

Already?

Saturday, Owen turned six months old.

Our little baby is becoming less of a baby and more his own little person each day. I am beginning to see just why I have been dreading the crawling stage, as he has started to roll and scoot all over the place. Owen is working hard at trying to get the crawling thing down. He has only gotten as far as getting up on all fours and rocking, and as of the last two days has been able to move one leg forward. He is still trying to coordinate his hands and feet, but it will not be long. I think this little guy is going to be trouble, once he can really get around. His eyes show just how eager he is to get involved in whatever his brothers are playing. Levin is so good with Owen and loves to take time to roll around and play with him, which is so fun to watch. He sure can make his little brother laugh.

We have slowly been introducing solids, as I feel up to it. I had planned to make some baby food, but so far have just been grinding up food in my little baby food grinder. So far, Owen has had: bananas, peaches, broccoli cheddar soup, cornbread, yogurt, and mashed potatoes. Not only does Owen look the most like his daddy, he also seems to take the same stance on mashed potatoes, that they are best left alone, not mashed and without sour cream etc.

Owen is still taking anywhere from two to four naps in a day, but I am hoping soon we will be down to just two longer naps. At night he sleeps around 11 hours, though times are still very varied.

I am sad to see the newborn baby stage go away, but am really enjoying watching my little man grow up and change. Here are a few recent photos.

Hmm...bananas.

Sleepy boy, all snuggled up with his brothers doggy and blanket.

Sooo Big

Since Owen's four month and five month milestones have gone by without be recognized, I figured it was high time I at least shared a few recent photos of the little guy, before he turns six months in two weeks time.

Yikes, did I just say six months?

Yes, I did, but I am not here to talk about how fast time has been going, but rather, to share a few pictures with you all.

Owen, sporting his booties made by Kjerste. They are little big yet, but we have been waiting for so long to pull them out, and could not wait any longer.

Philip wanted in on the photo shoot, and this one was too cute not to share.

Owen enjoys being up where he can see us all eat dinner, and since he grabs all our plates, our laps no longer work very well as a seat for him. So, after nearly two years of collecting dust, the high chair is out again. Tonight, I put a few puffs (similar to cheerios, but "melt" faster in the mouth) on Owens tray, which he was able to pick up, but never managed to place in his mouth. I did place a few in his mouth, but he was not real excited about them, which confirms that I do not have to begin solids yet.....phew. He had fun playing, though.

Cookies and Paint

We have been keeping very busy this past week, trying to pass the time while Jason has been out of town.

Yesterday, we made sugar cookies and painted them. This is something I did as a kid, and thought my boys might really enjoy, since they love to paint. We went a little heavier on the dye then was necessary, oops, but it worked fine. The boys enjoyed the project. I think it would be fun to paint leaf cutouts, once fall is here. What do you think?

The recipe for the paint is simple. Just mix 1 egg yoke with 1/4 tsp. of water and then add the color of choice to the mixture. We divided the egg mixture into four bowls, before adding the coloring, so we could have a few different colors to paint with. If the paint gets too think, just add more water, to thin it down a bit. Use your favorite sugar cookies recipe, and paint away. Bake the cookies, after you have painted on them. See what your kiddos think. No need for frosting and fancy sprinkles.