Busy Busy September

September, as usual, was a hectic and busy month. Poor Will's birthday month is probably his most stressful. That is why I try to make sure he gets a full week of celebrating. At least to try andmake the month a bit more enjoyable. His job gets extremely busy with the end of the fiscal year...you know with the government needing to spend all of their funds at the last minute. Poor guy has been working late nights practically all month.  Plus, he is working east coast hours on west coast time. He is really good at what he does. I love hearing about situations that come up and how he handles them. Pretty impressive. 

This year the kids and I had little gifts for Will each night. Then on his birthday we decided to incorparate 'National Talk like a Pirate' day and had a treasure hunt for his big gift. Colin and I had a blast planning out the map and drawing it. Plus, we got to dress up and talk like pirates! Such a fun age.

I love Colin's adventurous and playful spirit. He loves costumes and dressing up. He usually gets dressed each morning by the colors of whomever he wants to pretend to be that day. Usually a superhero. Below he is dressed up as Hulk while at the park. 

Here he is as Batman...a gift from Mi-ma and P-pa. We are ready for Halloween!! Colin and I started decorating today. I am excited for the holiday season!

We are getting used to the NW fall weather. Probably should say goodbye to my warm weather birthdays in Virginia. Welcome back pouring rain greeting me at the start of my next year. Luckily, I like rain more than most people. Meli loves the rain. She enjoys jumping in the puddles and getting soaked. Being cold does not seem to bother this girl.

October is still busy for us...well the rest of the year. I am surprised how busy I am staying while being at home. The kids of course take a lot if time. I do like being busy so I am glad I am not getting bored. I have plenty of things to do with the new house, volunteering at Colin's school, his soccer, our softball games and now holiday crafts!!! I am hoping to take Colin to his first play here soon...and possibly going for a quick trip to Arizona to see my grandma. 

I am so excited for all if the things going on this month! We have a few Halloween parties, trick-or-treating with the kids, costumes(!!!!), some of our quaint little town's fall festivities, and of course pumpkin patch!!!

Daddy's girl!!!

I am starting my hints to the hubby about my birthday this year. I want to do something I have not done before. To stick with Our new outlook on life and all tge changes we gave been making. So I am thinking going to Seattle for a few days...I know it is crazy I have never been there. Or going snowboarding at Mt Hood....I guess I have a little time to decide. Hmmm...

Sports are taking over...

With the start of football season we seem to have some sports related activity everyday of the week! Will and I are playing fantasy football together. Quite fun so far. I am very excited about my team! 

Will and I are also playing slow pitch softball. We are having fun with this new "couple time". We made a list of things we want to do together and separate. 

You can tell we are in Oregon by the tyedye!

Colin is playing his second season of soccer. They had their first game this past weekend. It is super cute watching 4-6 year olds playing! Go Fireballs!!!

Meli and Colin at a nearby park. Colin is such a sweet big brother...when he wants to be :)

He was dressed as Hulk. Getting in the Halloween spirit!

6 Years

Will and I were fortunate this year to celebrate our anniversary sans kids for more than just a quick dinner. We stayed in downtown Portland for a night. We had a blast hanging with some old friends from our Barnes and Noble days after our dinner date. We had not seen them for at least 7 years. Way too long. I am having so much fun catching up with our west coast friends. 

Will tried beer on nitrogen at one bar. We had never had it before. It was interesting. I stuck to my current drink of choice; mojitos. I tried it at my work "goodbye" after hour and have been hooked ever since.

So, 6 years...what a journey so far. I am blessed with such a supportive, loving and fun husband. Life is good...love is fabulous!

As usual Will did an amazing job at gifts. The traditional gift was iron. We both had the same idea and fudged it a bit by doing something from the "Iron Age". Still works. Will got me a piece of terracotta statue that was believed to be in one of the temples of the gods in Greece. Speechless here. It is dated somewhere between the 3rd and 1st century B.C. My man knows me too well. Perfect. He also got me this cute (modern day) piece of pottery that looks adorable in our green (or Celtic bathroom).

I had looked to get something for Will that aged during the timeframe but it sadly did not work out. I did find him a cool harp that would have been the choice instrument during that age.

Here's to an amazing 7th year!!!



      ~ Love, Hugs &; Kisses ~ 

            The B Family

More School Photos

Here are the pictures from my digital SLR.

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

Colin's 1st Day of School

Colin's first day of school was today!!! He is in Kindergarten half days, which is a nice way to ease into school. For the parents too. I was very proud of myself because I only teared-up a little. Colin loves his teacher! She seems very nice. I can tell that she will keep us very informed and involved. Colin was so excited about his homework folder. He felt like such a big boy!

I am not so sure I am ready to be a mommy to a school-age kid...but here we go! 

Colin did such a good job today. He was even asked by his teacher to go check her messages in the office! 

I have better pictures on my camera that I will post soon...I am typing this on my phone so please excuse the blunt sentences!

         ~ Love, Hugs &; Kisses ~ 

                   The B Family

We are Knights!

Meli and Colin were playing "we are knights" while I was unpacking the other day. They were even sword fighting! Such a fun age!

We are moved in!!!!

We are in our home again! It feels so good to be mostly unpacked and seeing all of our stuff from storage. It was like Christmas for the kids seeing all their toys!

Meli helping Colin unpack his toys!

I will post more soon. Internet is not set up yet (a very frustrating story)...but for another time!

Florence, OR

The kids and I took Grammie to Florence this past Friday. The weather was actually pretty nice. It was overcast when we first got there but then the sun showed its beautiful rays! We found a perfect spot that had a rock wall making a little cove. It made it so much easier keeping track of the kids. 

Meli was so excited that we fiund an area safe for her to be independent and explore.

Beach toys!

Exploring!!

So cold after getting all wet...but it was worth it!!

Colin's New Ride

 We finally got Colin a new bike after promising all summer (we left his old one behind when we moved). He loves his "cool red bike" and Spiderman helmet. The neighborhood we are in now is so much safer for him to ride around. He is very excited to take his training wheels off...probably here pretty soon. When he first started trying to ride (probably around 3) you could just tell it was too early. This time he just gets it. I love it when things just click!

Colin also lost his first tooth!!! He was super excited. We made a huge deal about it with thanks to Mi-ma. We had a fancy breakfast, watched The Rise of the Guardians (the Tooth Fairy is in it) and had cake to celebrate. Plus, he put it under his pillow and got a surprise from the Tooth Fairy herself!

First tooth went to the tooth fairy

 

Moon Falls

Colin hiking up the fall

Moon Falls

Yesterday we headed to another nearby waterfall, Moon Falls. It was very pretty. The hike itself was easier than Spirit Falls but it was very rocky once at the falls itself. There was also a part of the trail that had a huge drop-off  that made me a little nervous with Mae. She was walking right on the edge not realizing what could happen. When I tried to help her she had a typical 2 year old reaction...a nice little tantrum. Fun. Besides that little episode it was a lot of fun.

 

Uncle Greggie came up to go with P-pa, the kids and I. The weather was a lot cooler than last time and it had rained a bit before we got there, but I thought it was a nice break from the heat.

Adventurous Mae

It is hard work keeping Mae entertained. She wants to walk right in the water, which is pretty cold. So, her and I were constantly exploring and moving around.

 

Uncle Greggie and the kids in a tree that had a hallow space

 

Family fun

Mae acting scared