Here’s the second installment of pumpkin patch photos. These ones are from our trip to the farm by our house. As you can see, it was a cooler cloudy day, but still dry. I really wanted to get another in our annual series in front of the “How tall this Fall?” sign, so we checked that off the list right away. This year the kids were really into the pumpkin cannon, and Max even shot off a pumpkin of his own, with Daddy’s help. They both covered their ears when it would go off, but still wanted to watch. This was also the trip where we picked out pumpkins to take home. Max went for the biggest one he could find, and enjoyed trying his hand at steering the wheelbarrow. 

One of my favorite Fall traditions is our visits to local pumpkin patches. We have one right by our house and another favorite one not far away. We haven’t done the corn maze the past couple years, but before too much longer the kids will be old enough to enjoy that part also. For now our priorities are the train ride, the pumpkin cannon, the play area, and oh yes, picking out a pumpkin or two to take home. Our 2013 October included two family patch visits and a preschool field trip for Max to one as well. Here’s round one of pictures, from our first outing. We enjoyed a warm sunny day exploring the farm!

These pictures are a few weeks old, from a late-summer trip to a local beach. It was a cool, cloudy day, but we still had a great time. We explored the driftwood, threw rocks in the water, spent lots of time on a high bridge, and of course played on the playground. I love living so close to the ocean! I never get tired of looking at that water and mountain view, as ferries glide by in the background. 

She runs down the long hallway upstairs to me. I am stationed at one end, placed there by her outstretched hand and firm, “Mama, no” when I started to run with her. Instead I have the wonderful role of finish line greeter. Her chubby legs pump up and down, her knees turning in toward each other. Her face is alight with the joy of movement, mouth open in a smile that makes me feel a little weak with love. Then, the best part–she launches herself into my arms and wraps me in a hug, then turns to run the other way again. 

Recently we’ve had quite a few “rainy, rainy days” in the words of Max. The good part is it hasn’t been too cold, so we’ve been able to enjoy some puddle stomping and are getting good use out of our raincoats. The pictures below are just the alley behind our house, but the kids were having fun in their boots and coats with the puddle, so I grabbed the camera. 

School is going well for Max so far. He often says he doesn’t want to go, but is okay with us leaving (as long as the prescribed routine is followed: watch him wash his hands, then wave to him through a particular window). He reports back that he has fun at school, so that’s good to hear. He’s also recently started a “Creative Music and Movement” dance class at a local studio. The teacher is great and it’s a nice small class–one other boy and two girls. Max wasn’t too sure about taking a class where we didn’t go in and participate with him, but I talked up the fact that I would be right outside the door and he could see me through the window the whole time. He has done really well and the teacher reports that he is a great listener. He’s really into pretend games right now so we play a lot of restaurant, hardware store, doctor, etc. Of course he has very specific ideas about how these games should be played and doesn’t hesitate to correct us if we stray from the script in his head.

Max started preschool again last week. He had mixed feelings about going back because he has a different teacher this year. He loved Miss Megan last year and really wanted to have her again. We talked up Miss Tally and reminded him about all the things that would be the same. I also got some special matching bracelets for Max and me to wear. I told him they have extra “love waves” (from a book we have) and if he was feeling sad or missing me, he can look at his bracelet and feel better. The first few dropoffs his eyes teared up a bit but he didn’t cry like he did last year. And I’m happy to report that the past couple dropoffs have been smooth. This year he goes to school three days a week for 2.5 hours each day. Our friend Emmeline is in his class again, which helps a lot. 

Sorry, faithful readers! It’s been a busy summer, plus some technology changes, plus getting ready for an upcoming children’s clothing consignment sale. All that to say, blogging has taken a back seat. But I am back in the proverbial saddle and hoping to get caught up, so prepare for more frequent posts. Let’s start with our visit from my Dad and Helen in July. We absolutely love it when grandparents come to town. They take amazing care of all of us, the kids adore them, and the time always flies by far too quickly. This visit we took a trip to the zoo, they took the kids to the children’s museum, there were several trips to the park, playing at home and of course some quality iPad time. Here are some pictures from their week with us! (Side note: Sorry if this post takes forever to load. I realized too late that I didn’t shrink the pictures like I usually do. I’ll try to remember next time!)

As many readers know, Max was what many people would consider late to use the potty. We had various reasons for not pushing it, but we did tell him that you have to use the potty to visit Daddy’s office and ride the train home–two things he really wanted to do. A few weeks ago we made the leap to underwear and he has done so amazingly well–no accidents, in underwear at night too, just really doing a great job with it, so waiting was definitely worth it. Once it was clear that he was diaper-free, we planned our day in Seattle. Anna stayed home with Grandma so Maxwell got to have a special day with both of us. Jeff worked a half day, Max and I rode the bus downtown midmorning. We visited Jeff’s office and then went to lunch on the waterfront. After that we rode Seattle’s “Great Wheel.” We have a song on one of our children’s music CDs called “The Wonder Wheel.” We never paid too much attention to it, but when we were talking about riding the big Ferris wheel, Max thought of that song. He thought it would be really cool if we could listen to the song while we were riding the wheel, so Jeff put it on his phone. I’ll hold that memory for a long time: A beautiful sunny Seattle day, a ride on the Great Wheel with my two beloved boys, listening to the “Wonder Wheel” song. Perfection.

After our ride on the wheel, we got ice cream and Max spotted a carousel which he had to ride. Then we walked to Magic Mouse Toys, a very cool two-story toy store downtown. We had told Max he could pick a toy while we were there. He narrowed it down to three stuffed animals and then decided on a fawn he dubbed “Sasa.” We spent quite a while there playing with and admiring all the cool toys. We capped off our trip with a train ride home. The train runs along the waterfront almost the whole way, it’s a beautiful trip and this was Maxwell’s first train ride. Such a special day together, it was a wonderful way to celebrate Max’s accomplishment!

We caught the bus at a local station that has really cool architecture. We were a little early, so we went in to explore. I love this picture of Max on the stairs:

Riding the bus!

Walking to Daddy’s office:

Max had a ball exploring Jeff’s office. He met lots of people, helped Dad send an email, checked out the kitchen, and climbed a flight of stairs that looked interesting.

Then we were off for more fun in the city! Such a wonderful day.

Seeing as it’s almost August, it seems fitting to post our fourth of July pictures. We’ve had a wonderful month of July–warm sunny weather means lots of time outside and not as much time blogging. Currently we are enjoying a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Helen, both kids are loving the attention and Jeff and I are being spoiled with dinner prepared for us nightly. We love having them here and wish they could stay longer! Yesterday Helen was playing with Max and she reminded him of something they did together last time they were here. He replied, “Was that with you or with Oma? I can’t remember. Well, you do look alike.” We had a good laugh about that because Helen and Cathie definitely don’t look much like, but it was pretty cute how all grandmothers apparently look the same to him.

Here are a few pictures from the fourth. Max’s favorite colors are red and blue, so he loved that we were all wearing them. He wanted to take pictures on the staircase landing since that’s where we took them last year.

We spent a couple days last month cabin camping at Cama Beach. It’s part of a state park and they have some tiny cabins that were built in the 1930s. They were out of use for a number of years, and then around 10 years ago the park refurbished them and started renting them out again. They are small and basic but a perfect step up from tent camping. We sprung for the “deluxe” cabin which has a toilet and shower. They also have a microwave and fridge, and a small bedroom with one bed, plus a twin with trundle in the main area. We went with our good friends and got cabins next to each other. We were able to share meals and the kids could go back and forth easily. We lucked out and got wonderful weather–warm and sunny, with just one round of rain overnight on our second night. The cabins are right on the beach, so we spent lots of time walking along the shore. The kids loved throwing rocks in the water and playing on the driftwood. I have fond memories of walking on driftwood logs when visiting this area growing up, so it was very special to see my own kids enjoying that same thing. We are already looking forward to next summer’s return visit!

Some of the amazing natural beauty:

The cabins:

Fun by the camp fire. The kids had their first s’mores, which were a hit, though Max preferred to eat just the chocolate and graham cracker components. Angel made a yummy dessert on the campfire with chocolate cake baked inside oranges.

Lots and lots of outdoor fun. In addition to plenty of beach time, we hiked, found a small playground, and the guys took the big kids out on a boat one afternoon. Such a great place!