Happy Halloween

Puppy Dog and the Princess

Monsters are funny!!

Punkmen Patch

Elizabeth and I have never been to a pumpkin patch and today Jeff decided it was high time to correct this travesty. Who knew the things that you could do at a pumpkin farm.

Well the first thing you do is take a hay ride then sink in the mud.

Then there is corn to eat.

There are ponies to ride and

bikes for all sizes to ride (well not all should fit but we make do).

There are also crazy hand made cow trains that are pulled at amazingly fast speeds by a mini tractor.

That is enough fun that both mom and dad need to experience the joy/terror.

Oh and there are also pumpkins however I prefer how Elizabeth says it 'I love the punkmen farm!'

Happy Halloween and remember that the mantra is 'monsters are funny'. Much needed mantra for my very concerned three year old.

Waiting for Daddy

This is a little girl waiting for her Daddy to come home.

The smile upon his arrival.

The very silly Daddy!!!!!!!

THE END.

Another Great Weekend with the Corvalis Crew

Met up last weekend with Scott, Carolina, Lucia and Oscar at Breitenbush. This is a lodge in the Oregon mountains on a river surrounded by hot springs. It was phenomenal. The girls loved running and playing outside and Oscar did a great job keeping up.
We taught them Autumn lessons such as the difference between deciduous trees and conifers; why the leaves are changing colors; and most importantly if you walk quietly through the woods and you are super lucky you just might spot some forest fairies. They were spellbound with this possibility.

Don't they look like a Hannah Anderson add

Best Friends

Tashlik at Lake Washington

This week we celebrated the Jewish new year and Tashlik. Tashlik is a ceremony where you symbolically cast off your sins by tossing bread crumbs in a body of water. I like the idea of reflecting on your year and looking forward to ways to improve and grow. Also like the idea of letting go of that which was burdensome. I like the symbolism involved with water washing clean. However I did NOT enjoy the hoards of birds and ducks that descended like a scene from a Hitchcock film when the group began tossing bread. Elizabeth and I ran for cover and reflected quietly far from the mayhem.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed an afternoon in the sun thanks to a resurgence of summer weather.
Elizabeth missed the part about casting off sins and instead just casted off her clothes. Just as well. She is a pretty cute no clothed girl.

Summer has ended

It was just two weeks ago and we were reading night time books in the hammock. Summer is slowly ending and Elizabeth is slooowwlly giving up the hammock. For a few nights we were just turning pages and telling stories as there was not enough light to read or see the pictures. She didn't mind one bit. As I'm typing Jeff is now reading her books in bed. Summer is over.

As Elizabeth says... 'bye bye summer, see ya next time.

Pops and the garden

Pops came to visit this past week and we are now a bit lost without him. Last night Jeff and I tried to decide what was the best meal. Was it the scallops, the crab stuffed shrimp, mushroom stuffed pork chops, or homemade curry chicken salad. Basically we are bad people and totally take advantage of my father. He cooked, he folded laundry and most of all he planted a truck load of plants. I mean a truck load. We are revamping our backyard and he was out there for three days straight.

This is what some were doing while the rest were digging holes and planting over 100 plants.

Well I do know one thing we don't miss... Pops doing Elizabeth's hair. You can't tell here but he put about 8 clips in and they both thought it was hysterical.


Tonight we just finished the left overs. We may starve now. Come back Pops!

Does anyone out there have a G rated video about poop?

For two months we have been telling Elizabeth that when she turns three she will wear big girl panties. We planned our summer of camping leaving Labor Day free for this exciting event. Well this little girl right here has been a rock star. Now I don't want to say that we are done but three days in and we have yet to have any accidents, she loves her panties and is thrilled with the potty. Not bad.

We have a little potty video that she has been able to watch and loves it. There are songs about going potty and a skit with a princess that uses the potty. I think the princess is what convinced her that the potty was ok.

So for her reward for using the potty she wants... wait for it... a video of kids going poop. She is very specific that she does not want the video to talk about pee. She wants poop. I've looked at Amazon and unfortunately also on youtube where I encountered VERY unfortunate videos. So does anyone out there have G rated video about poop?

Deception Pass State Park - aka Disney Land of Camping

We went to the Disney Land of camping this weekend and it was awesome despite the fact that I would have HATED IT three years ago. There are over 200 camp sites here which I know is not really escaping from humanity but with a three year old things are different.


I had this moment when I was loading the pack with all the things we would need for the day... blankets, snacks, camera, sand toys... realizing that this same pack came with me to far flung countries and heights and that I am not the mom I thought I would be. Before she was born we talked about taking off with her to Africa, I would work full time while Jeff mostly stayed at home, I would rejoice with my child's fearless exploring, and we would hire sitters so we could still climb in the mountains. This is not the mom I am today and I'm thrilled.I don't want to move away from my family of friends here in Seattle. I want Elizabeth to grow up knowing these amazing women that I am blessed to have as my friends. I love our mommie-Elizabeth days and feel blessed that we can make the choice to have me work only part time. I am happy to use our climbing packs for carrying sand toys, sunscreen and snacks and I tremble when she is fearless. I especially tremble in fear.



I have found that I also love the Disney Land of camping because I love seeing my daughter begin her exploration of the Pacific Northwest. I don't want to be in the mountains without her.


So for now it is Deception Pass which I have learned can be an amazing way to spend the weekend.

Mt. Baker in the distance (a summit our pack has visited)

Drift wood see saw is hours of home made fun.

We watched the sun set and she asked to the sky "Will it be pink again? Make it pink!" and it was. (yeah I'm not that good of a photographer but ask my daughter cause the sky was pink)

Good night

And then she was three...

2011 School Party

The birthday post is a tad late but only because we have been having a week of fun. This year she has been well aware of her birthday and for months has been telling everyone 'in August I will be three'. She was absolutely giddy about her school party this year. Funny to look back on photos from the year before and see a much more timid little girl (below) sitting at the same table with some of the same friends around her.

2010 School Party

The night before her birthday we put Elizabeth to sleep in our room telling her it was a special birthday treat to sleep with Mommy and Daddy. We then proceeded to assemble a bunk bed in her room. My Jewish husband finally learned what Christmas Eve is like as this quick to assemble Ikea bunk bed was not really quick. At one point he even said "I'm actually using a good bit of my Master's degree to get this *$*$$ thing together". It was a late night. However when she went into her room the next morning she was literally trembling with joy.
That night her friends came over for a continuation of her birthday celebration and basically the bunk bed was the activity for the evening. Notice the five girls piled in the bed with poor Nico off to the side. He is the only boy in our circle of friend's kids but not to worry he gets himself right in the mix.

You might ask 'Where are all the adults?'. We are safely out on the porch as the high pitched screeching from the girls was deafening!

Three years ago

Lovin' at her first Indigo Girls concert

The Fly

Ridin' High

Three years ago today I was browsing Pike Place Market with my parents and my midwife called and said come on in you are going to have a baby today. Being ten days overdue I nearly ran to the hospital with joy. Least did we know it would be four days in the hospital before she was actually born. She did not want to come out and that sassy spirit continues to flourish. We are a blessed blessed family.

Summer Times

Finally had a couple weekends in town and enjoyed time with friends. Elizabeth and I actually got away for one night thanks to an invitation from Shauna and Maeve. We left Jeff at home to do whatever.

They shared this sweet house right on the water.... check out that view!

The previous weekend we had a cookout with the gang at our house. At one point we noticed that the girls were sort of quite inside. Alison went to investigate and found that they had opened the front door and left! Did not realize I needed to tell her that she must ask before leaving the house. Luckily our neighbor was out front chatting with them so they didn't get far.
There has not been a lot of sun but when it comes we are in our red neck pool for sure. You can take the girl out of the south but.... I love this group of friends. Good to get everyone under one roof for the night.