The HUMMER limo

A couple of months ago the girls sent out emails and phone calls asking for help with a school fundraiser. They were each motivated to sell 18 items. Why 18? Because 18 was the magic number to get you a ride in a STRETCH HUMMER LIMO to have lunch at Godfather's Pizza.

Well, on Tuesday KK got to ride in the limo. You can imagine our surprise when I showed up to take photos and it was discovered that the kids didn't have an adult supervisor to travel with. So, I got to ride in the limo with Kayla's group. It really was super cool. The kids were excited but SO well behaved (they were 1st and 2nd graders). Such a cute group. KK got to go with her best little buddy E.A. and KK managed to eat BOTH her pieces of cheese pizza. A huge feat.

Then on Wednesday Cassidy was treated to a ride as well. Her group was 3rd and 4th graders and I'm not sad to report that I didn't get to ride in this particular limo. There is a big difference in behavior from 1st graders to 3rd graders and most definitely 4th graders. It was a busy group and I don't envy the mother that joined them in the limo.
Both girls were thrilled to have this experience! Thank you SOOOOO very much to anyone and everyone who participated. It really did give them a special experience to remember.

PCM with family

On the first Friday of every month at the Portland Children's Museum, Target sponsors a "free Friday". It's free to get in from 4-8pm and they plan lots of fun activities. It may not come as much of a surprise to some of you, but the DIG PIT is the favorite location for 80% of our group. Uncle Bryce climbed in to play with his little man, Ben.

Can you find all of the kids that belong to us?
The other 20% of our group prefers to pretend to be little mommies and do the grocery shopping in the busy store complete with shopping carts and a working cash register!
Tonight we were lucky to enjoy an amazing children's choir from Rowanda. They were amazing and we were SO glad that we got to watch them.
We had plans to go across the parking lot to observe the ZOO LIGHTS, but the kids were exhausted and hungry...so we will save that for another Christmas activity this month. It looks like it will be fabulous. Here's to crossing our fingers for good weather....or at least a night of no rain.

Grandma's Tree

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.....this is what happens when you let an enthusiastic group of pre-school aged kids decorate your Christmas Tree. Every ornament ends up about covering the tree from 4 feet down. Zoey, Brogan, and Abby were very helpful with the bottom half of the tree. (Ben was incredibly cute and happy to help rearrange the decorations with a bit of flair and baby drool.)

And although you can't see them very well, Cass and KK are in the picture below making sure the higher parts of the tree are covered as well. It's all about balance. Cass is actually standing on the window ledge to reach this high.

Gingerbread House 2010

We are trying to do a Christmas related activity every day this year. We are 5 days into December and so far, we've managed to do something each day. On Dec. 1st we made gingerbread houses with our cousin Abby, Grandma Harmon and Aunt Danette. So much fun!

FINISHED PRODUCT:

It may not be a masterpiece, but by making it, we also made memories and THAT is what this year is all about for us. Keep checking back for updates on some of the things we do this month to help us keep Christmas in our hearts (where all special things belong).

A week in review

This week of Thanksgiving has been busy, busy, busy and unfortunately I kept forgetting to take our camera with us to all the places we went and the people we visited with. Sad. But, here are a few shots to sum up the week. On Wednesday, Uncle Paul arrived. He and Brian spent most of that day stacking and restacking 2 cords of wood. On Thursday, Thanksgiving, we went to the Harmon home and enjoyed a wonderful meal with most of the family (a few individuals were MIA and missed dearly). On Friday we went and cut down our family Christmas tree. SOOO fun! New friends arrive, the Sullivan's (Mary is a friend of Carrie's and is interviewing here is Vancouver.). They helped us string popcorn and cranberries for the tree. So pretty. On Saturday we went to one of our favorite places, Kids Club! Check it out:

Sadly Uncle Paul had to return to life (school at BYU and his lovely girlfriend, Lindsey) on Saturday evening. We were all sooo sad to see him go. He is a very important and special person in our lives.
Here the kids are making those popcorn and cranberry strands for the tree. Our tree is "home made" this year. The ornaments are all made from construction paper, the garland is popcorn and cranberry, and we hung candy canes as well. Simple. But beautiful.
Although we missed many family members this year and thought of you ALL and offered prayers of gratitude that you are part of our lives, we enjoyed this busy holiday week. We are looking forward to the upcoming month of celebrations. This is our favorite time of year. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We love you!

Diva

For the past few weeks Kayla has had a chance to stay after school every Tuesday and participate in Drama Club. She LOVED it. She did so many fun and exciting activities. On the last day of class we got to go watch them do a performance. The kids all did brief skits. Each group of kids had to act out a commercial. KK and some friends tried to sell flying blankets. I would have bought one! Way to go KK. Take a bow! We love you!

It snowed today in Washington

So maybe I was naive hoping to move out to Washington for the year and managing to avoid a long cold snowy winter. Perhaps the weather Gods have other ideas. When I was growing up in the area, we could count on ONE "major" snow storm a year...usually in January. People out East would roll their eyes at the amount of snow it takes to close school out here in Vancouver, WA. But when the area only customarily gets one or two snow falls a year (and the snow doesn't usually stay) it would be a waste of tax dollars to provide a fleet of snow plows. It makes economical sense. And really, for safety measures, it's a good idea. Driving in snow requires talent. It seemed reasonable to hope for a wet winter but not a snowy one. If today is any indication of what to hope for though, my hopes are already dashed:

UGH! The news indicates that it will be in the 20's this week and we may in fact have a WHITE THANKSGIVING! Most of the West Coast natives are actually excited and thrilled over it, but for this East Coast adoptive daughter, the snow is MOST unwelcome. Now, a white Christmas is another matter entirely. I would LOVE one snowy day...followed by no more snow for the rest of the season. We'll see.

Thanksgiving Projects

We got together with our cousins this weekend and made "turkey apples" and "oreo cookie turkeys". Have a look at all the fun:

LOVE these cute little oreo cookie turkeys. We borrowed the idea from a friend of mine who had posted a picture of ones her friend made. So easy. So fun. So yummy!

A throw back to this summer

My uber talented friend, Tracey, (who I've plugged before on here) came to NH and took some photos of our family this past Summer. Right now she and I are working together to create our oh-so-stunning 2010 Family Christmas card. So I've been sorting through images and found these 2 gems:

How cute are they? And can you guess just how much these little munchkins miss their Grandpa? And how amazing are these photos anyway? I'm SOOO excited for our Christmas card this year. Tracey captures moments on film...and when she does, I look at them months (and years) later and I can still remember how I felt during those moments. They are just THAT good. I have a few more candid shots that I might post later, but I'm waiting until the card is done so I don't steel our thunder when it shows up in your mailbox. Coming soon!

Birthday Party review in Photo

Here are some photos from Brogan's Birthday Party....please see the next entry for journaling of the event.

The official invite (created by my wonderfully crafty and talented friend Tracey...to see more of her stuff I encourage you to click on her link at the side of my blog for "Sam's Town")

Pre-Party Entertainment...building periscopes that was scored at Lowes during the kids craft activity that they host FOR FREE every other Saturday...check with your local Lowes..I hear Home Depot does it as well. Don't you just love the safety goggles and tiny hammer? The hat got in the way but keep an eye out for it in the following photos.
The cake. Brogan requested one with diggers and workers making a road. Easy, right? Can you find the 3 workers? One holding 2 candles. One holding a 3rd, and the other digging himself out of a hole by the big digger. Brogan was pleased with the outcome.
A close-up of the name tags for the "worker lunch boxes" that we served dinner for all kids under 8 in.
All the lunch boxes....
The decorations...Brian always does the decorations but I made the road signs on the walls...and check out the sand table in the middle of the room. 50lbs of sand for $4 at Lowes. Awesome. And we only used 1/2 the bag...and NO...it did NOT all end up on the floor (as predicted by the concerned husband).
The snacks: paint cans of chex-mix and smart pop, the dump truck with snickerdoodles, and the Hess truck with sweedish fish...plus another shot of the cake. All Brogan's favorite snacks. Missing would have been gold fish and apple sauce, but they were represented in the lunch boxes.
Most of the guests...all family...the perfect way to celebrate. Brogan is modeling his new camo hat. He got a hat, gloves, pull-over sweater, and pants all in the same camo print. He's set for those late night sneaky activities his uncle Bryce has been indicating he will take him on. Joy. He was given lots of construction stuff (diggers, tools, legos, etc) and 2 wonderful capes (those will appear in pictures later on, we're certain). Thank you for all the thoughtful gifts! He loves them all and our living room is quite impressively adorn with the spoils of the night still. We are so grateful to have so much family nearby to celebrate such big days! Thanks for being part of it. We love you!
Birthday boy waiting to blow out the candles...see, I told you the construction hat would show up. He is now the proud owner of 4 construction hats and has tried to wear all of them at the same time at least once....and will probably try again. 'Cause he's just that kind of boy.
WE LOVE YOU, BOY! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Three Years

Today is Brogan's birthday. He's THREE. I think all parents say this, but TRULY, I can't believe he's already 3. I'll post some photos from his "Construction Party" soon, but I have to get the images off my camera first. I didn't want the day to pass without acknowledging it though. At 3 Brogan is a pretty spectacular boy. Here are a few of his favorite things from A to Z: Applesauce, Batman and bowling, Construction vehicle, Dogs, Early mornings, Fish crackers, Guns and the color Green, Hammers, Ice, Jumping, Kicking, Lightning Mcqueen and Legos, Mighty Machines and movies, Nightlight (his blue truck one) and his Night-Night (green blanket he's had since birth), Oreos and the Otoscope, Puddle boots, Quality time with Daddy (since Daddy's on sabbatical, he's getting LOTS of it too), his fireman Raincoat, Swords, his Sisters and Sweedish fish, Trains and Trucks, "UP" (he has the lines memorized and fits them into every day conversations), Vehicles of any type, Winning, X marks the spot (he loves treasure hunts), Yelling (as loud as possible), and the Zoo (or at least the IDEA of the zoo).

He has a remarkable memory, loves to laugh and has the best facial expressions of any I know. He is into very specific details and pronunciation right now (it's exhausting at times). He knows what he likes (and what he doesn't like). He is snuggly and loving. He says "please" and "thank you" without prompting...most of the time. He is a candy junky and the only child we've had to date who actually sneaks treats but responds to treats as a potty training bribe (whew!).

He is the focus of much attention and love from his 2 sisters. They adore him. And he returns the devotion. We know we are fortunate to have him in our family and have enjoyed the past 3 years. We're looking forward to many many many more years watching him grow and change. We love you Brogan Connor. Happy Birthday, Boy-O.

Coolest Kid Cuts EVER

We took the kids to get haircuts this afternoon. We found a gem of a place called, "Lil' Snippers". The whole place is thoughtfully geared toward kids. Each station is a little car for the kids to sit in. They have many little buttons to push and distract the little ones with. Each vestibule also has it's own tv where the kids get to choose which movie they watch. Check out Brogan's totally zoned look below. He's cruzin' in a Hum-V (as he calls it) and watching "Toy Story" while getting a little clipping done.

Cass kindly gave up the Barbie Jeep to KK and opted to ride in the Police car. She actually liked the red sports car, but it turns out there are a few things Cass IS too big for...so the cop car was hers. She watched a Barbie movie and is now sporting a VERY cute short "A line" cut. I'll need to add a photo of her new hair later because her busy social calendar has her at a play date right now. So, check back.
KK got the Barbie Jeep and watch a Tinker Bell movie. So much fun! Both she and Cass ended up walking out of here with sparkles in their hair. We'll definitely be back. Genius!

KK and Brogan sporting the new styles....sorry the lighting isn't great, but, you can still see their cute little faces.

Cassidy in her white dress for her Baptism.

A fall day in the Pacific Northwest

Can you find the boy running in the photo below? Arms stretched wide, face turned toward the wind, joy in every step...he's wearing camo (his new pattern of choice) from head to toe, so if you can't see him, look harder. He's there. Right in the middle among the shadows. Camo really does work, doesn't it?

Here you go...a much better image of the boy in clear sight. This little man (who turns 3 in 10 days!) collects everything when we go on outings. I need to remember to always carry some sort of container or bag with us when we go. Today I forgot. And wished I hadn't. B decided to take photos of everything he loves and then we had to bring it all home with us. Check out the evidence below.
The pine cones he found and set up just for this shot. Not bad, hu?
He thought this red leaf peaking out from all the other brown ones was cool. He snapped a photo and then added it to our collection of sticks and pine cones.
This is the MOTHER SHOT. I love it. I can't believe he took it. Honestly. He wanted to bring home the mushrooms. A mom's gotta say, "No" to somethings though, doesn't she? I draw the line at fungus. And yes, there are the pine cones and the red leaf from previous photos. BUT, he dropped the red leaf and it landed like this, which inspired the placing of the pine cones and sparked the interest in the mushrooms to begin with.
Below are just a few images of the fall colors around our house. We feel like we live in a park. It is beautiful. If you're ever in the area, we would love to show you around. The weather has been deceptively nice. It isn't supposed to be 66 and sunny (especially sunny) in November in Washington. We know the rain will start soon, but for now we are sure grateful for the sun.



And there you have it...a quick tour of our neighborhood and a small demonstration of my 2 year old son's mad photography skills and a Fall day in our corner of the continent. It isn't New England, but we'll take it.

Halloween Happenings

This was a week of Halloween Festivities. We kicked it off with pumpkin carving. Can you match the kid to the pumpkin? Hello Kitty Witch, a Cat sitting on the moon, and Lightning McQueen. I know...it's tough.

Cass and Mom left on Wednesday to travel to Utah for Shan's Grandmother's Funeral (more on that later). Brian stayed home and accompanied KK and Brogan on 2 different trick or treating outings. Here is a photo of all the cousins dressed up: Kayla (snow princess), Brogan (Lightning McQueen) Ben (Monkey), Jack (Lion), Zoey (Fairy princess), Abby (doggie). They had lots of fun and brought home plenty of candy.
However, at the risk of feeling left out, Cass and Shan returned Saturday with enough time to dress the kids up at take them to our ward Trunk-or-treat party. Which, because it was raining (no surprise there) was actually held indoors. It was crowded but fun. The kids returned home with even MORE candy.

You would think that we might have had enough Trick-or-treating by now. Not so. We dressed the kids up for yet a FINAL round candy collecting and marched them through the neighborhood.


We are now OFFICIALLY done for the Halloween season. I have 8 gallon bags of candy on my kitchen counter. Can you freeze chocolate? I'm going to try. Plus, Brian gets to collect his 10% finders fee (although Mom did all the walking this year....he stayed home to hand out the treats). Interestingly enough, Brogan prefers smarties, tootsie rolls, and kit-kats, so he has donated a fair share of treats to Brian. The girls have lovingly given him anything hot or spicy (red hots, fire balls, etc). There is still an impressive amount of candy remaining for child consumption.

Is it wrong that I am relieved this holiday is over? Bring on Thanksgiving! :)