Happy Halloween from Hogwarts!

Oh, Halloween was so fun this year! As the girls are obsessed with all things Harry Potter, they have known for months what they wanted to be. Davis didn't have much say in the matter but as soon as he learned that all he had to do was put on his glasses and tie and yell Trick or Treat at the top of his lungs at the door and people would give him candy, he was all over it. He even went so far and to start rifling through the bowls and informing the person handing out the candy that he "needed something chocolate". Seriously, at every door! But at least he always followed it up with a big "THANK YOU" as he ran from the door. We had a blast! Hope all your Halloweens wonderful!

Davis as Harry Potter, Abby as Hermoine, and Emma as Ginny Weasley.

The Cake

Davis turned 2 last week! I can't believe it, my baby boy! He had a great birthday, lots of trucks, cars and trains. Just what makes a little boy happy. He also loved his Lightning McQueen cake (or "Lyda King" as Davis says it).

Happy Birthday "Big Funny Guy"

Reflections

I laid, or lied, or lay (which is it dad?) awake in bed last night for hours listening to my baby boy itching his chicken-poxy back against the crib, trying to find some relief. Not crying, just itching. It gave me a lot of time to think. I have mentioned it a lot on this blog and numerous times daily to Justin, just how much joy this baby (almost 2 on Monday) boy has brought into my life. I feel, of course, the same about the girls. They are a little older now, and while they still need me, it's not the same. Davis still slips his warm, chubby hand in mine every few minutes. He still likes me to cradle him every night and sing him his favorite songs (Teach Me to Walk in the Light and "The Truck Song" - made up by me and maybe the worst song ever, but he loves it). He still sucks his two middle fingers when he's tired or sad. He still starts shaking with excitement every time he sees daddy pull in the driveway from work. He still melts my heart every time he takes my face in his hands and kisses me on the lips. These are things the girls don't do any more and I know that these moments are fleeting with Davis. I want to hold them tight and not let them go. I want to bottle it all and not forget a moment. I want my Heavenly Father to know how grateful I am for these little spirits that light up my home and my life and make me who I want to be. I want them to know that I may not be a perfect mom, but I love them with a love that I never knew was possible!

That Explains A Lot . . .

For months I've been wondering why in the world Davis was always running out of socks when I knew he had plenty. It all came to light the other day when Emma went to grab something for me under the crib. When she pulled it out away from the wall, she found this . . .

Evergreen Aviation Museum

These pictures are from Memorial Day. A little outdated, I know. But I wanted to post about it because we had such a fabulous time here. We met our dear friends the McFarlanes (we love you guys) and it was a GREAT museum! So, the Spruce Goose is here - yep, it's beyond huge. They also had the first ever commercial airplane and tons of other aviation and space "stuff" (for lack of a better word).

Emma posing by the war planes.

Checking out the interior of the war helicopter.

That orange and yellow plane was my favorite, how cute is that!

The kids rode this ride seriously about 25 times in a row.

My cute family! Notice Davis' smile (see previous post)

This is the best picture of the Spruce Goose that I have. It's so big that you can't get it all in the picture - at least with our camera. This is just the one wing, the body of the plane and the other wing are behind me. Davis kept saying, "Huge a-mean (airplane)" over and over for about a month. He was really impressed!

All in all, it was a great day. I really recommend it for anyone in the area. It also has a great playground that the kids enjoyed almost as much as the planes.

Say Cheese!

This is Davis. He will be 2 in a few weeks. He loves cars and trucks and trains and Little Einsteins. He also has a perfectly normal, adorable smile. Until the camera comes out. When it does, this is what happens . . . . every time!

A Real Live Date!

A few weeks ago Justin and I went on a fantastic date. Perfect actually. Our wonderful brother and sister-in-law took our 3 kiddos overnight and we went out. We stayed out late, didn't worry about getting home to relieve the babysitter, we ate at an amazing restaurant (if you are ever in the Portland area, you must go), but we did not sleep in the next morning. Reason being that my genius husband had the genius idea to set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. so that on the one day that we weren't waking up to a 1 year old yelling, "Come mommy, I'm poopy!" from his crib, we could drive to Mt. Hood and go for an early morning hike. Actually, it was genius. It was beyond beautiful, we hiked 7 miles at adult speed, and we got to talk and talk and it was perfect. Here's the proof.

Just a few tidbits

First, I would like to say that my husband, that's right people, my husband met this guy last night. Okay, well, they didn't exactly meet. But Justin did go to a talk he was giving at OHSU (the hospital where Justin works). Justin walked in late with a few other residents and Dwight, I mean Rainn Wilson, heckled them a bit, made fun of their white coats or something like that. Doesn't really matter, Justin got heckled by Dwight Shrute. And Dwight is pretty funny!

Next item is: Um, has anyone tried the green chile bagels from Costco? The Kirkland/Noah's Bagels brand. Yeah, they are really good. Toasted with a little butter. Made my morning.

Next up: my girls started school yesterday and I cried a bit walking home. I know it's schmaltzy but I miss them and their little brother misses them more. Here's an example of our whole day-long conversation. (Aside from the 4 hour nap he took - bless this child!)

Davis: Hey Mom, where AbbyEmma go?

Me: They're at school.

Davis: Oh, I go to Abby class right now, K?

Me: We can't Davis.

Davis: Oh, but where AbbyEmma, mom?

Me: School.

Davis: Oh (pause 2 seconds) Why mom?

Me: They have to go to school.

Davis: Oh, I go to school now K?

(Repeat 756 times)

Last item of business for the day:

I just got done reading this book 25 times to my little man. Did I mention I miss the girls?

Ft. Lauderdale

So, apparently I still have a lot of catching up to do with my blogging. These pictures are from May. Better late than never!

Justin had a conference in Ft. Lauderdale in May and I tagged along . . . just me . . . no kids . . . did you hear that people! Justin, me, no kids, Florida, sun, beach, pool . . . wow, it was amazing. It was the first time in a LOOOONG time we have taken a vacation together. Okay, so Justin did have to go to conference every day but it still was a major vacation for me and we still found plenty of time for fun. Thank you again and again infinity to Grandma and Grandpa T for taking care of the littles while we were gone. Our kids had so much fun with you that I don't think they even wanted us back!

This is the beach right outside the door from our hotel. Um . . . I spent a lot of time here while Justin sat in his conference.

Out to dinner with some of Justin's co-residents and his program director.

We rented a scooter one night and cruised up the shore for a few hours. It was really really beautiful. The guy we rented it from was so surprised when we asked for helmets. I don't know if anyone had ever asked for them before. Justin's treated way too many head injuries in the hospital . . . wear your helmets people! Especially when you're on a scooter that maxes out at 30 mph.

On our last day we rented a car with one of Justin's co-residents and her husband and drove down "the keys". We stopped at Key Largo and went snorkeling. So much fun and the drive down there was stunning.

Post snorkeling feast - such a good meal!

I am so glad that Justin and I can still have such a great time together. We just laughed and laughed. We missed the little ones but it was so nice to be together alone for a whole week! Thanks for the great time babe!

Are you kiddin' Me?

Where, oh where have these been all my life! Must be eaten directly out of the freezer. And yes, they will ruin your dinner. Maybe for 3 days in a row . . .

Olympic National Park

We just got back from a dreamy week-long camping trip and let me tell you, it was the Northwest at it's finest. Perfect sunny weather, gorgeous mountains, clear blue lakes, amazing hiking, hot springs and stunning coastline. Not to mention, dirty happy kids (oh and the adults weren't too clean either). I tried to trim down the number of pictures as well as I could but didn't do a very good job so bear with me.

Lake Crescent

Highlight of the hike at Lake Crescent

My crazy kids and their equally crazy and wonderful cousins

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore this girl?

This is pretty much what Davis and his cousin did the entire time - words can't describe the amount of dirt that was on these boys after a whole week of dumping dirt on their own heads

Sitting at the visitor's center at Hurricane Ridge - the views of the Olympics here were so stunning!

More from Hurricane Ridge - how I love those rugged mountain peaks

My men - Davis was so happy to sit there with daddy that I think he sat still for a whole 3 minutes

Day at the coast near La Push - yes Twilight fans, THE La Push. I found myself wishing I was a bigger Twilight fan so I could have enjoyed driving through Forks, Port Angeles and La Push a little more.

more beach - these logs provided a whole day of entertainment for the girls. As for Davis, he dug in the sand with his truck, surprised?

Lake Crescent repeat picture, sorry about that. But it's still pretty the second time.

This was the river at our campground. Davis spent all the time that he wasn't digging in the dirt, throwing rocks into the "riber".

Enjoying our nightly ritual.

One week camping + 3 kids = so much stuff that we could barely fit it in our huge minivan.

(This is out of order but this was our car when we left for the trip. It was ridiculous. I couldn't even see the kids in the back. It was kind of nice actually.)

Davis even read in the dirt.

Just a sidenote that this is the hammock that Justin bought for scout camp when he was twelve. We also used the pocket knife that he has had since he was twelve. Have I mentioned that Justin never gets rid of anything. He has an eraser that he used in 3rd grade that has his name written on it in Sharpie. He took it to his board exams last year. That's all.

More beautiful sites, and a cute little girl.

A week well spent! Thanks to my wonderful family for making such great memories!