Prelude to and Pumpkin Day

My new camera should be here tomorrow! I swiped a couple of cameras Friday evening and today to get a few pictures of the Halloween prep and the actual day.

Pumpkin Carving

These three Pumpkins waiting patiently for help to start carving.

Jess and Joylynn were on hand for the festivities. The kids each designed the faces they wanted for their Jack-o-lanterns.

Hayden and Cam hard at work getting pumpkin guts everywhere.

Wyatt wanted his to have a gap in the top teeth like him.

Genevieve drew a sweet smile.

Danika's eyelashes were the inspiration for this little gal.

The line up.

Halloween finally arrived!

The R-fam kids got to go to the mall to Trick-or-Treat. Rowan and Katie went to Courtney's church for a bit of fun. We had 2 super heros, a ladybug, a kitty, a panda and a skeleton here.

They sure are good buddies!

The official Superman curl.

Garett's costume fit him super well. He is growing so fast these days.

Posing with Grampa before they headed out.

The whole family. Aren't they darling!

Katie Panda and her mommy. Katie is such a little petite girl. She is crawling around much more than she was a couple of weeks ago!

Porch Pumpkins

Here are the little kids' pumpkins along with the big boys'. Hayden followed in the self portrait genre and Cam did something from a video game. It's one of the first times in years that we were home handing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters. We had some pretty cute kids coming to the door.

SUPER ROWAN!

He has been "Super Rowan" for some time now and his mom made him an official uniform: shirt, cape and mask. He didn't wear his shirt to church (where this picture was taken) but he looked pretty awesome anyway.

Rowan will be 3 years old on Monday, November 1st!

H A P P Y ~ B I R T H D A Y ~ S U P E R ~ R O W A N !!!

Hope you have all kinds of fun adventures!

Waiting for my camera to arrive

While I'm waiting for my camera to arrive, I looked through some of my blog photo files and found some that I hadn't used.

Funny Little Man

Hayden took this goofy picture of Garrett a few weeks ago. It was one of those warm days and Hayden had un-snapped the baby's outfit. I think it looks like he is sitting around in his skivvies trying to keep cool. What a little man!

Have no clue what this is all about

I have no idea what the story behind these two pictures is but I walked in on it one afternoon. I hope they are all praying for the future nuptials. Less than 3 weeks away!

Sewing projects

These are two of the quilts I've made in the last few months. I have been too busy with the sewing of bride's maids' dresses and flower girls' dresses to do anything else recently. I'm going to be very glad when they are all finished!

Something else I'm looking forward to ending

I'm getting pretty sick of all the political ads and commercials and articles. Election Day can't get here soon enough! Sometimes I'd like to go back to the days when Dole and Kemp were running. Simpler times for sure.

Me and my Katie Girl

I know that children should not be playing with plastic bags but... Katie has to be watched very carefully. She LOVES paper and plastic. She thinks the ones that crinkle are the best! I'm going to have to get some crinkle cellophane and cover it with fabric and make her something to chew on that is safe.

Can't wait to see her and her big brother again.

Seems like it's been ages since they were here.

Time flies when you're having fun! :P

Remembering... it always happens in the Fall

Today my dad would have been 75

Fall is such a melancholy time for me. I love all of the leaves changing colors, the weather starting to become crisp and the menu changes that come with the cooler weather. The back to school excitement. The beginning of the holiday season. But Fall also is a time of remembering my dad. He would have been 75 today. He also left this earth in the Fall. November 2000. But not before he bagged his buck and a doe too. That was great!

He loved his kids and grandkids and my mom. I see him in the crooked smiles of my grandchildren and in our Hayden's physique and hair!

He was a big fan of his Packers & Redwings and loved Sunday drives and I liked to watch Lawrence Welk with him.

He wasn't super fond of long road trips but made the trek out here to see us multiple times. Our older kids remember him but the younger ones don't have that privilege. I recently received a packet of photos from my cousin Deb. There are some of my Dad when he was younger. A couple of them are from Mom and Dad's wedding. One formal portrait is of his whole family: my grandparents, dad, aunts and uncles. I definitely resemble my dad's mom... but then I look like mine as well. Genetics are funny things.

I like to think of my dad still cheering all of us kids on in our various struggles. Life isn't always easy but when you have a solid foundation of Faith and Family you can get through anything.

There was a song played on the radio a few years ago that I always turned up and sang along at the top of my voice. I had to change the name of the grandmother in it from Rosemary to Hilia to make it more appropriate to me. The song is called "Who I Am" and the chorus goes:

"I am Hilia's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am"

So true! And that's a whole lot of heritage to be thankful for.

Mom, Gramma or Mummu... what ever you call her, it was fun having her around!

My Mom and her Great-grands

Mother loved having 9 of her West Coast great-grandchildren in one place at the same time! The occasion was my brother, Gerry's, birthday and we were at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Portland.

My nephew Justin's wife and little girl. Looks like Abigail loves her Mummu!

Joylynn and her kids with Mom. She couldn't get enough of munching up these little ones.

I wish I had gotten a good picture of Justin. I did get one of Tiffany with Justin's Abigail and one of Brad with his son Emori. Sweet, sweet babies and wonderful nieces and nephews!

Some of our kids at the O.S.F.

Kiel and Cherise and Henry!

Alyssa, Rowan and Katie!

Courtney, Hayden and Cameron!

and Katie again. I wonder what color eyes she is has? She enjoyed her strained squash while the rest of us enjoyed warm bread, yummy Italian food and fun times with the family.

PUMPKIN PATCH

It's not easy getting someone who is bent on helping and helping and helping out of the house. Alyssa and I simply said that we were taking the kids to the pumpkin patch and Mom had to go too. She didn't complain too loudly and it turned out to be a beautiful day! Wish Wyatt could have been there too but he was in school.

Rowan so looks the part of a ranch kid!

Mr Sunglasses was the only one who could comfortably look towards the camera... but you can see all of them anyway.

Posing with Linus and Sally and looking forward to "The Great Pumpkin".

The kids didn't get all the fun. Mom and I got down on our knees for this shot. Not an easy feat for either of us but she did better than I did.

Beautiful Sauvies Island

The cabbage field next to the pumpkin patch was being harvested as we were walking out to get our pumpkins. It is so peaceful out there. I wish we had more time to spend. Would have loved to wander through the u-pick flower fields. Perhaps we can get out there one more time before the frost gets them all.

Household Chores

Mother spent the majority of her time here cleaning and doing laundry and sorting through stuff. If I didn't have so many projects undone around here we would have had a lot more adventures. But that's the way it was this trip.

Katie has started to pull herself up onto her knees and then up on her feet. Here she is going through the clean laundry perhaps wondering where her other sock is.

My Littlest Buddy

Garrett is such a good baby. Very mellow and just content to "go with the flow". I caught him taking to his toy bird while we waited for Courtney and Wyatt to run into Safeway.

One of these days I'll be able to shop all my myself and I'll probably miss these hectic times.

For now I'm thankful for the time I had with my mom these past two weeks. It went by too fast!

Happy 8th Anniversary J & J

The day after Genevieve's birthday was Jess and Joylynn's anniversary. It's been 8 years already. Congratulations guys!

Now we are in the midst of planning another fall wedding. Courtney and Charles will be marrying in 4 weeks!!!!

Doctor's appointments X 2

Genevieve had her 5 year check up. Height, weight, hearing and vision are all good. She is able to do all of the gross motor stuff that she should be doing. We have to work a bit on learning her letters & numbers and how to write them.

The appointment went good until it was determined that she needed 6 immunizations!!! She was a trooper and earned herself a trip to the store and a new Barbie Doll.

Mr Garrett had his 4 month check up. He now weighs 14 1/2 pounds. He sleeps through the night and is a very happy guy! He only had to get 2 shots and one oral immunization. He didn't get a Barbie doll.

Mummu and one more boy

Rowan is such a sweet boy... I'm surprised we took so long to get a picture of him with Mom. Actually when he is playing with his cousins it is more difficult to get him interested in something else. Love that the cousins are close to each other.

The funny little 3 and almost 3 year old. Pretty in pink with a purse.

"Super Rowan, to the rescue!"

Little Boys Blue

I bought each of the boys a new shirt. They both happened to be be blue. Rowan's shirt will be so appropriate when he heads down to the ranch in Sisters.

Smiley Siblings

You can't tell in this picture but little miss woke herself up early this a.m. with a sicky tummy. She sure is all smiles here.

Mr Personality is displaying his easy going temperament more and more.

Such a fun guy to have around.