I must be getting older... everything takes longer to accomplish these days!

An Outing ~ Trip to Fred Meyer

While Wyatt was in school one day this week, Alyssa, Courtney and I took the rest of the little ones and went to Fred Meyer. Just getting everyone into the car and buckled took about 15 minutes. Garrett doesn't look too thrilled but everyone else was pretty excited.

Genevieve and Rowan got to go into PlayLand. So the rest of us had one hour to shop for things for Genevieve's birthday which is coming up in a couple of weeks.

I bought a couple of things and squirreled them away in the van. By then we had to pick them up from PlayLand. I was amazed at how much longer everything takes when you are traveling en masse.

"She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar."

Does that Proverbs 31 scripture refer to Panda Express also. It must have this week since they had their customer appreciation day. Buy one entree and get one free. Dinner for everyone for under $20!

Another Ethnic Dish... with a twist

Alyssa had the recipe for Mexican Lasagna. It is layered like traditional lasagna but with refried beans and seasoned ground beef instead of spaghetti sauce. The top layer of noodles is topped with sour cream, salsa and cheese.

YUMMY!

Rockers and Rollers

I should clarify that Katie is a rocker. She rocks on her knees and does a commando crawl like she was taught by a pro ;) Garrett is a roller but only from tummy to back.

The Project so far

The steps that Har built are so beautiful. A bunch of us were hanging out on them this afternoon. The steps were stained and have 4 coats of polyurethane on them. The risers will be painted a creamy white color eventually. We also haven't figured out what sort of railing we want yet either. One thing at a time.

Home Sweet Home

It's been awhile since I posted a picture of the house. I was out there with Harlan and Jess the other night and it was so peaceful! The sound of the kids' activities inside of it was a slight background murmur. I love my house and my whole crazy busy family!

Beginning with a bit of Home Improvement

Basement Stair Replacement

Our basement is still 3/4 unfinished. We have grand plans though. Since the 1/4 that is somewhat finished gets visited multiple times a week and one of those times is for Monday night football we thought it might be good to replace the rickety falling apart stairs with a new set.

Remodeling is dirty work! We still have to determine what sort of finish we want on the new steps (stain with a clear coat or paint) but they sure are beautiful!

Great job Har!

Stair Steps

Sebastian had a birthday this past weekend. These boys are now 12, 14 and 16 years old. They have always been sort of stair step in size so I had them sit in age order on the stairs at Sebastian's. They are all such good kids.

Speaking of Good Kids

I had my camera with me on Monday morning. We were actually running a tad early for Wyatt's school so I parked for a couple minutes. When I looked back at Wyatt his eyes looked so blue when he had his hood on I tried to capture the "look". I also managed to snap a pic of him heading into the building.

More Back to School

Our college girls headed back to PCC this week tool They both have classes on Mondays. Krystle is taking 4 classes but Courts is only taking one. Wedding plans are taking up a bunch of her focus these days.

They had quite the crew seeing them off to the bus stop. Even Max.

Surgery for Joylynn

Joylynn had a much needed surgical procedure on Monday as well. She needed to have a complete hysterectomy.

I brought the kiddos up to see her on Tuesday when Wyatt got out of school. I love the tender look on Genevieve's face in the picture on the right.

Har and I and Mom pitched in and got her some flowers.

Busy Days = Drive Thru Food

I think the kids enjoyed the kids meal bags just as much as the meals. In spite of their business they can be so entertaining and enjoyable.

Krystle in her Glory

I know there are lots of people who are looking forward to seeing these guys in person and giving them a squeeze. Krystle takes advantage of every opportunity. She is now busy with school and a relationship but she still pitches in when she can to hold or do something for one of the kids.

Misty Watercolored Morning

It was kinda hazy one morning on my way home but I managed to get the camera out before the arrow turned green. We are getting a bit of color around here. Perhaps hot chocolate and fires in the fireplace are just around the corner!

Happenings in Hilmania

Check-up with Lab Work

Danika had an appointment with a pediatric endocrinologist and needed some lab work done. Her trip to the lab ended with them having to poke both arms. The first lab tech didn't manage to get into a vein and so he had his co-worker try the other arm. Even though the first try hurt her, the second was so smooth she giggled that "it tickled". I am having to poke her finger and test 3 days a week for the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty sure any concerns they had are not going to amount to anything.

Visitor from OHIO!

Krystle's friend Sarah, who used to live in Portland and attended Western Culinary Institute, was here for her annual visit. We enjoy having her here. Last year she and the girls dressed up and went to the Culinary Institute for dinner. This year Charlie got to go along.

These pictures are from Wednesday night, they got dressed up and went but got there too late to eat dinner. So they ended up going to Applebee's.

Friday night they tried again and were successful.

C & C- Wednesday

C & C - Friday night.

Sarah wearing Charles' fedora.

Sarah at the airport heading back home.

Thanks for coming, Chicka!

Bedtime Bunch

It's not too hard to get these guys to sit together but getting them all looking in the same direction is a chore. This is the best of the bunch that were taken.

Isn't that little guy getting big?

Good clean fun

Who doesn't like popping bubble wrap? The kids love it and I happened to find three identical sized pieces and let them go for it! (I supervised them of course! You don't let little kids play with plastic unattended.)

Some of the guys around here

The porch was a happenin' place for a Sunday afternoon.

Jess and Garrett, Kiel and Henry, Harlan and Danika, Hayden and Genevieve were all interacting.

Rylan came along and swooped Danika up.

I love that these guys like children!

Gramma and one of her Brown-eyed Boys

We have 3 brown eyed grandsons... I wonder where that brown eyed gene came from :0)

Having Henry and his folks come back by on their way home from their southern journey was a nice surprise.

It was a beautiful day for barbecuing as well. Wonder how many more days we'll have this fall like this. We will take as many as we get!

Hodge-podge of happenings

Sharing with Danika

Courtney came up to me with Danika inside her sweatshirt last week. The other day Danika was inside of Hayden's hoody. She's a cute but weird little girl.

The BackPack Gang

The kids each got a back-pack this fall. Each one is very appropriate for their personalities.

Wyatt's is a bit more scaled to his size. The girls' packs look like they are overwhelming them.

They sure enjoy hauling them around.!

Happy 28th Birthday Joylynn!!!!!

We put off pizza night in lieu of having a nicer dinner for Joylynn's birthday. We had roasted pork loin, new potatoes, fresh steamed green beans and a veggie tray. It was nice.

Courtney baked the day away to make dessert for the occasion.

Peanut butter chocolate pie and 3 different kinds of cookies!

We've tried to pick up a bouquet for each of our birthday girls. Joylynn's had white roses and various other filler flowers. It is lovely.

Guys and Gals

Krystle has a new "friend". His name is Nate and he is very nice. They enjoy a lot of the same things and might even end up going to SOU at the same time.

Courtney and her Charles are continuing with their wedding preparations. November 13th is coming all to fast for us and probably not fast enough for them. There is quite a bit to get done but they seem to be enjoying the process and definitely enjoy spending time together.

A Swing through P-town

Kiel, Cherise and Henry were heading to Southern Oregon for the weekend and we were sort of on the way. They were here for a brief stop to let the little guy run around, stretch their own legs and have a bite to eat. They also dropped off a birthday present for Joylynn. All too soon they were waving and headed south. Hope they come back soon.

Boys and their Beverages

During my morning commute the other day I had Garrett's beverage in the cup holder of the Subaru... the afternoon commute had Hayden's.

Both of them contained some dairy :0)

I also captured one of Garrett's increasingly frequent smiles.

He is indeed "Handsome like daddy"!