Pumpkin Patch

I went to the Pumpkin Patch not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES this year. I clearly couldn't get enough. I went once crashing a friends' play group, then again with Lincoln's field trip, then yet again with Aubrey's Brownie troop.

Fall is so gorgeous in Washington--if we don't get out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, we really regret it once it's gone.

I love my Jace chomping away on his apple. I seriously can't keep apples in the house--both my boys eat them constantly. It's a good thing we live in Washington! They had lots of fun with the water pump and rubber ducky race.

What fun little masks!! You should have heard their animal noises (the kids', not the masks').

Lincoln and I on the hay ride during his field trip. I have a rule about field trips--I go to ONE a year. I love my childen, but they need to experience life without their momma. And I need a break. Plus, other moms need to enjoy the field trips. So that's the rule--ONE, and I had a good time with my boy on this one. It was good for him to have me all to himself.

Lincoln and classmates coming out of the hay maze. They got to do it as many times as they wanted.

Whatta face!! He's such a cute kid (most of the time, anyway).

Aubrey and her friend striking a pose. They were too busy running around like crazy, this is the only picture I took. No surprises there, right?

Jace is yelling "Giddyap" in his best cowboy voice. He's too young to know that his mom is supposed to give him a 25 cents to make it really go.

Our Monster Mash

I could have done a few things on my never-ending 'to-do' list this afternoon, but this was so much more fun. (Be sure to pause the music on the left.)

I can't wait to show the kids . . .

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All Smiley with Miley

One of my most favorite things about being a mom is creating memories for my kids. Doing things with them and for them that I just KNOW they are going to LOVE. Last night was one of those times.

Is that a happy kid, or what?!

Months ago, my little smarty pants Aubrey googled 'Miley Cyrus' and discovered she was coming to Tacoma in concert. Of course she wanted to go, and of course I wasn't going to pay a fortune for the tickets. So my Miley quest began.

When she wasn't watching over my shoulder, I checked out the prices. And I checked again. And I looked on Craigslist. And I just couldn't bring myself to pay $150+ for two nosebleed tickets to a concert for a 7-year-old. So I bought her a new CD instead and kept checking Craigslist--just in case.

I snapped this pic the moment Ms. Miley took the stage--I LOVE the looks on their faces!!

On the day before the concert, a kind citizen posted that Ticketmaster had just launched a 'back to school' special, offering tickets at $16.50 a piece!!! WHAT?!? I immediately went to the site, clicked the options, and sure enough--we had tickets. And they were even decent seats!

"Rock it, pop it, polka dot it . . ."

"Zig zag 'cross the floor, shuffle in diagonal . . ."

I was sweating and my heart was racing because I was so excited. I love a good deal, and I knew Aubrey would be THRILLED! I called a couple of friends who also have Miley fan daughters to give them the tip, and they were just as excited as I was.

On our way to the concert after a yummy dinner at Tacos Cabana.

It was such a blast! I'm not sure who had more fun--Aubrey watching Miley, or me watching Aubrey. I'm sure she'll always remember her first concert, and I'm so glad I was the one to take her to it.

Our little soccer pro

Cooling off between games

What a difference a year makes! Last year, my sweet Lincoln wanted to be just about anywhere BUT at his soccer practices and games. It was truly painful. 

I finally came up with the idea to bribe Linc with M&Ms each time he kicked the ball. As in a single M&M for a single kick. His foot didn't necessarily have to connect with the ball, he just had to try. 

So there he was, haphazardly kicking out his little foot, then running to me on the sideline for ONE tiny candy. Back and forth. One kick (or kick attempt) for one M&M. Over and over and over. I bought a bag of fun size packages, and we wouldn't even go through a single package each time. It was that bad. Not anymore. 

I am thrilled to say that we have started a new season without the M&Ms!! Lincoln had his first game on Saturday, and he was AMAZING!! He had his head down and his eyes focused on the ball THE WHOLE TIME. He was breathing so heavily from exertion that he was almost growling as he made his way down the field. And down the field he went!

After he scored 8 goals, I stopped counting. At half time, the coach told his teammates, "Just watch Lincoln--everybody follow Lincoln." When his own teammate started attacking him  trying to get to the ball (click on the pic below for a better view--that kid was ruthless), we pulled him out. And even then, Gavin really had to talk him into taking a break. Seriously. 

I'm still in shock at how different he is from last year. He's our little soccer prodigy. (And his sister isn't 1/2 bad either--but we've always known she was good.)

My big 2nd grader

Cute Aubrey at the bus stop. Are we excited, or what?!?

It's been a bit of a whirlwind around here. Gavin and I flew back from Italy on Tuesday, September 1st--he flew directly to Seattle, and I flew to Salt Lake to pick up the kids. The kids and I then flew to Seattle on Wednesday the 2nd (and less than 12 hours later), so we could be home in time for school to start on Thursday the 3rd. The first day of school is such a party--we for sure did not want to miss out. Thankfully, we went school shopping in July, so we were rip roarin' and ready to roll.

But who needs school shopping when you're going to wear all of last year's clothes? Oh well. I can take at least 1/2 the credit for my daughter's beauty and brains, but I can take no credit whatsoever for her first day of school outfit. It was all her doing--from the too small T-shirt dress to the gold belt and silver shoes--she's a rock star, and she could not be talked out of it. She was so pleased with her choices and asked me before school, "Mom, doesn't this look like a second-grader outfit?" Sure thing, baby cakes. She even did her own hair, gotta love it.

This is Aubrey's review of the first day of school:

I loved it. My new teacher is super nice. Her name is Ms. Anderson. She is the best teacher in the world. I can't wait until open house day and then my mom can see my poster of me that I made. Community time wasn't that long, but Mr. Yoho had to teach the new people how to do the Pledge of Allegiance. The whole day was super fun. Recess was fun, we didn't do math--that bummed me out. I think school is great, not summer vacation. At Christmas time, Mr. Yoho--or I should say, Hoho--changes his name to Hoho. It's funny, like Santa Claus's ho ho. And I met this new boy at school. We are friends. His name is Matthew. And I saw Noelle, Kennedy, Emi, and Noel. 

Bye bye, sweet pea. Have a great day!

She's all smiles.

 (And yeah, that's my house reflected in the window--pretty cool, huh?)

Happy Birthday to Me

As if leaving on our cruise exactly 10 years from our first date weren't enough, I also celebrated my birthday in Italy!

On Sunday, August 30, I woke up here:

Beautiful, artistic, amazing Florence

Then I went to bed here:

Quaint, one-of-a-kind, romantic Venice

But the best part of all was that I visited here:

All I wanted for my birthday was to go to church in Italy. From the moment I walked in the door, I had tears. So many awesome memories of being with the Saints in Italy. I loved it.

And of course it helped having this guy around:

He even surprised me with a special birthday gelato--pistacchio e nocciola! My faves--what a babe!

Yeah, turning the big 3-2 wasn't so bad (or maybe it was 34, or even possibly 36--who's counting?).

{Don't you fret--many, many more vacation extravaganza pics yet to come!}

Goosebumps

Ooh, scary!!

Aubrey and I have been in a Mother/Daughter book club this year. I heard about a similar book club with some older girls that was a HUGE success, so we started one for Aubrey and her friends too (6 and 7 year olds). Our first book was 'Clementine' by Sara Pennypacker (absolutely hilarious, and still one of my faves), and we've read many since.

When we meet, the hostess of the group (the girl, NOT the mom) has a list of questions. It is so cute to sit back and watch the girls eagerly answer about the book they've all read. We usually do some kind of craft or activity, have a treat, and go home. Aubrey and I have both really enjoyed it.

Aubrey was so excited for her turn to host. She picked the book for everyone to read, and her criteria (after convincing her not to go for a book that was also a Disney TV show) were that it "had to be an adventure outside, a mystery, and scary." The mom's criteria is that it needs to be easily accessible at the library and at the girl's reading level. We finally settled on a Goosebumps book, Be Careful What you Wish For, by R.L. Stine.

Her big day finally came the night before the last day of school, so it was definitely a party at our house. In keeping with the theme, we made a 'witches brew' which was a big hit! The girls loved watching the dry ice smoke and bubble.

The book is about a girl's wishes that go wrong. As part of our activity, we drew on a crystal ball what we would wish for. After saying she would wish to be a 'Pop Star', Aubrey drew this wish. She wants to have wings to fly. A flying pop star, I guess. Sounds fun!

Our final activity was making our own edible magic wands.

Step 1--coat the end of your pretzel rod in melted white chocolate.

Step 2--add sprinkles to the white chocolate.

Step 3--allow to dry and VOILA! Your very own edible magic wands. Harry Potter would be proud.

We're taking a break from book club for the summer, and Aubrey is already excited for our next meeting after school starts. It's been great to spend extra time with her as she learns to love reading as much a I do.