Happy Halloween!

BOO! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Today started off with lots of excitement as my parents woke up to the chatter of the girls. They drove in from Washington to spend the weekend with us. Haven celebrated the arrival of my parents by adorning herself with some of her dress up clothes and joining GG on the couch for story time before bed.

Haven knew it would be today that she would be dressing up and joining all the kids for the quest for candy. Our plans for Haven's costume changed after she spied a "pretty" kitty costume at the mall today. You know what, we should all buy our kid's costume on Halloween - what a deal! So, we have costume #1 - the giraffe that she wore around the house, and costume #2 - the cute kitty that she wore trick-or-treating and to our church's carnival. Parker lasted a few minutes in her caterpillar costume... until she fell asleep.

The fun started at our church's fall festival. Haven quickly spied her friend, Katie, and they quickly went from activity to activity. She loved going "fishing" for candy and found out that bobbing for apples is a whole lot easier grabbing them straight from the water filled bin. Halloween is so much fun for kids! I love seeing all the kiddos dressed up. =0)

Nate's Buck

As we were having fun at the Pumpkin Patch, Nate did shoot his buck this weekend on my family's farm up in Havre. He was happy to finally bring home some meat for our table, and a nice rack for the garage (it will not be displayed over our front door like he would like).

Pumpkin Patch!

I love the fall! There is something about the colors, the crisp air, the need to bake and have warm cider or hot cocoa, actually enjoying putting on a coat and hat for the first time, having a Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte in hand, watching (USC) football, picking out Halloween costumes ... I am getting carried away. Anyway, I like fall.

We were able to meet up with some friends at the local pumpkin patch today to ride ponies, pet goats, bob for apples, drink fresh pressed cider and even eat cotton candy - what a treat! Funny kid story: The other day I mentioned to Haven that I was "pooped!" She looked at me with an urgent expression on her face and said, "Mommy, just get that poop out!" Gotta love her figurative brain.

The Girls...

I can't believe how big Parker is! Parker has surpassed her sister in height and weight compared to when Haven was her age (3 1/2 months). We quickly put away the 0-3 month clothes and are now moving into 3-6 month stuff. Parker is a very happy, predictable baby and is very easy to love and take care of. She is mostly sleeping through the night (a few nights a week she will surprise me at 2:00 am), and is happy to be on a schedule of two naps a day. Haven loves her... almost too much at times. Parker is almost happy to take the extra hard squeezes from her big sister, as long as they are not suffocating!

I had grand plans today since we are all together as a family, however, I am still in my pj pants and it is 3:00 pm in the afternoon! I just had our washing machine fixed after three weeks without it. The part took three weeks to get here, and about 5 minutes to install... it was such a pain not being able to do the wash on a regular basis. So, I am catching up on piles of laundry! So much for the shower today - looks like I will be staying in my sweats with my hair askew.

The Haircut and Moxiberry

I really think there is some chemical from the brain that is released after having children that causes me, along with other moms, to have a huge desire to cut our hair. I did cut my hair after Haven was born, and was ready to do it again! I really do like it and love how easy it is. It is a nice change, which I was ready for. A more sophisticated look for a now 30 year old.

Kamille and I have visited the same frozen yogurt shop (Moxiberry) every single day since she arrived (five days in a row). We love the tart frozen yogurt with fresh fruit topping... it was the perfect treat on the warm days we had. YUM!!

Hiking with Kamille and London

We enjoyed beautiful weather this past week and took the opportunity to get outside among the colors of fall and hike with our girls. This spot is only a few miles from where we live, and thankfully not too long of a trek for Haven. However, long enough for her to need to go potty. I taught her the delicate balancing act of peeing in the woods! =0)

30th Birthday

I turned 30 yesterday. I can't believe I am this "old". I know, I know, this isn't old, but it is hard to believe I reached this big milestone so quickly! However, I feel blessed to have two beautiful girls and a husband that totally ROCKS! He completely shocked the pants of me last Saturday when he and my mother-in-law brought me to the local Starbucks promising me a drink. However, instead of a green tea frappacinno, my best friend, Kamille was sitting there with her 7 week old daughter, London. I was speechless. Kamille lives in South Indiana, and we try our hardest to see each other at least once a year. Phone time is difficult with two girls of my own and three girls of her own, so even having a conversation is a trial. So, this was definitely THE BEST birthday present to date. Nate deserves the "best hubby" award for this one!

Lat Monday night Nate also planned a birthday dinner with many of our close friends. We all enjoyed lots of laughs, good food and wine, and of course - dessert! What a fun way to celebrate! The guys had to take an opportunity to toast their gallant efforts of finishing off the 6 open bottles that remained on the table.

Yummm... Brownies!

We made brownies the other day and I had to capture this moment on film since she was so excited to lick the bowl!

Lake Chelan

We were at Lake Chelan for four days with my family and extended family. We were fortunate to get to spend time with my Grandma Doris, Aunt Renee, Uncle Ron, Cousin Garrett and his wife Kellie, along with their cute girls - McKynnlie and Evanjillie. This made for some special play time for the girls!

We had so much fun in the sun and sand. Haven LOVED playing in the sand and would have stayed on the beach all night long if I would have let her. Now, I am trying to figure out how to get sand out of her swimsuits... any ideas?

Also, I couldn't resist - I did get matching swimsuits and sun hats for Parker and Haven. I am not into buying matching outfits, but I can make an exception for cute little swim wear! =0)

Trip to see GG and Grandpa Mark

This last week the girls and I were in Washington visiting my parents. We made it to the Roslyn Coal Miners Labor Day Parade - quite the event for the small, rustic town.

JP Patches made an appearance. For those of you who don't know the legendary JP Patches (this includes myself), he was a Northwest local celebrity for many years as he had a morning TV show that was very popular with the kids "back in the day". My dad loved him when he was young.

Haven enjoyed giving money to support local community activities since she got TWO buttons in return. What a deal!

Parker Pics - 3 wks old

We had these pictures taken at the end of July... so precious... except for the part where Parker peed on me while I was holding her naked. I would never have guessed she could hold that much fluid in her at only three weeks old! I can't believe how much she has filled out and grown since then.