Halloween in (mostly) Pictures

Halloween was pretty low key for us.  With all the craziness of the previous week, we found ourselves on October 30th with uncarved pumpkins on our porch. With Scott still in recovery, we needed a quick solution and that lead us to Mr. Potato Head. Owen was able to carve almost his whole pumpkin, but still liked the option of adding Mr Potato Head ears. So easy. We may do that every year!

The kids were fearful pirates and it was fun to trick-or-treat in regular clothes and not the full winter gear that's usually required on October 31st in Bend. We even met some more neighbors with kids. Arrrrgh!!

Wordless-ish Wednesday: Visiting the Man in Red

Anticipation...

 Our turn...

 Wait, someone is missing here...

 No...

 Family Photo!

Christmas 2

Christmas is one of those days that lasts forever... in the best way!  After filling our "sleigh" with freshly opened gifts, we joined what seemed to be an unusually large number of holiday travelers heading north out of Seattle. We arrived at the lake to happy, smiling faces... happy to see us, and happy that the power had clicked on minutes earlier, making Christmas Dinner a much more likely occurrence!

Before we could unload the car, Owen was lost to Grandma's play room. We experienced a "Christmas Miracle!" with him and Calla playing nicely together without adult supervision.

 Presents for the kids before dinner... more Pirates!

Calla opened an assortment of imaginative play items - cleaning supplies, tool box, and this shopping cart that probably made 100 laps around the house. She was in great spirits and it was fun to spend some auntie time playing our own version of Uno Moo.

Josh came down with a nasty Christmas Cough and spent the day mostly in my lap with mouth clamped shut.

We convinced Conrad that those that give gifts with small parts are responsible for helping put them together. =) Thankfully, he was happy to help. These two spent at least an hour diligently working. Probably my favorite Christmas moment to observe the generations working together...

...and see that they were still all smiles at the end!

After getting the (exhausted!) kids down for the night, we shared our adult gift exchange. Everyone seemed thrilled with their gifts, with good laughs, and stories all around.

The kids snuck in some gingerbread house decorating before Ryan & Sara headed home and we got to relax at the lake for a day of decompression.  The kids got some quality Aunt Kate time before she heads back to Alaska and Scott and I were introduced us to Settlers of Catan, which may prove fatal to any chance of remaining evening productivity...

We capped off our Christmas travels with at 12 hour trip home.  This time, not due to weather, but our many stops - rest areas, Portland houses, kids new child care, outlet malls, "um, I guess I do need to pee" stops on the side of the road, slow pizza dinner, and then driving rain over the pass. Four weary travelers happy to be home in our own beds and marveling that it may have been the last time we make that long drive for the holidays.  A 4 hour jaunt up from Portland next year is sounding pretty easy!

Christmas 1

Thanks to the mild "winter" we've been having in the northwest, our Christmas trip to Seattle was without many of the usual stresses and adventures. Plus, our kids seem to have matured into easy travelers, and this trip was the first in 4 1/2 years that did not require any baby gear or special sippy cups.  Our boys are content in sleeping bags on the floor and Josh even watched 15-20 minutes of movies during our long drives.

My parents treated us to an evening of the Christmas sights in Bellevue - Lights at the Botanical Garden, dinner downtown, and then fighting the crowds to see the Snowflake Lane. Josh was enamored with the drummers and it was a great way to enjoy the big city Christmas spirit that we can't get in Bend.

Christmas Eve started with our Montessori Party - FOUR young kids in the mix this year really shifted he focus from our generation to the next.  It was great fun to meet Tyler and Kristen's son, William and Kristen and I were able to share the antics of busy, busy toddler boys. Colin and Erin also arrived with Claire after this picture - first time meeting her as well, as she was just days old at Christmas last year.  We missed Ryan and Ashley who were both in Cali with their in-laws, but Deanna brought Oma instead and she entertained us with stories that are only earned by being in amazing health and mind at 86!

 For our Elves' Party, the Elves left us a new game - Zingo! Nana and Papa also broke out new light sabers...

 

Leaving treats for Santa...

 After tucking the kids in, we embarked on some classic games - Taboo, Pictionary, and Anomia, with Todd being the clear winner in all three.

The next morning: Checking to see if he came...

Santa left Owen these Hot Wheels tracks and Josh a Mr. Potato Head family, though the play patterns over the last week indicate that the Hot Wheels track would have been more than enough gift for both of them to share.

We also began what Owen eventually dubbed, "A very Pirate-y Christmas!"  Swords for both boys, a massive playmobile ship and a pirate book for Owen, smaller ships, more swords, and a sticker book later in the day at the Lake.

Since we packed all our gifts up to Seattle this year, we were all overly showered with gifts. Scott opened a new rain jacket, bike accessories galore, clothing and UW swag. I was lucky with two boxes of tall brown boots, clothing, new crock pot, cook books, and my favorite chocolate. The boys found stockings full of art supplies, remote control robots, and other great toys. Love those PJ hugs on Christmas Morning!

Birthday Reflections

Owen had a somewhat never-ending birthday. We started celebrating with grandma and grandpa down in Sunriver, continued with Owen's "official" party - a BBQ in the park with friends, enjoyed opening presents with Nana and Papa, and ended with a July 5th Fireworks display on the day Owen actually turned 4. Few! After all that celebrating, the presents we had purchased (other than the bike) still hadn't arrived (Mom was a little late on that Amazon.com order). In the end, those gifts ended up stored for Christmas instead... look, I'm early!

With Grandma and Grandpa, I managed to make the ugliest plate of cupcakes possible... from a box mix. I guess there's a reason they call for vegetable oil - butter will not substitute.

Thankfully, Owen didn't seem to mind.
Neither did Josh.
And the presents that arrived from the extended Maxwell family were a hit!

The BBQ party was a wonderful celebration of friends, summer, and the joy of being outdoors. We invited 12 of Owen's friends from school and playgroup. I figured most would be out of town for the long 4th of July weekend. (Note to self: for the 3rd year in a row, that has NOT been the case!) Instead, between friends, parents, and siblings, we ended up with nearly 40 people RSVP'd to the party! Good thing we love our friends AND planned for a BBQ in the park. It was a great evening to be out playing in the grass.
Need a sense of how these kids have grown up? check out the pic from Owen's second birthday party here. Lily is on the right in both pics.
Clearly some sort of important negotiation going on between Owen and Hazel.
Oh, and my cupcakes turned out much better this time. Made from scratch. Chocolate chip cupcakes with strawberry or mini-chip toppings.
As always, we requested no gifts. Instead, many of Owen's friends spent time making this assortment of cards. So sweet!

The final gift - the sandbox from Nana and Papa has been a daily hit in our house!
The final celebration. After all that party, we were sort of at a loss of what to do for Owen's actual birthday day. It was a work/school day, so we needed a quick evening activity. We were thinking of a family trip out for ice cream, but then Scott was able to pick-up some last minute, day after, boy are those cheap, fireworks. Winner! I think that's a new tradition - 'cause we clearly need another way to celebrate this summer birthday!

Mothers' Day Photo Shoot

For Mother's Day, we tried to take a family photo. Here's a great idea, we thought. Let's use the nifty feature on our new camera that lets you take a whole series of shots in a row. That way, we're sure to get one with all of us looking decent. Judge for yourself:

Make a gif
So instead, we retreated inside and for dinner, enjoyed delish enchillas cooked by Scott and appropriately named, "Supernatural Brownies" made by my favorite bakers.

These are the boys that make me a mother. What a gift they are!