My trip to NY with the kids last month was seriously the best.  I think it is exactly what the doctor ordered!  We all just had such a fabulous time.  We were able to be there for 3 weeks so I have lots of adventures to report.  Hopefully I will take the time to post more eventually, but until then, I wanted to post this great picture that in my mind really captured just how happy we all felt there together.  My Mom and Dad have a special gift of loving and caring for their family, and I feel so blessed to be a recipient.  Thanks so much, Grandma Ka and Papa Stan.  We love you and miss you dearly!

 

We have been having reading time after dinner and clean up time.  It has been going really well to have a designated time we all relax and read together.  Oliver has been doing a great job reading to Janie.  It is really cute.  

Well, this wasn't her first day out in the rain exactly, but she did get to take an umbrella for the first time on her way to the bus stop.  It seemed that she was more aware of the rain than in the past.  She held it proudly to say the least.  She wouldn't let go of it when it was time to come in.  (Plus, she was determined to wear her dress to the bus stop as well. It wasn't that it was nice out.  It was pretty cold!)

The boys had a great time building these wood kits with Dad.  Oliver chose to build a bug house and George chose a locker. 

I have been really proud of Oliver.  We have been having a piano lesson together every day after lunch now since school started.  After 4 weeks now, he is a fast learner and taking a lot of pride in his new skill!  I am really excited for him.  This is him playing the last song in the 1st book.  He is now ready to go onto the 2nd book.  Way to go Oliver!

 

The first weekend in October, Uncle Adam and Aunt Tess invited us to go camping with them.  They got the sight and everything and even provided all the food.  It was delicious.  They treated us to fish tacos for dinner and an amazing breakfast with homemade granola with peaches, hash browns with veggies and sausage (for Oliver) and eggs.  Adam and Tess worked hard to feed us all.  It was fun to see Baby Elliot in his element!  He has taken lots of trips camping already in his 2 months of life.  I was grateful to get to be with them.  The boys had fun.  It rained while we put everything away but the towering trees provided enough cover for us that it wasn't too bad.  It was a 2 hour drive but it was so beautiful and scenic. Robby had a deadline that kept him from coming Friday to camp but he came up the next day to be with us.  The boys all went off roading in his new 4 Runner and Tess and I and the babies hung out at a park with lots of nice trails to walk around for the afternoon.  The boys were stoked to report they got to shoot Uncle Adam's rifle while they were there.  Oliver has their target paper hung up on the cork board in his room.  

It was a fabulous time.  Even though there was a lot of set up and work for just one night it was well worth it.  I would really like to go back to that camp ground next summer.  Thanks for treating us to a great weekend, Adam and Tess!

There are so many blackberry bushes around us that we have pretty much been visiting them all daily.  This is partly because it is just fun and also because they are so delicious.  Janie loves to eat them and we love to bike around to the various places to pick them.  I didn't get a picture of the yummy cobbler George requested we make with the ones we picked this last weekend.  But I do like this picture because it kind of captures just how wild they look and are with all their prickly branches and spiders that tend to gather near them.  But man are they yummy and sure make a great late summer outing!  

Oh, and Grandma Carol… notice the berry bowl!  We love it.  

 

Janie found this dress that Aunt Marissa had sent her deep down in her drawer.  And when she found it, she got the biggest smile on her face!   I was happy she got it because it seemed so huge for her but it definitely fits!  She insisted putting it on and went and got this sweater and these sunglasses and shoes and purse.  The accessories just don't end!   It was really darling actually how proud she was of her get up.  She was getting ready to go get George from the bus stop and ran out of the house with a mission.  She does the same thing twice a day.  Once, at noon when we wait for Oliver at the bus stop and again in the late afternoon when George comes home.  I had to post these photos because it is just too cute to see the way she races to them when they get off the bus each day and the huge hugs that always follow.  We will see how long this goes for, so far it is 2 weeks and counting...

 

I was looking through childhood photos the other day.  It was fun to see pics of me after Janie has grown up a bit now and definitely has certain looks that she makes regularly and a little personality that I couldn't help but see in myself as I looked at these pics, facial expressions and all!  I thought especially the one of me in the overalls looks so much like her.  Those are pretty awesome overalls, by the way, Mom.  I wish I had them for Janie!  Plus, I had to add the one with me in my leotard since Jane is such a dancer already.  She loves to move and one of her favorite words to say is..."dance!"  She is quickly approaching her 2 year old birthday here real soon and it is so fun to think about the last 2 years with her and the ones ahead of us.  

It makes me excited for my own kids to have all the pics we have for them of their childhood.  It is funny though with our digital cameras how many more photos we have taken so far.  And they are still so little.  It makes me wonder if they will appreciate it in the same way with so many.  But as I looked at these photos of me, I think you just eat up every memory that the picture provides!  It is a good reminder for me to keep taking lots of pics and keep up this blog so that the kids can read and be reminded of specific times together that otherwise might be forgotten. Technology has sure come a long way and can make things like this so easy.  The only barrier is just making the time to do it!  It is so valuable though and I always feel so happy when I make the time to do it.  

It is so fun to see and remember the happy life I had as a child as well as the happy life I am continuing to have as a mother to 3 kids of my own!  I feel very blessed.

This was the first Saturday after school had started.  It was a beautiful day that actually reached in the low 80s.  That is a really big deal around here.  Jonathon and Landon came over and the boys played outside the whole day.  They searched and found frogs, played with water balloons, put the hose down the slide and did tricks into the kid pool at the bottom of the slide.  It was a great day.  We all lived in our swimsuits and soaked in some last rays of the season.  So fun!

The second day of school Jane had a friend over.  Janie was in heaven with babies and strollers.   Jane had  become quite attached to Krista's baby and stroller.  So we went and got Jane's push toy and baby for Krista.  Thankfully she was willing to swap.  Jane cried hard when it came time for Krista to leave.  It would be nice if it was because Krista was leaving but I think it was probably because she was taking her toys with her!

My Mom and Dad left two days before the first day of school.  They came for a long stay to see their new grandson, Elliot Barlow.  I was really sad when it was time to say goodbye.  I think the tears in their leaving was two fold; saying goodbye to them but also the reality of our summer ending.  I had been looking forward to their visit all summer and now it was over. But we really did have such a fabulous trip and I am going to miss them very much.  Thankfully I will see them again in November for 3 weeks!  So it is goodbye for now… see you soon!  Thanks for coming!

I loved this picture of my Mom with her sister, my Aunt Marsha.  It is so fun to have her in our lives.  I feel lucky we live near her.  Whenever she comes over I am reminded we need to get together more!  I love getting to know her.  She is loving and kind and thoughtful and so fun to be with.  I had to include the picture of the day when she brought Roxy to play with the kids.  It was so fun to see her.  And Janie just loved having her around, although I am not sure Roxy thought the same of her… Jane was a little too excited I think for Roxy's liking.  She hid under Marsha's chair for a while, but got more comfortable over time.  I thought it was so cute when Jane was trying to kiss her.

We were so lucky to get to attend Elliot's baby blessing.  Adam said a beautiful blessing giving him a beautiful name and it was followed by lots of pictures on this sunny day and lots of delicious food that the family prepared.  It was so fun to see Tess' family and get to spend time with them as well.  Tess and Adam and the family provided a fabulous day.  (Oh ya, and also note Elliot's darling shoes that Tess whipped out the night before!) 

Welcome to the world Elliot!  (As George said on the drawing he made for him)

This was the boys and my first time on real rock.  It was really fun and I was happy Adam and Tess gave us the chance to try it out.  The boys had rain shoes on (whoops!), so it was hard for them to climb but they really enjoyed it!  Mom and Dad were troopers and tried it as well.  Tess' family also came so it was fun to spend time with them.  It was eventful hiking back down to the car has it got dark very quickly.  The boys loved having to use Uncle Adam's headlight to see.  We met Robby for Burgers on the way home at 9 at night.  I had to laugh when we pulled into the parking lot and all three kids had fallen asleep.  But the burgers were worth it!

The boys worked hard to make a fort for themselves.

Papa and the kids playing.

Our delicious foil dinners!

We had to take a pic of Adam's perfectly roasted marshmallows… yum!