Halloween is coming

Does this freek you out as much as it does me?

Pumpkins

Via

 

Holy cow I love this idea!!!  I think that is just about the most adorable pumpkin I've ever seen and I have all the stuff. I think I need one or two. Maybe one with narrow mouth lids and one with the wide mouth lids. They would turn out with different sizes right? Maybe I need three. Maybe I should make them for my ladies I visit teach. 

So Far September

September is a busy month for CPA and I've worked a lot over the past few weeks but we did make time to visit... THE STATE FAIR!

 Maddy LOVES the state fair. We took her last year and she had such a great time so we decided to come back again.  Unfortunately, the only time we could come was on a Monday night so we didn't spend quite as much time as we would have liked but it was still so much fun.

Maddy loved this balloon ride but two years in a row I've gotten off it feeling might sick to my stomach. Next year hopefully she'll be old enough to ride it without me. I could handle all the other kiddie rides but this one about did me in.

In other September news:

Granny, Granny . . .

Over labor day weekend, Scott joined his brother Jeff and Jeff's father-in-law for some salmon fishing on the Colombia river. I flew to Portland on Friday evening and spent a glorious day to myself in the hotel room and then on the side of the road in the car while Scott did some fly fishing. That evening we visited with Jeff and Chantiel and her family and then Sunday morning we got on the road for the long trip from Kelso, Washington to  Boise, Idaho and then Monday from Boise, ID to SLC, Utah.

 Oregon was both pretty (with lots of trees) and ugly (with lots of blah).

We came home with salmon. Lots. Too bad Scott doesn't like it. He made some for me to eat and we gave some to our sweet neighbors in trade for the vegetables they've been sharing with us all summer.

Katie watched Maddy while we were gone and she was wonderful to her, as evidenced by her cute hairdo you can see in the above picture. Why won't Maddy sit nicely for me and let me do pretty things with her hair? Thanks Katie.

All in August

We've lived in our home for 6 years now and Scott decided that it was time to do something about the backyard. It's been a mess since that very first fall when we let the grass die and it became a pile of dust and morning glory. The yard sloped a great deal from the back right into the house which has always worried us when it rains. So, when Scott rented a bobcat to do some front yard work, he graded the back yard as well so it sloped away from the house. Due to the hill though, It was necessary that we add in a retaining wall at the back of the yard.

We hired a local company to come put in the rocks and we are so pleased with how the work has turned out. I with the pictures would do it justice, they really don't. One of these days we'll have sprinklers and grass and then maybe we'll invite you over for a dinner party and you can see it then!

 They did all the work but they thanked us. Nice huh?

Also in August, we visited the pool at grandma scooter-rides new house with the Snow cousins.

And at the end of the month to celebrate our 10th anniversary, Scott and I visited Franck's. I had the Sous Vide Wagyu Sirloin Medallions with smoked strawberry sauce (Pretty huh?). As a special appetizer for Scott they made us a pork shank with fois gras ice cream. This chef is TALENTED. Did I ever tell you about the "cereal milk ice cream" I had? I laughed the whole time I ate it because it tasted just exactly like the milk at the bottom of the bowl after you've eaten your fruity pebbles. Too creative. I recommend it highly!

So, August went by quickly and as it turns out, September is now more than halfway gone too. Before I know it, it will be 2013.

Lyla Bear

Maddy has been really quite good at keeping herself dry overnight for the past while. I wasn't sure that the day would actually come. That said however, in order to keep her dry we had to stop drinking beverages after about 7:00 and make sure that there was a visit to the potty one last time right before bed. That visit was quite often a fight. Scott made a deal with Maddy that if she was dry in bed for three weeks straight then we would go to the toy store.

As the day got closer they agreed upon a visit to Build-A-Bear. The night before I had this horrible thought - what if we wake up in the morning and she's "peeped" (in our house we poop and peep)??? Will I have the strength to start her all over? I prayed really hard that night that she would make it. Gratefully she did.

It was "Bearamy's" birthday that day so all the kids wore birthday hats to celebrate.

During the days leading up to the visit she went through many iterations of what kind of bear she would pick. A pink one, a red one, a white one with polka dots. I was surprised when she settled on the traditional brown.

Maddy now has a bear named "Lyla" who had to have a pink dress with sparkles, pink shoes with sparkles (dad talked her out of high heels), and satin panties to match. Lyla bear has a heart inside that Maddy rubbed on her arm, her knees, her nose and then kissed. I can't remember what all the actions were for - strength, love, some other cute things. They sure do make a grand production and it's quite wonderful.

Maddy's bear is named after her best friend at Miss Swendy's school. Do you ever wonder if the person who your child thinks of as their best friend also thinks of your child as their best friend? Am I weird for wondering?

In Memory

We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

(from OK memorial site)

 

 

Last week I traveled to Oklahoma City for a business meeting and had some time to kill before I had to return to the airport for my flight. I went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and it was a sobering visit. The morning of April 16, 1995, 168 people were killed in a massive explosion - the act of a terrorist. 

 

Six months after the Oklahoma City memorial was completed, on September 11, 2001, the act of terrorists was felt again. I have not been to New York. I have not been to the Pentagon. However, having just visited the Oklahoma City memorial and having just been thinking about the senseless nature of mass killing, I feel a bit more somber and sad today on the 11th anniversary of this event.

 

I don't know why people do what they do. I'm not sure that I want to actually be able to understand it. To be honest, I don't even know what to write in this post other than I'm sorry for the loss of so many. I'm sorry for the scars that terrorism leaves behind. I'm grateful for the opportunity to renew and restore what was once there. I'm grateful for the memory left behind and for these days that help me pause to feel thankful for the blessings I have. I'm grateful for my knowledge that there is life after death and we will see our loved ones again.