A few fall pictures

I spend quite a bit of my time driving kids to and from different activities. I've been loving the scenery lately, with all the beautiful fall colors. I still can't get over what a beautiful place this is. I finally put my camera in the car, and stopped to take a few pictures along the way.

Happy Fall!

Fall Happenings

As you can see from my last post, we've been a bit busy around here. That day was a pretty typical day, and some days are even busier. Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to.

Soccer

gymnastics

carving pumpkins

and snuggling this little guy

who is 8 weeks old today!

Today

6:45 a.m. got up, fed the baby while I read scriptures.
Hurry to wake up Sarah 5 minutes late because the baby was still eating.
Make breakfast and lunch for Sarah; get her out the door
Wake up Rachel, Ben and Kate
Make breakfast for rest of family. Put Halloween sprinkles in their oatmeal to get them to eat it. Make lunches while everyone else eats. Make homemade granola for breakfast tomorrow. Eat Ben and Kate's leftover oatmeal and one leftover pancake for breakfast
Tie shoes, find jackets, put lunches in backpacks
Send Rachel and Ben to the bus stop
Stir granola in the oven
Take quick shower
Take granola out of oven
Watch webcast for work. During webcast I also feed William and play pegs with Kate
Read books with Kate
Have conference call, during which I fold laundry, iron, and sweep the stairs
Make lunch for Kate
Feed William, grab leftovers for lunch
Leave for picture appointment for William. Arrive 5 minutes late, but still wait for 15 minutes. Have mediocre pictures done at a place in the mall because I could never decide on a real photographer and this kid is growing up way too fast.
Sit at mall play place so Kate could play.
Finally leave mall and stop at nearby furniture store. Go into the store with a hungry baby and no pacifier. I told the salesman that I had about 3 minutes and I wanted to see large dining room sets that seat at least 10. Nothing like a fussy baby to expedite things.
Feed William in the car, trying to make him hurry...yeah right.
Arrive home 3 minutes after the bus
Take Sarah to piano
Arrive home and miss Rachel and Ben's bus since piano teacher was running behind
Clean up bathroom because one child didn't quite make it
Deliver Ben and Kate to playdate
Pick up Sarah from piano
Help Sarah with homework
Get Rachel ready for soccer
Say brief hello to David as he arrives just in time to take Rachel to soccer
Start making dinner. Stop making dinner to feed baby. Finish making dinner
Phone calls, talk to friend who dropped off Ben & Kate.
Eat dinner--finally
Encourage kids to do their jobs again and again (but not so nicely anymore)
Listen to Ben do his piano from the other room
Quick trip to Target
Bedtime, baths, scriptures, prayers, to bed to bed and out again.
Gather up library books for tomorrow
Fill out school picture order forms and look for checkbook
Hope that William will eventually go to sleep....

Balding Baby

So William is losing his hair. I know lots of babies lose their hair, but William is losing it like an old man, like more traditional male pattern baldness. My other babies would get bald spots on the back from rubbing their heads around and sleeping on the backs. Not William, he is losing it from his forehead back.

Such a funny kid. He's growing like crazy right before our eyes. Some days I get him out of the crib and can tell he grew overnight. He's definitely not a newborn anymore. No more skinny chicken legs. He kicks hard and doesn't want to stay wrapped up in a blanket anymore. He stays awake for long periods of time--like five or six hours--and wants to eat all the time. He's even been sleeping for five or six hours straight during the night. He's started smiling. And crying lots of big tears. He has brought so much love into our home. How I love this little man!

Kindness

I've been meaning for some time to do a post about how kind people have been to us since we've moved here. But after what happened last night, I can't wait anymore.

Yesterday I picked the kids up from school and took them to meet David at the hospital. He had called and said a new batch of flu vaccines had arrived and he was able to save some for our kids. (Last weekend when he took general pediatrics call, he took care of an otherwise healthy 10-year-old that almost died from the flu, so we've been anxious to get our kids vaccinated.) When we were done, David was able to finish up his work and leave with us. Since it wasn't too late we decided we would do some much needed furniture shopping and then go to dinner at the Olive Garden (we had been given a gift card recently that we thought it would be fun to use, which, by the way, is yet another kind thing someone did for us). We did some shopping and then went to dinner. We had a great time. William slept through the whole thing, and our kids were fairly well behaved. They are finally getting old enough that it is getting easier to go out to eat with the whole crew. As we were getting ready to leave, our server told us that our tab was taken care of-- someone had paid for our dinner. Wow! I couldn't believe it! Dinner for all six of us is getting to be quite an expense, especially since Sarah and Rachel no longer eat off the kids menu. Why would anyone do that? The server told us that whoever had paid was no longer in the restaurant, so we couldn't even thank them. David reminded me that he was still in his uniform (I'm so used to seeing him that way, I sometimes forget) and maybe that was someone's way of thanking him (and us) for his service to our country. Wow! I'm overwhelmed by someone's kindness.


I've been with him other times where he was in uniform and strangers have come up to him and thanked him for his service. It is always so touching to me, and reminds me that I should thank others more often than I do.

Yesterday wasn't the only incidence of kindness. We've been bombarded with kindness since we have moved here. The ladies from my ward gave me a baby shower when William was only a couple weeks old. So many women came and generously prepared food and gave wonderful gifts--all for someone they only barely met. Some people I met at the baby shower for the first time. And the week William was born--people brought dinners and helped out in so many ways. The young women from church had a cooking class that week and afterwards brought all the food to me--three large pans of chicken enchiladas, homesade salsa and chips, and cookies. We still have one pan of enchiladas in the freezer, saved for one of the days when I just can't quite pull it all together.

And then there is my Mom who has come over a few times and cleaned my house and dried plums for me and helped prepare meals. And my brother Bob and his wife Jeanette who came for the funeral but spent a day at my house. It was the day after I came home from the hospital and they came and brought food for dinner, made dinner and cleaned it up. Then the next day they took the kids shopping and came home with presents for the baby. Who wouldn't love visitors like that? Then there is my sister Karen who drove over to watch the kids so I could have the baby and my friend Karin who watched the kids when I went into the hospital intially. I could go on and on. People are so kind. Sometimes I think I'm not a very kind person. I don't always think of doing nice things for people because I am so caught up in my own world. I honestly wouldn't think of buying dinner for complete strangers. But now that we've been the recipients of such overwhelming kindness, I want to do better at looking for ways to lift others around me. Just think what our world would be like if everyone was treated how we have been treated and all of us were looking for ways to help others. It would be a different world, wouldn't it?

A Trip to the Farm

The kids had a day off of school on Friday, so we took a trip to Maris Farms. The weather was fantastic, and it was the best pumpkin patch we've ever been to!

Not only did we pick a perfect pumpkin, but we rode tractors,

jumped like crazy,

and walked several miles through a gigantic corn maze.

The kids also played in a barn filled with corn about 18 inches deep (think ball pit), climbed a giant milk carton climbing wall, took a hay ride, saw the animals, made ourselves dizzy in the vortex room, and went on a mineshaft (underground) slide. They were so worn out and very dirty when we were done and all slept good that night! It was a good day.

I Live in a Postcard

It is so beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest! As I drive around, I feel like I must be living in a postcard. We have been having fabulous fall weather with picture-perfect blue skies and breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier.

I know that the weather will change soon and the rain will come and we won't see this view of the mountain over the harbor for another nine months or so, so I thought I would take some pictures to enjoy during the long winter ahead.

Even though I'm missing the fall colors of Maryland, I'm definitely enjoying the beauty of Washington.