What's a fever at the pumpkin patch?

You'd think that judging by this picture:

And this picture:

...my post title would be referring to Miss M. Not true. No, those are just more examples of our girl's feisty side--stubborn and strong-willed to no end! And, well, perhaps a little diva like, questioning why oh why would we make her walk (heaven forbid!) all the way around the pumpkin patch?! She's a girl with attitude, I tell ya! And we wouldn't change her for a second. Not even a little.

No, actually, it was Grayson who spiked a fever the night before. BUT, how could we pass up the opportunity to head to Heiser's Farm when A.) it was a beautiful fall afternoon and B.) Grandma happened to be in town, just by chance? Nope, we couldn't resist. Besides, a little fresh air would surely do G good, right? (And, to be honest, he wasn't acting like he felt sick.) So we gave it a go, and, as always, we had a wonderful time. And like I said, it was an added bonus to have my mom with us. Growing up where I did, going to the pumpkin patch wasn't a possibility. Going to Paul's, the local grocery store, was more like it. So I'm glad that Mom got to experience one of our family's October traditions with us. And tradition it is. Always Heiser's Farm. Every year. But I think Grayson may argue that this was the LAST year for me to make him "pose" on the pedal tractors.

Yeah, he does look a little big, doesn't he? (And sickly, for that matter. Oops!)

Check out this post from last year to see each year's "pose". How did we arrive at 2009 so fast?!

And check out the slideshow down below for the rest of the 2009 experience.

Children's Museum

Every year in October, Oregon schoolkids (and teachers) get an extra day off from school thanks to what's known as "Statewide Inservice Day". As a teacher, I could engage in some sort of professional development--either a workshop or a seminar--OR I can just enjoy a day off. I mean I love my career and all, and it's important to me that my methods and strategies stay current, but who am I kidding? A day to hang out with my kids and stay in my pjs 'til noon if I want to? I'll take it! Every time.



In fact, actually, the last couple of years there has not been much lazing around in pjs during this particular weekend. No time to be lazy at Disneyland! Yep, that's right, the last 2 years we took advantage of some great deals and headed south to see Mickey and friends. But not this year. So instead I started dreaming up a multitude of ideas. The one that seemed most likely was an overnight stay at Great Wolf Lodge up in Washington. But then, well, this happened:



Molly, of course, was FINE after her accident, but our bank account? How much does a CT scan cost anyway? Ha! Ha! That was the question that, at the time, we didn't know the answer to, so we decided it was probably best to save our pennies...just in case. (Today, because this post is only like 1 month late (!!!) I can tell you that a CT scan plus a level 4 ER visit (whatever that means?) is exactly $2,641.15. Thank goodness we have insurance! Though our portion to pay was still hefty enough. Sigh.)

So, long story short, we scaled back our plans and stayed local, spending much of Saturday at the Children's Museum in Portland. It had been quite awhile since our last visit there, and I wasn't expecting Grayson to seem so big! I'm definitely not saying that the place isn't appropriate or geared toward a 6 year-old, but for our boy, there was no sense of wonder or the look of amazement in his eyes like there was when he was 4. He still had fun, but I think he, too, was surprised to feel so grown up amid all the wild toddlers and preschoolers. Since when is 6 too grown up?!



Molly delighted in everything, especially the face paint. Multiple times. Who knew that face paint could last on one's face so long? :) It must have been the multi-layer factor.

All in all, a good day. But I'll be honest. It's hard for me to stay put during a 4 day weekend! So next year, honey, we're gonna hit the road! Or else...




I know, I'm hilarious.

He shoots. He scores!

And I have not one picture. Which wouldn't be that surprising for, say, some of my other friends like...cough...Allison...cough. But do you know how many soccer games I've been tracking the action of thru the lens of my little Canon Powershot?!? There I was, always poised and ready whenever the ball got even remotely close to G's feet. Until last night. After all, it was FREEZING cold and raining. But then it happened. All it took was one sweet pass from his buddy James and a swift kick from Grayson into the goal. SCOOOOORRRREEEE! And the best part, besides the precious, excited look on G's face, was the fact that the rest of the "crowd" on our team's side was just as excited for our little guy as Dave and I were. We'd all been trying to will that goal to happen for 3 seasons now. Coaches included.

Mission accomplished. Good job, Buddy!

What's that, you say?

On a recent family drive to Salem...Grayson, Dave, and I were all visiting--talking about our days. Molly started 'mooing' from the back seat. Loudly.

Me: "Whatcha doin' Molly?"

M: "Just cowing."


Another day...

M: "Momma, why do you like to snuggle me?"

Me: "Because I love you so much."

M: "And because I'm soft?"


And just last night...Mind you, Grayson scored his first soccer goal EVER!

Me: "G, that was definitely the most exciting thing that has happened all season!"

G: (responding in a 'let down' kind of way) "You mean not in your whole life?!?"

Ummm, well...

I sure do love my kids!

Could it be?

What's that a picture of, you ask? That would be a sticker chart. For poop. Specifically, poop in the potty. Not on the carpet, not in the tub, not in panties, and heavens no, not in the pretty princess pull-ups. The same pull-ups that probably cost us half of our retirement! Seriously. Because we started that sticker chart a loooooooooonnnnnng time ago. Like a year ago. Okay, maybe not a whole year, but it seems like it was about 8 years ago. But, alas, a bazillion dollars and hundreds of pull-ups later, we may have turned a corner. Or perhaps we rounded a mountain would be more like it! Because today our stubborn, strong-willed, almost 4 year-old daughter earned her very last sticker!!! Yahoo! So off to the toy store we will go--Miss M in her frilly TinkerBell panties and maybe, just maybe even showing a little crack when she bends down! (Believe me, I'm just happy that crack gets to see the light of day.)

Hello, Soccer!

My 'soccer mom' position has resumed for the season! Yay! And today was game day--our first one. I can't believe the difference a year makes! Those boys didn't lose a beat. In fact, I think they found their beat! What a great little team. And here's looking forward to another great (hopefully DRY) season!


Notice the blue raincoat? It was POURING when we first got to the field. Hello, soccer season (in Oregon)!

Can't you tell these boys are happy to be back at it? Love it.

Halftime pep talk from the new coach.

G played goalie the entire second half! He blocked 3 shots and didn't get scored on once! Good job, Buddy!

Such a soccer stud. Calm, cool, and collected. :)

The Orange ______??? (I'm not sure we have a team name yet.) But nonetheless, they were victorious!

The return of the Spirit Tunnel. Oh, yeah.