October

Let this photo summarize the joy of fall:

 I waited a long time in a line for this cob of corn. It was worth it! Also, all this food: YUM.

Swans Farm does a pretty bang up job of a pumpkin patch.

 Let's get a close up on the plaid folks. Plaid was the right choice!

 Just tryna look all cute and natural with tiny pumpkins.

 Snuggle the pumpkin. Snuggle it.

 Just tryna make it look natural to lift pumpkins twice your weight!

 Another hike! Can we keep up this one hike a month thing? I hope so!

This time we went to Twin Falls hike near Snoqualmie. Really surpassed my expectations!

 Lots of falls and dry all day. Beautiful hike.

Maybe this was back in September? Adam and I felt all urban by biking to the UW football stadium from our house to watch the BYU/UW game. We felt double awesome when we got there and they had free valet parking for bikes. Seattle rules.

At halftime we met up and chatted for a bit with my cousin, Carrie, and her hubby Nick. 

Good. Times. Once again, Carrie and I were reminiscing about when we were college roomies at BYU and I did a very inappropriate photo shoot while wearing this sweatshirt. The photos have since been discarded (I found them recently and didn't want my kids to see them), but let's just say they involved a long stem rose between my teeth. Ooh la la.

 BYU lost horribly, but Adam had split loyalties and got to be happy either way.

During one mega-fun weekend in October, we saw Beyonce at CenturyLink Stadium...

... and The Aces! My niece, McKenna, is in this band and they opened for Five Seconds of Summer at Paramount Theatre.

 It's been so fun to see her band be so successful. They started as four gal pals in middle school and they've been performing all over the world for several years. They will return to Seattle in February to headline their own show. Such awesome ladies.
She showed us her tour van. Um. Living the dream.

 It's one of those situations where you feel cool by extension. Go, McKenna!

In July we got to visit Adam's grandma, Betty.

She died mid-October. 

We are so glad we got to see her when we did. She was such a wonderful person. I'm lucky to have had her in my life. She and Adam visited Italy together, just the two of them, several years after he got home from his mission there. Her father's birthplace was Genoa and she wanted to see it and all the other amazing sites in Italy. She left behind a box of pictures for him to take, and this gem was inside. You can't fake that patina. That's 2005, baby! I'm so happy they got to take that special trip together.

 While listening to the memories shared by several grandchildren at her funeral, it became apparent that she all made us feel like the most special grandchildren, each of us specifically. She even made me feel that way and I'm not even a blood relative! She was vivacious and gregarious and she loved everyone. Betty's kids:
Adam and his siblings.

 Sibs and spouses; just missing Devin.

 Our kids and their cousins:

 Sienna and Hailey.

 My in-laws.

Let's finish October strong with a salute to Halloween. We had a werewolf and a racoon this year. Cute as ever!

September

For Labor Day we drove to Ellensburg to see the rodeo. It's a huge deal (all the pros are there) and I was so excited to go. Rodeos were a normal part of my childhood and such an American thing. Next door was the Kittitas County Fair, so I was gearing up for a day of American fried food goodness and bucking bulls and broncos.

Ellensburg has a strong Native American community and the rodeo opening ceremonies included not only an amazing presentation by the group, but also a friendship dance where members of the audience were invited to join hands in a circle with them and dance together. The kids and I joined and it was a heartwarming experience. If all towns respected, revered and honored the tribes and people who came before us, we'd all have stronger, loving communities. Go, Ellensburg!

It was a scorching day and we were all melting. The kids did pretty well and were interested and confused by it all. Lots of questions and lots of realizing myself that animal rights activists must go nuts over this kind of thing....I hesitate to Google it... :(

 We did let the kids loose at the carnival for a bit.

 I showed them the wonder of a fried twinkie and fried oreos. Sienna loved them.

 Another weekend in September we went on a hike. Rainy and chilly on this day!

 I can't remember where we went but it's a mecca for climbers. On a dry day, I'm sure it'd be neat to see them do their thing.

 At some point on this hike, the kids expressed that they LOVED hiking. And I felt like my work as a parent was paying off. I want my kids to be comfortable and happy and fulfilled in nature. Go, nature!

 Sidenote: Adam Ware is a sexy man.

 The day after Labor Day we moved into our house. The kids were each at least two feet shorter when they lived here last! Crazy. It was so nice to be HOME again.



One of my favorite things in the world is putting all my stuff in an empty kitchen.


Beforehand we had some time after the renters moved out to have a painter come do a couple rooms. It felt so good to move into a place that was mostly ready to go. I spent much of the month doing my own painting and touching up of walls that needed some attention.

We did a full day of rug shopping. Silly kids alert. We should have just started with West Elm. Note to future self.

Kids started school and met the mascot, Ollie the Orca.

The clean up pretty nicely.

I started design school in the middle of September and didn't take any photographic proof. I was way too nervous for that. But I can say it's going really well (after the crazy scramble of cobbling together childcare and finally getting into a routine that works for me and my childcare people). Hooray for reinventing myself!