One-Year Pics

Here are two pictures from Mae's one-year photo shoot. The one where she just randomly started walking. It was a fun day and Stephanie got some great pics!

A big smile that is all Mae. Shows her personality exactly.

And the two of them together. Smiling. Almost a miracle. And I didn't even remember to brush Etta's hair before we started taking pics. Don't you wish that your hair did that naturally?

Dead Computer

The Sunday night before Thanksgiving my computer died. Hard drive crashed. That's why there haven't been any new blog posts. And I was using my mom's lap top but unfortunately, for some strange reason, I can't upload any posts. I am currently borrowing a lap top, but don't have any pics uploaded to this computer...sigh...hopefully things will get straightened out soon.

3-Day...

A link:

Story of a 3-Day Walker

until I sit down and type out my experience.

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow I leave for Phoenix to walk 60 miles in three days. Am hoping to get pictures and know that it will be a life changing experience. Thank you so much to those of you who helped make this journey possible.

Etta's Look

I think that I have finally discovered Etta's "Look". She has some very definite ideas of what she would like her "Look" to be, but I've tried to tweak it just a bit, and with some happy results.

One chilly morning while getting ready for church this fall I grabbed a long-sleeved t-shirt to throw under a short sleeved "polo" dress. Along with that I picked a pair of cream colored jeans as the dress was getting kind of short. Match that with her red school shoes and we've got the look. I've now been able to find three combos out of her closet with a few more to try out.

Last Sunday it was a cherry dress that Aunt Molly gave her last spring (like 18 months ago...yay!), green pants, and denim jacket. Same red shoes and we are good to go. When I finally looked closely and really took it all in I figured out Aunt Molly had purchased every part of the outfit except the socks and underwear. The dress and shoes just for Etta and the coat and pants for the older cousins. Yay yay yay!!! Thanks Aunt Molly!!



We are trying to "girlie-fy" Miss Mae early. And it isn't too hard as she loves shoes and purses and has an almost endless supply of pink clothes. I'm sure that she will have her own style soon also, and while I am hoping that it isn't all pink all the time, it will be hers.

Ready for Some Football

Etta is tattooed up and ready to go. Watch out Griz fans, she is ready to rumble!

Thanks for the tats Uncle Erik

Tantrum Baby

For any who may think that Mae is sunshine and rainbows all of the time.

Yesterday when she woke up from her nap she was in.con.solable. Screaming, crying, thrashing. When she gets to this point (which she does way more often than Etta ever did) I have learned that the only real thing that I can do is put her down on the floor and let her work it out.

So she laid out flat. Just like this. For a really long time. At one point she stopped crying and I literally thought that she had fallen asleep. So I quick got my camera.



Nope, not sleeping.



I don't know if it was her molars bothering her. Her diaper rash. The fact that big sister was not here when we came out of her room. I really have no idea. But she did snuggle with me and watch funny videos on the computer for awhile. After she was done throwing her fit.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

This morning Etta & I walked down to Locomotive Park to help string lights for the huge light display/show that the city puts on every year. We have enjoyed taking in the sights since Etta was about 8 months old & I decided we should give back - at least a little.

This Saturday was the only one that would work for us this year, but it was so much fun that I think that we will try to make more Saturdays next year with the whole family.

Checking out the tree that we were going to decorate.



Ta-da! It's done! A red & green "oreo" tree. We even got to climb up a pretty big ladder to finish it off. Etta climbed up also, twice. But it was too unstable & awkward to actually accomplish anything when we were both up there.



Tree #2. A "Bengal" tree. Purple & gold, the Lewiston High School colors. We were going to do blue & gold in honor of Uncle Erik, but they didn't have any blue LED lights available. =(



Etta can't wait to show off her hard work for The Girls, Uncle Erik & Aunt Molly. And anyone else who would like to join us! Now that Mae is older & mobile I am hoping to go many, many times this year!

Costumes!

The post you've been waiting for!

Etta was ready at 7:15 a.m. yesterday morning. Here she is reading a book about Halloween in her Halloween costume.



Here's the whole crew. A little cow. "Come here little cow," Etta kept saying. A very proud Nemo. And super fun Girls as Thing 1 & Thing 2.



Apparently, as Mae was walking down the sidewalk her tail was wagging away. I missed that part.



Nemo ready to swim.



Bob took The Girls, Etta & Mae about two blocks down our street, crossed over and then came back. This was Etta greeting me after she rang the bell.



And then Bob and Mae stayed home while the four of us did a couple of more blocks in the other direction. This is the first house we went to on my shift.

Scary Treats & Pumpkin Fun

Saturday night I made a frightful meal.

Ghostly potato planks



Mummy wraps



Spider web sides & eyeball salad



And last night we had Grandma & Grandpa & Great Grandma & Great Grandpa over for pumpkin carving & soup with bread.

Etta was not into touching the pumpkin "gunk" at all. I thought that this year she would like it...



Mae was a little interested in what was going on.



Grandpa carved Etta a Nemo!



Mae did get a little closer to the action.



Minnie Mouse & Nemo. Two favorites at our house.

I like how it looks like Minnie is looking at Nemo.

It's Halloween!

It's Halloween season and we have been living it up. I don't even know where to start so I will just start and try to do a post every day until I am out of pics!!

Last weekend we went to the corn maze with The Girls.

We were first greeted by what has become an unofficial motto of the U of I.



But it was on a pretty impressively painted machine!



We headed in with Bob in the lead. He had to have a map of course. But with a 3-year old that is walking, better safe than sorry.



The corn was very tall.



Then the girls got to check out the properly sized hay bale maze.



Mae like it because: 1)She could walk through it herself and 2) she could see over the sides.



Etta really liked being Joe Vandal!



And the girls had to take what was left.



Pumpkin carving and our themed dinner to follow.

Bright Girl

It was slightly overcast yesterday so both girls really stood out in their bright colors. Pretty much every single person we saw "oohed" and "aah-ed" over Mae. She is pretty cute.

Checking out the surroundings while waiting for the other kids to show up.



Check my sweet ride.



Here is a second shot of one that I posted yesterday. Both kids can never be looking at the camera at the same time...



Mae loves her pumpkin!

3.5

Can she be 3 and a half already?

Have 1,277 days already passed since that first day?

Has it been 2 years since The Big Party?

And one year ago (tomorrow) since we last visited the pumpkin patch?

Time flies when you are having fun.

And have fun is what we did today. Today was her very first field trip. "With [her] class! With 5 students in it!" And she was excited.

We got there (really) early because I did not want to be late. I thought she was going to burst. But we had a lot of fun and enjoyed ourselves.

The kids were asked to look off of the bridge and describe what they saw. Lots of answers of "rocks", "water", "dirt".



Standing by the pumpkins that they (I) picked out.



Eating an apple the "regular" way. She kept asking to eat it and I kept saying, "Let's save it for lunch". Her response was, "But mom all the other kids are eating their apples by just biting them!" Can't really argue with that (when it's about apples anyway). And she ate the entire thing!



My girls and I. (If you look closely you will notice Mae was not having a good time by this point. She missed her morning nap.)

Makin' Cookies

Last week Bob & Etta mixed up some sour cream sugar cookies & then cut them out in the shapes of bats, pumpkins & owls. I think that it is going to be fun this winter!

Cutting out the cookies.



Mae doing her own thing.



Bob busted sneaking bites of cookie dough after specifically telling Etta not to eat anymore dough.

Lunch with Daddy

We are pretty blessed to be able to have lunch with Bob every once in awhile. With Mae being at the wandering stage we have decided that it is easier - and probably nicer for the other teachers - to stay in his classroom to eat. That way the girls can just play as they finish up. And risers make the perfect "table" for kids this size!

Warming Up

Trying to get Mae used to the idea of a toilet. I think that she is going to think of it as a library even more than her big sister!

Portland, Part III

Part III begins with the drive home. Since I had run 13.1 miles we decided it would be good to stop multiple times on the way home so that hopefully I didn't get to stiff & sore.

I love waterfalls & since we went to Palouse Falls a couple of times Etta really likes them too. So of course we had to stop at Multnomah Falls!

We love this place!



Getting a good view.



Loving my big girl!



Bob needed a turn with the kids too. But I didn't want to take Mae out of her stroller...(She was tired & crabby. And wants to walk everywhere. Not a good combination where large bodies of water are involved.)



So simple, yet awe-some.