Pumpkin Patch

I love that we have made it a tradition to go to the lake view pumpkin patch every year with grandma and grandpa Allen.  This year Aunt Mel and Connor and Kennedy came with us too which was fun.  We went a little earlier this year than last and I am glad we did because the pumpkins were beautiful and there were so many to choose from.

The kids had a blast riding the train and picking out their own pumpkins.  It was fun to see them wondering through the pumpkins to find the perfect one.

Of course we couldn't pass by the giant haystack's without climbing all over them, so they did. They went all the way to the top and thought it was the coolest thing.

 The kids played with grandma and in the wheelbarrow while they waited to take the boat across the lake with our pumpkins to pay and do other activities.  The boat ride was fun because there was dragons and sharks that would pop out of the water.  I love how they get so excited over even the smallest of things.

McKenna has been riding the barrel train every year, but this year Graysen got to ride too.  It was fun to see them having so much fun and being able to do so many fun things together now.  They are great friends and play so well together and look out for each other,  I love it!

We went out for ice cream later at McDonald's which the kids couldn't have been happier about.
 It was a really fun time and I am glad that we can make traditions that the kids can remember and look forward to every year.  Hopefully we will have many more trips to the pumpkin patch in the years to come.

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Silver falls

For one last hurrah before the summer ends and McKenna starts school, we decided to go to Silver Falls with Grandma and Grandpa Allen.  I haven't been there in forever so I was excited to take the kids there.  Travis of course was too busy to be able to come with us (dang law school), but we still had lots of fun.
We drove down and had a nice picnic lunch and played with the football and baseball bat a little bit, the kids were loving it and we hadn't even gotten to the best part yet.

 McKenna was really excited to go hiking since she hasn't really been that often.  We started down the trail and saw the beautiful falls.

 This was when we were behind the waterfalls.  McKenna and Graysen loved the waterfall and were sold on Grandma's idea that it was a Giant's way of taking a shower.

  They explored the little caves that were behind the waterfall and McKenna bumped her head on one of the jagged rocks upon exploring which was not so much fun.

  They both did really well hiking though and exploring.  When we were about to go back up McKenna asks "I thought we were going to go hiking," and I said to her we are, this is what hiking is and she just kind of looked at me like no one said I was going to have to walk up hill this far.  She was a trooper though and made it all the way to the top.  Graysen had to be carried for the most part, but he was still really good.
It was nice to go back there again, and it was just as beautiful as I remember it being.

We played with bubbles back at the top and then the kids played in the cold water for a little bit before we headed home.  It was  a really fun day and we are so glad we got to do something fun and memorable to end the summer with.  The only thing that would have made it better was if Travis was there.  I love my family and love spending time with them.

Jogathon

McKenna's school had their first ever jog-a-thon to raise money for this year.  We got to go and cheer McKenna on as she ran as many laps as she could in 30 minutes.  She ran 7 laps, I was so proud of her!  She did so good and even though she was tired, she never stopped.

I loved cheering her on and see that even at this young age she was determined and kept pushing through even when it was hard.  She was dead tired at the end, but she did a fantastic job. She was smiling at the end.

  I am so proud of her and so happy that she loves school and that I get to watch her do all these fun things.  I love having a kid in school, it is amazing to watch her learn and grow so much. I love my girl!

 It was really cute too because Graysen kept saying "go Kenna go" whenever she came around.  He was so excited to see his big sister running.  When we were going to leave he said "I want sister mom." He looks up to his big sister so much and she sets such a good example to him and is such a great big sister.

Kindergarten

All summer long all I have heard is "do I get to go to school yet, when is my school, I can't wait to go to school." Finally, the epic day came and McKenna got to start Kindergarten.
She was so excited to go to school and had a hard time waiting until 1pm to go. I made her one of her favorite breakfasts, chocolate chip pancakes, which she downed in like a minute.

She picked out her outfit to wear and all the accessories to go with it.  We had also gone to the store the day before and she picked out her very own lip gloss and body spray which she was over the moon about.  She had to put those on of course to complete her look. We also painted her nails the night before because she had look pretty she said.

What other kind of backpack would she have other than Hello Kitty.  She was wearing it around all morning until it was time for school.

We got to the school, and of course I had to take some pictures of her out front and it was nice because she had a few church friends there that are in her class so that was fun to see them all.  Graysen was all happy too cause I think he thought he was going to get to stay at school as well.  He wanted to have his Elmo backpack too so he could go to school with Kenna.

Graysen and I dropped McKenna off to her classroom and got her settled and then we headed out while she plopped herself down and just started playing.  She didn't even look at me when she said bye.....kinda sad.

I have been looking forward to her starting school because she just gets so bored with me and I needed a break, but now that she is at school I miss her.  When we got in the car Graysen started crying and said he wanted to stay and I told him sister was going to school and we had to go home.  He cried even harder and said " I want sister." It was so sweet, he really loves his big sister.
When I picked her up she was all smiles and said she had so much fun.  She couldn't for the life of her tell me anything she actually did other than play, but hey at least she is happy.
It is hard not to wonder if all the things you taught them is sticking with them.  We talked about being kind to everyone around and if there is someone who doesn't have a friend, that we should talk to them and invite them to play. We stressed the importance of listening and being a good example to everyone, and one thing I know McKenna knows how to do is help, so of course we talked about that.  I really hope that she remembers those things when it really matters, but I take comfort and trust that the Lord and angels will be there with her guiding her and watching over her when I am not there and helping her to make the right decisions.  I just hope and pray that I have taught her the correct principals and that now she can put them to use. 
I love my little Kindergartner and am so proud of the beautiful young lady she is growing up to be.

Ode to Graysen

My little Graysen turned 2 years old today!  I know I say this every time I post about birthdays or anything, but it just went by way to fast.  In my mind he should still be a little baby who needs me for everything and doesn't know how to talk or to run around or to know how to get what he wants.
He is seriously the cutest little boy in the whole wide world and I totally adore and love him to pieces.  He has been such a joy in our lives, and to think I was content on not having any boys.  He really is such a sweet boy and is so much fun to be around.
He is so smart it is crazy.  He talks so well, you can understand pretty much everything he is saying and he can communicate what he wants or doesn't want in a way that is so clear.  He already knows how to count to 13 on his own, say the ABC's and recognizes a lot of numbers and letters and what their sounds are.  He is very active and I really think he will be a very good sports player.  He can hit a ball with the bat if you throw it to him, he can hit a ball with a golf club, he can kick and throw very well, and he is a pretty fast little runner.  I am excited to see what he will be into as he gets older.
We had a nice little birthday for him.  We went out to Burger King for breakfast because he absolutely loves the french toast sticks there and I figured he would like that the best. He gobbled up his food and then he got to play so he was a happy camper.

We didn't have a party for him until the following Sunday which was the 12th.  We went up to Beaverton to Grandma and Grandpa Allen's and Uncle Tyler and Aunt Melanie came over with the twins.  Grandma made a really nice dinner for us and it was really good.
Aunt Melanie did balloon animals for the kids and they were in heaven.  Graysen got a weener dog and Kenna got a kitty.  She also made them swords and they insisted that she make one for Grandpa so they could have a sword fight.

  Graysen loves balloons, and I had a whole bunch blown up and he got to play with them all.

I think he would have been happy with just the balloons.  We also got him a buzz light year balloon on a stick.  Since there is a nationwide shortage of helium (who would have guessed that,) I couldn't get him the Mylar ones, but he was still happy.

We opened presents and he got a lot of neat things that he loves!  

Grandma and Grandpa gave him a really cute outfit and a little bike which he was so happy about.  Sister has a big wheel too, so now they get to ride them together.

 He also got an Elmo backpack so he could carry his stuff in too. We got him a T ball set because he loves playing baseball.  He turns anything into bat so he can hit any type of ball with it. He had a lot of fun playing with it.

 Grandma and Grandpa Marshall got him a cute train set which he keeps in his Elmo backpack and carries it around with him.  He loves playing with that too.
After presents we had bumper car sundaes.  I found this really cute idea in this cupcake book and just had to make them for his birthday.  He loved them, and I am just happy that they were edible.

We had so much fun, and I am so happy my little boy is in our lives, he brings me so much joy and is such a good little boy. I love him so much and am so glad he is a part of our family.

Reptile Man

We went to the Salem library a couple days ago and were able to see the reptile man.  My kids were pretty excited about it.  I thought Graysen would be more excited then McKenna, but no it was the other way around.

He showed us a lot of really cool snakes, lizards, tortoise, an alligator, and other things I had no idea what they were. McKenna actually got to go up on the stage and look into the mouth of a big snapping turtle.  He told her to keep her hands behind her back and look into his mouth to see what she could see.  I totally thought she was going to get scared when he brought the turtle closer, but she thought it was really cool and wasn't scared at all.

 I am glad my kids had fun and that they got to see and learn about some cool reptiles.  It was so neat that she got to go up on stage, makes for some great memories and pictures :)

Cannon Beach

Travis' Aunt and Uncle were in town and so we decided to go to the beach with them.  We went up to Cannon beach and walked around in the little shops which was fun for us, but the kids had to find other ways to entertain themselves like being monkeys.

We went to this cute little restaurant for lunch, and we enjoyed good food and good company.

Graysen was being a cheesball while eating his pizza

Grandma and McKenna hanging out after we ate

  It was pretty chilly when we first got there but then warmed up quite a bit and the clouds burned off and it actually turned out to be a really nice day on the beach.  The kids played in the water and the sand and had a blast with that.  They don't care if the water is cold, they just go right in and get all wet.  They really love the beach and we haven't gone nearly enough this summer so I think we need to make another trip when it is really warm and we don't have to wear pants or jackets.

 We drove through Tillamook on the way back and stopped off at the cheese factory and got some Ice cream of course.  My kids were so tired and had a little bit of a break down, but the ice cream was so good and was well worth the few minutes of tantrums :)

 My cute little cow and farmer

We had a really fun time and can't wait to go back to the beach, we love it!