Halloween at School

Joseph at his school Halloween party decorating cookies.The whole school has a costume parade at the end of the day and I had to catch Luigi and Princess Peach next to one another. Too cute. Justin and classmates in their costumes at their Halloween party. Enjoy their recitation of their Halloween poem!

Pumpkin Patch

Love this tradition of meeting up with Grandma and Grandpa Jolley at Marc and Connie's house in Portland. The Tigard Tigers won their football game on Friday night and then on Saturday we hit Baggenstos for our Halloween pumpkins. And very cute pictures, of course! This was Erica's first year to choose a pumpkin. She loved the hay maze. It was just her size.Tractor ride to the pumpkin farm."Hmmm, which one should I choose?"Super cute baby Cameron!All the cousins together. So funny. Can you say naptime, Erica? It looks like Joseph is trying to feed Cameron hay!

Our birthday girl

Another amazing year of watching a tiny baby of mine go from this... ...to this! So miraculous and so joyous to experience everyday.Erica sures loves her new baby dolls, and baby buggy. She has twins, as you can see.And her big girl car seat.Happy birthday to you!Yummy cake. My good friend Athina made Erica her own personal birthday cake.

Erica's birthday in Utah!

Happy birthday to Elle and Erica! In September, Darren and I got to take Erica with us on a super-quick business trip to Utah. My mom planned this double birthday party at a restaurant for these cute birthday girls. It's been such a fun thing to take these trips and let my family get to see how fast Erica is growing. She loves them so much.Gotta love the cake face!Darren took some cake to the face as well, courtesy of Alexis.Another perk about visiting Utah is getting to see Jenni and Michael.I think that smile says, "Thank you!"

Wedding in Richland

The Columbia River Temple is gorgeous! And so is Richland, Washington. It was a great little weekend getaway for us and so wonderful to attend the sealing of our friends Kitara and Neal. We're going to miss Kitara and her daughters in our ward!This is the only picture I got of them at the temple!Later, Joseph did some fishing in a pond at the park with Dad.And Justin and Erica and I played on the playground.And we always enjoy a good hotel after a swim in the pool.

Back to School

And back to blogging! I hope. I'm attempting to begin my catching up today. Wish me luck.

Joseph's not flashing a peace sign, he's signaling that he's now in the second grade. He's really enjoying his year and thriving as usual. I feel lucky to have a son who loves learning and loves doing homework. I'll enjoy that as long as it lasts.Justin started Joy School, a co-op preschool I've been doing with other mothers of 4-year olds in the ward. It's been a great opportunity for both him and me. It's been fun to have the experience of being the teacher and seeing the kids learn and grow. In just a matter of months, Justin has learned to write his name, along with the other letters of the alphabet, use scissors (he's now my official coupon clipper), and he's even reading.Erica enjoyed the rest of the year's warm weather on her feet, soooo happy to be an independent walker!

End of Summer

We didn't go home after Black Butte. Well, we had to send Darren home, but the rest of us went to Eugene to keep the party going! I insisted on doing one of my favorite things: feeding the ducks! Even though there was a new sign at the park saying it's against the rules, we sorta pretended we didn't see it. I knew Erica would love it.I didn't realize how much Justin would love it! He was so brave, letting them eat the bread right out of his hand, much to his Aunt Jenni's distress.Then the boys did a little fishing with Grandpa.My miniature golfers. Justin got a hole in one!The reason we just HAD to go back to Grandma's house was to see Melanie and the fam! Wow, those kids have grown. It was SO great to see them and get to know them again. And I loved meeting my new nephew, Joshy! He's a sweetie.the girlsthe boysWhen it was time to go home, we took the party home with us to Seattle! Aunt Jenni was kind enough to accompany us home and it was SO great to have her on the drive home. She played with the kids and even babysat while Darren and I went on a date. We did a lot of playing too. We visited the troll under the bridge.The obligatory nose-picking picture.We had a little picnic on the temple grounds.The boys came home from the Mackley's Knight Camp in this adorable getup! Very picture-worthy.I really wanted to take Erica to the zoo and Justin couldn't even remember his last visit, so Jenni provided the perfect excuse to get out there. See the leopard?This is Erica looking at the elephant. She especially loved watching the meerkats. She cried when I finally pulled her away!
Then Michael showed up for the weekend and we showed him the city.
Thanks for such a fun visit, Michael and Jenni!Fun at the space needle fountain with friends.Erica's first ever summer watermelon!And my favorite way to finish the summer is at Safeco field! This was Erica's first game and she got soooo tired by the end, but refused to give into sleep.