Happy Halloween!

The great thing about Halloween being on a school day is that Kate gets to wear TWO costumes (one for school & one for the Halloween parade this afternoon).  So, costume #1 is SuperGirl....more to come....

More bikes!

Look at Kate go!

Ryan put pedals on Kate's bike today and she took off!  Quite a milestone!

Port Angeles!

Kate had no school Wednesday or Friday last week, so I took the opportunity to take the kids for a visit to Port Angeles.  We've been out of town a lot this month, so I was NOT, not looking forward to the drive but it went much better than expected (saved only by staying at Grandpa Mac's either way so as to avoid the full 8-9 hours in one day....)  I'm really, really glad we went because it was a great adventure for the kids (a hotel!) and it was incredibly nice to see friends that I miss quite a lot.  The kids did love visiting everyone even though they can't remember them (except for Kate's friend Kevin whom she always refers to as "my first friend"), but I think they loved staying in the hotel the most.  They spent a good half hour just opening and closing the mini-refrigerator, shrieking "it's a KIDS refridgerator!!"  Thankfully, it's definitely not tourist season on the Peninsula so I don't think anyone occupied the rooms next to us.  They also got to take their first trip to McDonald's, primarily because it was one with a playground and they needed to run after such a long car ride (it was raining outside...)  They loved the playground, of course, and Kate, who never wants to eat anything, claimed she "was going to only eat chicken nuggets from now on."  Oh boy.  Luckily, she seems to have forgotten about this and neither kid seemed to notice that there was a McDonald's about every 20 feet on the drive back.  As for Port Angeles, it was pretty much as we left it, which was kind of comforting.  On Sunday morning, we woke up to sunshine and the first snow on the Olympics, so we took a nice walk on the Discovery Trail where Ryan and I spent many hours running with Kate in the stroller.  It brought back great memories--I'd forgotten that, when it's nice on the Peninsula, there isn't much prettier.  I'm sure we'll be back!

Kate's best quote of the day...

Kate: "Mommy, I'm pretty much at the point that I know I should eat carrots."

Me: "That's great!"

Kate: "That's not enough to make me do it though.  I still hate them."

Ready or not, here comes autumn!

The first major rain of the season came today--not so exciting for me, but good for the kids who've been waiting to try out their umbrellas!

Will, not so sure about the rain, remarked, "but, mommy, everything is wet!"  I honestly don't think he remembers ever seeing rain before.  Get ready!

Mommy & daddy go to Napa....

Yes, you read that right: Ryan and I went to Napa.  By ourselves!  As much as we love Kate & Will, it was the first time we've been away without them since Ryan's birthday last December.  Maybe because it was an overdue trip (and maybe just because it was a trip at all....), we enjoyed every single second of our time without kids.  Especially because we knew they were having such fun in Yreka--I don't think they missed us at all.  While Ryan and I were enjoying the warm, sunny Calistoga weather (mostly by bike, cycling lazily from vineyard to vineyard), Kate and Will were enjoying Grandma Star and Grandpa Bobby's house.  We are so thankful for the vacation--we appreciate it, Bob & Star!  Do you mind if we do it again next month?? :)

Learning how to duck call....not sure they got it down but Will remarked, "it's so funny!  It sounds like a toot!"  He is a boy, after all.

Different town, same round the clock bike riding!

What happens when your kids get hold of the camera....

Balance bikes=AMAZING

We got Will a balance bike for his birthday and, of course, as soon as Kate saw it she wanted to try it, too.  So, even though she will be riding her princess bike for many years to come, we ended up borrowing a small bike with the pedals removed so both kids can now work on balancing.  I must say all the hype about these bikes seems to be true--every kid I know who's used one has gone right to a two-wheel bike without ever needing training wheels.  Whatever the end result, for now, riding these bikes is what Kate and Will do whenever they're not eating or sleeping (this is an exaggeration but only very slightly--they ride ALL THE TIME).  It's so fun because Will can keep up now, so we can go on longer rides that are actually fun (rather than the agonizing rides we're used to where Kate is way ahead and will is way, way behind!)  Here's to more months of sunshine, or at least no snow, so these kids can keep riding along!

Look at the intensity in his face!

Evidence that lady bugs can indeed ride bikes!

Punky Kate

The day's selection: tutu/leotard, polka dot tights, leg warmers warn as arm warmers and pink Converse.  I am sometimes quite sure that Kate is an 80s child at heart!

Kate, in a nutshell

Kate has her first go at "show and tell" at school this Friday.  She has been debating what to bring, and has narrowed it down to two things: a unicorn and her Metallica CD.  I just have to laugh because those two choices pretty much sum up her personality--girly with a little extra spice. :)