Apples Galore

We took advantage of the beautiful weather Saturday morning and headed to Hood River to pick apples. We picked by ourselves for a little while, and then Eric and Leah met up with us, and we all took a Gator wagon ride to go pick some more. The owner told us to make sure we sampled as we picked, and the kids took full advantage of the opportunity. Fun times!

Cut the grass, Daddy

I had fun taking pictures outside last night. Aubrey wasn't quite sure at first what to think of the lawn (we haven't had her outside on ground much this summer) but ended up having a great time pulling it out and tasting it. I love it when babies can sit up on their own and play--a lovely stage.

23

That's how old my brother turned this last week. It's hard to believe little Peeper is 23, graduated from college, and working on grad school. It's fun having you back home again, Blake.
The kids loved the punch balloon party favors Grandma got for them.


















Aubrey's second tooth popped through that day, too. (see the two little teeth on the bottom?) Her gummy smile will be disappearing soon, as those top two work their way in.

Go Beavs!

Greg is one happy Oregon State fan after tonight's win over USC!

Good-bye Summer, Hello Fall

We said good-bye to the little pool this weekend (it served us well these past 4 summers, but it is now time for it to retire) and put away all the summer toys. Greg and the big kids worked outside this weekend, organizing the shed and preparing for the next season. I love fall and all that comes with it--crisp cool weather, pumpkins, apples, changing leaves, soup, and cozy evenings at home.

It's difficult to get photos of Joel smiling and not giving me his "cheeeese" face. I love this one of him and Kari. They were having fun yesterday. Never mind the fact that I had to talk about
"toots" to get him to smile and laugh. Little kid humor, you know.









Aubrey's feeling better--still working on those teeth. She started saying "da-da" this weekend, not in reference to her father, but that's ok. It's a start, and it's really cute to hear her little voice.
This one made me laugh, particularly his facial expression. Joel's run is great. He really gets his arms pumping. :)

Favorite Joel words

I know I'll forget these little things if I don't write them down.

Joel's been talking for a long time (had a big long list of words/phrases by 18 months), but there are still some words that come out funny. I love the way Joel says the word "girl." It comes out "gwirl," and he still can't really say his r's. Another of my favorites is his version of "bathroom"-- "bafloom." He can be so cute and so much fun in between 2-year-old fits.

Could it be?

What is this? Could it actually be a RED tomato? Yes, siree, it is. Thought we might just have to eat green tomatoes this year, but they finally decided to ripen.

Kari Lynn Moffat, 4 1/2 years old

This was my, I mean, Kari's first homework assignment, probably the first of many school assignments that will end up being more work for me than for her. Actually, this one was fun and required parental assistance (what doesn't at 4 years old?). It was an "all about me" flower petal project. I asked Kari about her favorite things, people, colors, etc., and this is what she came up with. Well, these are some of her ideas. Everything she wanted (as in, every photo she saw on our computer) just wouldn't fit on the paper, so we had to narrow it down a bit.
Clockwise from the top:
--one of her favorite places is the beach where we went this summer
--she really likes swimming in G&G's pool with her pink waterwings
--her favorite princess is Cinderella (last year's Halloween pick)
--but really she loves all the princesses
--she likes "reading" and listening to books
--favorite foods: blueberries, spaghetti with meatballs, apples, cake and ice cream, and she's a watermelon girl
--likes to draw flowers
--she loves her Joel-boy and baby sister Aubrey
--her favorite colors are red, pink, blue, and purple
--her "Arnold family"
--her "Moffat family"
--she likes to paint and do crafts
--she likes to memorize verses and is working on Psalm 139

Birthdays and Sad Baby

We celebrated my dad's 53rd birthday on his actual birthday this year! (He's usually gone hunting by the 13th but left a little later this year). We also celebrated Sam and Maggie's 3rd birthday that day. I forgot my camera, so if you want to see some of the fun, you can check Eric and Leah's blog. It was a success.








52 plus 1 candle to make 53

Aubrey looks fairly happy here with Grandma, but I assure you she has not been her usual cheerful self. Her first tooth popped through on Friday. Hooray, Aubrey! Teething isn't going well for her, though. She also has her first bad cold, and she got the next round of immunizations. It's been a rough few days for her.








Uncle Brian playing peek-a-boo with the feverish baby and getting her to smile.













Today is no better. Poor little thing--tears, red stuffy nose, sore gums.

Blogging can be cathartic. Kari and Joel (who also have colds) were both awake at 5:30am this morning, and it's been a rough one. I'm gaining perspective with every word I type, though. Naptime is helping, too. Just please nobody come to my house today. It's not a pretty sight!

You gotta see the baby!

This last weekend I finally got to meet Philip, Paul and Karyn's new baby. Sickness at our house prevented me from seeing him sooner. He's a whopping 3 weeks old now and a little cutie. They're doing really well and getting to know their little man. It's so much fun to see my friends become parents. Thanks for letting me hang out for while, Karyn (and thank you, Greg, for watching our kids so I could!).


I like this one. He knows his mama.


"Do you really have to take another picture of me? Well, ok."

Comparisons

Kari -- 4 1/2 months (aka head-on-a-dress photo)

Joel-- 5 months
Aubrey-- 6 months

Many have asked if Aubrey looks just like Kari's baby pictures, and I have to say I don't really think so. There are some similarities, but she does seem to be a combo of Kari and Joel. Top row is Kari at 6 months, middle row is Joel at 6 months, and bottom row is Aubrey now at 6 months.

What do you think?

Six Months

Aubrey is now six and half months old. She's using her voice more these days, eating more foods, reaching for and grabbing anything in her reach, and still giving us so much joy with her smiles and laughter. At her well-child visit today she measured 27 in. (90th percentile) and weighed in at 16 lbs. 14 oz (75th percentile). She's put on the pounds these last two months. Time to move her out of her infant carseat that only allows for babies up to 20 lbs AND 26 inches or less--oops! Sure is nice to go to the doctor and have no questions or concerns. I'm thankful for our happy, healthy baby. She's got some swollen gums, so we should be seeing some teeth soon. Joel and Kari both got their first tooth at 7 months. She also seems to be following in the footsteps of her two siblings when it comes to her dislike (just a slight understatement) of the church nursery. We'll keep trying, but if she's anything like her brother, we'll most likely be spending the next year or so listening to the service from the hallway. There are worse things, for sure!

Sitting

Aubrey's getting better and better at sitting up.
Our bright-eyed baby.
And this is why we still put the boppy pillow around her--not totally stable yet.

Day Two

Second day of preschool a hit as well. Went pretty much the same as the first day, just a little smoother. Kari's counting down the days until she gets to go again next Thursday. Don't worry, I won't post an update every day of Kari's preschool career. It's all starting to sound the same, even on day two--painting, recess, snack, stories. Ahhh, the life! So glad she likes it.

Don't know where THAT came from

Today I took Kari to her first day of preschool. I have experienced nothing but feelings of excitement for this day and felt totally and completely unemotional...until I got back in van after taking Kari in to her classroom. It took me by surprise. It didn't take my husband by surprise. I assured him before he left for work today that I was fine and wasn't going to cry. What would I cry about? Geez.

Kari was VERY excited about going to school and just a wee bit anxious, I think. In trying to prepare her for what was to come, I'd told her I'd be waiting outside her classroom door when it was time for her to go home. I didn't realize she would take me so literally. I said something to Joel this morning about what we were going to do once we came home from dropping Kari off, and Kari piped up and said, "But Mommy, I thought you were going to be waiting in the hallway for me!" I clarified that I was not going to be in the hallway with her brother and sister for three hours, but that I would definitely be there to pick her up when it was time to go home. She was ok once she understood the plan.

Kari wasn't emotional at all--very business-like. As soon as we got there, she gave me a perfunctory hug and kiss and said, "Good-bye, Mom!" And we left.

Joel did not make a scene (something I was a little worried about since up until a few days ago, he was under the impression that he was going to school, too), but he was quite concerned that Kari wasn't in the van with us. He had such a sad, forlorn little face. The whole way home, he kept asking, "Are we going to pick up Kari NOW?" "No, Joel, not now, in a little while." "Now???" "No, not now...."

Finally, he said, "I just 'tend [pretend] Kari's here."
"Ok, you just pretend, and we'll go pick her up soon."


We had some special Joel time this morning while Aubrey took her nap. We made green slime (thanks for the recipe and idea, Michelle!). Grandma came over for a visit, and Joel played with his snakes in the slime--a great boy activity. He loved it and appreciated the fact that the slime didn't make his hands messy. :)


Kari's teacher said she did "great," which apparently was not the case with all the kids. I overheard part of her conversation with another parent whose child thought the whole morning should have been playtime.

Kari gave me a nice, calm, "Hi, Mom," said good-bye to Mrs. Weber, and was ready to head home. I had to pry information out of her, but this is what I gleaned:

--she liked her first day
--she made some new friends (retained no names)
--she liked music class and learned about instruments
--her snack was too big (she says I need to give her fewer apple slices and only half a granola bar next time)
--some of the kids were naughty and had to go to the office

We'll see what day two holds!

Wildwood Venture

We had a great time at Wildwood on Monday with a bunch of friends. The kids ran ahead of us on the trails and boardwalks all morning. We barbequed hot dogs for lunch and spent some time throwing rocks into the river. I think the kids would have continued rock-throwing all day if we'd let them. It was a blast.
Here's a link to view more photos from the day: http://picasaweb.google.com/gamoffats/WildwoodBbq#