Sauvie Island Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

We adventured to a new place this year with a bigger corn maze, out to Sauvie Island. It was a beautiful day for our fall family tradition--a great time together! Corn on the cob, caramel apple, gyros, corn maze, hayride, hay bale jumping, and lots of great photo opportunities. :-)

Out with the Old, In with the New (to us)

Penny Wilson generously offered up her leather sectional, and we were the lucky recipients. Brian came and helped move out the old, broken playroom couch, chair, and ottoman, and then helped Greg and the kids bring in the new couch. Thankfully, it came apart in 6 different sections. It is SO nice, and so much more comfortable that what we had. It's just perfect for our space. We envision many comfy movie nights ahead up there.

Gallery Wall

I've put off this task for 7 1/2 years, since we moved into this house, and I finally tackled it this last weekend. I ordered a new canvas and prints of our family photos with Hannah, and getting those up motivated me to do something with the old photos and canvas. It was a marathon organizing session, and it took way more time than it should have, but I am so pleased with the end results. Our old family photos and baby pictures that have been sitting, hidden in the closet, are finally on the wall! My vision for our upstairs walls is finally coming together. The head-on-a-dress photo and the others of that ilk are up, too. I just have some tweaking to do to make it all look just the way I want it. I still have room on the opposite wall, coming up the stairs, for the kids' senior photos...thinking ahead! :-)

Family Movie Night

On a non-football game Friday, I made the kids watch one of my favorite movies from my childhood--"The Happiest Millionaire." I know every line and every word to every song, and it was so much fun to share it with them. They made fun of me, of course, but that was ok. :) They laughed, and they enjoyed it. It IS a very strange and zany movie, but I love it!

Fall Happenings

Been up to all kinds of things around here. Soccer (only Grant!), volleyball games for Aubrey, school fundraisers, Shoot 360 and basketball clinics for Joel, and cross country for Kari. Friday night football games. Beautiful sunrises and amazing fall weather.

Helped with Jog-a-thon and Harvest Hustle again this year.

Warm enough to still play games on the porch and eat outside

Warm enough to go on an ice cream date to Sugar Pine Drive-in. Yum!

Homecoming Dance--Kari did not like it but enjoyed the brownie and ice cream and time with friends beforehand.

Driving Kari and Katelin to school each morning has been a treat. Every morning, I marvel at the beauty of the sunrise and praise God for his amazing gifts. 

Hosted the appetizer course for the Jr. High Progressive Dinner again this year. 13 loaves of french bread and 11 Costco-size bags of Caesar salad. It was so much fun! Quite the rush and frenzy of excitement for that half hour! 63 people in our house is a record. 

Cozy kitty