Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful first Thanksgiving in Washington. The weather was absolutely awful this past week with what we hear was a freak storm. (I'm not convinced, the scenery here is gorgeous but the weather has left a lot to be desired) We had about 5 inches of snow here in Olympia and it basically snowed us in. They don't have plows and don't salt the roads here, so that's taken some getting used to. With our road and driveway being big hills, it means we can't get out until the roads clear themselves. Benj used the bike trailer to bike into town to get our food for Thanksgiving day. I think we need to plan ahead when they call for snow...

Here are some shots from the weekend. Owen sporting his overalls, Colin taking pictures of his own feet and Colin decorating some sugar cookies.

We are very thankful for each other, our families, our friends and our health. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Old Man Winter Has Followed Us

We've had several inches of snow today in Olympia. It's not made me or Benj very happy. It seems the snow has followed us; Columbus is having nice weather, we are having an early winter. We thought we'd paid our dues by having 29 out of the last 30 days with rain. Tonight it's supposed to be 19 degrees. We didn't used to have this kind of weather until January in Columbus. I'm not sure about this new climate in the Pacific Northwest...

We suited the boys up for some fun in the snow before lunch... I honestly never thought we'd need the snow gear again! Aside from Owen not having boots, we were definitely geared up. Colin had fun making snowballs and a snowman with help from Daddy. Owen wasn't a big fan of the snow, and as you can see, cried the whole time we pulled the sled. He fell asleep for his nap right after lunch, the snow must have tuckered him out. :)

The Latest

Here are some recent pictures of things going on in our lives. First, Benj got Boathouse Brewery all set up here in Olympia. The boys wore their matching "brewing shirts" for the first brew in the new location. It was a fun day for all, although it was raining (as always) and quite chilly. You can also see Owen showing off his "SOOO Big" gesture. He will put his hands above his head like this when you ask him "How BIG is Owen?" It's super cute. His sitter from Ohio taught him this trick and we get a kick out of it every time.

Colin and I were out back one day and came across a slug on our steps. I had to take a picture of these slugs I see all the time out here but never have my camera handy. They are absolutely HUGE. This one wasn't as big as I've seen, but he was still a good 6 inches long! I also had to show a picture of the new device I bought for our shoes... It's called the Thermanator. The racks are heated and when you hang your shoes they dry much faster. We'd always used newspaper, but that just doesn't cut it when it rains ALL the time. This seems to be doing the job wonderfully.

Chasing Rainbows

Last Sunday, Colin and I were sitting in the chair in our living room together. All of the sudden he exclaimed "Look Mommy, there is a huge rainbow!" I turned and looked to find this massive rainbow stretching across the sky. It was amazing. We both just watched it for a long time. What was even more amazing was the end of the rainbow was right on the water outside our house! Colin was quick to point out that there must not be a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow or else we'd see it. Very perceptive. If you look closely in the second picture, you can see the rainbow touching the water.

Since we get an insane amount of rain here, there are a remarkable number of rainbows. Just last Sunday I saw 3 or 4 throughout the day. Of course, the sun is a necessary element, and we don't see that very often these days! But when we do it's a joy, even the rainbows can't help but shine.

I Put My Baby to Bed Too!

Today I was putting Owen down for his nap and Colin disappeared into his room. (which is unusual, he typically stays around trying to help with something or get in the way) As I was leaving Owen's room and closing the door, I noticed Colin was leaving his room quietly and closing the door behind him. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I just put my baby down for his nap too." I didn't think much of it, and continued with some chores. Later I opened Colin's door and found this bear all tucked under Colin's blanket on the floor. He even gave the bear the "softer side" of the blanket, as Colin likes to call it. (One side of the blanket is softer than the other) It was so cute!

The Many Faces of Owen

Owen has really started to show quite a personality. He is also classic for changing moods in a matter of minutes. These two pictures were taken about 30 seconds apart. He definitely has learned how to make a grimace when he cries so that he gets what he wants!

Some Random Shots

Here are some fun shots of the boys. Owen is hiding behind some sunglasses and Colin is enjoying some yogurt. Colin's hair has gotten so long these days... I really need to get around to giving him a trim. I also found this shot of the trees along our property line... you can see them laced with spider webs and dew!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun time trick or treating in our new neighborhood with the boys tonight. There aren't a lot of houses around us and it was very dark! But the boys made out OK on the candy loot. And they also have all the candy from our house since it doesn't look like anyone came by. Colin was dressed as a Fire Chief and Owen was dressed like a pumpkin. They were both a big hit wherever they went!

Happy Halloween!

Owen's Birthday Cake

Today we celebrated Owen's birthday with a cake. He really enjoyed looking at the fire on his candle but he wasn't a big fan of the cake itself. (although it was delicious!) He took a few licks, but mostly just threw his cake on the floor. He still managed to make a big mess and definitely had a good time doing it.

He's also gotten quite good at riding his Buzz Lightyear car from Grandma and Grandpa. He even knows how to hike his leg over it and get on and off. I was impressed!

The New House

Several fans of our site have requested some pictures of the new house. I don't want to overwhelm you, so I just took a few of the rooms we spend the most time in. There is one of the front of the house from the street, another of the study, one of the living room with our view out to the water and two of the kitchen. We are finally feeling settled in the new place and even got rid of all the cardboard this week!

Owen is ONE!

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Owen celebrated his one-year birthday on October 26th. I honestly cannot believe it's been a whole year, seems like just yesterday I was holding him for the first time in the hospital. He's now a walking toddler, just amazing how quickly they grow. He celebrated with a mini Cheryl's cookie (thanks Amy!) on Tuesday and we're celebrating with cake this weekend. So look out for more pictures of the official cake mess!

He also had his first checkup with our new pediatrician here in Olympia today. He is doing very well developmentally, and here are his stats: He is 29 inches long and weighs 22 lbs 10 oz. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and only the 25th percentile for height and head size. He had 5 shots today, which made him very upset. He's weathered them well and was in pretty good spirits nonetheless.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN!

Boys Around the House

Here are some shots of the boys around the new house. One is them enjoying a bath in what Colin calls the "jet bath" and the other is of them sharing a seat on our new office chair.

Colin is 4!

Today Master Colin is 4 years old! We cannot believe it, our little guy isn't so little anymore... He had a great day playing with Daddy and Owen and we celebrated in style this evening. Colin opened several gifts, including this great dump truck from Amy (can you tell it was love at first sight?). We made pizzas at home and then ate a delicious cake decorated in a Blue's Clues theme. We all ended up with blue mouths and Colin looked like a smurf. It was fun and we're looking forward to celebrating his birthday all weekend (and gearing up for Owen's first birthday next Tuesday!). HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN!