Pumpkins!!

L to R: Madeline's, mine, Bray's, and Hobbes'.

Early Halloween festivities.

The Halloween cheese! My Mom did this every Halloween for us, and it was 1 of my favorite holiday traditions! I don't know if it's because my birthday is in October, or if it was just a fun thing to come home to after school, but I plan on doing it for my kids!The spider cookies.
Yay!
Menu: Halloween hamburgers, homemade buns, salad, carrots, apples, and spider cookies for dessert.:)
A first for our children: eating the hamburgers like they are meant to be eaten, and not picking out each item. Although Madeline's did slip out a few times which caused a pouty lip...

The maker of the spider cookies!
After this, she decided she didn't like the legs, and pulled them all out. She then ate only the oreo cream. Hmm...I wonder who else does that?

Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island!

Ever since we moved to Seattle, I have wanted to take the kiddos on a ferry ride. Till now, we've had no real reason to go on one, but Bray is now taking voice lessons from a teacher that lives on Bainbridge Island, so we have an excuse! The ride is only about a half an hour each way, so it's not too long, and the kids loved it! I warn you, I took a lot of pictures, but the sun came out on the way back, so I had to!


Handsome dudes, enjoying the boat ride.
My normally photogenic little girl, making a cheesy grin. Oh, toddlers.
Playing a new game: 'Jump over the puddles,' not in them. I like this one a lot better!
Just because he's so handsome.
Busy girl, being good on the way over. ( we made Play-Doh jewelry for the giraffe.)
Exploring the forest-they had tons of neat birds all around! If only I knew their names...
Throwing rocks in the mini-pond.
Madeline goes, "Oh no! Look, Mommy! Somebody wrote on the SEAT!"
The ferry.
Stinkin' cute little girl. (the boots are a thanks to Lily Grauke-Madeline LOVES them! She wants to wear them alll the time-even with her PJ's!)

This looks like I put a fake background behind me...but it was that beautiful!
Trying to not get blown away...
Gorgeous sunset on the ride back!
The island.

Love this girl.

Madeline is turning into such a little girl. She loves to help me cook, pick up toys, go to the store, and put on jewelry. She's always very enthusiastic, and loves to be a part of anything her big brother is doing. What a sweetie!

Fall treks.

Sabbath, cupcakes and parks.

Since we are now into Bray's busy/crazy schedule (rehearsals 6 days a week, including Sundays) we are going to church downtown. I then drop him off, and usually head home, but decided to go visit Uncle Jordan at his new work in Madrona, Seattle. There was a fun park across the street, which we went to after eating sugary delicious cupcakes!
They had a neat (but very dirty, i.e. not good for Sunday clothes) sand pit with trucks that the kiddos loved.

Look at my big dude! They both are fitting into things I got a year ago-these are his 'big boy cool boots.' He had to tell that to everyone we ran into while wearing these. :)
This outfit was from Aunt Carolyn last Christmas, and she is just now fitting into it! Isn't it cute? Course, I didn't know we would be going to a park with a sand pit while wearing this outfit...
no idea what this thing is, but it spins around and you can climb on it.

Homemade Doughnuts!

Yup-it's that time of year again. The leaves have changed color and are falling off the trees, people are wearing sweaters and carrying umbrellas, I am now another year older, and our apartment smells of baked goods. Last night, I made my mom's buttermilk doughnut recipe-and they are definitely the best I've made yet! It is an art I probably won't perfect till I'm a grandmother, but still, I enjoy the challenge! And, it makes it feel like fall has really arrived, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Bray was helping me roll the doughnuts in sugar (as the kids would've just licked it off their fingers) and he said, "I love this. It makes it feel like this is something we do. It makes it feel like our tradition, our home." Not that he was meaning it doesn't at other times, but when you don't know where you'll be living from year to year, it's nice to at least create the feeling of home. :)

Can you tell who else loves doughnuts?