Farm Fresh Apples

We all got to go to out to the farm a couple weeks ago.  We had a nice time visiting Joanne and then we picked some apples and pears to take home to make delicious things out of them.  At least at our house there has been a lot of apple butter, applesauce and even an apple crisp that has come from those apples.  Its been fun.  These kiddos also did a great job at helping retrieve some fruits too.  They are mighty good farm hands. 

 

Traveling kids

Who needs a mama, when they can do it themselves.  Well maybe not all by themselves, but Maia sure was having a blast pushing her little brother around in the stroller at 9:30pm while waiting for our delayed flight.  This late at night, you do what makes them happy. 

Dedication

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This past Sunday we were given the opportunity to dedicate Maia and Paxton at church.  It was a special time to be able to pray for our kids and to be challenged to raise these kids the best we can and teach them about Jesus in the way we live.  What a special opportunity!  

Maia all dolled up in her pretty dress.

Some of the other families who were dedicating their kiddos.

Introductions

Prayer time

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween our kiddos turned into a monkey and a little chicky.  It was a fun year to have a two year old getting into the dressing up and trick or treating.  We had a lot of fun going around our neighborhood.  Maia loved that she got to pick out candy from a bowl and put it in her bag.  This sort of thing has been a common thing for her.  That is, carrying around bags with books, puzzle pieces, blocks, mainly anything small enough to put in a bag and tote it around the house.  So trick or treating was a very exciting thing.  I don't know how much she realized it was candy she was getting, but just the fact of getting something was fun for her.  We as parents enjoyed getting to meet some of our neighbors and eating the candy ;).  One of our neighbors had some benches by a fire in their back yard for trick or treaters to come and relax.  That was our favorite, just a chance to meet neighbors, sip apple cider and enjoy a warm fire.  

Our monkey and little chicky

The little monkey showing off her tail.

I (Jeanette) had a blast carving these pumpkins, Maia was not too into the carving part, but loved the pumpkin faces.  She often looks out our window to make sure they are still around.

Thats a happy little chicky!

Pumpkin Patch

I Love Fall and all that is in it.  The air just seems clear and fresh with its crispness.  The the leaves so vibrant in their orange, red and yellows as they contrast against the clear blue sky.  And of course there is the pumpkin patches, this has become one of our family traditions.  We've gone twice now to the one on Sauvie Island and found the trick is to go on the week day.  So nice and low key!  So thats what we did.  And we had fun! We  picked out a pumpkin, rode on a hayride and petted some animals.  Oh yeah, and Maia climbed on a hay pyramid.  I think that was the highlight for sure.  Here a just a few of pictures to show you how much fun we had!!!

A Long, Unedited Video for Grandma Jo

This video is 14 minutes long, and gets repetitive so could be stopped at the halfway mark.  I split it in two so you actually have to click on the second one to view the whole long thing.  I share it because Maia is pretty chatty throughout, and it gives a great picture of where she is at developmentally, or at least speech-wise.  I can only recommend watching the whole thing to Grandma Jo, and perhaps to any cousins under the age of seven.  Anyone else might find it a bit of a bore (although it is still worth watching the first minute of the video).  If you fit those qualifications, enjoy!

I love that Maia refers to her nummie blanket as a person.  She wants it to sit, she often wants to feed it, change its diaper, or put clothes on it.  Often when she goes somewhere there are three people going:  Maia, Bear, and Nummie. 

Maia Learning to Ride a Bike

Thanks Holly for reminding me that Mom wants videos.  These two were from a few weeks ago, so Maia's a little better now, but they were her very first attempts at riding a bike once I figured out I could lower the seat so her feet actually touched the pedals.  I love how much she is just clearly enjoying herself. 

"Go to Work"

Tonight Maia carefully stuffed her num-num in her Dora the explorer backpack, then had me help her put it on.  Then she picked up bear and walked to the front door and announced, "Bye-bye, see ya!  Go to work!"  Apparently she's been doing this a lot lately, and Jeanette says that while she is pretending, she is not pretending about going.  She'll then tell Jeanette, "Outside!"  And want her to open the door.  Tonight I wondered how far she would get, so I opened the door for her and away we went.

It was very cute walking with a determined little girl, sometimes running, sometimes shuffling along barely moving, sometimes stopped as she took in all the people sitting outside at the restaurants, and sometimes spinning in a circle like a dog chasing its tail as she tried to see "num-num" behind her in her backpack.  For the first five blocks she actually followed my route to work (at each intersection I would ask her "which way?" and she would point emphatically, saying, "That way!")  As we passed a bar playing music she began to dance, and for awhile after that she was singing.  We had to stop at the coca-cola factory because they have a bright red railing out front, and she wanted to be a monkey.  I was a little worried cuz her backpack was big and heavy, and her hands are so tiny, but she hung on and swung really well.  Everyone we passed thought she was hilarious.  Such a determined little girl.  She kept giving her bear a kiss and telling it, "See ya Bear, have fun!"

After 15 blocks, when it was basically dark, she finally stopped and asked me to pick her up.  She had carried her bear the whole way, and worn her backpack.  I'm still not sure where she works, but she sure enjoyed going there.

We Have a Two Year Old in the House

On August 29th we celebrated out little girls second birthday! 

 We celebrated Maia as a family on the 29th, and then on the 30th we celebrated her with family and friends.  It was a fun party and I think Maia felt extra special! For her cake I made some colorful cupcakes. When you take a bite into these you will encouter swirls of many colors.  It was supposed to be stripes, but then they started to resemble tye dye of a sort.  I feel as though they fit Maia's colorful and excitable personality.  

 Paxton was pretty excited about the party too!!  He loves his big sister and often has a big smile on his face when she is around.

(Hmm... she must not have been around in this picture.) 

Daddy was in charge of the grill or BBQ 
(for those who prefer to call it that).

Gathering in the backyard with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Farrah along with sweet Carson.  And don't forget our friend Leah there in the background.

 Maia's friend Grayson.

 Jordan, Maia's cousin, and her two good friends Eben and Naomi.

 Getting excited about downing that cupcake!

 Jedd and Michelle holding Paxton.

 Jamie and Dave and their little guy Benjamin

 All the kids were so excited to help Maia open her gifts.  I began to wonder if it was more exciting for everyone else than it was for Maia. She sure enjoyed the help and has been having a blast with all her new toys. 

What a blessing it has been to spend these two years with our little Maia.  Its been so fun watching her change and grow and become the person she is today.  She never ceases to make me smile; she's so constantly full of excitement for the things she loves.  And she's one determined little girl; when her mind is set she pursues that thing continually to its end.  We love out little girl and are so glad she's in our family! 

Grandma Jo Came to Town!

Little Guy's Trick

This was first wittnessed when Paxton was 3 weeks old.  I had him on his stomach on the couch and he rolled, and another time on the bed.  So I thought lets make it official.  So I had him the floor and sure enough he rolled.  So I don't know if it counts or not, but in my book my boy is rolling over.  Yea Paxton!

A Song In Her Heart

One thing that Maia does most frequently is sing a little song and dance along with it.  Sometimes its just her dancing and other times it includes other objects or people.  I don't know about you, but it just puts a smile on my face when I encounter the loud, da da da da.....  She never ceases to smile right along with you.  My hope and prayer is that this bold statement of happiness will not be taken from her and that she will always have a little song in her heart that she can dance to. 

Paxton at Two Weeks

Paxton and I had a little photoshoot the other day to mark him being 2 weeks!  So these are a just a few of the shots I took of the little guy.  He loves loves loves to sleep and so I thought why not get some shots of what he does best (and he did not want to wake up either).  Enjoy the pictures!

I forget how little they are!

This shot was taken today because we got some neat gifts in the mail from our dear friend Julie!  Plus Maia loves holding her brother.  Often she says, "hold baby, sit down, hold baby".  Pretty sweet!

Family visits

 Having a new baby is a fun event in itself, but then it also creates an opportunity for family to come out visiting to meet the little pumpkin. We got the opportunity to have my (Jeanette) siblings come into town to visit.  This led to a third fun event of getting to show off the beautiful area that we live in!

Siblings at Multnomah Falls!

Then there is our little family!

Lots of fun with Uncle Nick

We even all got to go to the Ocean, here is Maia having a blast in the sand.  It was not a warm day either. 

Maia chasing a seagull. She has become pretty sneaky when in comes to chasing animals that are scared of her.  We owe that all to our cat Meko who is always running away from this little girl. 

Paxton's first time at the ocean.  However, he slept through the whole time we were on the beach.  In fact, he actually slept through the entire trip to the Coast.  That's a newborn for you!

With all the activities Maia was a bit tired.  I thought she was actually going to take a nap at the Farmers Market with her blankie, or nummies is what she calls it.  

Our week with family was great and we were sad to see them go.  However, it is definitely time for us not to be so up in the air, but to set our routines and figure out how to function as a four person family.