October 31, 2007

Halloween Bonanza!

Happy Halloween! After two school parties, a neighborhood playdate/party at our house, and trick-or-treating, the kids are fast asleep and I'm not far behind. It was an excellent, fun-filled day. I hope your day was as well.


Cinderella & Spidey

Party #1 @ Mason's preschool


The preschoolers paraded around the neighborhood, visiting the library, the bank (they gave out candy), and the bakery (who gave out yummy cookies)


Party #2: Aiden's entire school (500+ students) paraded around the neighborhood dressed in their costumes...it was quite a sight! Then they had a party in their classroom.



The boys working a cider press


Party #3 at our house with some of the neighborhood kids...good times!

October 30, 2007

She Can Fly!

Check out Mason at gymnastics this week...


October 27, 2007

Halloween Party

We went to a Halloween party at the Pecks' house this afternoon. It was deluxe...lots of fun activities for the kids; a graveyard in the backyard; even a spooky fortune teller! Thanks, Jason, Rachel, Emmett, and Amelia, for throwing such a fun party!





frosting Halloween cookies


bobbing for apples



Aiden hearing his fortune

Rachel and me, bewitching the camera :-)



October 26, 2007

Sleepover

Aiden & Mason had a sleepover in Mason's room tonight. They love their sleeping bags!!!


October 25, 2007

Welcome to the World, Baby Holden!!!

Our dear friends Dylan and Erin Slatton celebrated the birth of their first child yesterday. His name is Holden William Slatton, and he was born 10/24/07 at 7:39a, weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz and measuring 20 inches long. In Dylan's words, "He is just perfect." Congratulations...we can't wait to meet him!!!







October 23, 2007

Boo!

Today was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, so we spent the afternoon carving pumpkins on our front porch. After dark, we lit them up and admired our handiwork. Don't they make a cute pumpkin family? We think so. :-)

October 11, 2007

What's For Dinner

Thank goodness for Papa Murphy's pizza. Half Hawaiian, half Cowboy, and everybody's wholly happy (especially mom!).

October 9, 2007











October 7, 2007

Fall Fun


A fall ritual...jumping in a giant leaf pile!

Mason, Erik, Taryn, Abe, Eli, Sabine, Noel, Aiden

October 6, 2007

Happy Shower, Dylan & Erin!

I made a quick overnight trip to Seattle this weekend to attend a baby shower for Dylan and Erin. Baby Boy Slatton is due November 1, and I'm so excited for them! It was a lovely shower that Erin's parents hosted, and it was wonderful to be there to celebrate with them. Now we just wait for the little guy to make his appearance.

October 5, 2007

Buckaroo!

We attended our first elementary school function tonight...it's called Buckaroo, and it's a rootin'-tootin' good time (for the grade school set, anyway). Really, it was fun. Kids (and parents) dressed up in their finest Western garb and "roamed the range" (ie., the school grounds), playing games, galloping through two deluxe bouncy houses, and dining on fine Cowboy food. Basically, the kids run amok for two hours, trying to capitalize on every second of fun that they can. Gee, I can't wait for the next one!!!

Andrew (Aiden's friend from school), Mason, Aiden

Mason doing the "I'm so happy I got a crazy balloon hat" dance

October 4, 2007

After 12 Long Years...

...Chess finally has her own doghouse. Erik spent the day building Chess her new little abode, and it turned out great. She doesn't seem to be buying into the idea, however. Time (and colder weather) will tell.

Our kind neighbor, Brad, helped move it to the side yard (it weighs a ton!)

Doesn't it look cozy???

I imagine this was Chess's reaction to it...

What's For Dinner

We had this for dinner the other night and it was dee-lish! It's a pork stew from Better Homes & Gardens, and it especially hits the spot on these cold and rainy Oregon days. You should definitely give it a try. Bon appetit!

Hearty Pork Stew
6 servings

Ingredients
1-1/2 lb. lean pork stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp. dried sage, crushed
1 tsp. dried mint, crushed
1/4 cup butter (4 Tbsp.)
8 oz. fresh button mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 14-oz. can chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 lb. coarsely chopped carrots
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle pork with sage and mint. In a 12-inch oven-going skillet brown pork in 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat, turning often. Remove pork from skillet. Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to skillet. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in broth, bay leaf, and browned pork. Bring pork mixture to boiling. Remove from heat; cover. Place skillet in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir in carrots; cover and bake for 20 minutes more or until carrots are crisp-tender.
2. In a small saucepan melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in flour and Worcestershire sauce. Remove skillet from oven. Return skillet to stove top; uncover. Stir in flour mixture. Bring pork mixture to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve stew over hot cooked noodles.

October 1, 2007

Rorschach Test

I found this in my refrigerator this morning...it's 5-day-old pistachio pudding (nice, right?). The kids and I all thought it looked like a pumpkin...what do you see?