party weekend

One of the things I love most about E's school is the annual Halloween parade and class parties. The sun came out just in time for the almost 800 students to march around the block - so much fun to see all of the costumes. E wasn't too excited about any particular costume this year so I hit up the military surplus for some duds. THAT got him into Halloween!












Here are the little sisters waiting for the big brothers to march. Aren't they sweet?

VooDoo Donuts were the treat of the party. What could be better than that?

Finley's birthday

We celebrated our sweet neighbor's birthday party this weekend. It was a costume party so all the kids could break our their Halloween costumes early. Em -who current has 3 costumes in line for the big night - went with Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Ev - who current has 0 costumes in line - went with an impromptu garbage bag costume. hmm.

The party was a blast - games, pinata, and make your own carmel apples! Happy birthday, Finley!

alpaca farm

Set right into the pretty hills south of Hood River is an alpaca farm and yarn shop. The alpacas are really quite sweet and personable - and energetic eaters! The perfect place to pick up some yarn for a new project.

hood river

We took Nana to Hood River for a jaunt around the Fruit Loop - loads of orchards, farm stands, and wineries. It was a pretty morning - some fog, some wet, and some peeking sun. I loved picking the apples right off the trees - we tried so many heirloom apples I've never had before - even one that tasted like a banana. We also pressed our own cider - so delicious! And returned home with a trunk full of apples and pears.

grandparents day

E had Grandparents Day at his school last week. Grandpa and Grandma came to check out his class and see a choir performance. His second grade class is so big I couldn't get the whole class in one shot.

pumpkin time

We are waiting for Nana's visit later this month to hit the pumpkin patch but who go through October without pumpkins on your porch? We grabbed a couple of big ones last night after school. When we got home, the November Martha Stewart Living issue was waiting in the mail.

October through December -hands down my favorite time of year!

blackberry farm cookbook night

We celebrated such a gorgeous cookbook at our last dinner group - The Blackberry Farm Cookbook. My sweet pea of a best friend gave it to me for my birthday this year. I page through it over and over, thinking of the many meals I'd like to try. Even if you aren't an adventurous cook, take a peek at it for the beautiful destination it is.






If I ever pass through Tennesse (which really isn't very likely), this is definitely on my to do list.

We went with one of the fall menus:

Coffee-rubbed duck breasts

Roasted pecan brussel sprouts

Wild rice

Squash gratin
Apple stack cake

What a meal! It went perfectly with the weather and even though I overcooked the duck breast just a bit, it was still out of this world!

Check out Martha's beautiful cake!

family math and science night

Sweet Tall House, Double Cup volunteered with a fellow Intel dad to pump up Family Math and Science night at E's school. Ems and I peeked in to check it out and found lots of fun happening - a technology petting zoo, experiements and lots of boys and girls running around thinking math and science thoughts :)

We were all very proud of THDC!

new style

E's been developing his own sense of style lately, voicing interest in skinny jeans, skater looks, and hats. On Monday evening he said the best part of his day was his new style and the worst part of the day was that none of the kids commented on it. His chief concern about the next day? What he should wear.





Wow. I got nearly eight years of pulling on matchy-matchy outfits on E every morning. I like that he's showing some style and interested. Let's hope I can keep up.

And for the record, Ems requested a photo of her look for Monday.