MUD

These

two boys drive me crazy... That is why I take every opportunity between the fighting and the picking to relish in the fact that I am having the time of my life raising them. They are growing so much recently, acquiring new skills, new interests. So I am bracing myself for the crazy days ahead. If you go down a bit you will see there bike ramp idol... I see my future...

He can makes me smile so easily and effortlessly, just Jack being Jack is something to behold.

Watching their faces is the most fun...

King of the mountain

"The idol" (see idol, see ground) and dad wants to get dirt bikes, you know, as if we need engines added to this! Are you kidding me?

To end on a funny note: Joe has EE and Jack collecting cans as a "responsible project" for them. Joe was walking them home from school last week and they spotted a "huge aluminum can worth a lot of money" in the ditch and quickly rushed home to get the truck. Needless to say I am the coolest mom to the 16 to 20 year old crowd at the bike park. The only mom I can see that pulls up with two boys, two bikes and a huge KEG in the back of my truck. Cooool dude. I can't wait until cash in the cans day so I am no longer the cool mom with the keg?!

No Hollabaloo, just pumpkins...

Eleven years ago was our first trip out to the Stoney Ridge Pumpkin Patch. Isabelle was four months old with a feeding tube down her nose and an oxygen maker slung over sean's shoulder. The experience was perfect, beautifully quaint, yet simple. A hay rack ride and a pumpkin pick. Over the years I have returned every year to see more. Well in my opinion more is not necessarily better. All though I always look forward to the photo opportunities at the lovely farm I do not look forward to the admission fee, the requests for the train ride, the jumpy castle, face painting etc... And the people!!!! I can't take the crowds. So imagine my excitement when on the way home from our hiking outing I spotted a pumpkin patch. Perfect!! A beautiful no frills patch. The kids had a fun time selecting the perfect gourd, mom got a few pics and dad enjoyed the loss of the swarm of people and we all had a terrific time! I don't care about the drive we're making this a new tradition :) 

Sweet

Pumpkin

Girl

Now we're talkin' 13.00 total, not 40.00 like we spent last year at Stoney Ridge.

Stunning...

We had the best outing with the Buhler family heading out Highway 20 into the Cascades. The fall colors were absolutely breathtaking! Everywhere you looked you could see such incredible beauty! There are more pictures here, it was hard to stop!

Simone doing her favorite thing... hiking with her family! Isabelle and I did not make it all the way to the top of the trail head. However we found you can drive to nearly the same view. Not quite as fun but for Isabelle still satisfying. 

Her first love... (ee not me :)

We stopped at the ranger / information center, very impressive. 

Diablo Dam

Notice the wet pants...hhhmmm. We seem to not go anywhere without my husband ending up in the water. :)