Let the Halloween Festivities Begin...

After a busy weekend, we made time to decorate pumpkins after ballet and gymnastics last night. Since I didn't buy any "safety" pumpkin knives, or any neat carving kits- I hacked into them with a good old fashioned steak knife, and the kids helped me scoop out the seeds with our cereal spoons and hands. They kept saying, "I don't like being all ooey and gooey" but I think they enjoyed the experience. Owen really liked his silly "happy face" pumpkin, and Kylee liked her butterfly pumpkin once Daddy got home from his meeting to fix it!

Today we will go to Great Grandma Joy's house to decorate halloween cookies before Kylee's gymnastics. Tomorrow will be crazy- we'll dress up for a field trip with Kylee's class to sing for the "Grandma's and Grandpa's" at the convalescent hospital, then we'll head out to Lewiston to trick-or-treat at both Great Grandparent's houses, we'll trick-or-treat back in Weaverville at all the shops on Main street, go to the Fire House for the smoke maze and safety info, and go to a Halloween Party that night at our friend's house. Whew... and I still haven't picked out a costume!

Our Funny Little Man

Most of you have already heard that Owen won an online summer contest for America's Funniest Videos! We finally decided to submit this funny little clip of him when he was 7 months old- and it's now viewable on their website. Follow this link to check out our little "Horn Honker" and stay tuned, because there's a chance they may play it on the TV show this season! We'll keep you posted.

Where it all Began

Wes and I brought the kids to Fort Bragg this past weekend. We lived there for the first year and a half of our marriage, and haven't been back since we moved away. Six years has been way too long, and going back was unbelievable. Fort Bragg means so many things to me- it is stunningly beautiful with it's dramatic cliffs and enormorous clear waves crashing against the rocky coast, it has the romantic Mendocino-coast feel (even with our two kids along!), but mostly it has wonderful people, who embraced Wes and I this weekend with the same open arms they did when we moved there as a young couple- just starting out after college. Wes' first job was as an assistant civil engineer for Lee Welty. Lee and his wife, Sally, made sure the transition to this small town, away from our families and friends, was absolutely seemless. They made us feel at home, and hosted wonderful dinners- even inviting our own parents along- and introduced us to other wonderful locals. Wes' office was full of loving people; we went on an unforgettable trip to Mexico with Forrest, the surveyor, and his wife and friends. And Mary Jane, who pretty much ran the office, was always there for us, and even helped us move into a great house in the town of Fort Bragg. We were able to see these wonderful friends this weekend, and had a great time visiting with them at a party at Lee and Sally's house. They embraced Kylee and Owen with the same love, showering them with treats and even pumpkins to carve. The kids had so much fun "jamming" on their bongo drums, and playing with everyone- it was such a joy for all of us! Kylee and Owen play under the covers with their flashlights from Lee and Sally!

After the party, we headed back to Fort Bragg, where we stayed at The Grey Whale Inn - which had also been gifted to us years ago by the wonderful owner. He remembered Wes doing some work there, and let us stay in the huge family room- it was great for the kids. The breakfasts here were DELICIOUS, and people were all so kind and welcoming.

Owen and Daddy by the Skunk Train

Saturday we went to see The Skunk Train take off, we visited our old favorite, The Headlands Coffee Shop, went and watched the waves and collected treasures at Glass Beach, had lunch down in Noyo Harbor, and enjoyed a wonderful visit with my former boss, Lisa Harvey. Just as Lee was a guide for Wes at the start of his career, Dr. Lisa Harvey, O.D.,FCOVD, was a guiding inspiration for me. Working as an optometric assistant for her was constantly exciting, her passion for her work inspires me to this day. I enjoyed the work environment she created immensly, and always think about Lisa, and all the close friends I worked with at Dr. Harvey's office. Kylee and Owen truley loved meeting Lisa- she had so many wonderful toys to play with at her new vision therapy office. She spent hours out of her busy day, with absolutely no notice, just playing ball and bonding with our kids- and we really enjoyed catching up on everything. Playing outside Dr. Harvey's new office!

For dinner, we dropped by our beloved restaurant, The Taqueria Ricarda, for some of our old favorite dishes. The food was beyond delicious, but the most touching moment of our trip was that Ricarda actually remembered us. We didn't dine out a whole lot when we lived there- but when we could, we'd usually go to Ricarda's. It has been six years, and we thought there was no way she'd know us- but she did. And she even gave us a "Taqueria Ricarda" apron as a special gift. We ended our night by enjoying hand made ice cream at another favorite, Cowlick's Ice Cream. It was as amazing as we remembered!

Owen loves Cowlick's, and says "I'm two now, so I can have TWO scoops!"

Sunday was gorgeous- we spent the morning at Jughandle Beach, playing in the sand before the 5-6 hour drive home. The kids were great the whole weekend, and Wes and I just loved showing them the first place we lived after we got married. Most of all, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of Fort Bragg- both by the natural wonders of the town by the sea, and most of all by it's most giving people. We promise- we'll be back soon! A walk to Jughandle Beach on the last day

Ladies Night Out

My friend, Shannon, invited me out last night for her Birthday with some of her close lady friends and family. We had a delicious dinner at La Grange Cafe, and I can now say that, after living in Trinity County for 5 years, I have officially experienced the bar scene in Weaverville. Shannon and I have known each other for a while, we love when we take time away from our busy mommy schedules to take the kids on our walks, and we are both mommies of a boy and a girl- who are close in age and love playing together. This was the first time we've ever hung out with no kids- and we had a blast! I don't know if the local bar, "The New Yorker", was ready for our Pussycat Dolls and Nelly Furtado music blaring on the country dominated Juke Box, but nobody really seemed to mind too much. Shannon's mom and Aunts and friends were so hilarious, and really were a great group of ladies to celebrate this special day with.

Happy Birthday, Shannon!

Winter's Coming

We are soaking up the sun while we can, for the rest of the week is looking pretty chilly. Rain showers are predicted everyday, and the snow levels are dipping pretty close to us. We are convinced that winter is on it's way, and that it'll be a cold one. Wes and his Dad's crew worked all the way through the weekend, for fear that there won't be much sunshine for months to come. I took the kids to Weverville's Pumpkin Patch, and they picked and carried their pumpkins all by themselves. At home, Kylee and Owen are absolutely loving racing the bike and trike around and around the house- so, throughout the weekend we spent hours doing this! We're hoping the forecasters are wrong, because we're not ready to come inside yet!

Stop, Drop, and Roll

It's been "Fire Safety Week" at Kylee's school. Owen and I have been sufficiently coached on how, "when you're on fire, you need to stop, drop, and roll." She even has a very quick demonstration of how we are supposed to do this, and sings a song about it, too! Kylee is learning so much at school, and had a blast today- when the fire fighters came and taught all the preschoolers about their very important job. We love preschool!