Halloween 2008

Here is our little bat! We went trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood down toward cousin Lucy's house. The whole family went including Chinook. Half an hour was enough in the chilly air. As expected, we ate more candy than we gave out!



Our friends and neighbors , Lesley and Michael, visit "Miss Brooke"...

"Chinook needs a costume too." Um.. she's now a pickle!

Here's Brooke as a fairy in 2007 (age 4)...
... and as a cat in 2006 (age 3)

Brooke's 5th birthday!

What a spectacular 5th birthday for Brooke! Ever since we read, Stellaluna, Brooke has decided she wanted to be a bat for Halloween and have a Halloween theme for her birthday party. Thankfully Grammy came to the rescue with a homemade "Bootiful Bat" costume, with bling and all! Brooke also requested a black cat for her birthday cake! Although there was a veto on the black frosting mess she agreed to white frosting with orange and black sprinkles! Oh, and I learned coconut is my friend. It hides all frosting mistakes! So it all worked out. The weather was perfect, we had a fun party with wonderful friends, she got a new goldfish and I must say her cat cake turned out fantastic!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Autumn fun!

Here are a few things we have been up to this month...

Pumpkin Carving

Making carmel apples...

and eating them of course!

And, of all things, continuous "dog training" for dear Chinook!

Dinner with Lynn and Aaron

Last Saturday night Lynn and Aaron came over for dinner. Bob and Brooke made a great shrimp bisque and homemade focacchia bread. We enjoyed our visit with such genuine friends. Brooke loves her new (pink and flowery) legos from them!

Recipe for Sound Sleep...

You need: 1 book on your chest, 1 pumpkin flashlight (on), 1 seashell, 2 stuffed animals, 1 blanket, 1 box with a fake turtle in it and a very large basket of books at your feet. Put all this on a bed so you can almost stretch out and you have the recipe for a perfect sleep! Don't forget music playing over the sound of a humidifier. (She didn't even awake when the camera flashed)

Another Good Quote

Sometimes I need a reminder to slow down. I liked this quote from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

You can not see your reflection in running water,
but still water.

Hood Canal

Brooke and I spent a sunny weekend at Janina's cabin on Hood Canal. Janina and I have been great friends since high school and now it is so fun to watch our girls grow up together! At the cabin, Brooke, Grace and Olivia collected sea shells, painted and watched for seals swimming by or fish jumping. The girls squealed with delight when we turned rocks at low tide to find little crab scurry about. Once Janina and I got the girls down to bed at night we could visit with a glass of wine and the fire going. That was relaxing but of course we spent plenty of time playing referee to three cute little girls who all have their idea about what to play and how. It was a fun "girls weekend"!

Grace in search of the perfect shell!

...more shell hunting

Olivia's treasure!