Life

Life.
We just embrace it and take it moment by moment.
At times it gets overwhelming.
At times I admit that I take things for granted.
Sometimes life just flies by and I wonder what happened.
But were here.  We have every day.
And we are going to make the best of it.

Here are some life pictures:

Colson riding around on the new quad we got after he crashed the other one....which wasn't his fault. He is still a bit nervous and will only ride slow, but he likes it a lot better. Cannon loves it, too and has been riding all over the place on it, even though it's too small for him.  It's been great to see both boys enjoying the quad and fun to watch them ride.

Cannon is in the process of drawing a very detailed picture that he is going to color.  We are very impressed with his drawings and he constantly amazes us.  I can't wait to see the finished product!

More freezer jam!  Claire gave me some berries that she had in her freezer and my mom and I made some "30 minute" jam.  I like how easy this recipe is and it went even faster with two of us working together.  We go through a ton of jam!

This weather we are having is great and I'm loving the sunny evenings, even though they are getting chilly.  I've been shooing the kids outside after dinner and telling them to go enjoy.  It won't be long and it will be dark and cold and probably rainy.  We're trying to soak up every minute of outdoor time!

Tantrums.  Colson was mad at me for taking this picture!  I can't even remember what he was upset about but it's amazing how fast he can go from zero to sixty.  Sigh.  We see less and less of the tantrums, but Colson is strong willed and wants it his way.

My helpers making brownies!  I actually did very little to help them.  I turned the oven on, stirred the last couple of stirs and then put the pan in the oven.  They did everything else.  I enjoyed watching them bake and loved how they worked together.  They'll be cooking more, I'm sure!

And the best part...liking the spoon and bowl!

Colson loves to draw, just like Cannon.  We see more detail in his pictures ,too.  He's been liking the larger paper and has filled up a few sheets with his creations.  Usually trucks and trailers with something or other on them.  I love to watch him draw!

Enjoying every moment.

Doin' the Puyallup...By Myself

Yes.
I got most of the day to myself and have accomplished a lot!

This morning I headed to the Puyallup Fair by myself and wandered around.  I went wherever I wanted and didn't have to worry about anyone but myself!

I didn't stay long, only two hours, but I was able to enjoy a scone, check out the booths, buy some Seahawk socks, look at the baby pigs, draft horses and other animals, peruse the student art and photography, walk through the hobby hall, and grab a caramel apple.  I also bought a bag of scones to share.

The best part about going was that I ran into an old friend, Debi Cossette.  It's been years since I have seen her and we talked for quite awhile.  It was nice to catch up with her!

Enjoying every moment!

Soccer Saturday's

Cannon has started playing in a soccer league this year.  He began practices in mid August and just started games last Saturday.  The league continues through the beginning of November!  Gulp!

However Cannon has improved so much in just the month he's been playing with the team.  The practices are two days  a week which is not easy once school started, but it's worth it. Cannon has become more confident and will continue to as the season progresses.

The teams first game was last Saturday and Chris and I missed it!  (We were at the Husky game!) Thank goodness for Grandma and Grandpa Anderson.  They took him to the game, cheered him on and got some great pictures for us!

Cannon getting his foot on the ball!

Alex, Cannon and another teammate resting on the sidelines.

Stopping the ball from going into the goal.

Great game!  Thanks Coach Mike!

The team played well and won the game.  Cannon was happy.  He played goalie and stopped a few shots.  (And didn't let any by him!)  He still needs to learn to get more aggressive and go after the ball.  Everyone did well and we were proud!

Looking forward to the next game!

Enjoying every moment.

The Longest Birthday Party Ever!

This past weekend was Dillon's 7th birthday party.  Sebastian and Mindy decided to forgo the regular birthday party and just have a few people over to spend the evening AND spend the night. So we brought our motor home and did just that.

There was one other couple there that have been friends with Sebastian and Mindy for a long time. They have a 16 month old.

Cannon giving Dillon his present...Kit Kat's, which is just what he asked for!  

So we all just hung out, ate a wonderful meal Saturday night, had birthday cake and ice cream, swam in the pool and sat around the fire.  It was a small, easy-going, relaxing time and exactly what Mindy and Sebastian were after to celebrate for Dillon.

The three boys, Dillon, Cannon and Colson, played for hours in the pool Saturday night and then were in again for a shorter time Sunday morning.  They were totally prunes!  It was great to watch them swim, jump, flip, splash, squirt, and throw things.  You could tell they were having the best time.  Dillon and Cannon liked to be thrown up and into the water by Sebastian.   Also, Dillon and Cannon also played more together rather than along side each other for the first time.  (Dillon is autistic.)  It was wonderful to see Dillon on Cannon's back and them pulling each other around.

Sunday morning, we had a huge, yummy breakfast and sat around watching the Seahawks game. (They lost in over time!)  Of course, we sang one more time to Dillon as the kids ate left over cake and ice cream!

So yes, we were going on 22 hours for Dillon's birthday party!  So fun!

Enjoying every moment!

Mayfield...Here We Come

We've spent numerous weekends at Mayfield Lake this year.  Labor Day at Dan and Claire's property has become a tradition over the last few years.  There isn't anything special that goes on.  But it's a great opportunity to get away for three days and relax before the start of the school year.  It's also a great weekend to visit with friends and catch up.

This Labor Day weekend was no different.

Eating and roasting marshmallows!  Look at how BIG Colson's was.  He couldn't eat it all!

The boys (and Chris) got a new RC boat.  They had fun trying it out for the first time this weekend. They are wishing for another one because it would be more fun with two so they can race around!

We had a nice boat ride to get ice cream at the marina.  I love the $2 ice cream cones there!  Notice the top on the boat is down  for our trip there.  But for our trip back, we had the tops up as it was down pouring!  Crazy weather!

Emily came for an evening to visit and made tacos for all of us.  Oh. My. Goodness.  They were so good and so filling!

Waiting for the moles.  Patiently.  (no luck!)

There were a lot of 'helicopters' from the maple tree.  Colson and Cannon, along with Claire and Chris, had a lot of fun throwing them.  The boys had to climb up higher to throw them!

Shooting marshmallows!  This was a huge hit and so much fun.  We laughed and laughed.  Some of those marshmallows went zinging!  You had to be careful!

Blessed with all of the memories!
Enjoying every moment.

Colson's First Day!

Today we sent Colson off to preschool!  Today was his first day of preschool at Mountain Meadow. He will go four days a week in the mornings.  This means that he gets to come to school with us and hang out with Cannon and the other teacher's kids.

Colson told me that he was scared this morning, which is a normal feeling!  We walked out to class together and he followed his 'new' morning routine in his 'new' classroom!  When I asked for a picture with his teacher, Colson refused and then got a little teary eyed.  However no tears escaped! He worked very hard to hold it together.  But he got over to the play dough with the other classmates and I headed out the door fast after a quick goodbye!

After school, Ms. Teresa said he had a great day and when I picked Colson up from Jacie's, he talked and talked and talked about his day and all of the things he got to do!  He said he had fun!

Here's to a great year of learning and growth for Colson!

Enjoying every moment!

Crazy, Fun First Week

The beginning of the year is always a whirlwind.  Especially the first few weeks.  And the first week is the craziest!  It always goes by really fast and I only get done about 2/3 of what I've planned. 

Here are a few photos from the crazy first week of school with my new class of third graders. 

First day getting to know you activity with toilet paper.  They had to take however much "they needed" and eventually I told them that for each square they took, they would tell one fact about themselves.  

Day 2 we had our "Passports to Success" rotations were every classroom learned (or re-learned) about expectations in the hallway, lunchroom, playground, bathroom and specialists.

Another fun group activity where there is always great discussion about how to work together with others.  Each group was given spaghetti and marshmallows.  They had to work together to build the tallest tower.  There was a lot of great discussion in some groups and also some very good thinking behind some of their towers!

Another easy and quick getting to know you activity.  Spin the spinner and answer the question that it lands on!

Computers were a hit the first week of school.  Students logged in to Microsoft Word and learned how to capitalized words and put periods at the end of sentences.  They also logged into Google Classroom and completed their first assignment.

The first "Sing and Read" of the year.  You can see Cannon in front of my class!  We sit right behind his second grade class!

Enjoying every moment.