Remember doing this?

We got the JCPenney Christmas catalog in the mail today. I told the kids to look through it and mark anything they saw that they want to put on their Christmas lists.

Here is what the catalog looked like when they were done.

That should give me a few ideas to work with!

Somersaults

Aidyn has been teaching Nolan how to do somersaults all summer. Last night they were doing them on the couch cushions and I think it's fair to say that Nolan has mastered them. Check it out...

Seattle!

We left last Wednesday for our much anticipated trip to Seattle. We went to visit our dear friends the Brenne's. All 4 of us were very excited for our adventure!
When we got to their house, Aidyn & Campbelle and Nolan & Christian started playing like long-lost friends. It was so fun to watch them together and see how very similar they are.

On Thursday we went into Seattle and went to the Experience Music Project, which was fun for kids and adults!

And then on to the Space Needle. The views of Seattle, the mountains, the lakes, the ships, Puget Sound...what a beautiful area! The kids loved checking it all out. (Even if they looked through the telescope backwards.)

That night for dinner we met some other friends of ours that live in Seattle, Lori & Brian. We had some awesome Mexican food and of course great company! We hadn't seen Lori and Brian since I was pregnant with Aidyn, so it was nice to catch up with them.

Here are the kids entertaining themselves outside the restaurant. Now Nolan can put Seattle on his list of cities he's laid on the ground at.

Friday we headed to West Seattle for delicious fish 'n chips for lunch (along with some skipping)

And then a stroll along Alki Beach. The water was really cold, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

We then took a water taxi over to Pike Place Market to check out the 100th Anniversary celebration of the market. There were so many things to see/watch/buy there. We did watch the fishmongers throw fish for a while and looked at all of the beautiful fresh flowers for sale. I loved it!

It got to be a bit of a long day for the little boys. Both Nolan and Christian fell asleep on their daddys. But, we did manage to find some awesome, fresh, dungeness crab and 1/4 pound shrimp that Jill & Leif cooked into an unbelievable feast for dinner that night. YUM!!!!

Saturday we spent the day in Snoqualmie. It is a beautiful area on the east side of Seattle.

We went on a train ride from Snoqualmie to North Bend. The kid loved the ride, even when the conductor blew the loud whistle.

After the train ride, we hiked down to Snoqualmie Falls. The hike is 1/2 mile down to the falls and then, you guessed it, 1/2 mile back up. The kids were really good little troopers though. We all got in our exercise that day!

Sunday we checked out Ballard locks which was really interesting to see. It's amazing how many ships go through those locks. They also have fish ladders there for salmon migration and the whole area is surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Monday was the last day of our trip and was spent repacking and getting in as much quality play time as possible. The kids LOVED playing with each other and really got along well.
We all had a great time visiting our friends and seeing their beautiful city. Thank you sooooo much for everything Jill, Leif, Campbelle & Christian! You are the best!!!!

Congratulations Lisa & Cody!

This past weekend we had the honor of being part of Lisa & Cody's wedding. (Lisa is Jeff's sister) They had a beautiful wedding at Horace & Janice's home. Jeff & I were Lisa's attendants and Cody's sister and 2 brothers were his attendants. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Lisa sang a song to Cody during the ceremony. Jeff was her accompanist. They did a beautiful job! Nolan made a new friend, Abby. They were soooo cute and had a great time together.

We wish the happy couple a wonderful life together!

An Inconvenient Truth

Jeff & I finally got around to watching the movie An Inconvenient Truth last night. Boy does it make you think. It is really amazing the destruction we our doing to our planet. Whether you like Al Gore or not, the facts are startling and frankly, scary as hell. But the good news is that we can make a difference. But the catch is, you actually have to act. You can't rely on others to take care of it for you. Here are some simple steps you can take today to help save our home, our children's home and the home of generations to come.

1. Change a Light bulb

Replace one regular light bulb with a compact florescent one will save 150 lbs of CO2 a year.

2. Drive Less

Bike, walk, car pool, use the bus whenever you can. For every mile you don't drive, you save 1 lb of CO2.

3. Recycle more

You can save 2400lbs of CO2 a year if you recycle only half your household waste. If you don't recycle, call your garbage provider and ask if they have a recycling service. If they don't, ask them why.

4. Check your tires & keep your car tuned up

Properly inflated tires improves gas mileage by 3%. 1 gallon of gas saved keeps 20 lbs of CO2 out of the air.
When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

5. Use less hot water

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Install a low flow shower head (saves 350 lbs per year) and wash clothes on cold or warm cycles (saves 500 lbs per year). Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket. You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Avoid products with a lot of packaging

You can save 1200 lbs of CO2 by cutting your garbage by 10%.

7. Adjust your thermostat

By moving your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer you can save 2000 lbs per year.

8. Plant a tree (or many trees!)

Each tree absorbs a ton of CO2 in its lifetime.

9. Turn off electronic devices

Turn off TV, DVD, computer, and any other electronic devices when not in use can save thousands of pounds a year.

10. See this movie... and encourage everyone you know to watch it as well.

If you would like to learn more please visit http://www.climatecrisis.net/.

Twins Game

On Sunday, we took the kids to a Twins game. They were very excited!
Of course the most important part of the game was the cotton candy. They snarfed that bag down in a couple minutes. It must have been good!

After the game, the kids get to go out on the field and run the bases. They loved it!

They both said they had a great time and want to go again.

A visit with friends

This past weekend our friends the Hovlands came to visit us. Since they were in town we invited a few more friends over so everyone could see each other.
Here are the kids at dinner on Saturday night. Nolan, Jayda, Aidyn, Ian, Samuel & Elijah.
After dinner, the guys had to get in a game of pinochle. (Corey, Dan, Don & Jeff)

Here is Tatum reading to all the kids before they left on Monday morning. Her lap is full!

It was fun to see everyone and the kids had a great time playing together!