Halloween party

We went to a couple of Halloween parties with the kids, one at the church and the other at Sahara's co-op preschool. These pictures are from the latter. Sahara refused to wear her Tinkerbell costume because her best friend Sadie has the same costume and she was (apparently) not in the mood to be anything less than the only Tinkerbell.

Gavin wore his flower costume, which he may regret in later years. While cute, it wasn't exactly manly. Daddy will have to take a more active role in costume selection next year.

Sahara's New Bike

Sahara's rode a big girl bike earlier this summer, but was pretty unsuccessful. Bam, a few months pass, and she first tries one of Auntie Lori's bikes, loves it so much, so Grandma and Grandpa get her a new one to borrow for as long as she needs it. It's a Snow White bike, and with a shiny new Barbie helmet, Sahara loves to ride her bike multiple times a day. The only thing stopping her is Gavi's naptime or the dreaded rain. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Fall play at Molbaks

Just like last year, we went to the fall play at Molbak's. This year was "The emperor's new clothes." It was actually a pretty fun rendition. Sahara was a little confused over the emperor not wearing clothes--when he was still wearing a bright red pair of long johns. I really thought he would come out in a nude bodysuit, but I guess that's not really kid-friendly...Here are pictures afterwards, hanging out at Molbak's.

Carving the pumpkin

Here's a pic of Sahara and Gavi (really me...) carving the pumpkin. Neither kid wanted to spend too much time wrist deep in the pumpkin. Sahara was mostly excited to color it with glitter after I was done.

Field Trip to the pumpkin patch

Sahara's class took a field trip to The Farm in Snohomish. It was a long drive, but well worth it. We started off with a hay maze and big slide, then off to the petting zoo. Gavin was especially excited about the animals, but only has one noise for all the animals sounds. It's still pretty cute.

We took a BIG wagon ride around the farm, then we picked pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. The sugar pumpkins were just the right size for the preschoolers to carry, and Sahara picked out a perfect one.

We ended with ice cream treats for the whole class. It was a good morning! :)

Me: What did you love about the farm?

Sahara: I loved picking my pumpkin.

Me: What else did you like about the farm?

Sahara: Um, seeing the animals.

1st day of school

Sahara started preschool last month. We are doing a co-op preschool, which means once a week I volunteer in her classroom. I really enjoy playing and learning at school with her, and I actually knows what she's talking about when she tells me about her day. The bonus? Her best friend who lives across the street also attends her school and her teacher was her Toddler Group teacher last year. We love it!

More harvest pics from Idaho

Trip to Idaho

We just took our annual trip to Idaho during the potato harvest. Gavin, who was already a huge tractor fan, was in heaven with Grandpa Watts' two tractors and more/bigger tractors in the fields surrounding the house. As you can see from these pictures, our happy little man takes his tractor driving very seriously. He even does his own manly sound effects as he drives.

Pike Place Market

Here are some pictures we took last month while visiting Pike Place Market. At one end of the market is Victor Steinbrueck Park, where these pictures were taken.

Blueberry Picking - Summer

A couple more pics from blueberry picking this summer in Bellevue.

More Pics

Here are a few pictures of Sahara riding her cousin Sarah's bike. Sarah and her family were back from Japan this Summer and the kids got some good play time in.

Summer Pics with Cousins

Shawn (Amy's brother), Lori and the kids were here from Japan for about a month this Summer and we got together a few times to play.

The pick-up man

The man behind the wheel, whenever he gets the chance, is Gavin. He loves trucks and can't stop smiling when daddy puts him in the drivers seat and let's him have at it. He works the steering wheel for a while before moving on to the other controls (the wipers are his favorite) and the radio.

Late-summer evening at the park

Here are some pictures of a recent trip to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. It was one of those perfect late-summer evenings that you remember and hang onto through the years. The kids had a great time and everything was just peaceful and happy.

Pics are from my iPhone, so the quality isn't the best.

Shane's To-Do List

This was Shane's to-do list for today, Saturday:

Sisal rope
Thread for whipping
Costco
Panties
Internet

I don't think he meant for it to have a common theme...

WashJam 2009

This last Thursday evening I headed out with the boys and several other adult leaders to the Washington Scout Jamboree at Fort Lewis. We camped with the rest of our stake. About 6,000 scouts and leaders were there and it was a sea of humanity. I imagine it was pretty much like Woodstock without the drugs, mischief and music.

On the plus side, the boys had fun spending time with each other and trying out the many activities available there. I was determined to get the boys more involved in the daily camping duties and, for the most part, they did a great job of pitching in and not complaining. We had some great meals and by the end of the three days, the boys had all but taken over the kitchen. I really enjoyed hanging out and having fun with the boys. I also enjoyed getting back up to speed on my knots and lashings--the adult leaders from our stake were responsible for manning the pioneering area, which we did for two days.

The biggest minus was the lack of organization on the part of the WashJam staff. We spent a ton of time getting all the boys paper work in order, having been instructed that no boy without the proper medical forms, etc. would be allowed to enter. Not true. When we got to registration, they didn't ask for or care about our paperwork. They tossed a bunch of wrist bands at us--more than we had paid for. Oh well, none of the events really checked for wrist bands anyway. It was pretty much a fly by night affair from start to finish. The quantity was there, but the quality of many of the events and activities left something to be desired. This was my first state jamboree, and it left me wondering why anybody would pay thousands of dollars to go to a national jamboree. Maybe the national jamborees are different.

Anyway, minuses aside, it was a good half-week and rekindled the older boys interest in Scouting (only the 12-13 year olds in our wards here participate in Scouts). Sunday services were held for the LDS boys, with speakers from the stake presidencies, mission presidents, area authority and even the first counselor in the young men's general presidency. So it was a unique spiritual experience for the boys.

Pacific Science Center

In July, we spent a day at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. The highlight of the trip was the kids' area, where Gavi could run free -- he loved the water feature. Running amok with her friend Sadie, Sahara had a blast.

Houghton Beach Park

We spent one Saturday afternoon in July at Houghton Beach Park with some friends from our ward. I didn't bring Sahara's swimsuit -- I somehow imagined her staying dry. But everyone was jumping in, and she didn't seem to mind being fully clothed and soaking wet. Gavi even got in the action, but is a little fearless; he thinks he can do everything Sahara does, even though he only learned to walk a few weeks before this. But everyone was happy in the end!

Random June Pictures

It's a special day when I let Gavi take feeding into his own hands. We have a carpeted dining area -- even though we covered it with a rubber interlocked mat -- and try to keep eating messes to the minimum. But now with Gavi getting older, I guess feeding oneself has to be skill best aquired before kindergarden.

Also, here's Sahara with one of her favorite cousins, Grace. She loves to imitate everything Grace does, which is cute most of the time, but on occasion, has left both parties in tears.

Duvall Days

Also back in June...We went to Duvall Days on a Saturday, and watched the parade, made friends with some farm animals, and Sahara rode a horse (again). She loves to ride horses, and it's a favorite topic of bedtime stories when Shane puts her to bed.

Juanita Beach Park

This was back in June. The weather had started to turn sunny, so we spent a day at the beach with some friends. Sahara had a great time...Gavi, not so much. After eating handfuls of sand, he was stuck being held by me or in the stroller. Still, good times!