Leavenworth 11'

A tradition has started and it is one I don't plan on missing.  It involves beer, friends, family and little run.  I am talking about the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Marathon.   What a better way to spend the weekend...doing the marathon as a relay around the beautiful Cascades and then ending the night drinking beer and dancing the polka with hundreds of others!

Our team came in 4th place this year.  We all did AWESOME with great times!

This year we did a little Klamping at the KOA.  Instead of tents, we went for a lodge.  Camping with kids doesn't sound awesome to me in October.   With the lodge, it also gave us the room to have Derek and Kaitlin join, as well as our last minute guests, my parents (we had an extra bunk bed because Amelia had to stay home due to her being sick) who stayed with Liam so us "kids" could go out and celebrate the season.

My dad has always claimed viking ancestry.  The hat was a must and made us very popular around Leavenworth.  We got stopped a couple times with people wanting to get pictures taking with the little viking.

Before dusk, babies are welcome.  After dusk, babies are discouraged.

Lil Pumpkins

I miss the lazy days of summer, but there is something about this time of year that makes me feel warm inside.  The color of leaves changing, the smell of a fire in the fireplace, apples, football and lil pumpkins all make for a great fall weekend.  Best of all, it was shared with friends, young and old.

I feel blessed to live in the Northwest with the seasons that we get.  I feel more blessed when the sun is shining during them.

Bob's Farm in Snohomish

An annual tradition has started. This year the amount of lil pumpkins has doubled.

Young and old, big and small.

Stats

So this post is late.  Weeks late.

I have two kids.

I am back to work full time.

My nights consist of dinner, baths, bed and sometimes a workout if I am lucky.

I have excuses.  Lots of them.

But, better late then never...


Amelia: 2.5 years over the summer.  30 lbs.  Up to my waist.  Nice head with blond hair. She LOVES princess, horses, steak and lounging in her PJs watching TV.  Currently reading any Disney book on Cinderella.

Liam: 5 months. 16 lbs. About as long as my arm. Bald with a little peach fuzz. He LOVES being in the family mix, his Johnny Jumper, eating people and being held. Currently reading eating any book he gets his hands onto.



Wade: 30s. Changes everyday lbs. Tall. Nice hair, curls when long. He LOVES Ron Paul, steak, and watching Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy with his wife. Currently ready on his iPad.

Karli: 30s. Don't go there lbs. Up to Wade's shoulders. Needs to find a new hairstyle and get away from always putting it in a ponytail. She LOVES chocolate, her family/friends and laying in bed watching TV when the house is quiet. Currently reading "How to Raise a Strong Willed Child".



I gave it a Tri!

I swam .50 mile.  Hating every second of it.



I biked 13 miles. It was great once I learned how to do the gears half way through.

I ran 3 miles. 
All was worth it to get back into gear after having a baby 5 months ago.

 

Thank you Kyle (with his team) for getting me signed up for my first triathlon.

Happy New Year

I know this post is a couple weeks late.  But being back to work full time and having two kids, makes for long days and never enough  time.

I have said it before and I am saying it again, "Labor Day weekend is my New Years".  It is the end of one year and the start of another that Tuesday with new schedules and routines.   I couldn't think of any better way to celebrate it but at Sandpiper Beach Resort in Pacific Beach, WA.  My family has been doing so for 35 years!!

This year was one for the books.  Not only was it Liam's first visit, but the weather couldn't have been more perfect.  With no phones, computers or TV it gives us all the opportunity to relax and to enjoy each other.

There was lots of playing, eating and snuggling in the sand.

Family walks on the beach.

Wade competed once again in the annual shake toss contest. And once again, he came in third (out of about 30 guys).

We enjoyed the Labor Day parade and Amelia got lots of yummy treats.

Bonfires on the beach. Falling asleep on the beach.

And best of all...having the time to read a book and play in the sun.

Blessed (and a little spoiled)!

Today Wade and I celebrate seven years of wedded "bliss".  It is moments like these and the days or weekends like we just had, when we sit and look at the life we have and realize how blessed and spoiled we are.

So this is what seven years of marriage looks like.

We have WONDERFUL parents on both sides that support us 101% and love our children unconditionally.

We have family that we are not only related to, but are also our best friends.

We have friends who have become family and will be in our lives and children's lives for a very long time.

Tonight I may be a little tired from all the events we have been apart of since Thursday.  But, it is a good feeling and one I know I am lucky to feel.

One of my most favorite summer activities is eating crab.  This weekend, I not only got to eat it three days in a row, I also got to help in the process of getting it.  Awesome!!

Thank you Michelle and Kevin for inviting us on your cruise.  Can't wait for the next one.  What a perfect day.

Cowgirls



Thank you Grandpa for taking the time and having us over for a ride.



Every summer, around this time, my sister brings the girls to Bellingham for a visit.  This visit of course needs to include a ride out to the county to ride some horses.  The last couple of years Amelia has admired the horses from afar, but this summer things have changed.  She is all about the horses, going for a ride and sharing them with her favorite little people, her cousins.