A Feline Halloween

The Swing

It was an extra-fun gymnastics class for Daphne today--sort of a mini-Halloween party. Daphne was very excited when she walked in and saw this tri-swing contraption hanging from the ceiling. She enjoyed the ride:

And here's what the bigger kids got to do:

Giant Pumpkin Regatta

The kids and I attended the 5th Annual Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Tualatin this past Saturday. Yes, those are real pumpkins!


This guy won. Yes, that's an OSU Beaver on the front. (Click on photo to enlarge)



Then we walked over to Tualatin Park to feed the ducks. The kids are down at the end of the ramp. I ran back up to the stroller to grab my camera!

Happy Birthday James!

James turned one year old this past Saturday, and we had a little family party for him. He's such a special little guy!

In other news, he crawled the next day! I'll try to get a little video of that up at some point.

What having a sibling is all about

Trip to the Pumpkin...carnival?

The kids and I were at a local "farm" today (which shall remain nameless), and frankly I was a bit disappointed at how it's turned into basically a rip-off carnival with a few animals. The pumpkins are completely an afterthought, and most are either way too gigantic for a normal sized person to lift or very tiny. What happened to the days of just going out to a big field and picking out the perfect pumpkin, maybe a train or hay ride here or there... I probably just had a bad attitude (Pete's been gone all week and I'm bit drained), but I think I'm just ready for something simpler. There's almost so much going on that it's more easy to get bored, if that makes any sense. Like a pumpkin video game, maybe?

At any rate, on with the photos!


That's Daphne on the slide!




James' little friend, Benjamin L.

Gymnastics

From the time I was pregnant with Daphne, as I'm sure most prospective parents do, Pete and I wondered what she would be "in to" as a child and even an adult. Sports? Art? Dance? *gulp* Cheerleading? *huge gulp from Pete* Basketball? (You can ask him about that one).

It turns out the thing she's shown the most interest in (besides food) since she became a toddler is hanging and swinging--from bars, trees, arms, tables, handles and whatever else she can wrap her little hands around. I'd been considering signing her up for a little gymnastics class when I stumbled upon a gym just a mile or two away from our house. She's been in class for 3 weeks now--there are just 3 kids in her group, ages 2 1/2 to 3. It's as much about taking turns and following directions as it is about developing strength, coordination, and flexibility, but I think it's going to be really good for her. I can already see improvement in all those areas. And judging from the stock she comes from on both sides, she gonna need all the flexibility help she can get!

Here are a couple pictures...unfortunately, the lighting in the building isn't great for pictures.





Her favorite part, of course: getting a stamp at the end of class!