Watch Out World!

Here she comes! Merilyn has been testing the waters and taking a few shaky steps here and there this month. However, this weekend she really took off...literally! She has her arms out for balance and walks with her bowed legs - it reminds me of what my dad used to say when Alison was learning to walk - "She looks like she just got off a very small horse"!

Weekend Retreat

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to the coast with my staff. It couldn't have come at a better time! Conferences were finally over and all that goes into preparing for them, so we were ready to relax and enjoy ourselves. I laughed harder than I have in a really long time! I love being able to call my co-workers my friends. I am so lucky to be a part of this group of people... and that my husband was willing to take on the girls by himself for two days!

Pumpkin Patch

Alison and her pre-school class took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch last Wednesday. Trav was supposed to be in his training class, so we arranged for Uncle Ross to go with her. At the last minute Trav's class was pushed back and he was also able to go. Lucky Ali! The weather was stormy, windy, and rainy for the first 20 minutes, but it cleared up and was sunny the rest of the day. Ali's favorite part was "Noah's Ark". {It was a little maze with a slide at the end.}

Go Beavers!

It was a sad, rainy day in Corvallis yesterday. The Beavers actually had a great first half, and were still up with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter. So what happened? Holy fumbles, turn-overs... whatever!! We trudged back to the tailgate party and heard the final score "40-14, Bruins." However, I still love my OSU boys, {Although, Shari and I decided that we're going to spring for season baseball tickets!!} and it was still fun to spend time with good friends. Shari went with me, and we met Casey and Cori there. It was a nice break without kids for 4 very busy Mommies. So, in the end, it was a good day.

Weekend at Uncle Bobby's

We all piled in my mom's motorhome on Friday and headed up to my uncle's house on Whidbey Island. I left school right away, as we needed to get up to the ferry by 8:30 pm. Well, after fighting traffic and stopping for dinner, we made it at 8:23 pm. But, alas, we were told we had the first spot on the 10:00 pm ferry! Ugh! Natalie and Ali are in love with Uncle Bobby and his farm. They got to help him feed the animals and gather eggs from the chickens. He also has the greatest sand pile that can quickly turn into hours of fun! The "real reason" for the trip was to get all of the babies together. "Bingo, Bango, Bongo" as Uncle Bob calls them, were all born within months of each other. Maggie (March) and Johnna (June) had already met over the summer, but I was still pregnant with Merilyn. Little Meri tried to keep up with all of the big girls, but was always distracted by something she would find on the floor!

My Baby is One!

Merilyn Grace turned one on September 16th. It's so hard to believe that a year has gone by! She still seems like such a baby to me... at this age Ali had already been walking for 2 months!! It's such a poignant date for us because on September 16th, 2004 my dad passed away. Our family remembers him always - now with an extra special reminder - his little namesake. {Could she look any more like him??} We are so lucky to have this little girl in our lives.

First Day of PreSchool!

Ali has been waiting anxiously for this day to come... the first day of her 4-year-old preschool. She waved to the building every time we drove by this summer, and has been asking, "Is tomorrow the day for preschool?" She was an old pro... but still didn't want Daddy to go too far. {He got to stay for the first day.} Ali's class is a little lopsided, as there are only three girls and 11 boys! It doesn't seem to bother her much, in fact her best buddy in the class is Luke!