Our October

I am still working on digesting the fact that it is November, and, even more surprising, the fact that I almost have a one-year-old. Someone once told me the days with children go by slowly but the years go by quickly. I've only witnessed one year, but I already wholeheartedly agree.

We have filled this year with some incredible memories. This last month we had a blast taking Elliott to Washington for his first time and showing him off to everyone at home. He met a lot of friends and family and played with a ton of kiddos. He is a lucky little guy to have so many grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends. He was a champ on the trip through all the craze including planes, trains, and automobiles (all 3 in 1 day!), sleeping in different beds and rooms (and kitchens and closets) each night, and letting us drag him all over the state to do all the things we wanted. Sometimes he wasn't the easiest visitor or the greatest sleeper, but overall he was the best 11-month-old traveler we could have asked for.

Here's our trip in pictures:

we started off with a plane to seattle and a train to centralia

then back to seattle to see these cool people

where we had the most gorgeous fall weather

last fall on elliott bay...this fall on elliott bay

e had fun with all the kids

 

then we headed east and had lots of family fun

and back to centralia for the remainder of our trip. so fun!

Other highlights in October included the Red Bull Air Races, a quick layover visit from Grandpa, and Halloween.

 

 

Quick Trip

E and I traveled to Reno at the end of September. If we missed you...well, we missed everyone so don't feel left out. 1) We were in Reno for less than 48 hours. Half of that time we both had the stomach flu! 2) I left my cell phone in LV. 3) Lastly, the only reason for our trip was to celebrate my mom's birthday.

The weekend looked like this:

An easy plane ride with E. A plus!

Time in Sacramento for some Old Town/Downtown fun.

Then we got sick...

...and flew back.

So enjoy one good day worth of pictures!

This day was worth the trip. We had fun celebrating with my mom and enjoyed our time together. We also appreciated having a mom/Qma to care for us when we weren't feeling well. I guess it's a good reminder that once you're a mom, you're always a mom-always the one taking care of everyone. And even once you are a mom...you want your own mom to care for you!

Also, Elliott turned 10 months!

Elliott at 10 months you...

 say "mama" because it is your only word (and I'm okay with that!)

have 7 teeth now

finally want to be held again (much less stiff arming your parents). you cuddle, hug, and always ask to be picked up

looooooove cars/trucks/tractors. basically anything with wheels. you can play with them for hours!

crawl (fast!), cruise furniture, crawl underneath anything and everything you can possibly squeeze under, stand on your own, walk with us holding your hands

refuse to let us feed you in any way - you must use your own fork/fingers/pouch...mr. independent

 throw tantrums when we take something away...brat!

copy anything we do, especially daddy

do something new each and every day. it's a joy to watch you grow

 

Feeling Like Fall

Although it doesn't feel like fall here, we decided to make it seem like fall at Gilcrease Orchards. We are so fortunate to have such a great way to get fresh produce so close to home. Just a couple miles away we were able to pick our own apples, pears, zucchini, eggplant, and sweet potatoes. The kids got to ride in the wagon and go on a tractor ride. And the best part was when we took a break and had fresh apple cider and apple donuts!

 

Another way we made it feel like fall was to head up north to actual fall weather! At the beginning of September, Elliott and I traveled to Great Gramma Esther's house. And what a wonderful visit we had!! We enjoyed yummy meals, walks, shopping, great conversations, and even a visit to some dear friends, too! Plane rides have gotten slightly more difficult now that E is so active, but we survived!

 

 

Other highlights of the month so far:

Daddy moving to LV

A visit from Qma!

A great hike at Mt Charleston

A play and picnic in the park