Helping Families to Connect and Thrive

Winter Walk

12.14.15

We took advantage of the very brief break in the rain this morning and enjoyed a winter walk around our neighborhood…

151213walk_0001 151213walk_0002 Our walk was also the perfect opportunity to play with one of our new cameras (I’m loving it!). Isla was a very patient little model for me. 151213walk_0003 Perfecting her “blue steel”

151213walk_0004 Seriously, who is this little ham?! This expression just slays me!Oh, my little love!Isla’s “parkle” (sparkle) boots. During our shoe shopping trip I picked out a little pair of black uggs, but Isla’s heart was set on these gold sparkle boots the moment she laid eyes on them. This girl is pocket-obessed these days!

Farewell, Fall

12.10.15

And just like that, the chill of winter has taken over and we are experiencing a new season… how quickly time flies! In the past month we soaked up as much Oregon Fall goodness as we could. We took walks, admired every pumpkin we passed, played in countless leaf piles, and Isla made this fun little leaf wreath all by herself. I was totally impressed with her crafting skills and cannot wait to create more with her!

We absolutely LOVED our first fall back in the Pacific Northwest! What a glorious, glorious season!

In early November we visited to Dubai for two weeks. Returning our “old home” was such a wonderful experience, and introducing Isla to our friends was an absolute joy! We could not believe how comfortably familiar everything felt- even the colors of the sunrise seem to wrap us in a warm, welcoming hug. We kept busy with photo sessions, and Isla was a happy and contented little assistant. The whole experience was absolutely fantastic and we hope to return again next fall.

Now it seems in the blink of an eye that the holiday season is upon us. We are wishing the days would slow down so we could soak in more of the magical, twinkling, peppermint-scented ambiance. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if December were twice as long?

We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt

11.03.15

We’ve been making the most of this brilliant fall season; pumpkin spice everything, sweaters on our walks, sweet baked apples, corn mazes, numerous pumpkin patch trips, and lots of fun in the leaves… or if you are Isla, lots of fun in the “yeeves.”

One recent afternoon was especially crisp and beautiful, so I decided to take Isla on a leaf hunt. This girl is quite the little collector on our walks, so I suspected a leaf hunt would be a big hit. We wandered through our neighborhood in the cozy stillness of the late afternoon. Brilliant bursts of color fluttered overhead and crunched underfoot. The sun amid its daily descent streamed through the trees, casting a warm glow on the streets. Squirrels skittered along telephone wires and every so often crows called out from the treetops. Isla picked up leaves that caught her attention and pranced gleefully through countless piles of crunchy gold. “I’m jumping in the yeeves!” she’d yell over her shoulder to me. I tossed armfuls of leaves into the air so they would rain down over Isla. She squealed and giggled and flailed her little arms before asking me to do it again. What a beautiful, joyful, curious stage our girl is at right now. Watching her observe, discover and revel in this simple fall tradition filled my heart to overflowing! We collected, romped, giggled, and crunched our way through the leaves until the afternoon sun had all but disappeared. These little fall adventures are the best!

“Look, mommy! A bum crack!” This kid is too much.

To the Pumpkin Patch!

11.02.15

In honor of the glorious October we just experienced, I put together a collection of favorite photos from Isla’s pumpkin patch trips… yes, trips. After 8 years away from the magic and traditions of autumn in Oregon we had some serious catching up to do! I could not wait for Isla to experience her first pumpkin patch, and to be honest, I was just as excited for her second, third, fourth, and fifth trip!

Our little pumpkin clearly shares her mom’s intense love of the holidays and she has joyfully embraced the fall traditions we grew up enjoying. She is a leaf jumping, boot-obsessed, cider guzzling, Halloween book reading, pumpkin patch enthusiast… I could not be more thrilled! I vividly remember going to the pumpkin patch for the first time with my preschool. I was determined to find the tiniest pumpkin in the patch. I found it too. It happened to be dark green and nowhere near ripe, but it was itty bitty and I was in love. “Sweetie, wouldn’t you like a nice big orange pumpkin?” The adults would coax. Nope. I definitely did not. No one could convince me to part with my little green pumpkin. So, imagine my total delight when Isla first stepped into the patch and exclaimed, “I want a yittle one!” She searched pumpkin after pumpkin, “Too big!” She even tried lifting a few, grunting, “Too heavy!” Each patch we went to Isla would search until she found a suitable “yittle” pumpkin that she could carry on her own. At one patch she decided to forgo pumpkins altogether and fell in love with a butternut squash instead. Oh, how I love this girl!

Baggenstos

First hay ride with Piper!

Isla’s first pumpkin!

The Pumpkin Patch at Sauvie’s Island

Climbing the hay pyramid with the Tebo’s and Dadd-o.

Isla spotted geese for the first time and she was completely captivated by them! She squealed with delight every time she heard them honk overhead.

Bi-Zi Farms

Where’s Isla?

More geese!

Oh, the scowls we’ve encountered in this stage of life! Luckily, they don’t last too long…

Snuggles and kisses with Grauntie and Gruncle.

Bauman’s FarmIsla and her “quash”Cousin giggles with Mia!Tricycle fun with Uncle Josh and Auntie Rachel.Nana and Papa with 3 of their 5 granddaughters.

And back to Baggenstos…

Matchy-matchy with Madelyn.

Until next year, pumpkin patches!

Halloween 2015 Recap

11.02.15

Torrential downpours did not stop us from venturing out on Halloween night. In fact, our little airplane was thrilled to have an opportunity to wear her rain coat and boots! Joined by some of our favorite people, we decided to brave the rain so the girls could trick-or-treat. Isla absolutely LOVED it! We’ve been practicing proper trick or treat protocol and we were so proud that baby girl nailed it. She beamed as each door was opened, greeted with a “trick or treat” (and thankfully did not ask anyone to smell her feet… thanks for that, Nana!), enthusiastically scooped candy into her bag, and thanked everyone. We visited about 10 houses, which was just right for a group of toddlers in the rain, before making our way home for pizza, treats and sugar-induced toddler antics. It was a great night!