Last week I went to Niagara Falls with the kids and my parents to visit my grandparents. I felt like a traveling circus the majority of the time because, you know, young kids on planes, in airports, in hotel rooms, in homes with lots of breakable antiques, etc. But all in all the kids did really well. Quinn could strike up a conversation with anyone or put on a song and dance performance. Archer showed off his sprinting skills and his new favorite word: poop. My grandparents have a really old, super bouncy bed that the kids loved bouncing and wrestling on and Raffi videos on youtube saved the day in the car on many occasions. My parents and I have a lot of very special memories from this trip that we can laugh about now. It was wonderful to see my grandparents interact with my kids, especially since Pa's health has been declining in recent years and Grandma June was just diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. They are in our prayers constantly.

The week before, Jonathan traveled for work to San Diego so I visited family in Eugene. Quinn got to say, "Play ball!" on the microphone to start the Eugene Ems game and get high fives from all the players in the dugout, which was pretty exciting for her. We also went camping with our church growth group which was such good fellowship. There were lots of fun wooded paths and places to explore. Archer, being the adventure seeker that he is, was bitten by a tick. Completely disgusting, but he's fine. 

Jonathan has been training big time for the Tough Mudder this weekend. He's been going on longer runs with friends and got to run along the beach in San Diego. I'm so glad he's healthy and strong and able to do stuff like that. 

Quinn started school today. Home school pre-kindergarten that is. I'm doing a daily learning notebook with her with some basic calendar, weather, time, and math elements. We'll also do Bible verses, some Montessori practical life activities, and follow her interest with reading and writing. She just wrapped up gymnastics and we'll be doing ballet and Bible study again and possibly swimming. She shared a Bible verse with me that sounds generally theologically sound except for the reference:
"Don't be afraid and don't be grumpy of your soul." John 23:5 - Matthew 2:13-4

It feels like summer is coming to a close. The mornings are cooler, I'm feeling ready for routine again, Quinn is working on birthday party invitations. We still have a few more adventures before we settle into an autumn rhythm.

We went camping with Jonathan's family a couple weekends ago. The junior ranger program was impressive with a bike safety parade in the morning and birds of prey show at night. The presenter asked if anyone had any questions after each bird was shown. Quinn raised her hand high in the air after the barn owl and I didn't try to coach her or find out what she was going to say, I was really curious. She was called on and asked in a loud, clear, confident voice, "what do owls eat?" After the great horned owl, she asked, "what is inside the owl's eye?" because their eyes are so yellow. So proud of my girlie!

 The kids were very helpful trying to build the fire and set up the tent. Totally safe.

Quinn is getting pretty quick on her bike and Archer is obsessed with bikes. His feet are able to reach the ground with the strider bike so we just ordered him a helmet. Look out world! 

I had the privilege of going on a silent retreat at the coast last weekend with some other women to celebrate a dear friend. From sunrise Saturday until 5pm we were all silent - reading, praying, journaling, etc. I found a cozy little spot to nest in some beach grass. I got completely lost in the book "Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus" which is so beautiful. This retreat was so refreshing!! I definitely need more periods of silence in my life. The rest of the time was full of socializing and encouragement. Bonus: I got to sleep in which has not happened in a very long time. 

Archer turned 17 months old yesterday. Jonathan and I adore this stage for him. He does so many hilarious things and just wanders around with his plump cheeks, big belly, and pudgy little legs. He tries to tackle us, hug us, dance, and makes so many strange noises. He loves being outdoors and seems very interested in basketball and climbing. He's a pretty fun little fellow.

We went to Sunriver last week with my family. It was such a nice time away. The kids woke up so early though, maybe because they were eager to play? We spent lots of time outdoors, went to the pool, I got two runs in, we played pickleball, we played cards, and ate lots of good food. The kids all got along well and it felt like we all got some quality time together. 

Quinn developed some new tricks this week. She can talk to lady bugs,

hang from high bars,

and write her name!

On her own, she realized she could do Q, I, and N so she wanted to learn the rest. The U was giving her so much trouble but she stuck with it. So proud of you girly!

We finished our summer with some nice memory makers. The Warrior Dash was a blast. It was so fun getting to do this event together and with our friends. We definitely hope to do another. It was a good challenge mentally and physically. And I'm still cleaning the mud off of me. Now my goal is to keep going running and keep liking running, so far so good!

Our dear friends the Littaus visited. It was so good to see them! They inspire us to love others more and better by their example. We spent thirteen hours straight with them and they still seem to like us. Shinobi obviously remembered them too.

We went to Sunriver with my parents and my sister's family. My sister and I were sent by my parents to get a massage - heavenly! We also swam, ran, played, laughed, pigged out, and the adults got some naps...the kids resisted. Archer loooved swimming! I guess it makes sense since he was born in the water. He's been a couple times and liked it, but this time he was doing some serious dolphin moves. Quinn played mermaid in the pool for over two hours. I guess we have water kids. Quinn also spent a lot of the trip climbing on stuff. Sunriver is always a nice getaway for us.

We've had a lot going on the past two weeks! Our neighbor girl had a fun birthday party picnic. My sister, mom, and dear friend Amber threw me a "sip and see" baby shower with friends and relatives from both sides of the family. Quinn watched her first full length movie - Mary Poppins. She loved it! She hasn't stopped singing the songs since. My Grandma June flew out from Niagara Falls and stayed at our house a couple days, then we all headed to Eugene for a couple more days. It was so fun having her meet her great grandboys. And Quinn got a lot of fun playtime in. Today was Archer's and my final check-up with the midwives. I have to say, I'm quite sad to be done visiting these sweet ladies. They have been such an enjoyable part of the last nine months. And Archer is six weeks old today! He gained ten ounces in one week, such a chubba cutie.

Well, that was a busy week! Jonathan's new job within the same company has required some earlier mornings, so the pace around our house has changed a bit. Plus, traveling for Thanksgiving, visiting friends, date night, and some other fun made for quite full days. I'll let the photos do the talking.

Helping daddy put up Christmas lights

Beginning our holiday travels (moments later, she pulled out the kazoo she secretly packed in her purse and played us some lovely music)

Thanksgiving Feast #1

Happy Birthday to Nana

Gingerbread treats after my midwife check-up. Baby brother is still doing great!

The day after we got back from Sunriver, we left for Disneyland! We weren't home much in September. Jonathan had a work conference at the Disneyland Hotel, I had a free flight saved up, and with Quinn under age two, we decided it was too good of a deal to pass up. Plus, it was a nice way to make a special memory with Quinn before she becomes a big sister. Jonathan got her a Minnie Mouse toy a year ago when he had a work trip in Florida and she loves "Mousie". She had recently started to become acquainted with some of the other classic characters too, so she was pretty excited. For weeks she was talking about going on a plane in the sky and who she was going to see. 

Jonathan and I laughed so hard so many times on this trip. She was thrilled about riding on a bus, a plane, a taxi, a train (at Disneyland), and rides. Fortunately, we had an empty seat next to us on both plane rides so she didn't have to sit on our lap. Last time she flew at 7 months, she was a lot less mobile. She would talk to everyone around us and usually brought up her birthday party. She memorized a bunch of landmarks around our hotel and Downtown Disney and knew the way to our room within a day. It was so entertaining to watch her try to make sense of this new place.

Our first full day, Jonathan had to work a lot more, so Quinn and I hung around the pool and Downtown Disney.
The second day, Jonathan only had one major event that mostly overlapped with Quinn's nap so he didn't miss out on much. We started the day with breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. Quinn was going nuts seeing all the characters for the first time. She'd shout their name when she saw them and her eyes would get huge. She wasn't a huge fan of Pluto and she doesn't really understand the princesses yet, but she was pretty amped about these characters.

Once we got into the park, she was talking nonstop and pointing to everything. She was most anticipating riding on a train, kind of funny for Disneyland, but it was actually really relaxing and nice not having to rush around or spend 45 minutes in line for the more popular rides. We went in Sleeping Beauty's castle, the tea cups, It's a Small World, Disneyland Railroad, and then spent the rest of the time before nap in Toon Town. After nap, we went on the Winnie the Pooh ride, ate some dinner, went on the Jungle Cruise, watched the parade, and then returned to Toon Town until the park closed. Quinn adored playing in Minnie's house, especially sending "emo", a.k.a. email. We saw a lot of the characters in Toon Town also. Quinn didn't want to stand by any of them by herself, but with one of us holding her she'd touch their faces or give them high fives. It was fun to see her face in complete awe during the parade and full excitement discovering new things. 

The next morning, we let her choose a toy at the gift shop and she chose a sweet little Winnie the Pooh. We hung around Downtown Disney a little longer and then our friends, the Berrys, picked us up. We knew them when we lived in the bay area and they just recently moved near Anaheim. We stayed overnight at their house and got to spend some time catching up. Quinn loved playing with Noah.

We got back yesterday and Quinn requested to sleep in her yellow bed. We've been telling her no binkies in the big girl bed and she understands. Last night she actually slept through the night in the bed with no binkie and I'm happy to report she's napping there right now. Such a big kid! We just love our delightful little sweetie and are amazed at the person she is becoming. I can't believe she'll be two in just a couple days!