She moved and stirred beans in water for over 30 minutes the other day. Who knew beans could be that interesting?


Our first Halloween that Penelope dressed up and went trick or treating. She couldn't decide on what outfit she wanted to wear, so she ended up wearing all three. We trick or treated first, then went to the Enchanted Pumpkin Path (they have out treats like apples and honey sticks and wildflower seeds, very cool), then back to Willits and trick or treated some more.

When we got home, she got to choose which 5 treats (the non-candy ones were a given and not included in the 5) she wanted to keep and then the rest went to the Halloween Goblin. The HG left her some fun zoo animal stamps in exchange for the treats (no, the HG hasn't eaten all the treats yet).







this is just a picture of how she chose to dress yesterday. She's "styling".

September Vacation

We recently spent a couple of weeks visiting friends and family. We started Labor Day Weekend and stayed the weekend at the Delange's in Weaverville. On our way, we made a stop in Red Bluff to visit with the Martin's. Here's a few cute shots of Penelope and Selah.




The Delange's have an amazing little homestead. Lots of room to run and play, and lots of animals to pet - dogs, cats, chickens, goats, horse, alpacas. Penelope had a lot of fun with the girls and animals. I've tried three different uploads of more pictures from the Delange's, but can't get them to download. I'll try to facebook them.

We came home for 2 days, then left again for San Luis Obispo, then Monterrey Bay. P and I made cookies one day. She's a lot like her momma and LOVES cleaning the bowl.

She became quite the 4-wheeler rider at the Delange's. So much that if Matt gets the quad out, she has to get on too.
We spent about 5 days at Aunt Holly's with all the cousins and Mimi. Here are some shots of the kids. Penelope really enjoyed playing with Lily, Oz, and Tali, and misses them. She asks about them and Emma Lou (who gives really good kisses).




We tried to take some belly shots, but they came out blurry. And I couldn't get this one flipped around. We'll try again...
And she's back at it. This time we made a vegan cake. I don't like the vegan stuff b/c of the apple cider vinegar taste that lingers, but P did not mind one bit.

Short video of Baby Cal

Our littlest one

Here's the first pics of Baby #2 - the first one shows his stuff.

Crate Training

Here's the big 2-yr old before we left for Tejas. We have been in TX since mid-June and are having a really good time with Grandma & PawPaw and Great Granny and her cousins.
When we first arrived, the weather was hot, but really nice compared to the weather we'd been having in Willits before I left. No rain in sight! Yea - what a nice relief since Willits had had more than its share of rain.

The next few shots are of P playing in the front yard with the sprinkler. My mom's latest edition, Coo-Coo, I mean CoCo, played with her as well.

I'm always trying to get a decent shot - it's getting harder and harder as she gets older and more independent. I have about 1200 pics on my memory thingy b/c someone gets a hold of my camera and walks around saying "Okay, smile" while pointing the camera at herself instead of her subject.

And here's the best shot so far. The best babysitter money can buy. You can play on the computer, do dishes, even take a nap and you know your little one is safe.

The best toy $5 can buy. My mom needed a new toy bin for CoCo, but P decided it was better suited for her. It was pretty cute coming upon her and PawPaw in Wal-Mart - him pushing the cart with her sitting inside this tub. She loved it and rode inside it for at least half the trip through the aisles.

What a cutie! And how talented - she took this shot, not that she meant too, but still...

Well, here it is. Our new kitchen table. We really like it. It feels great to finally have a new table.
I watched Sehla while her parents packed for their move. The girls had a good time together. We're very sad they moved this week to their new home, but are grateful for the time we were able to spend with one another.




Next week is Spring Break and I will try very, very hard to update the blog with more videos. We've got some good ones of P reading and singing and dancing.

Here's some picture updates of our little one, well our big "little" one. I can't believe she's 2 months shy of 2 years old! The time has flown. She's such a gift.

We got new couches! Yea! P loves to climb all over the new set-up like its a jungle gym.


Sometimes it's just easier to let her "help" with dinner with her own set of "tools". She had fun and flour's not that hard to clean up. She did get a bath before dinner instead of after when she was done playing.



We've recently begun fingerpainting. I get the bath ready while she paints. She seems to really enjoy letting artist out.