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Howdy, Cowpokes!

It bothers me knowing that I’ve got a slew of pictures and anecdotes that I haven’t had a chance to sit down and process. Life has gone on and I’m just going to have to let some of those moments go because we’ve got new moments happening right before our eyes. We finally got a chance to meet up with Thomas and Lara to visit, we’ve missed them both so much so it was really nice to finally be able to see each other in person. Lara and I dressed the kiddos up in their respective cowboy costumes and let them wander around outside.

It was quite hilarious because they both wandered around without any obvious plan, but they were interested in each other just enough to stay in close proximity. Tons of babbling and demanding yells from both little cowpokes…and both nearly got distracted by the swing, but that was sure to create chaos with their cowboy hats.  I taught Thomas how to bellow “Yeeee-HAW!” and I’m sure that Marc and Lara are both glad for that. What else are friends for??

Back home on the ranch, at HBHQ, the Merks stopped by to see our new rock wall and give Syd a few pets. Cameron was especially proud to understand what HBHQ means, it was really cute. Beyond that, he was a great friend to Maggie because she’s got an infatuation with walking on the wall in a dangerous way….but we’ve been through that before, remember? He chatted, she listened and Charlyn, Connor and I watched.

Holiday Cheer @ HBHQ

We invested in some lights and have been working to set them up at our house, first testing them out on a tree out side. Side note: we’re not afraid of setting up lights in the dark…..but doing it in the daylight is easier. Plus, we’ve started sipping on hot chocolate almost daily. I haven’t abandoned my tea, but we treat hot chocolate like a new BFF every year and right now we’re in the getting-to-know-you stage. Last weekend we went down to the Edmonds waterfront and used a Groupon at a little coffee shop. Maggie really, really enjoyed my marshmallow flavored hot chocolate. Sounds gross, I know, but it was good.

 

We’re headed to Camp Janet to eat some turkey and that has meant that we’re busy making our contribution to the yummy meal….and washing dishes……naked.

Strike that.

I’m baking, but MAGGIE is busy washing dishes naked, with her apron on.  She has really been into serving us ‘tea’ from her tea kettle and taking big, fake gulps herself. The girl has a sense of humor and a huge imagination, I love it. I’m working with her to wear clothes on a more regular basis….

That’s all folks!

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Days Gone By with Thom and Caro

Caroline turned one a few days ago and we headed to her house to celebrate her first year. Many of our friends were there and it wasn’t until we were walking out the door that I realized I hadn’t taken any pictures, so of course I requested that  Thomas, Maggie and Caroline gather on the couch for a quick couple snaps. (Cue the eye rolling for some people.)

Since Thomas was in full party mode, Maggie was into practicing her jumps and Caroline was lovin’ on her dad, it just seemed like I was trying to capture a picture of some hummingbirds zooming past my lens. It was so much easier when we could plop them down and they’d stay on one place. Long gone are those days. Long gone.

 

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Down on the Farm

Last weekend we headed to Carleton Farm in Snohomish with Brian, Darcy and some of their friends to do the corn maze and pick out some perfect pumpkins. We ended up going a little later in the day than expected and for a while I was concerned that we’d have to be in the corn maze while it transitioned to Haunted Corn Maze!!!! Scary!

Even before we had Maggie, I always longingly talked about corn mazes and farms and we didn’t always pull the trigger on hunting one down. We’ve had Halloween parties in the past and even pumpkin carving contests, but there is something special about picking your own pumpkin or getting lost with friends in a maze of corn.

As we were given our maps to the maze, it became crystal clear that the advice of the sales lady wasn’t too far fetched when she mentioned that the map didn’t ‘exactly’ match with the real twists and turns in the maze. Luckily Brian was with us and he is a MASTER map reader. Not really, but he sure does laugh a lot, which makes Barry laugh a lot too.  Any time you’ve got two Miller brothers laughing, is a good time. At one point Bri mentioned the time he saw my pregnant butt and I had to put a halt on that story, which only made him laugh more.

As much as I’ve been singing praises for this blustery weather, which I love, I’ve been mourning the loss of nice natural light for my photos. All summer long I fought the glare of the sun and now the cloud cover is here to stay and I’m having to pull out a few tricks to make sure I still get the pictures I desire. I suppose you could say I enjoy a challenge because I still refuse to use my flash. Perhaps I’m stubborn? Nah.

So, the corn maze. It was really fun and Maggie loved it. She also loved all the attention from Darcy and her friends. Lauren, Darcy’s best friend, had black boots that Maggie absolutely fell in love with and they were boot buds, with Maggie pointing endlessly at both their boots, as if wanting to confirm that they both had boots on. Mags also enjoyed being leader of the pack, sometimes deciding for everyone if we were going to take a right or a left. The power of her index finger is still in full throttle.

As we roamed from one end of the maze to another trying to solve the mystery of the secret code, I kept whispering to myself “If you build it, he will come” and waiting for Shoeless Joe to pop out of the corn. Of course, he never did. As it was getting darker and we’d solved the puzzle, it was time to exit the maze. Barry and Maggie somehow got detached from the rest of the group and we were headed to the exit. I was a bit worried (but not REALLY worried) and Brian went back in to find Barry and Maggie. Of course not a minute after Brian turned around did Barry and Maggie appear pleased as little kittens that they’d found the exit. So, there we all were at the exit of the corn maze without Brian, the one who is really good at reading maps, remember?  I don’t think anybody really wanted to go back in to find him, for fear of getting lost, but thankfully he ambled out laughing. So we all laughed too.