Peter and I had a wonderful getaway weekend to the Oregon Garden Resort!  It was so nice to have two nights away to reconnect and recharge. We explored Silverton, walked a lot, ate great food, drank delicious coffee, and watched the Ducks beat Stanford!  Thanks to our great family and friends for taking care of the kids so we could get away!  

My Gramp

It's hard for me to believe that it was two years ago today that my Gramp passed away. I still miss him so much and think about him often. I miss talking with him, getting cards from him that were always so thoughtfully written, getting his e-mails, stopping by his house just to visit, giving him Costco-size Grape Nuts for Christmas, having Peter and him talk about Wisconsin and the Packers, and giving him oatmeal raisin cookies. Thinking about him today especially reminds me of how quickly time goes and how wonderful the little things are. I miss you, Gramp, but you are still so much a part of my thoughts. Kelsey prays often for you and that you are having fun in heaven :).

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween get together at Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight! On the way over to their house Kelsey was talking about how she absolutely loves our family and loves it when we all get together. We had some delicious pizza, cookies, and cupcakes to celebrate Maggie and Abby's birthdays. Jack and Elie were super cute in their costumes and the big kids had so much fun taking care of the little ones. Once again, Jim was the only adult in the Halloween spirit. Elie wasn't too excited about his costume, though. When he said "hi" to her, she said "Noooo!" and turned away! We were all a little nervous about his costume, but Elie was the only one to voice it :)!!! Thanks Mom and Dad for another fun Halloween!

Sunday Dessert

I love Sundays when we don't have much planned-it gives me time to make special treats for our family. Almost every day I look at cooking and baking blogs and whenever I find a great recipe, I copy it and put it into a folder for later when I'll have time to make it. Conner had been wanting me to make a Reeses Peanut Butter cup cheesecake that I had found a few weeks ago. Today I had time to make it, and it turned out delicious!

Get Out and Serve - 2nd Annual

Today was Westside Christian's Get Out and Serve Day. Peter and I were the team leaders heading up a group at the Portland Rescue Mission which serves the homeless of Portland. The day went great, and we got WAY more done then the staff had thought we would. They had thought we would be able to clean most of their warehouse while we were there for four hours. We ended up cleaning their warehouse, washing walls of a stairwell and kitchen, washing all of their tables and chairs in the cafeteria, and still got done with an hour to spare. It was dirty, hard work, but it was rewarding to know how much we were able to help them today.

Conner is Driving!!

Conner got his permit on Friday!!!!   We went driving on Saturday in a big parking lot, and he did great. Then we found a deserted road and he actually practiced on a road. He drove to his friend's house last night who lives a few blocks away. We are going out again today for more practice. Peter and I can't believe that we have a child who is old enough to drive!!

Trying to enjoy one last run at the farmers market with Kenz :)