Pumpkins EVERYWHERE!

We weren't even out of the car when Makenna began squealing with delight!  In perfect timing she has grown a love for pumpkins.  Exclaiming "pumpkins" whenever/wherever she sees them.  And insisting to pat & kiss each one.  The pumpkin patch for now is safe to say one of her favorite places.

We merged families that day with the Myers, their extended family and our extended family to celebrate the season & also Alysha's birthday.  Lucas & Makenna (above) are getting a ride out to the patch by Lucas' dad Andy.

Such a sweet boy.  He held on tight to Makenna while in the wheel barrel to make sure she wouldn't fall out.

Friends with the little girls.

Grandpa with a "playing hard to get" Makenna.

Two keepers!  :)  Many probably don't know this about my husband, but he is all business when it comes to pumpkins.  He has this eye for finding the best pumpkins and puts me to shame when it's time to carve.  This is just one of the two pumpkins we walked away with that day.

 

 

Makenna & Gran.

Makenna & Grandma checking out our finds.

The perfect resting spot.  Just her size.

There is always room to share with friends.

Hand in hand with Grandma & Grandpa.

We attempted to ride the ponies.  Makenna lasted 2 laps before I scooped her off.  Apparently her interest was only in seeing & petting the horse, not so much the riding aspect.  Maybe next year.

Surrounded by PUMPKINS!

The lawbreaker in the family!

Makenna leading Grandma & Gran to more pumpkins.

Nearly two pumpkins tall. 

At the patches playground!  Loving the slides.

Another great adventure with our growing girl.

Our buddy Lucas turns 3!

Down on Priest Point Park's waterfront for Lucas' 3rd birthday party!

 

Thrilled to see some gulls on the beach.  This is her "caw-caw" face :)

 

Three of the four members of the Myers family.  Gracie was safe back at the shelter in the loving arms of a family member.  Lucas LOVED exploring the beach and especially after he found a crab & this huge stick!

 

Makenna is the monster during a game of Monster Tag!

Lucas is "it" and coming right for ME!  Moments later I had the birthday boy crashing into me.

 

Decorating her very own monster cake.  After I put in the gummy worm hair she pulled it off and licked all of the sugar from it. 

 

Stuffing his mouth full of mini-M&M's.

 

One tried to escape :)

 

Two sweet little monsters.

Blowing out his candles.  Happy 3rd Birthday Lucas!

 

Showing Makenna his new helicopter!

 

The helicopter was definitely a HUGE hit.

 

Getting the hang of putting on sunglasses the proper way.

Tumwater Falls Park

So, Fridays have become Grandpa & Makenna's day.  Last Friday Grandpa took Makenna to Tumwater Falls Park to see the salmon, just as he did when Evan & Eric were little.  Makenna loved seeing the fish so much that we decided to take her the following day after her nap.  And was she excited!  My goodness the squeal's of joy that came from her had heads in the park turning.

After visiting with the fish at the hatchery pens we decided to walk the trails down to the falls.

So somber.  Makenna wasn't so sure about the falls behind her. 

 

Up by the playground is a huge open field where Makenna ran and ran and ran.  Her latest thing is running or walking with her "cheesy smile" and eyes closed.  More often than not she bumps into something that sends her to her bottom, but she remains all smiles as its part of the fun.

 

Our fashionista!

 

Pulling out fist fulls of grass to give to Dada. Such a sweet girl.

 

The Littlest Seahawk & Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

 Look who got into Dada's wallet!!  "MONEY!"- Makenna age 15 months

 Digging deeper.  Looking for the "plastic".  Oh no I think we are in trouble!  :)

 3 Generations of Seahawk fans!

 A trip to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge with Gran for a walk and to spot some birds.

 During our first trip to the Refuge back in the Spring I took a photo of Makenna on the spotting scope.  She has gotten so much bigger in the short amount of time!

 Hand-in-hand.  Like two peas in a pod.

Walking really well in her new boots.





Our cheesy little Hawk!



More Firsts :)

Straws, she picked up with ease.  Plates and bowls have been a challenge to keep from flying across the room or turned into a stylish hat, but a fork.  Well, it seems like second nature to our smart Makenna.  She takes a few bites with her fork then resorts back to fists full of food stuffing her sweet little cheeks.  Then returns to the refined little girl.  

I made my redone meatloaf (ground turkey or chicken, celery, onion, carrots, sometimes mushrooms) and added a little BBQ sauce and to my surprise it was a BIG hit with Miss Makenna who is going through an interesting food stage.

Playing with her new "baby stroller" with HopHop the rabbit. 

She is now interested in pushing things.  Toys and especially her highchair after mealtime.

 

We have reentered the season (s) of rain.  So the search for footwear started weeks ago.  Finally after an exhausting few weeks we finally stumbled upon a pair of rain boots in her tiny size!!  As you can see she is quite smitten with them.

 

Proudly walking/stomping about the living room showing off her new boots!

 

Hayden's 2nd Birthday Party

Miss Hayden, the birthday girl, strikes a pose!

Loves for her Dada.

Birthday girl with her best guy, her Dada.

Brittany, aka Mommy, being Miss Hayden's assistant to opening presents.

Acceptable and even cute at 14 months, however more scandalous at say 20. :)

Hayden's second birthday was a "hit"! Happy 2nd Birthday to one of Makenna's best buddies.

Labor Day Weekend Festivities

The long anticipated Labor Day weekend, aka my weekend of freedom celebrating 22 months of sharing my body with Miss Makenna! My good friend Jen, aka Carp, flew in from Denver for this very special occasion. Why Labor Day weekend you may ask? Well, ever Labor Day the Dave Matthews Band plays 3 nights at the Gorge Amphitheatre . This year was really special. It was Dave's 20th anniversary so to celebrate he only played 4 venues all summer and brought an outstanding caravan of other musicians to play from 1-11pm with DMB closing each night. It was amazing!

Hello, Dave Matthews!

First night (Fri) approx row 5. :)

B ham. = Bellingham

Love the representation!

Last night (Sun) on the rail...FRONT ROW!! Thanks to college friend Monica who got us hooked up!

Saturday's show we spent on the lawn in order to take in the amazing backdrop of the Columbia River gorge!

A great weekend away, but it was SO wonderful to get back home to this sweet face! I missed her and my hubby so very much. The weekend proved to be great for us all. It allowed Makenna & her Dada some real quality bonding time while I was enjoyed some quality me time. But, did I mention I missed that sweet little face that started saying "NO" all the time during the time I was gone?