First Sentence!

Braden said his first 'sentence' today! He's been saying new words every day but hasn't put any together yet. 

Usually Braden is down for his nap when Madeleine gets a ride from our neighbor to go school. Today, we were running a bit behind and he was still up when our neighbor arrived to pick her up. As Madeleine got into the car to go, Braden waved and said "bye bye sissy"...completely melted my heart! I love these precious moments and want to remember each and every one of them. 

Seattle Aquarium

We met some preschool friends at the Seattle Aquarium this morning for some Halloween fun! All the kids came dressed in Halloweenish costume/clothes and saw the fish! I forgot how expensive the aquarium is...now I remember why we only go there once a year :) I am trying to do lots of outings like this now with Madeleine since she will be in school every day next year. 

Braden also had a great time seeing all the fish and running around! Both kid especially loved touching all the sea-stars and sea anemone. Lots of Halloween themed exhibits going on there too. I was so glad that the commute & parking were easy...getting there at 9:30 paid off!

While in Seattle, we couldn't pass up stopping by my favorite bakery EVER, Macrina Bakery. Yum! Jeff has a treat waiting for him!

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Dr Maze's Farm

We headed out to Dr Maze's farm to pick some pumpkins with my local moms group! Jeff was able to take the morning off and joined us. The kids learned all about how pumpkins grow, ran through a few mazes and even pet some farm animals. Everyone had fun!!!

Madeleine & good buddy Taylor!

Worms!!!

Found one just his size!

A few weeks ago, Madeleine & Jeff attended a Halloween party with friend Bella. Madeleine wanted to be a bear so she is dressed as Tender Heart from the Care Bear! Bella was a bear too!

Hair Clips to Headbands

I just tried making some headbands for Madeleine and they were super easy! She is really into headbands these days so these should get some good use!

Bouncy House!

Braden tried out the bouncy house for the first time over the weekend and had a blast! He got to tag along with big sissy to a birthday party...lucky boy! He ran around like crazy, trying out every bouncy house he could. At one point, he got stuck in one and I had to climb in to rescue him. I have a feeling we will be going there a lot when it's raining  :)

Fall Through the Eyes of Madeleine

Yesterday we had a very fun day together...trying to get outside as much as possible! Madeleine & Braden love to walk through all the trails up here so we went on a little Fall scavenger hunt. Madeleine practiced her letters and numbers by making a list of Fall items she could find outside. She thought to take a picture of a pumpkin, leaf, Halloween decorations and a tree. Then I gave her my camera and we were off! Here are some of the photos she took. I had to edit, she took so many!

Preschool Field Trip

Madeleine's preschool headed to Jubilee Farms for a field trip. We took a hay ride out to get a pumpkin, saw all the farm animals and went through a hay maze. Madeleine's best buddy in class had the same Halloween shirt on and the girls got a kick out of that! What a fun, beautiful Fall day with my sweet girl!

Fall

We're getting ready for Fall over here! I tried my first pinterest craft and made this wreath!

19-Months

Braden is 19-months old! He is doing more and more each day. He is really starting to make sense when he talks and we can actually understand what he is saying. These days he is very into making all of the animal sounds - meow, mooo, quack, neigh, ect. Ever since we fed the ducks near our house, he has connected the idea that animals are real and don't just exist in books! We also visited the zoo with friends where he got to see lots of other animals! He also loves to make the sound "choo choo" for train and "eeeohhh eeeohhh" for the fire truck!

He is really into using a fork and spoon when he eats these days...just a tad bit messy! Ever since Auntie Amy visited, he has started to sign and say the word "more" and can sign for milk and ask for "wa wa" (water). 

Salmon Days!

We took Braden to his 1st parade on Saturday! He loved it! He sat right next to Madeleine the entire time and watched all the floats and bands go by. He enjoyed the bands the most, totally bouncing up and down to the music. It was so cute to watch!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

We celebrated Jeff's birthday over the weekend! We picked him up from work and surprised him with balloons and dinner out! We haven't been out to dinner with the kids in ages...but we tried it and our evening out went surprisingly well.

We stopped at Alki beach on the way to play outside. We are having an amazing Fall here in the NW and want to take advantage of our beautiful weather...the rain will be here soon enough. After pizza, we stopped to take in the sunset on the way home.

Jeff's actual birthday was Sunday and we started out the morning with a yummy breakfast and then headed out to watch the Seahawks game with friends! Ended our day with a yummy ice-cream cake :) Happy Birthday Jeff, we love you!