Pumpkin Patch and Jack-O-Lanterns!

Mommy and Madi's Witch!

Gracie is in pink and Madi in blue

Gracie and Daddy's Ghosts

I am using the updated layout for blogger and I don't know how this last picture isn't up with the other Jack-o-lantern pics. Sorry. This last Saturday we traveled 13 miles up the Coos River to Allegany. It was a beautiful drive and the leaves on the maple trees were all orange and yellow. It really felt like Fall! I miss those wonderful colors back home when Fall arrives. The weather was perfect (kind of warm actually!) The girls had a great time picking their pumpkins, going for a hayride, petting farm animals, and getting a treat. We have never done this since living here, but I'm pretty sure it will be a must next year! Last night for Family Home Evening we carved 2 of 4 pumpkins. Jeff and I will do ours later this week (hopefully). Sorry about the blurry pics of the jack-o-lanterns, we couldn't figure out how not to use the flash so they didn't turn our great.

Girls' Fourth Birthday

Gracie

Madilynn and her blue cake (her new fav color)

We had a great time celebrating the girls birthday this year. They were spoiled as usual :) Each got their own princess castle cakes, clothes, princess dresses, tiaras, hair accessories, money, and oh a trampoline! (thanks G&G Lau, they LOVE it!!) We had some friends over to eat cake and ice-cream. They each brought the girls a litte something too! Thanks to everyone for making their day so special.

Friends

Gracie and Graham

Madi and Will

Just playing with friends of ours :) We have had pretty good weather the last couple of months and you have to take advantage! Soon our 'winter' will start and that means umbrellas and rain boots :(

New Family Member

No, not a new baby! A new PUPPY! We have enjoyed the house we moved into back in July. It has a great backyard all fenced in and our landlords said we could get a dog if we wanted. We wanted to get settled into our new place before looking into getting a dog, but the first week of August this little guy came to us. A lady started talking to Jeff at a park one day and asked if we wanted twin puppies for our twin girls. Of course we said no, we definitely didn't want two puppies. We told her we'd come look at them anyways. Well, after seeing them, we knew we wanted one. He was the bigger of the two, whiter, and a bit more mellow than the other one. She let us take him for free too! His name is Gage and he is a Yellow Lab/White German Shepherd. He really is a great dog and is getting soooo big. He will be a big boy when he is full grown. The girls just LOVE him! Every day Madi says " I love Gage, I want to keep him forever." We have never been happier living here. It's taken 3 years, but it is starting to feel like 'Home' :)

Summer Vacation

I used to be so good at keeping my blog updated! I seriously have SLACKED!!! We went home to Idaho this summer and had a great time. When we first arrived we stayed with Jeff's brother, Jared in the Boise area. It was so nice and hot! We had a great time at the water park in Meridian. Aunt Topaz did the girls' hair before we left. (that's why I have pics of the back of their heads). It was so cute, I didn't take it out for a week! We then traveled through Twin Falls and saw a friend of ours from Moscow, Idaho. While we were there we took the girls to see the Shoshone Falls. After we left, the girls asked where the big ones were at. We told them that was it! The see the very tall Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River Gorge when we come home and they associate all waterfalls with that one. :) I loved seeing the Shoshone Falls, I don't remember the last time I've seen them. We stayed in Bear Lake with my family next and enjoyed a wonderful fire work show in Logan, Utah. We were in Soda Springs on the 4th and saw so many people at the city park. It was great seeing friends and Jeff's old schoolmates. All in all, it was a great visit home and we always miss everyone one when we have to leave. A big surprise to me and Jeff was not bringing our girls home with us! I know right? Jeff's parents offered to keep the girls while we drove back home. As soon as we got back we were moving into a different place and they knew how much easier it would be without the girls there. It took me the whole time there and the very morning we were leaving to decide what to do. In the end we left them, it was so hard! I have never been away from them for more than 12 hours or so. Once we got to Boise, we were okay. It turned into a long date and we enjoyed ourselves. Moving is never fun, but it was a lot better without having the girls to take care of too. My parents also got more time with them and everyone loved taking care of our twinners. Jeff's mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and two cousins came out on July 18th and brought our girls with them. We were away from them for 10 days! What was kind of sad and also good, was that the girls didn't have a problem with us gone. In fact, they didn't ask about us too much! At first that hurt my feelings, but then again it was nice for the grandparents to watch them without meltdowns. Gracie and Madi understood we were back in Oregon and that they were going to come home soon. It was a chance leaving them, but now we know we can leave them again and go on a "real" vacation in the future.

Easter Video

EaStEr!

We had a great Easter this year.

The girls are just so much fun at 3 yrs old. They are so smart and funny and make Jeff and I laugh all the time. They looked so beautiful in their new Easter dresses. I just love my family so much!!! Gracie is in the green and blue dress. Madilynn in the blue and yellow :)