Pumpkins!

On our way back to Seattle from Rochester we met up with the Eusterman family at Schilter Family Farm to do some pumpkin hunting. As usual, we had a great time. What's not to love? Big fields full of pumpkins and some of our very best friends!

 Of course, the tractor at the gate is a big draw for these boys.

 Six kids on a tractor!

 Daniel had an eye for the unusual pumpkins this year.

Off to the pumpkin field. The holding hands is almost too much. Oh, the cuteness!

 Matthew and Daddy find a good one.

 Daniel can barely hold on to his.

 Nice try, Aaron. Maybe in a few years you could pick this one up.

Future best friends Aaron and Patrick take a moment.

 Auntie Laura helps Cecilia.

The #3s hitch rides on the dads shoulders.

 Kids on pumpkins!

 So fun to have Auntie Laura with us!

 

On the way back to the car, we passed the Christmas tree fields. The boys were excited at the possibility of getting our tree now, too. All in good time, boys, all in good time.

A trip to Grandma's farm

Last weekend we went down to Mommy's hometown of Rochester for the wedding of one of her close friends from high school. We stayed at Grandma's house on the farm, where the boys had lots of fun, as usual. We didn't take lots of photos, but here are a few anyway.

 The big boys loved stomping on the walnuts.

 "And me!" says Aaron.

 Checking out the sheep.

 Daddy likes looking at the sheep, too.

 Aaron loves those wide open spaces...

 ...and the fact that there is a fence between him and the sheep.

 Three brothers by the barn.

Brother hug!

Running down the driveway. (Yes, Matthew is covering his ears. We don't know why.)

Happy birthday, Daniel

Daniel turned six this month. Whoa. He is no longer a little kid. He is growing up so fast, but it is so fun to watch. He is a goofy kid, loves to joke around--especially with his friends, but is also still very sensitive to others. He cares a great deal about his younger brothers, and is always quick to give them hugs or help teach them to do things. Daniel is very smart and loves his kindergarten class. He is our engineer, building crazy contraptions out of superstructs, legos, cardboard, and anything else he can get his hands on. He's a great kid, and we love him very much. :)

 Daniel doesn't allow for many pictures to be taken of him, but he did let me take a few when we were visiting Grandma on the farm recently.

 LOTS of missing teeth. 

 Mid-thought.

 Jumping.

 Here's some of that goofiness I mentioned...

 Tall enough to reach the branches!

What a handsome guy...can't believe he's already six.

Husky Brothers

These guys love their huskies

Soccer

Daniel started playing in the Ballard Youth Soccer League this fall. Half of his team is also in his class at St. Alphonsus, so that makes it extra fun. He's having a great time developing his soccer skills and his brothers enjoy coming to practices, too. Matthew sometimes spends the entire practice playing with the team, and Aaron loves the awesome playground nearby.

 Confident, and ready to play!

 Chasing down that ball.

 Snacks at halftime are always a favorite part of the game.

Post-game talk.

Tired, but happy.

8 Years!

September 3rd was our eighth anniversary! Time flies! It seems like only yesterday...

We were very blessed to take a long weekend trip to Victoria, BC to celebrate our anniversary and spend some quality time together after all the craziness of summer. We packed our things, said goodbye to the boys, and jumped on the clipper for a weekend of phone-free, schedule-free time together.

 Just like the boys going off to school...

We were a little early to the clipper, so we walked around the waterfront.

 Already relaxed.

The ride there was beautiful.

 The historic Empress Hotel.

 Champagne and strawberries in our room in honor of our anniversary.

 The Empress at night.

 Breakfast! I'm drooling just thinking about it again.

 We spent most of our time walking all over the city, but stopped a few times at some local attractions. Like Miniature World! It was an awesome museum filled with miniature scenes of anything you could imagine. Battle scenes, old time towns, fairy tales, and even..

 the circus!

The Parliament Building and Queen Victoria.

 Outside the parliament building, the Empress in the background.

 Another walk took us to the beach. Cold and gray, but still pretty.

 Most of our days there started out gray and rainy, but they always cleared up. We had an amazing view from our hotel room.

 Down on the causeway on our last evening we happened upon these guys: Dave Lang and the Twin Otters. Really fun 1930s style jazz/western--they were so great we had to buy their CD.

 Parliament Building at night.

Last views of the Harbor. So long, Victoria, thanks for a wonderful time! (And, thanks to Nana and Papa for watching the boys so we could get out on our own for the weekend!)

First Days of School

It's a new school year...and a big one at that. Daniel started kindergarten and Matthew started preschool at St. Alphonsus in Ballard. Daniel loves wearing a uniform, and had a pretty easy transition since nearly 75% of his kindergarten class moved up from the preschool together. Matthew has had a bit of a hard time being dropped off, but when we pick him up he tells us about all the fun he's had. His favorite parts are all the "gluing and scissoring" he gets to do. They're growing up so fast!

 On our way to Kindergarten! (Complete with a scrape across his nose. :/ )

Picking up Daniel after his first day.

The next day was Matthew's first day of preschool!

 Ready to go in. :)