Happy Halloween?

When we first planted the little flower in the pot, she was seemingly displeased with her parents' choice of Halloween costumes.

However, after a good feeding (baby bribery) and some special time paging through her favorite books, Cecilia was ready to be strolled down the block.

After the stroll, Cecilia was uprooted so she could crawl around with her favorite peeps.

Quite possibly just as much mayhem at this small family-friendly gathering as there used to be at our larger SLC parties.

Amber entertains Cecilia, Greta and Dexter as Trevor closes the door after handing out treats to the neighborhood ghouls.

Pumpkin Guts

"I am ready to help. What do we do first?"

"I ain't going in there."

"Thanks Mom! Oh, this looks like food, no doubt."

Cecilia, no longer interested in helping with the pumpkin, spends the next 10 minutes trying to pick up slimy seeds.

Thankfully, only a few made it into her mouth,
so her mama didn't have to fish too many out.

Calling All Morning Doves

Grandpa & Grandma sent us this green alien-like web camera a week before Cecilia was born. At first Skyping seemed like it could become a small burden. Instead it has been quite a thrill for her extended family to watch Cecilia doing her baby thing: clapping, waving, crawling, eating, etc.

and we get to observe Cecilia watching Grandpa deliver bird calls.......

This is Tenneal's father whistling like a morning dove.
As you can see in the photo above, Cecilia is transfixed.

Here she is waving good-bye.
Pretty priceless.

Cecilia & Isabelle

Cecilia loves hanging out with her nanny when her parents are at work.

Have fun in Germany Isabelle!
We will miss you while you are away- see you in 10 days.

What Will We Be Doing This Weekend?

Buying outlet covers!
Cecilia has been tentatively moving forward on her hands and knees for the past few weeks.

No longer is she hesitant.
She made her big move for a star stacking toy that plays music and flashes lights. So much for the simple wooden & natural toys we have been pushing.

Autumn Colors

Happy Birthday Josef!

Cecilia stands on Josef at his 30th birthday dinner.
This was C's first Ethiopian dinner- she loved the silverware-free eating. She especially enjoyed grabbing the spongy bread.

The birthday boy and Erin a few hours later.

Pumpkin Patch

We visited one of the pumpkin patches on Sauvie Island last weekend. Here are a few pictures from our fun family outing:

One of Cecilia's favorite places to sit- atop her pop's shoulders.

SAND

First taste.

Hmm, this feels a bit gritty on my lips and tongue.

Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

Nope, that was pretty fun.

Brandon and His Goatee

Cecilia spent a good deal of the weekend fixated on Uncle Brandon's face. Her first sighting of him incited a few tears, as facial hair is something she is not accustomed to seeing everyday! Thankfully the crying was kept to a minimum- it helped that he transformed his low voice into a high pitched tone whenever he spoke to her- and the two of them actually had a lot of fun together.

Guess who she is gazing at 15 feet away?

Yup, B-dog!

This look may be aimed at Brandon, or it may be for her daddy who is taking way too many pictures when she is trying to enjoy her new book Oma brought for her. Either way, it is pretty funny!

Who could it be
that is distracting C
while her mama clips those long fingernails?

Of course,
it's her Tio with that great goattee!

Something else to fixate on- FOOD!
"Thanks Tio for helping me work on my pincer grasp"

Happy Birthday Mom-Lynda-Oma

Best 60th beach birthday bash ever!

Oma Lynda (Trev's mama) is turning 60 this week. Her wish was to spend this birthday with her kids and husband. Everyone pitched in to make her birthday weekend memorable.....

The birthday girl with her granddaughter.

Bath time in the kitchen sink.

Opa teaches Cecilia all about sea creatures.

Trevor challenges his mom, who has a broken wrist, to a game of beach paddle ball.

Drew, Brandon and Trevor teamed up to make delicious meals every night!

Oysters as big as your head.

Not such a good picture of Drew, however, a great shot of Trevor's yummy salmon dinner.

Everyone is suited up and ready for a hike.

Hiking along the ocean bluffs.

Lynda basking in the birthday glow.

Happy Birthday Celeste

Best 1st birthday party ever!
It was filled to the max with fun:

There were lots of cool kiddos to amuse Cecilia, though we admit we have no clue who is holding her in this picture. He seems to be doing a fairly good job, and since he doesn't have facial hair she isn't frightened.

Her buddy Greta was down for some good old floor time.

The best part was definitely when the birthday girl and her daddy pulled out this incredible stunt. Thank goodness her mama and grandparents were in the other room, especially when Trevor made him do it a second time for this picture.

Punk Rock Portland

One of the many reasons we love this city so much.

This band (equipped with a fog machine) is rocking out for marathon runners on a Sunday morning. Awesome.

A Proud Daddy

So the only reason Cecilia wore this ensemble, rather than green and gold, on Monday night was because this outfit was too cute to pass up.

Cecilia was totally aghast with her parents for bringing her to the pub to watch a football game. The room was dark (and her crib was not in sight), people were yelling and clapping, and her parents (mostly her daddy) were fixated on this big screen that she wasn't even allowed to look at. Thankfully her favorite cereal always pleases her when she is in an alien environment.