What We've Been Up To...

I haven't been blogging lately, but I have been taking pictures...so here's a review of what we've been up to:

Playing in the crunchy leaves before the rains came.

Macey helping Peyton concentrate on her math homework.

Enjoying a day off of school at an art studio with our cousins.

We went to the annual NAYA auction to support the organization that Jim sits on the board of.

Maddie had a successful volleyball season--they won second place in the final tournament.

Peyton crafted up a very cute turkey for a school project.

My 26 year old cousin Lyndsay came to visit from Dallas for one night.  The girls LOVED her and I realized that she is closer to Maddie's age to my own.  Yikes. I feel old.

Maddie started her birthday celebration with dinner at the Spaghetti Factory with Emily & Morgan.

And had a sleepover too.

Macey has gotten quite spoiled with lots of toys that she can destroy with those tiny sharp teeth!

Halloween 2012

Carving pumpkins on Halloween eve.

Where's Waldo?  Maddie trick-or-treating with her friends...the final year.

Peyton, the Nerd, along with the pirate and ladybug.  Both girls trick or treated with friends and we were home handing out candy!

The leaves have been gorgeous this year!

Gma Sue & Papa's Visit

Gramma Sue & Papa came for a long weekend.  It was quick, but we had fun!

Peyton & Papa by her special birthday sign

Bday dinner at Kristi's house

Maddie gave Papa a special gift

Happy Birthday Dad!

Everyone came to cheer on Maddie's volleyball game!

Leilani checking out Macey!

The ladies.

Introducing Macey!

Well, we finally did it.  We got a new puppy.  Originally I had wanted to wait until next spring, but then just starting feeling like it was time.  So, we got our carpets cleaned and then waited for the rains to begin...time to get a puppy. :)

We met Macey at the Oregon Humane Society.  She was in a pen with her sister and originally we had wanted the sister instead. Another family adopted the sister.  Then Jim and I agonized if it was the right dog, the right time, etc.  The kids were ALL over the puppies and didn't have any hesitation.  After lots of thought, we decided to go for it.  And we are so glad we did.  She is amazing.

The two sisters all curled up sleeping together.

On the car ride home, taking turns holding Macie.  So so so happy.

Macey's profile on Petfinder.  Jim gets credit for finding her...and it felt like serendipity that her original name was Mary Lou.  Maybe Lou was involved in helping us find her.

Macey loves to cuddle when she's not playing.  She is such a snuggler.

She came to us already paper trained and she is doing amazing.  No accident anywhere yet, and it's been 24 hours.

We love her so much.  Welcome to the family, Macey!

Justin Bieber

Last night we went to the Justin Bieber concert--Peyton's birthday gift from way back in July.  By pure luck our seats were directly in front of Kristi's seats, so we all went together.  It was LOUD, fun and everything Peyton dreamed it would be.The girls before we boarded the Max train to the Rose Garden.

At the venue.

Waiting, waiting, waiting for JB.

And then just a quick not great quality video, watch the crowd 20 econds into it.  Girls were screaming & on their feet the whole night!

What We've Been Up To...

Peyton and I killed some time at Petsmart this week and contemplated buying a $50 goldfish.  Isn't it cute?

Maddie dislocated her kneecap and has spent the week in a knee brace and lots of time on the couch.

Had a fun lunch with friends this week and celebrated a belated birthday.

And went to our school carnival.  Peyton was hard at work at her class booth.

Peyton's Fall Sport

Peyton has finally found a sport she's excited about! She's been rock climbing regularly for the past few weeks and just loves it. So to save on the rental costs for the gear, she got her own shoes and harness. She is so excited and so proud! And she's very good!

And sometimes her sister joins her too.

First Days of School

Peyton started 5th grade on Tuesday.  A great start with a great teacher, going to be a good year!

Maddie started 8th grade on Wednesday (so excited to have one extra day of summer) and so far so good!

Labor Day Weekend

Last minute we found a house at Cannon Beach for Labor Day weekend.  It was great timing to get out of town and enjoy summer before school starts this week.

We had fun in a hat store with the kids trying on tons of fun hats.

We spent most of our time on the beach, in the early morning exploring low tide, during the sunny afternoons huddled behind the dunes to get out of the wind and the evenings to watch the sunset.

This is my favorite shot of the weekend, just the anticipation of walking up that hill!

As usual, the flowers in Cannon Beach were unbelievably gorgeous.

Always a visit to Bruce's Candy Kitchen.

And the ice cream shop.

Maddie found a dead starfish, that we soon discovered was alive and illegal to touch...so back he went into the ocean hopefully just fine.

Lots of fun kites on the breezy, sunny afternoons.  This one was my favorite.

Lots of games of catch on the beach.

With Dad because he is way more fun.

We had a bonfire one night on the beach which the girls had never done.

Jim and Maddie went sandbiking one morning.

Peyton and I went for a walk on the beach and explored.

The Acobas came out for the afternoon on Sunday for a little beach fun.

Trying to keep Leilani out of the sun for a bit!

A little dark, but I still like it.

We had an awesome time, stayed in a great house and can't wait until next time!