Bring On Halloween

Sauvie Island

Another Saturday, another adventure. This weekend we drove 45 minutes to Sauvie Island. It is north of Portland in the Columbia river. We had heard it has fun pumpkin patches in October so we decided to go as a family outing.


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We stopped at the first patch/farm we saw. It was a compilation of a farm with a few animals, a produce market, some food stands, and a field with picnic tables to eat lunch. It was the perfect stop.

This was my eclectically-dressed daughter for the day. I'd love to say she dressed herself, but it was just the modge-podge of weather-appropriate clothes we happened to find Saturday morning. Except for the necklace. That was her own addition to the ensemble.

 By the chicken coop

Fun produce bins

They had these beautiful handmade baskets for sale. I may have purchased one for Santa Clause to give to me this year.

One of the pigs

 Nayeli was not about to take her eye off of it. She's still a little afraid of large animals.

 In fact, this is a picture of her running from an approaching pig in another pen.

Eating lunch at one of the picnic tables. It looks like she's about to throw up, but she was actually just chewing. Promise.

 Sauvie Island also has a beach, although by the time we arrived Nayeli had fallen asleep. No problem. It just means we have an excuse to go back.

Fall in Oregon

This fall has been so beautiful here in Oregon. The weather is just perfect; crisp weather that only requires a long sleeve shirt or, at most, a jacket. We've been trying to get out as much as possible since we know the rainy season is just around the corner. Here are some of our latest (or not so recent) adventures.

 What is it about a child that loves to push something around? 

I found this stroller at a yard sale for $2 and it is Nayeli's favorite toy.

We have a playground by our house that has a gigantic volcano slide. One evening at the end of the summer I got this great picture of Ben and Nayeli at the top. They are best buds.

I am guilty of bribing my child with Cheetos so as to enjoy a trip to Target without any interruptions or tantrums. It worked like a charm and it's become my secret weapon when my sanity requires it.

Nayeli loves books. I can often find her alone in her room "reading" to herself. It makes my book-loving heart happy.

Another day when she put on her pumpkin hat and wore it around the house.

I love my girl

On my entry table I had a beautiful white pitcher with flowers in it as well as a porcelain fall pumpkin. The flowers sang the siren song to Nayeli and before I knew it they were in a pile of glass on my floor. I just try to think of what my mom said when I broke things as a child; "I love you more than I love my... (fill in the blank)". Wise words.

Ben and Nayeli after dinner. One of her favorite things is watching videos of herself on our phones. Yes, we're raising a narcissist, but can you blame her? 

Her latest obsession is dogs. Our sweet neighbor, who adores Nayeli, gave her a stuffed Chihuahua. She carried it around for days.

General Conference this year was wonderful. With a toddler, it's its own challenge but I think we did okay. Besides trashing the house to keep her entertained. But that probably would have happened anyway. Here she is leading the music (notice her blurry hand).

There are lots of pumpkin patches in our area with free animal petting zoos. A friend and I took our kids to see the baby goats at this one. Nayeli loved to see them but refused to feed them.

She also refused to look at the camera. Oh well.

She loves swings, or "wee", as she calls them. This tire swing was no exception. She held on for dear life while giggling excitedly. She's got such a life in her that I love.

As of late I've become mildly addicted to Pinterest. I found a tutorial for a pompom garland but you had to make your own pompoms. Since I have no patience for that, I bought a package of pre-made pompoms at the dollar store, used some twine I had on hand, and voila! I love how it turned out! I think I'm going to make one for every holiday. Can't get enough of a good thing right?

Last but not least, this is video of Nayeli saying her favorite word. She will walk around the house saying it over and over. Despite excessive coaxing she only says it once in the video. Notice her tone. That's how she says it every time.

Been There, Seen That

This post is mostly for those in our family who don't have Facebook/Instagram. For many of you, this will be a "been there, seen that" post, so you can feel free to tune out whenever you'd like.

 Nayeli has become my little mime lately. Here she is using my headphones.

This picture was taken about a month ago when I decided one morning to cut my own bangs. I don't know what inspired my moment of hairstylist delusion, but they actually turned out pretty good. In fact, they're the bangs I've wanted for years but never had a hairstylist cut right.

Ben's first response when he saw them: "They look good but... are they crooked?" Leave it to Ben to tell me the truth in the most innocent way possible. And yes, they are a little crooked but I don't care. I don't think anyone notices anyway.

Nayeli is going to be a pumpkin for Halloween this year. I got the costume for $3 on the after Halloween sales last year. I pulled it out early and she hasn't been able to stop pointing to it since. She especially loves the hat. This particular picture was taken one morning when she put her hat on first thing.