Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and got Reid some pumpkins. We also went through a corn maze. Reid enjoyed riding in his red wagon and playing with the pumpkins. I am hoping this will become a yearly tradition for our family!

Fall is here

Fall is here...as I drive home along the ocean and bay, I see the leaves changing color. The wind picks them up and fly float in the air and over the road. I love fall...Rudd and I were married in October, it gives me a "good" excuse to snuggle with Rudd at night, I can suggle up with Reid, a warm blanket and a book, and there are still some sunny days when it doesn't rain (although it can be chilly). Today was a good "fall" day. The sun was out and it was about 55 degrees outside. Rudd, Reid and I took advantage of the sun and took Reid out for his first "official" ride in his Radio Flyer. HE LOVED IT! He smiled and giggled the whole time he was in it. We couldn't stay out too long because it was getting chilly. I hope we can get in a few more rides outside before winter sets in!

Reid

Reid is wearing the Harley Davidson shirt his papa bought him the day he was born. Rudd says he looks like a lady killer in it!

Our little boy gets so tired in the evening...I think it's from playing with all of his friends at daycare. He is surrouned by girls, so I guess it's more like flirting instead of playing.

Reid is changing so much so fast. He is developing his own personality and lets us know what he likes and doesn't like. He loves to sit on the floor and play with his toys. He has to get every last one out of the toy basket! He doesn't like Bernie and Rizzi bothering him when he is playing. Reid is just like his mommy...he loves to sleep on his belly. He started rolling over in bed last week. At first I was really nervous about the change. I put him to bed on his back, but sometime in the middle of the night he flips on his stomache. I've been getting up more often in the middle of the night just to check on him.

#5

Rudd and I just celebrated our 5th Anniversary- or our #5 as Rudd puts it! We spent the day shopping in Olympia and had lunch at Olive Garden. I didn't realize it until after we ate lunch, but Rudd and I ate at Olive Garden on our honeymoon! We had a lot of fun with Reid. Rudd bought me a digital picture frame and Fiesta Ware dishes. I am really excited about the dishes. I have four different colors and can't wait to "add" to my collection.

Here is a picture of our anniversary cake that I made. It wasn't fancy, but it was yummy!

too much

It's been over three week's since my last blog. So much has gone on, I don't know where to begin and am to exhausted-emotionally and physically to go there. I am tearing up typing this- it's all too much for me to take- I am spent.

I thank God that I have Rudd and Reid in my life. They are my strength and my serenity. When I am feeling down, I just look at Reid and know that things will be ok, and I look at Rudd and he reasurres me with a warm touch or smile.

PS: Austin- I love you

Austin

My cousin Austin is 10 years old and has leukemia. There is nothing more they can do. I am sick to my stomach thinking about how sad it is that his life will be cut far too short. Rudd and I have been trying to remember good times with Austin, so I thought I would put them here. Austin is the youngest of four children and is a wild child. He has big eyes and strawberry blond hair. He is definitely wise beyond his years (due in part to his cancer). He is such a character and has such a great imagination.

He entered a contest through the Tacoma Museum of Glass to create a super hero, and the super hero they picked would be made into a glass statue and travel around the country in an exhibit that showcases children's glass art. Austin created Bacon Boy, he has meat vision and shoots grease out of his armpits! He even has a "nemesis", Fry Guy. Austin says that their families have been feuding for years, what an imagination he has. Well, he won the contest and was there when the artists brought his Super Hero to life. They made two statues, one for the exhibit and one for Austin. I had the opportunity to see it in person, It is amazing.

Here are some of my favorite moments with my cousin Austin:

Around Christmas, he was at OHSU in Portland (he was there for about 10 months straight), and we were making a Ginger Bread House. I was almost eight months pregnant and mixing the icing, but wasn't sitting on the floor with Austin or our cousin Erin. Finally Austin said "you need to get down here and help instead of just giving directions", So I helped make a door and windows with the small gum drops, and was even able to get back up off the floor!

When my cousin Mel got married last October, Austin was sitting next to me while they cut the cake. He said "when I get married, I am going to have a wedding cake made out of donuts, and the twisty one will go on top!"

I was sitting with Austin as he got platelets one day and he was playing with his new cell phone. He had a voice message and didn't know how to check it. I told him you can dial your number and then enter your password. He thought that was way too much work, so the next time his dad called he said "Dad, don't leave leave a voice message for me and tell everyone else not to leave one, it's way too hard to check my messages" I showed him the shortcut to hold down the 1 key and it goes directly to voice mail, he thought that was pretty neat.

When he was younger, he somehow got the mother of all zip ties stuck around his neck! He came walking out of the garage at his house with it on and everyone freaked out. Thank goodness there was enough slack to be able to cut it off.

Just this summer, I was at his house watching him and Drew -my nephew- ride their dirt bikes and four wheelers. Austin was on the phone to a girl. I said is it a friend that's a girl or a "girl friend", he leaned in real close and "she's my girlfriend, but don't tell my mom!" He had the biggest smile on my face, I just laughed!

Through these upcoming difficult days, I am holding on to the special place he has in my heart and praying for his family. I know Austin's family could use all the prayers they can get, so if you can help out, that would be great!

This is a picture of Drew and Austin. It was taken about 4 years ago. They have so much fun together!


This picture was taken this summer in Hermiston at the water park. It was great to spend time with Austin and see him enjoying summer.

Feeling better, feeling blessed

I was pretty down last weekend because of taking Reid to daycare and my mom being in the hospital. Well daycare has gone pretty well. Reid is a very happy baby and seems to be doing well at daycare. They have all kinds of toys for him to play with and other babies to play with.

My mom is home from the hospital and is on her road to recovery. She called me the other day to tell me she loved me, that's my mom. It is nice to know that she is herself again...not 100% but getting there. My mom and I talk at least once a day, and it was hard not to be able to talk to her for those few days, we are now back to talking 1-2 times a day...thank goodness for unlimited long distance!

It is such a good feeling to know that I have people in my life who can help get through these hard times. When I cry at night, Rudd puts his arms around me- doesn't say anything, but lets me know he's there and that he will do whatever he needs to do, like driving over White Pass at midnight to get me to the hospital in Richland to see my mom. Then there's Lisa. When I called her to tell her that my mom was being taken to the ER in Hermiston, she offered to go there and make sure she was ok. She stayed there for hours until my mom was taken to Kadlec in Richland. I was a mess, but knowing she was there put my mind at ease.
".