Our Halloween Pumpkin

Tanner was a pumpkin for Halloween when he was younger so we thought we would keep up the tradition, especially after we found such a cute costume!




We knew he looked ADORABLE, but he had to check it out for himself!

I also had to get a picture of him squished in his carseat...which I think he thought was quite comfortable!


We arrived at the ward party, and I went straight for the Cotton Candy of course...after I was able to get away from the Cake Walk that I got sucked into. Clark and Tanner also enjoyed it as well.



Tanner also participated in a pie eating contest...he got second place, behind one of the missionaries.



We took Clark trick-or-treating to all of the rooms in the church...he wasn't quite sure what was going on, but when the treatgivers let him choose his own candy he was happy to oblige!

Walk like a man!

Clark took his first steps this past week! He has bit it hard a few times, but he is a determined little boy and tries to indulge us as I now deem it "Walking Time!" about every five minutes. I love seeing him take one or two steps and then go into surfer mode as he tries to balance himself. I think he enjoys the goofy looks on his parents' faces every time he takes a step. Obviously at this point he still prefers crawling, but with this new development, his birthday next month, and the beginning of the weaning process, he seems to be growing up so fast!

Around the House

Grandma and Grandpa Nielson were remodeling their kitchen during our stay. Clark thought it was great, and was always finding something interesting to play with, or play in...


Tanner created "THE LABRYINTH OF NO RETURN" for Clark to play in (aka a blanket over the coffee table). Clark would always get excited when Tanner would say in a deep Darth Vader voice "You are getting sucked into THE LABRYINTH OF NO RETURN". This is why boys need dads.




Clark got a mystery rash the last couple of days while we were in Washington, and we still are not quite sure what caused it, but Clark didn't seem fazed by it at all.


I called our pediatrician's nurse line, but she suggested waiting a couple of days to see if it got worse, and it was gone a couple of days later. Maybe it was just a curse from him going into "THE LABRYINTH OF NO RETURN".

Clark enjoyed spending time with Grandpa Nielson on his bed watching football, and he also loved reading stories with Grandma Nielson. She has a great reading voice.


We even got to spend some time with Great Grandma Nielson one evening. Clark won her over with his toothy grin.




SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2006

BEACON ROCK

We were excited when Shane and Vonae called to say they were coming back to visit us again the second weekend we were there. It was a lot of effort on their part to come, and we enjoyed spending the time with them! Tanner and Shane wanted to go climb beacon rock, so they took Brianna and Clark with them, while Vonae, Paige, and I went shopping. It was a beautiful but WINDY day. Here are more pictures of Beacon Rock and beautiful Washington.

Sightseeing in Seattle

We took a day while we were in Washington to drive up to Seattle and see some of the sights (or is it sites?). Tanner lived in Seattle for six months to go to school (story below). As we were driving toward the city, I took a picture...cue the picture.


Do you see anything surprising about this picture? Well, I was surprised because I thought the Space Needle would stick out like a sore thumb, and there it is, looking like a itzy bitsy toothpick.


It's a lot bigger when you get up close, and it was a VERY large building when it was first built, but now the other corporate monstrosities built since then kind of overshadow it...at first. We went up to the top and got a good look of the Puget Sound and the rest of the city. I think it is a really pretty city.






Afterward, we went to Pike's Market, which is a historic site that continues to operate today. They had a fish market complete with the men throwing the fish around, and they had a fresh flower market sold by cute old Asian women. The flowers were dirt cheap and I told Tanner that if we ever move to Seattle, I wouldn't mind if he came home with those every friday. I LOVED the flowers in the baskets above the shops, especially set against the booming metropolis behind it.





The first EVER Starbucks is here, which I thought was really cool...at first. Until I remembered that I had only been to a Starbucks once before and had paid five bucks for a hot chocolate. So I am not quite sure why I thought it was cool except that I have secretly always wanted to try a Frappuchio, Mochachino, or a Macchiato JUST because of the names...and maybe because I love the smell of coffee and anything with ice chips and frothy foamy stuff on top...enter section 89 of the D&C. So maybe I won't enjoy the foam mustache but it doesn't stop me from taking a deep breath every time I walk by the Starbucks stand at my local grocery store.

After seeing downtown, we took a nostalgic trip, for Tanner that is, to North Seattle to where he lived...


yes, those are greek letters on that building. Tanner was a FRAT boy...a member of Beta Theta Pi to be exact. We took the picture and Tanner told a few stories, and we carried on to the most picturesque site of the trip...


North Seattle Community College!!! Woohoo! Look at that grey concrete! Isn't it a beauty? Tanner told some more stories and we were done. It was worth the trip for me just to hear about that time in his life and how the choices he made then really set him on the path for where we are today, and for that, I am so grateful for that concrete!

Multomah Falls

The first time I visited Washington with Tanner, I was observing the people as we were driving around. I finally turned to Tanner and asked "Why does everyone look like they just came down from the mountains?" It seemed that everyone was either sporting a beard, hair down to the middle of their back, or birkenstocks, and in many cases, all three. It has been a joke between us ever since, and while I may not adopt the outward appearance of many Washingtonians, I too love the nature surrounding them that IS Washington. I guess I understand now why Washington and Oregon are known for their numerous environmentalits, because they have some pretty amazing vistas that actually ARE worth defending. Last Monday we went to see the Multomah Falls, which are about 30 minutes from Vancouver. Tanner's mom came with us, and we hiked up to the top. Clark got to relax in the stroller while we pushed him a mile up the mountain. It was beautiful...I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The Perfect Pumpkins

On Saturday, we woke up to a cloudy and misty October day...perfect for going to a pumpkin patch! We loaded everyone up, and drove to Sauvie Island, about 30 minutes away. To get to the pumpkin patch you take a hayride pulled by none other than a John Deere tractor. We traipsed around the patch until we found our perfect pumpkin.



We rode back and decided to attempt the Corn Maze in the hopes that between 6 adults, we would be able to somehow navigate the way through successfully. We had to stand in line for a few minutes, and Clark had fun playing with grandpa to pass the time.


Ultimately, thanks to some clue cards and the quick intellect of Brianna (Shane and Vonae's 5 year old daughter), we made it through the maze successfully! I think Clark was more interested in eating the corn on the stalks than the maze itself (see picture below), but we had a lot of fun.



Next was the animal barn. Clark made quick friends with the Llama,


while I was observing the two cutest pigs ever!


What is it with me and pigs? I have always thought they are adorable! Maybe I just feel badly for them because they get a bad rap for being messy animals when in fact they are quite clean. Just like me in my family growing up! (If I could just delete that one instance of the beater covered in brownie mix found in my sock drawer).

But by far the cutest thing was the three "pumpkins" having fun together!


It was totally worth the 45 minute traffic jam leaving the island. For more pictures of the day, see Vonae's blog titled Sauvie Island

Fun with Family Part 2!

Tanner's brother Shane and his family came to visit us from Spokane during our first weekend here in Washington. It was so much fun seeing their cute little girls and we had fun the first day on the bouncy castle at the house...




...and taking a little trip to the park where I forgot how much fun a swinging tire is, and even the men got into the fun...


...and Clark did too!