Halloween and Fall Fun

At a "Haunted Trail" and pumpkin farm in Oregon City a couple weeks ago.

A giant leaf pile, one of many I'll make this fall. Still plenty left on the tree!

This is what Zaeda selected to wear  for playing in the leaf pile

Zaeda and her best buddy Gracie at the YMCA Halloween walk

Zaeda and her favorite boy, Phinneas

Halloween night!

Oliver's friend Maya and her parents and baby sister joined us for a walk around the block. Guess who's excited here?

First stop: Sharon and Doug next door.

Maya and Oliver at the end of the track-or-treating

The haul

Happy 7th Birthday, Oliver!

Last weekend, luck Oliver had two birthday parties. The first was with some of his friends at Sky High Sports, a place just filled with trampolines. It's a great place to let kids burn off energy.

Jenny made these awesome Mario-themed cupcakes

Oliver, Zaeda, and Oliver's friend Maya waiting to leap into a foam pit

Nolan (a blur), Oliver, Zaeda, and Maya

Nolan, Rhyson, and Oliver bouncing

Zaeda mid-bounce

Foosball, the only game Oliver's friend Nicholas could play with his broken arm, poor kid.

Oliver and Rhyson

Lighting the candle

His family party the next day, with Jhonna, Grandpa and Mimi

Karri, Zaeda, and Nana

Legos with uncle Joe

Back to School Day!

Today

Oliver is starting first grade. Zaeda is starting pre-K at daycare.

Vacation to Yellowstone, Day 9

Day 9, August 15, 2013

Ketchum, ID to La Grande, OR

We left smoky Sun Valley as visibility declined. The haze continued as far as Boise and beyond. We learned that the forest  fires had grown and that people were starting to leave Sun Valley.

This was a long day of driving without any stops except for lunch in a Boise park.  Heading into La Grande, OR in the afternoon, we found a great park out among the farms. This one had a pool. It was just what we needed for our last night on the road. After swimming we explored a bit and found that a pair of ospreys had a nest at the side of the park, next to a pond. Oliver was very excited to dig out his binoculars.

Off to the pool

ladybug

Zaeda leaping into the pool

Last bit of play on the playground

Vacation to Yellowstone, Day 8

Day 8, August 14, 2013

Victor, Idaho to Sun Valley via the Craters of the Moon

We left Victor, ID and drove several hours through rural Idaho, stopping along the way at  Craters of the Moon State Park. This was another opportunity for a junior ranger program, so we grabbed the form. And then we drove on, eventually making it up to Hailey and Ketchum in Sun Valley, where we shopped around a bit and had some ice cream before settling in our RV park.

Lunch stop at Craters of the Moon.

Ice-cream in Ketchum

At a small park in Ketchum

Blowing bubbles against a smoking sky.

The FIRST and ONLY campfire of our trip! I can't believe we hauled firewood so far and this was our only chance to burn it -- and ironically, in a town that was already on fire.

A walk/bike ride down to the river

After s'mores, the stickiest little girl in the world. 

Once at the RV park, we started to notice the sky turning grey as smoke from forest fires on the other side of the mountain range turned the sun orange. The next morning, our campsite was covered in ash.  One day after leaving, we learned they had started started evacuations from the valley.