Sunday, November 15, 2009

Lumberjack Games!

The dorm we live in now, Davidson, has an annual event called the Lumberjack Games. Eugene was a little nervous about running them. Justin, the previous RD, had invented them and done an excellent job. It was fun to see Justin, Sara and Sterling all visit that weekend! Eugene and his RA's worked really hard and the games were amazing! Everything went smoothly and seemed so professional and there was a great turnout. Men from each section of the dorm competed in the various events and the section with the most wins won overall. Then we made them the big steak dinner as their prize. I had difficulty taking good pictures due to the crowds, but here is what I got.

A two-man saw-off (I can't remember the official term!)

A drinking contest - they had to drink a shot of syrup, chug a big mug of root beer and then down another shot of syrup - disgusting!

What guys event would be complete without some sort of wrestling match?

An axe throwing contest

my cute husband!

a log pulling race

I'm bummed I didn't get to stay and see the log roll and log joust.


Thursday, November 12, 2009

3 weeks

I can't believe I let 3 weeks fly by without posting. The time has been filled with the lumberjack games, a couple baby showers, a visit to Eugene for Grandpa Great's birthday, apples, a full house of sickness and dinner for 20. I'll post more about the lumberjack games later. I've also been asked by a few different people about cloth diapering lately so I'm planning a post on that soon, too (I know you're so excited!) Here are some pictures from the last few weeks

We discovered Abby is a true Oregonian and loves the rain! At least she did before it got really cold. I need to go get her some galoshes, which, by the way is one of those really fun words to say. So much more fun than rain boots.

We did not do anything for Halloween, but I did put Abby's costume on from last year. She loved playing dress-up. Although it was big last year, I am surprised she still fit it! If I had known she would have so much fun we would have been playing dress-up much sooner.

Applesauce is the one thing I must make every year, no matter how busy and tired we are. And, I often end up buying a whole bushel mostly because it is just fun to say I bought a bushel of apples. Unfortunately, I only got through about 20 lbs before getting sick. Side note: having a fever and getting up in the middle of the night with a sick baby and then chasing around that 18-month old during the day, because even when sick she seems to have endless energy, is so hard! I really think motherhood should allow for sick days. Abby ended up watching a lot of the Wiggles because we both needed the rest. So, now she's even more obsessed than ever and I have cheesy songs running through my head all the time. Anyway, I hope to be feeling well enough to finish off the apples this weekend before they go bad!

Tonight we made dinner for the winners of the Lumberjack Games. Eugene made the most amazing steak ever - all the guys loved it and kept commenting on how good it was. We also made broccoli salad, fruit salad, baked potatoes, rolls and pumpkin and apple pies. I tried out this new crust idea I saw online and loved it! I thought the cookie-cutter cut-outs were much less stressful than trying to get the top crust perfect and it looked fun too!

Another side note, any moms know how to remove all the snaughty snail trails that now grace my furniture? If I wasn't readily available with a tissue or nasal aspirator, Abby seemed to think the couches worked just as well. Babies just don't get the hygiene thing.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Precious Moment

Yesterday I was working in the kitchen and Abby was doing her usual laps around the couch. I looked up to see her take a picture frame off our end table. As I was about to tell her, "No" she pressed her face against it and gave the photo of Mommy and Daddy a big kiss. My heart melted.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Pumpkin Patch, 20 lbs and Potties

This past weekend we made a trip to EZ Orchards. I had not been there during October for several years and was quite impressed with the improvements. Abby loves pictures of pumpkins for some odd reason, so I was really excited to share with her one of my favorite parts of fall. However, she has this obsession with rocks, so the gravel right next to the pumpkins won out. But we got some great fresh produce and Abby get to pet some goats.
Abby reached two more exciting milestones. Last week she broke the 20 lb mark! Not that it really matters other than for some reason this was a big psycological relief for me. Each night I have been putting Abby on the toilette just to start getting her used to it. Tonight, she went potty in the toilette! I think it was pure coincidence, but I made a big deal and even called Eugene for a little parental rejoicing.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

In love with Fall

I absolutely love the fall. I love the cold, crisp, foggy mornings and the sunny afternoons. I love hot cider, pumpkins, baking bread and crunchy fallen leaves. When it starts raining I just want to open the window, curl up on the couch with a blanket and listen to the rain. And, from what I can tell it, a lot of my blogging friends share this passion, so I thought it would be fun to do a poll. What is your favorite season? Vote on the side and if you want, leave a comment as to why. Happy Fall!Pondering the greater questions of life



Thursday, October 8, 2009

26.2

This past weekend we headed to Portland. Saturday was my Dad's birthday so we enjoyed some family time. Then, it was an early Sunday morning as we headed downtown for Eugene to run the: He and his running partner, Randy, joined over 12,000 others as they ran all across the city - 26.2 miles to be exact.
When Tina and I met them with food at mile 12 they looked like they had hardly broken a sweat and were keeping up great time. Sadly, Eugene's leg cramped up around mile 16. BUT, my amazing husband KEPT GOING for 10 more miles and still finished strong. I am so proud of him!

Coming down the home stretch!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Enchanted Forrest

continuing with our updates:

September 19th my parents treated us, along with my sister's family, to a day at the Enchanted Forest. This was a special day for a couple reasons. My brother-in-law returned that week from his second tour of duty in the Middle East so this was the first time our whole family had been together in a couple years. (Welcome home, Paul, and thank you for "working to keep us safe") Also, growing up we took many trips to this theme park with our cousins, so it was fun to relive some memories and pass on the tradition. I wasn't sure if Abby would be too young, but she had a blast.