Fall Firsts

Fall is here!  So excited!  Although we spent a couple weeks of fall, here in Bend last year, we couldn't wait to be here for the whole season. 

Joss all ready for she second day of school, but her first day on the school bus!  She was so excited and of course a little nervous.  I am so proud of her.

Just enjoying each other before the bus arrives..

The waiting was the hardest part.  Lots of mixed emotions going on here.  

A very proud moment for all.

Auty's first day of school!  She is attending a school held at a lovely woman's house that teaches about 8 kids from the ages 2-7.  What a wonderful experience she has been having.  

Auty's first day of ballet!!  She loves being dressed as a ballerina and dancing around the studio!  

Preparing for Halloween.  A fun decorating idea found on pinterest.  

They came out great!  So spooky! And the kids did most of the work!

Auty's 3rd birthday! (first in Bend)

She kept asking when she would see all her friends for her party.  Well we didn't have a party planned for her, we just wanted to keep it small and simple this year.  We planned to just take her to bouncing off the walls, a little indoor bouncy play area, then out for some hot chocolate.  Well to our surprise lots of kids came at the same time we came and Auty was so happy because she just assumed these were all her "friends" who were supposed to come to her party.  She had a blast!  I don't think we will ever be able to pull something off like this again with her, but glad it turned out fine this year!

Double trouble..

Fall Festival fun at the farm...

My little sweet..

Joss doing all the work as Auty dictates which pumpkin she wants..

She is very proud of all the cookies she made..  I have to say I am too!  

First Halloween in Bend was tons of fun!! 

Kids started out as princesses and witches, then they all turned themselves into zombies.. so cute!

After a long day of trick or treating we went to a friend's house for some more Halloween fun of food, drinks and dancing!  One of the best Halloweens ever!

Josslyn's first time riding a horse.  She was in her glory!

She did a fantastic job.   She was very courageous and couldn't wait to start taking lessons regularly.  I learned a lot from her this day, watching her try something new and conquering any fears or reservations she had.  A true inspiration.

An unfortunate first for all of us this fall was the death of a family pet.  After being away from Quintus for a year while we traveled the country, we were happily reunited with him January 2014.  He looked so healthy and happy when we saw him for the first time.  But as days passed he started throwing up on a daily basis and feeling lighter and lighter when I picked him up.  Shortly there after we found out that he had cancer and had to be put to sleep.  He was in lots of pain according to the vet and there was nothing more they could do to help him, even surgery wasn't an option.  After Erik, Autumn and myself came home from the vet after saying our good byes, Autumn was laying in my lap while we sat in silence hanging onto all our wonderful memories we had with him.  Many memories involved him clawing and biting people, especially Autumn.  He was a bit of a stinker.  Then all of a sudden as Autumn was just about to close her eyes and fall asleep in my arms, she let out a loud sudden cry and said, "OW!  Quintus just bit my leg!"  Well right where she had felt pain there was a red mark.  I guess he wanted to let us know he was still there with us and that he was still the same cat even in the spirit world.  Love him and miss him lots.  

October 11th, 2014

Summer Fun

While some people might love Bend for its snow and skiing, others talked about Bend as the place to be in the summer. And since I am not much of a skier I was so excited to see the summer finally arrive, which happens to be right when 4th of July hits, no sooner.  A little later than I would have liked but I hear its worth waiting for. 

Delta Campground was our favorite campground of all.  It had so much privacy with dripping moss everywhere and a crystal clear river running right behind it. 

The trees were a great place to hang our wet bathing suits after a quick, cold dip in the river.

A family photo just before my camera decided to die on me.  Ugh!

Nana visited us for the first time in Bend this summer.  We had a blast taking her to all the lakes, trails and summer concerts that Bend has to offer.  The kids were so happy to see her.  This was probably one of the first times we started realizing just how far family and friends actually were from Bend.  

The farms here are wonderful!  They let you weed their gardens for them and take what you want.  One man's junk is another man's treasure.  So yummy!!

While Nana visited Erik and I were able to have a day date and decided to go hiking on a trail that wouldn't be as enjoyable with little ones.  We ended up hiking about 13 miles and discovering little untouched lakes and views that were so incredible.  There is so much to discover out here and you would need a lifetime to do it.

Our view of South Sister on our hike.

The local fair was one of the best we had been to.  If it weren't for the lightning storm that surprised everyone, we would have stayed all night.  What a blast!

One of our favorite lakes we frequented this summer was Elk Lake.  It was warm enough for swimming and had stand up paddle boards you could rent for the day.  

Kids enjoyed catching frogs and crayfish all day with other kids.  A great way to make friends.

 

A little stop on our way to the coast for a weekend of camping.  This is the cute little sea town of Florence.  Love all the fishing boats and the smell of the ocean as we strolled along on the dock.

After a 6 hour drive we finally made it to the ocean.  Surprisingly enough it was 85 and sunny here in Bandon.  We were very lucky to have hit such beautiful weather according to all the locals.

Taking a stroll down the streets of the cute cape cod-like town.  

We met a family from South Oregon that brought their bird with them camping.  Auty and Josslyn couldn't get enough of him.  And yes this picture ended in Autumn needing her hair washed, but worth the smiles and giggles that lead up to that. 

Back in Bend the girls went for a day trip to the rock garden that was built by a man from Denmark as tribute to his new country.  It took him 17 years to finish it!  

Joss took an art class this summer which she loved! These are two of her beautiful pictures.

Funny story behind this picture.  We decided to take a hike out to Steelhead falls after hearing about how much fun it was to jump off the cliff.  I had every intention of jumping and Erik had none.  We get to the falls and assess the situation, aka watched about 20 people jump off first to make sure it was safe enough.  Then I stood at the cliffside ready to jump and got cold feet.  It was a lot higher than I had thought.  I became frozen.  Then to my surprise, given his fear of heights, Erik stepped it up and said he would jump first!  Well he did just that without any hesitation.  I was shocked!  I wish I had gotten a picture of him, but I was too worried about the kids following him off the cliff.  Then it was my turn again and I got called feet once again, but stood there and said if I didn't jump now I was never going to jump. Then I saw a woman with her iPhone pointed at me ready to take a picture.  I couldn't let her down or Erik so finally I jumped.  The jump was a lot higher than I had expected and the water was frigid.  I felt my body go into somewhat of a shock right after hitting the water.  I swam to the side and got to dry land as quick as I could.  I feel somewhat guilty that Erik's picture is not here instead since he was the catalyst that made this picture happen.

Summer fun 

Auty being busy.

Our last trip to the coast before summer's end.  

Gearhart was another gem we had found along the coast of Oregon.  And again another warm, and unusual sunny weekend.  We have been so lucky with weather and the coast.

Love this picture of Autumn with her little tiara on sitting so proper by the ocean.

Beach fun

The coast with its monoliths make for the most spectacular sunsets.

The most yummy seafood joint on the Oregon Coast.

One of the hardest things about living in Bend is its distance from the ocean.  It takes normally 4 hours at the very least to get there.  But once you get there it's beauty is stunning.  It is a lot different from the east coast beaches where there is a lot of energy from the crowds of people who visit everyday and the warm waters.  The west coast is very quiet and removed but full of a different type of natural energy.