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Being a parent stretches and challenges you to go places or do things you normally may not try...

All for the sake of your child.

Allowing a bird in my living room is doing just that. 

I'm not a bird person. Not really a pet person. But I do understand the joy a pet brings to a kid.

Addison is over the moon thrilled to be a bird owner. 

It took many trips to Bellingham to search for the perfect cage, toys and locate a hand fed-tamed baby parakeet. We finally found what Addi wanted at Hohl Feed & Seed. It was there we found the sweetest bird lady who was raising seven week old parakeets. We brought the cage in a couple days later for Addison's chosen parakeet to adjust to his new home. Janice was great giving pointers to Addi about how to be a bird owner and what's best for her bird. She's been raising birds for thirty years. I'll take her word over mine. 

Introducing Elvis.

{ Picking out her tweety bird. }

Four Little Pumpkins

With one of our favorite pumpkin patches closed for retirement, we were forced to 

explore and find a new one. 

I loaded all the kids up in the car, picked up Nana and Auntie Traci, then headed south to Schuh Farms in Skagit Valley. This place is family owned and appears to have grandchild forced labor, but oh so cute.  Everyone was beyond friendly and helpful even carrying our pumpkins to the car. There were a few animals to look at, a flooded bouncy house to jump in if you didn't mind getting the kids wet (thanks to all the rain), tractor rides for the kids through the fields,  a spread of orange in a condensed field along with bins of many varieties of pumpkins. 

Across the street is extra parking and a play area for kids that has huge slides, tires and swings to curbed the energy before getting back in the car. It's there the smell of pumpkin donuts lingers and lunch can be found with a few food trucks to meet the hunger needs. 

Thank you Schuh Farms and Family for providing our family with a morning of fun and 

pumpkins to carve in the evening. 

{ Best I could do. }

Funnies...

Too often, Tim and I remind ourselves to write these things down, 
but seldom get to it. 

The raw humor of Myriam has us laughing, sharing with family and wishing we had Go Pro cameras on to capture her personality in action. 

Last week Monday as I went to sign out Addison from school, Myriam called Barkley Regal Cinemas from my phone, asking about movie options. Myriam with a puzzled and upset voice said,

"Addi, Tangled isn't in the movie theater anymore! Is Jungle Book in theaters?" That's when Addison heard another voice say. "No, Jungle Book is not in theaters anymore, but I can tell you what movies are."

How she managed to call anyone is still in question as my phone, for this very reason, is password protected! 

The Transition From Flip Flops to Tall Boots

Summer ended with a big bang and reluctant kids to see it go. 

Grandpa Doug flew all his grandsons to Stehekin along Lake Chelan where they crammed into his plane and spent a night exploring, swimming and eating like grown men. With Charlie gone and Miss Bee on a visit, I then took the older girls on a lunch date to The Mill and explored a little of downtown together. 

Our family, along with many other family and friends, surprised Nana with a back yard party celebrating her 60th birthday with burgers and cupcakes. 

We also braved the heat and spent all day at The Northwest Washington Fair. We ended up splitting the group as Tim took the older ones on rides and I took the melted young ones home. 

Charlie spent time on the boat fishing, catching crab, hiking and enjoying his time with Papa, Nana & Auntie Traci. There were last of the season sleepovers, school shopping trips and BBQ's all before the rush of shelving our exposed toe shoes for tall boots. 

{ Cousins & a cool uncle by the campfire. }

Over the Bridges & Through the Streets to Downtown We Had to Go

With all three weeks of full brain radiation completed, Traci needed some open air, a break from cabin fever and a little exploring with her sister before starting chemotherapy once again. 

Miss Bee and I took to I-5 Wednesday morning leaving Daddy in charge of getting the three kids to their appropriate schools. He did me proud with keeping the house clean, kids fed and making sure no one missed the bus. It was a nice little break from the normal for me while being able to spend some sweet moments with My Hero. 

Our time together was mainly spent eating which began at Menchies for dinner followed by the many leftover meals that had been delivered to Traci. She hasn't been able to drive due to the eye tumor creating depth perception issues as well as it looking like she's seeing out of a bubble. For safety reasons she hung up her keys until the issues resolve which has led to her becoming STIR CRAZY sitting at home! We took to the town to help her breath in some fresh air. 

Thursday started by celebrating National Coffee Day with our Starbucks and free Krispie Kreme coffee and donuts. Shameful, we just wanted the donuts. Miss Bee quite enjoyed herself fisting the doughy goodness too. Our next stop was Powell's as we are both book lovers of all kinds. The children's section is bright, colorful, inviting and a place all our kids have come to love. Good thing we had budgets or we'd leave with hundreds of dollars worth in new books! With Traci's background being a preschool teacher she sees quality in every single book and has a favorites list about a mile long. 

...and Friends are Friends forever...

What a true gift it is that those we've picked have stuck with us and given us memories, laughter and encouragement when needed. Tim and I are proud of our kids who have made some awesome friends through school, church and around home. I can't imagine doing life without Jesus; I can't imagine doing life without His blessings...

friends.

And SNAP, the Job is Done...

Once again, Jodi from theSNAPsisters captured our family in it's true form this past summer. A simple stump alongside the road turned into the backdrop for our family pictures. In the rush out the door we forgot to have some take their allergy pills so it was a task to keep hands off the eyes and to attempt to not have too many swollen eyeballs. Some don't like to have these camera moments so our time in front of the camera is always quick. Thanks to Bill who managed to get some smiles with the toy rattles and peek-a-boos; Tim's smiles are proof of his talent to get everyone to smile. There are so many more but here's a picture glimpse into our family photo session...

{ The Broersma Six pack. }