Grandpa Tom's birthday

 

We gave Grandpa Tom a new Carhartt work coat for his birthday.  It was a little too big!

This was his old coat...

Kylie modeled the new one so we could see the obvious improvement, except for the size.

 

Ooompa Loompas?

 

Pointing out a special feature the new coat doesn't have!

 

He couldn't stop laughing!  I love how silly my dad can be!

 

 

Everyone was very entertained by their show!

Cake time!

Making a wish...maybe for a coat that fits a little better?

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!  We love you!

Another Tradition...Christmas Tree Hunting

Our annual Saturday-After-Thanksgiving-Christmas-Tree-Hunting-Party!

No snow this year, so we were able to get to the very top!

We parked where there was more room, then piled into trucks to go up further.

 

Looking down over the valley...it was forecast to rain, but we had a gorgeous day!

Climbing in the dirt can be just as fun as playing in the snow!

Ben and Andre out hunting.

Look at those happy faces!  They just found our first tree!  We always get two, one for us and one for Grandma Vikki.

obligatory "put the camera on a tree trunk and run to get in the picture" shot.

Cutting off the bottom so we don't have to haul as much up the huge hill.

While Brad and Ben hauled the first tree up, Kylie and I searched for, and found the second, which we had to haul up.  It was much bigger than our first tree...thank goodness Kylie is so strong!

It's a good one! Can't wait to get it home and see if it fits in the living room!

We had a large group this year.  Hansens, Olivers, Ramirezes, Hooyers, Van Akens, Kollodges, and Tatros!

Ninja tree hunters?

Kylie's friend Kate's family is always up there on the same day.

Aren't we lovely?

Ready to haul them home!

Thanksgiving!

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving if we didn't start with the Turkey Trot at Battlepoint Park! This year's turkeys included:

Me and Brooke

 

add in Kylie ad Ben

 

and Nathan Russell

 

After all that running, we came home and started cooking!

Jillian made the chocolate pies, and a pumpkin pie the night before.

 

Ben made the apple pie

 

and it was even more delicious than it looks!

Brad's sisters and their kids joined us 

as did Kylie's good friend, Justeen

and both Grandmas

and Grandpa! 

Ben was a sport to keep the little ones entertained!

It was a smaller group than we're used to, but still a lot of fun!  Ashley is taking the picture (imagine her standing behind Jillian), and there's a nice blank spot between Brad and Alicia where we can photo shop in Nate!

Weekend get-away at Westport

Mid-fall isn't the most logical time to go to the beach, especially in Washington, but it's still beautiful! We went to Westport with the Olivers and had a very relaxing weekend full of walks on the beach, playing games, eating good food, and long, uninterrupted conversations!

When we arrived it was low tide and we went for a walk while the sun set...

and the moon rose!

The Westport lighthouse peaks out over the trees.  I was surprised it was so far away from the water.

The next day the clouds rolled in and we knew it was going to rain, but braved a walk anyway.  We set out along a nice, 2 mile paved path along the beach.

At the end is a big observation tower, which we climbed to get a better view.  Then the rain started. We walked into town, which was virtually deserted, and escaped into a small diner.  After a few minutes, we realized the rain was coming down harder.  We debated about calling a taxi or walking back in the pouring rain.  Brad jokingly offered one of the diner employees $5 to give us ride back to our condo, and he said, "Sure!  I'm just getting off work, anyway!"  Small tourist towns in the off-season do have their virtues!

Two years will go quickly, right?

The time has finally come to send my first born off on a mission!  I am an emotional mess!  We went to the Stake Center on Tuesday night for him to be set apart, which was a beautiful, spiritual, tearful event.  The blessing President Gillespie gave him made me cry through almost the whole thing. He touched on so many things that I have been praying about for Nathan--the importance of him staying positive and looking for the good in all situations, the love he will feel for the people in Mexico, his ability to be a good example and leader, and the strength he will gain in his own testimony. 

 

The Bells were there right before us, so we snapped a few pictures.

 

Jared, President Gillespie, and Nathan

 

Afterwards we went out to dinner with the family.   

 

Packing! Just looking at this makes me want to cry!  So few material items for two whole years...but the material items are not the important things!

Early morning, packed and ready to head out to the 4:40am ferry to catch a 7:00am flight.

On the ferry...don't they look a little more like FBI agents than missionaries?

That's better...

 

Hopefully these boys will remember that they have moms who will always be there looking out for them!  Mary has been a good friend since we moved to Bainbridge.  She is a great example and support, and I look to her for advice and encouragement.

 

These sisters will miss their big brother!

 

A bleary-eyed group...lack of sleep and plenty of tears, too!  The time at the airport was way too short!

 

He jumped into the security line and was almost whisked away before I could take a picture of him with Ben.  It made me so sad to see him disappear past the security check point...sad, but also excited, happy, nervous, proud...

Emily, Jared's sister, sent this picture to us.  It was so good to see they made it safely to Utah!

Watch out world, here come the Bainbridge boys!