We are not trying to exclude those who want to know what is going on in our oh so interesting life, but we do have to make certain posts private. If you would like the passwords for these posts, let me know. I will send you the password when I have a private post.

In a land where these are available. I was in heaven… Sonic, panda express (with a drive through), and a Wal Mart all in one shopping center. More to come. I just have to organize pictures.

Jameson wanted his picture taken. I made some cones to hold popcorn for the up coming shower, and he thought it was so cool on his hand. This became his… don’t worry. It wasn’t put out for the shower.

Ok, this is Kevin posting.

One of my hobbies is reloading and shooting at the local range. I shoot a lot of different calibers from .22 all the way through .500 S&W. Jameson loves to talk about guns and is often found with me in the garage while I’m reloading ammunition of different types. Jameson knows all about different guns and we frequently talk about who can touch guns (mom and dad only) and about how they are tools that we have to be very careful with.

Today Jameson got the opportunity to go out to the range with me and shoot a gun for the first time. He was really good about listening to all the rules about guns and how to be careful with them. While he’s a long way from being able to handle guns on his own, he really had a good time shooting my Sig Sauer Mosquito .22lr pistol, and he shot a total of 80 rounds today.

It was time to get a Christmas tree, so the kids and headed to the same place we got one from last year. They really are so helpful and nice. We explored the lot first, and Jameson examined each one.

He showed Ella how to walk on the tree stands.

And they wondered why there was a hole.

Ella stopped to say “cheese” for just a minute.

We found a tree that would be perfect. It was within our price range, and we were ready to go. That is, till Jameson explained, “No, Mom, now we need to find my tree.” I tried to explain that Mom only brought so much money. But then, the guy took us to the back and showed Jameson the little trees. He thought it was perfect! Again, I explained that I didn’t bring money for two trees. Instead, the guy said, “I’ll give you both for the price.” Great. I think he thought he was helping out. A little Christmas Miracle. Jameson was so excited. I was just thinking, “Where am I going to put a second tree?” and “Now I have to go buy another tree stand.” So this little tree would not be free. It was really nice of him though. We get our trees from Allen’s tree farm, which is the closest tree lot to us. They’re great, and both trees are still alive.

We stopped to get a tree stand, and then headed home. We got Jameson’s tree inside, put Ella down for a nap, and then had a surprise visit. My Aunt and Uncle came by after their trip to the temple. I never got her message, so I was totally surprised. I love visits, especially from my only family that’s close. They brought us some treats, and the kids a little goody bag. Jameson loves my Uncle, and had to show him everything, especially the new tree.

Once they left, we got everything ready, and I brought the other tree in. Yes, Kevin has that awesome of a wife. It ended up only being slightly crooked, but I thought Kevin could help me fix that when he got home from work. Well, here it is Christmas eve, and the tree is still crooked. Oh well.

The following post is password protected. If you think you’re cool enough to read it, just email me or leave a comment and I can send you the password.

This weekend, October 21st, Erin and Jeff came to visit! How do I know them? Well Jeff was in the first grade class next to mine. (His twin brother was in my class.) And Erin, I met a few weeks after college started when she started dating Jeff. Erin and I became roommates until Kevin kind of replaced her as my roommate.

I picked them up Friday at noon, and we headed over to Pike’s Market. The kids did pretty well as we perused, and Ella even did well for not having a nap. I took them to get grilled cheese from the best place around. We sat and people watched as the kids ate their lunch and we had mac n cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches. After the market, we headed back home to meet Kevin.

We decided to take them to XXX Burger. The food is good, maybe not worth the hype, but the rootbeer is delicious. Everyone loves their floats, including Ella.

Ella took a dive off the couch earlier while trying to wrestle with Dad and Jameson. This explains the big rug burn on her forehead.

Erin and Jeff loved all the decor, along with their food. I think they froze, though.

Jameson was happy to hang out with Uncle Jeremy who was visiting, also.

Ella devoured Kevin’s rootbeer float.

Saturday morning, I took Jeff to Kerry Park to get a picture of the Seattle sky line. Unfortunately, it was a true Seattle day with rain and clouds, and you couldn’t see the Space needle. After trying to take some pictures, we went to check out the Troll. I hadn’t ever gone to see him, but he wasn’t too hard to find. I guess 4 artist carved this. See the VW Bug he’s holding? And the hubcap for an eye? Kind of creepy.

The street is even named after him. I would hate to be the houses living across from this, though.

After the troll, I took them to see the Ballard Locks. The leaves were gorgeous, and the train tracks were raised. Not sure why. I never saw a boat that big where they would need to be raised to pass under it.

After watching a few boats go through the locks, we found these stairs. I’m not sure why they lead into the water, but it made it easy to test the water. I didn’t head on down, but Jeff and Erin went to see how cold it was.

Ella just hung out in the stroller. She loves to ride, but not be strapped in.

On the way home, we found the glass pumpkin patch. I was a little concerned taking the kids in, but it turned out ok. All the pumpkins are glass blown by local artist. I think even the small ones were still at least $30.

After a busy day, we headed home for some dinner. We picked up a baby-sitter got the kids settled, and headed out to Maple Valley. They do a spooky forest that Erin wanted to go to. You walk a trail through the woods, and walk in and out of themed huts. It was lots of fun, and I did jump. It was even funnier with Erin screaming and jerking my jacket every time. The forest was creepy anyway, because it was slightly raining. This left a fog over the forest. We had lots of fun, didn’t get too wet, and made it home to get warm all in one piece.

Sunday morning while we went to church, Erin and Jeff borrowed the Golden Dragon (Kevin’s car) and checked out downtown Kirkland. I was surprised they found their way back. Learning roads here is a nightmare. Once we got home, they packed up and we headed to the airport.

It was a fun visit, and I’m glad we were able to fit so much in to just a few days.

The post below is of our Young Women in Excellence night. The reason it has a password is because I included pictures with our young women in them. If you would like to view our night, let me know, and I will send you the password. Once I get around to blurring out the girls, I will take the password off.

Here are a few pictures which weren’t lost from our whale watching trip…