2nd Annual Flag Football Game

The tradition began on the day after Thanksgiving last year, and this year's turnout confirmed that the fun will continue! Our two small group Bible studies got together for a battle between the Red and the Yellow. Kevin has now had the pleasure and prestige of being on the undeafeated Yellow team. They pounded the Red 18 - 14. Way to go Yellow!!

Getting started.

Kickoff!

Go Yellow! Go Michelle! (L-R Mark, Megan, Jake, and Michelle)

Huddling to come up with a play to squelch the Yellow.

But it didn't work... hee hee.

Though they tried to look tough, the Red just couldn't swing it. They were good sports though.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed other pasttimes with the kiddos. That's right, Addie, take your baby for a walk.

Amanda and Caleb - Weeeeeee!!!

Isaac liked the "goggie" (a.k.a. Panda, naturally)

Caleb and his big bro Levi
Krista took Isaac for his turn down the slide.

I wish I had gotten this on video... to say the least, Caleb was really enjoying running down the hill. Just imagine "Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh" emphasized by heavy stomps the whole way down.
The boys

Time for cupcakes!! (Todd with Addie)

And nursing some wounds.
Mmmmmmm, they were so yummy. The perfect time to celebrate some November birthdays.

Roger and birthday girl Colleen

Jason and birthday girl Rebecca

Birthday boy Jake with Jaimie

Me and Autumn

The perfect landing - soft and sweet.

My Little Sous-Chef

Usually the first thing on the agenda when I get home is to get dinner made, and consequently, Isaac has come to spend a lot of time with me in the kitchen. We've gotten in the habit of cooking together, and I think we both mutually enjoy it very much. I know you're probably thinking, "But he's only ONE!" And my response is, "I know, isn't it cute?" Isaac has always loved to watch how I make meals, even as early as a few months old (I kid you not!), so he usually wants me to hold him while I cook. He used to astonish me with his level of attention when he was only 6 months old or so as I moved around in the kitchen with him in one arm and ingredients in the other. And so it goes...

Well, Isaac is growing and sure getting heavy. And my biceps, while they have grown much stronger since having him, can only bear so much while attempting to put something together for dinner. And so out has come the stepping stool and an apron! I believe Isaac has earned a promotion in the kitchen and now stands with the chef! (With much attentive supervision by his multi-tasking mother, I must add.)

Sporting his abbreviated apron for the first time (ahem, Karen, do you want a pet project? I know of a handsome little candidate for a pint-sized apron of his own...)

Isaac's daily plea

My usual reply, "You wanna see what Mommy's making?"

He really is so attentive to every detail. Look at that concentration!

Isaac usually gets to have a spoon or spatula so he can help me stir things on the stove. Granted, he had to reach a little further this time because I put him just far enough away as to not get burned (h's holding a spatula but it's black, so you can't see it very well). You should have seen his expression of satisfaction after stirring all by himself!

Oh the triumphant glee! "My heart runneth over." I love my little Sous-Chef.

Go Seahawks!!

Kevin and I got to go to the Seahawks/Cardinals game in Phoenix on Sunday. It was a blast, and we had so much fun together!

Now let me back up to tell you how it all came about...

Kevin and I have been making efforts to clean up our finances with the help of Dave Ramsey, and we have been focused and making strides to this point. For those of you who are familiar with his Ramsey-isms, we have been attempting to live on "beans and rice, rice and beans." :)

Well the game was coming up and our friend Tom was trying to get a group of people together to go to the game and tailgate, etc. It sounded like so much fun, and we really wanted to go. But the tickets were $50 each. We reluctantly declined in an effort to stay focused. But we really wanted to go...

... Well, the very next day, Kevin's co-worker, and our mutual friend from church, Scott got us tickets to the game for free! It was as if God, like a proud Dad, was saying, "Good job. Go on to the game - it's on Me! Oh yeah, and how about field-level end zone seats?"

They came out on the other end of the field, but that didn't stop us from cheering all the louder for our Seahawks as they ran out onto the field. We actually got seated in a small pocket of fellow Seahawk fans, so we found some allies amidst the sea of red.

Our National Anthem and a huge waving flag!

Kickoff!

Decked out in our gear...

Oh yeah, they really are that close! And these guys are HUGE!! TV doesn't do them any justice - in person they are beasts!

So much fun... must have been while the Seahawks were winning.... It was an epic battle of the birds - at least in the first half. But in the second half, the Cardinals turned on the after-burners and burnt off the feathers of our Seahawks. Alas, our team fell apart and lost... but that didn't squelch our enthusiasm - too much. Thank you, Lord for this treat!

ALL Boy

Isaac loves being outside...

... and he always seems to find the best opportunities to get a little dirty...

Ooh! More puddles!

Back and forth and back and forth... puddles are so much fun!

Yep, he is ALL boy!

Howdy Partner!

Kevin's sister Julie is visiting this weekend, so we took her out for a wild west experience to Rawhide.

We were looking forward to riding the train, getting some old west pictures taken, panning for gold, and perhaps catching a show or two...

... but when we pulled in it was a ghost town! Where is everybody?? Soon we learned that they shortened the hours recently, so things weren't going to open until 5:30. Hmmm, we had two hours to kill...
... so we wandered around town.

Charging the jailhouse - Scandelous!

Coming from the stormy & gray NW, Julie had to document the endless blue skies we enjoyed today. What is that foreign giant bright orb in the sky?

Aaah! A crazy prospector!

Go, Isaac, go!

A quickdraw champ - watch out!

You are under arrest for being too cute!

Two hours was a long while to wait for Rawhide, so our great American day ended well with hamburgers and onion rings at Joe's. Can't go wrong at the Farm Grill!