Baby's First Costume

It's Halloween, and I decided to participate.  It's not often you have a cute bump to decorate, and I decided to make the most of it.  My office encouraged all of us to participate, so I figured "why not?"  I hit Pinterest, and came up with what I thought was a sure-fire crowd pleaser.


My co-worker and I went to lunch in Pike Place on Halloween (that's an adventure in and of itself, y'all!), and baby girl actually got me some trick or treat candy (unsolicited!). I got so many compliments on my little Snoopy!!  I'm afraid I've set the bar high for her future costumes!!

And yes, sometimes you need to make the costume while wearing it.  I only managed to sew it to my undershirt twice.  I was afraid if I wasn't wearing it, I'd put it on and Snoopy would have been a bit more abstract than what I was going for.  All in all, a quick, inexpensive costume that I highly recommend if you happen to be (very) preggers in October! 

A Fall Walk with Some of my Favorites!

A few photos from our fall walk along the Cedar River! Many thanks to Auntie Sam and Glenda for coordinating it!  It was lovely!!

I had to climb an embankment to make this shot...talk about making the hubs nervous -- I'm not exactly graceful at the best of times, and pregnancy has not increased my balance... 

Uncle Isaac Monster in action! Doesn't Ava look terrified? 

More cool 'shrooms! 

I just want to kiss these cheeks all the time! 

Look at this toothless girl!  Doesn't she look just like her mama? 

He's not exactly "sneaky"... 

Uncle I helped Noah find quite the stick! 

Sword fighting is this little guy's favorite! 

Note Ava's stance...Noah was so excited to have a real participant in Uncle I! 

Noah: "I will take this stick and I will kill a bear with it"

Me: "Hmmm...that sign says 'No Hunting,' sorry buddy!"

Noah: "We-ell, maybe a little farther along there will not be a sign, and then I will kill a bear." 

He stayed prepared for the rest of the walk... 

What a gentleman I married! 

I love helicopters! 

Over to Gene Coulon for some chowdah and a few more pictures... 

So cool -- remote controlled sail boats! 

Nevermind the goose poop everywhere, this boy's gonna jump into and roll through the leaf pile! 

My beautiful sister: 

And now, this post wouldn't be complete without some of Noah's one liners from the day: 

“Hey Auntie, when is that egg in your belly gonna hatch?”

(while swinging a big stick): “I could crack that egg for you if you mind” 

Isaac: “Uh, no thanks, buddy!”

Noah: “I was actually talking to auntie”

“Is auntie going to take more family pictures today, because....(motions to outfit)?” (He would have preferred cozy pants (fleece sweats) and a sweatshirt, to be sure. haha! Turns out I DID take his picture, and for the most part, he’s pretty cool with it... emphasis on for the most part. 

Fall maternity photos!

Just some pictures from our seventh month of pregnancy!  Sarah was gracious enough to take some super cute pictures of Isaac and me and our little nugget!  We hit the Cedar River trail with my Auntie Sam (we love and miss you!!), and also got some awesome photos!  It was a great day all around...great family, happy kids, beautiful fall colors and smells, a caramel apple cider, and finishing off with Ivar's!  

Leaf fights are always fun! 

A little leaf serendipity! My belly catches a lot of things these days...this was cuter than most! 

One of my favorite maternity shots to date:

We love you, Auntie Sam! 

Isaac is such a good sport when it comes to taking pictures! 

I love him!! 

Aaand I love THEM! Future cousins! 

My own Masterchef!

Date night in tonight, and it's one of my most favorite so far! My husband can cook!! And, for the record, I will never stop him from watching Masterchef again. I just have to brag on him in picture form! So proud of him! I am so richly blessed by him in so many ways!

I can't even begin (or end) saying how much Isaac impresses me when he puts his mind to something.  He is a force to be reckoned with when he is determined.  It's one of the many qualities I admire and love in him.  He went out and found a career when he found out I was pregnant.  He's rocked it, and is now able to provide for us above and beyond our needs.  He writes in a way that inspires more than just me.  He is gifted in so many ways.  Tonight he showed another previously dormant talent -- the man can cook (and woo a very pregnant wife!)!! 

To start, let's set the mood: He (unprompted) made the decision to create a date night in tonight.  He turned off football, lit a fire, made and brought me tea, and let me relax by the fire and read while listening to music.  In the meantime, he slaved in the kitchen making a truly gourmet meal for us.  He surprised me with such attention to detail such as setting the table with our special cloth napkins, lighting a candle, beautifully laid place settings, and putting each dish in one of our serving dishes we received for our wedding.  These lovely gifts make my heart so joyful each time we use them and I am reminded of our wedding and the generosity and love that was showered on us by friends and family. 

Now on to the meal itself.  He set out to make beef wellington after being inspired by an episode of Masterchef (Junior to be exact).  It was quite an undertaking to be sure.  If you've ever attempted (or watched someone attempt) beef wellington, you know it's an involved, meticulous process.  It goes far beyond simply following a recipe. It requires finesse and intuition.  

My first glimpse of what was to come!

Be still my beating heart!

A beautiful beef wellington! But is it done inside? 

Perfection!

My gourmet plate! So excited to dig in!
It was truly, truly delectable! It was a success in every aspect!
Homemade yukon potato mash, beef wellington, grilled asparagus. 

Surprise dessert!
Puff pastry with butterscotch and chocolate inside!
Light, flaky, warm, sweet but not too sweet, and just the right size.

Thank you, my love, for the beautiful evening and for loving me so well!  

Coury Kid Fall Photos Take Two!

So, if you read my previous post, you know our "fall photos" turned into Indian Summer photos.  It was a blast, but Sarah still really wanted some autumn photos of her 5 and 7 year old!  We headed to the Cedar River Trail, and...success!!  I love living in the Northwest with so much nature so close by!

Funny story, which leads up to the reason for the first pose...  I showed up at the Coury's ready to take fall pictures round two...  I knew something was up when I saw the look on Brian's face as he came to answer the door.  I walked in and the kids were in play clothes with Saturday hair in full effect...  Okay, something is definitely up.  Sarah was in full-on project mode.  This confirmed my suspicions.  Somehow they'd forgotten about our photo shoot.  Sure enough, when I talked to her she'd somehow missed getting it on her calendar - and if you know us, things don't exist if not on our calendars!  Well, we managed to persuade the kids that we'd be for real quick this time, and hustled them into clothes, did their hair, and popped them in the car while daddy went out to buy lunch.

Enter this first shot...  Some kids can be cute right on cue...some require preparation... Obviously we hadn't prepped Noah that he'd be having his picture taken and he needed a moment. I got the hand over the eyes 1 finger in my direction as I pulled out my camera -- his signal that he needs to pull himself together...  I love this little guy!  And I get it.

Sometimes you just need a moment!

Obviously that moment worked some magic and he was ready to go: 

Watch out mommy, they're coming for you!