Beacon Hillbillies

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It was a pretty slow day around here in Seattle. Raining as soon as we got up...Seattle style. Gray, consistent, cool... but not quite cold. There wasn't really a good reason to get out of bed... except that Sam and Charlie were complaining about the lack of chocolate syrup. So that, and the fact that we wanted to get to the yoga class at the gym, got us up and moving.

Yes, you heard us right, yoga. It's become a regular thing for Jen and me lately. Have you tried it? Well, you should. It's honestly a good workout.

So, anyway, it was yoga at 9:30, then back home for coffee and brunch. On this morning, I took the boys with me to the gym so Jen could sleep in and have some quiet time... well deserved (thanks Dave!).

Later on we tackled the house -- there was stuff piling up everywhere. It's much neater now. Jen was on a mission!

The sun shone for two hours in the afternoon and the boys and I headed outside to ride bikes and play with our toys and stuff while we could. Later, we caught the end of the Huskies game -- they beat Cal! Finally a win. They are now 4-7 overall and last in the PAC 10. UW has not had as good a year as the Cats. Unfortunately, UK didn't fare well today against Georgia... they seem to be slipping.

Next, we were all off to Tutta Bella for dinner, which, by the way, is Sam and Charlie's favorite place to eat. We had our usual. The Mista salad, the Bambino, and the Ciro.

Now it's time to put the boys in bed and enjoy a fire by the fireplace. Overall, not too bad a day :-) How was yours?

--Dave

 

Jen took these two great photos of the boys while they were at Chuck E. Cheese's for a birthday party for Aidan and Ryan (twins!), the son and daughter of our friends Kelly and Mike. Jen says that Chuck E.'s was chaos, total chaos! But of course! What else would you expect from exposing kids to cake, sodas, and life-sized talking mice?

 

So, we had two pirates again this year! They loved the costumes that Grammie made last year so much that we couldn't get them to take them off for weeks this year. Halloween was a warm night and clear, so there were lots of kids out in the neighborhood. The boys tricked and treated until they were absolutely worn out! By the end they were asking me to carry their candy jack-o-lanterns! We're still eating candy all the time, but hopefully the Sweets Fairy will come soon! ;-) The picture below was taken by the folks who own our local coffee shop... they were handing out whole Hersheys' bars and hot chocolate! --D

 

Wow, are we already at the end of October? Well, let's get caught up.

As you know, we had a big summer -- trips to Kentucky (Dave and the boys), Vancouver (Dave and Jen), Hilton Head (the entire family) -- with lots of adventures. We concluded our summer with a visit from Meme and Pop. During their visit, we packed in lots of fun -- the Seafair Blue Angels show and three days on Lopez Island were the highlights. I also got a new kitchen floor (thanks, Pop!). You can see more photos from their visit here.

Next up: first grade! Sam started first grade (first grade!) after Labor Day. This is his second year at Maple Elementary (four blocks from our home), and he was excited to be back.

Next up: four years old! It's official: my baby doesn't really qualify for toddlerhood anymore. More birthday photos are here.

Next up (are you seeing a pattern here?): Portland Marathon! Dave ran the Portland Marathon Sunday, October 7 and successfully met his goal in 3:59:36. He says he has a new appreciation for the marathon I ran in 1999 (darn right). Dave ran his marathon the same day that Zach ran the Chicago Marathon.

Next up: Halloween! Our friend Kelly (mom to Charlie's buddies Aidan, Ryan, and Rachel) had a cookie decorating party last week (Thursday). It a lot of fun and a big mess! We also carved our pumpkins this past weekend. Sam wasn't so sure about the slimy pumpkin pulp.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Sam has discovered our (long-ignored) quarter collection and has proudly sorted through every coin collection in the house and updated the book.

And when not decorating cookies, carving pumpkins, or going to preschool, Charlie can be found online at Hotwheels.com.

As expected the boys are excited about trick-or-treating tomorrow night. They're planning to be pirates again this year (which makes life a lot easier for me!). Also on deck for the upcoming weekend is a trip to the theater to see The Bee Movie -- should be fun!

And, so, how are you? What has the fall had in store for you? Any upcoming plans? Do share!

Summer began for us as all summers should... jumping into a lake on the Fourth of July. Ahh, heat. Thunderstorms. Then the boys headed off to Grandparent Camp for a week while Dave and Jen relaxed in Seattle and Vancouver.

 

Then we headed east to join the extended Moore family for a holiday to remember on Hilton Head Island, SC. Sun, sand, surf, and swimming. Lots and lots of swimming!

More to come... :-)

So, today Dave went on a hike with a couple of friends from work.

But, this wasn't just any ol' hike.

This was a hike to the Mount Rainier base camp, Camp Muir. This was a hike starting at 5,400 feet and ending at 10,188 feet. This was a hike with an elevation gain of almost 4,700 feet. This was a hike of nine miles round trip...four and half of which are UP AN EFFING MOUNTAIN WITH ALMOST A MILE ELEVATION GAIN.

Here is a photo from his adventure today; to see our Flickr photo set containing all the photos he took today, go here.

So what did you do today?

I did laundry and paid some bills. Yeah, I'm a loser, too.

Dave just told me he hates the QotD.I happen to love it because I love trivia...as anyone who knows me would understand. He thinks I should start my own website. Hmmmm. Maybe I should. Thoughts?

How many TVs do you have in your house?

I'm proud to say that we have only one (10-year-old) TV in our house. Dave says that our bedrooms -- ours or the boys -- will never have TVs. We'll see, I guess.

What was the most embarrassing hobby you've ever had? 
Submitted by Billie Fable.

My God, I played the French horn throughout middle and high school. Does it get any worse than that?