We lost power for about 28 hours during the big wind storm. We are blessed with gas range, fireplace, and water heater, so we had a warm house, warm water, and warm food the whole time. We did have to add ice to the fridge to cool down the food, and the freezer kept beeping angry “high-temp” alarms at me when the power did come back on, but other than that we were just fine. Since there was no school, Sawyer and Jozie came over to play in the morning, and that was fun.

Haley’s date with Jim this month was to Disney On Ice: Frozen. Jim told her they had a special date and asked her if she wanted to know what it was, or wait to be surprised. She said she wanted to wait and be surprised! So Sunday after lunch, he told her to get dressed like Elsa and get ready to go. She couldn’t stand the suspense any more and asked to know what they were going to do. I can’t believe she held out so long. (Who am I kidding? Haley is the type of girl to keep her word.)

I helped Haley get ready for her big date with Elsa-ish hair and her Frozen outfit.

I love the way she arranged her train, popped a hip, and pointed her toe out for this pose, complete with one hand on her hip. You just can’t teach this stuff. Fun times with her prince charming. 🙂

Last week during half days for school, the kids and I had dentist appointments in the morning. Since that meant JT would only go to school for about an hour, we skipped it and took a ferry to visit Uncle Jeff at work instead. We had a front row view on the ten minute ferry ride. The kids were thrilled.

We had a nice tour of Uncle Jeff’s building and CPA firm.

Then Uncle Jeff treated us to lunch at this quirky, home cooked, very yummy spot just down the street called Zombiez. The fries were probably the best I’ve had in a restaurant, and Haley’s chicken strips were amazing.

Other photos from this week: my view from the back door as JT and Jim work in the shop late at night, with their stove going and their music playing. Love it.

And this, right outside my door in the property next to our house. Gorgeous fall colors!

We have another nephew! This makes four, ages 20, 3, 1, and newborn. Quite a gap there. 🙂 Congratulations to Matt and Jennifer. He is a cutie!

One day old

Walter James Small arrived on October 10th and we attended his Catholic baptism this weekend.

Look at the difference a few weeks makes!

Great Grandma with her 27th great grandbaby, among others 🙂

We started our fifth season of attending plays at Seattle Children’s Theater. The very first trip was when JT saw Green Sheep when he was two, just two weeks after Haley was born. This trip was different because it was our first from our new location. That means a ferry ride is in order!

I baked a couple of pizzas and sliced and packed them hot from the oven, along with grapes and carrots, to eat on the ferry. It was a super relaxing way to get to Seattle! Plus we had some great views: the Olympics, another ferry at Vashon, and a worker taking down the flags at dusk.

We had read Elephant & Piggie books the week prior to the play to get a feel for the characters. One of the questions on the program was “Which character do you most identify with?” JT and Haley decided they were Gerald and Piggie, respectively. We got this cute picture of them in their roles outside the theater.

One little tradition we have is that, after we leave the theater, we walk across the square to see the fountain at Seattle Center before walking back to the car. I just love the view of the Space Needle, anytime of day. Even though we’re not exactly from Seattle, it feels like home.

We have such fun watching JT play flag football! This weekend he had an especially large cheering section that included 13 family members.

Russell and Walter came to watch!

The first UW Dads & Daughters event came and went quickly. Jim and Haley went to volleyball. Since the UW women’s team is so good, they had a lot of fun! (Last year’s photo here.)

For Grandpa Cole’s 72nd birthday, we had a family progressive dinner! Now that we all live so close to one another, this is a very easy thing to do. There’s one person that doesn’t live close anymore, and we were able to Skype with her at our first course, which was salad, french bread, and cheese/meat platter at Jeff and Gena’s house.

Haley having a turn chatting with Madi

Course 1

We continued to our house for the main course: roast, baked potatoes, and carrot/butternut squash roasted with garlic, bacon, and rosemary.

Course 2

Then we walked across the street for dessert at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Haley had said earlier, “Oh good, Grandma is good at making desserts.” 🙂 Grandpa Cole loves Boston Creme Pie (which is actually cake), so Grandma made individual, giant sized cupcakes that we each a mini version. Yum!

Course 3

For the program part of the evening, we had asked Grandpa Cole to set up old photos (and slides) for us to look at together. It was fun to reminisce and hear about his family history.

This week, Haley had her preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. I didn’t get enough notice to take off work, but Grandma and Grandpa Cole were happy to go! She picked the perfect pumpkin and brought it home. We’re waiting until it’s closer to Halloween to carve it, but it looks great on the porch.

JT started flag football and his first game was this weekend. It was beautiful weather for outside sports, and he said he had a great time.

He had the largest cheering section, I’m sure, with ten family members in the stands to cheer for team Wild Animals. Meanwhile, Haley met another younger sister named Chloe and they had a nice time playing together before the game. We are looking forward to this season!