Pumpkin Patches: Rain or Shine (or both!)

It's obviously Pumpkin Patch time of year again.  Last week we went to 2 different patches in 2 different days.  Friday, we had Carter's preschool trip to the patch.  The weather really couldn't have been nastier.  But, you know, we're PacNWerners if we're anything, so we suited up as much as possible and went for it.  It poured ridiculously hard.  It was cold, and 10 minutes into it my hands were numb, and my legs between mid-thigh and upper shin were SOAKED.

And guess what? 

The kids had a blast.

Isn't that always the way it goes?

Carter had been eyeing this slide the entire time we were there. The thought of going on that thing made me want to get in the fetal position (in my warm, dry car, of course), and I was positive he'd want me on it with him- it's steep!  So, I told him that I thought it was probably closed, because of the rain.  While I wasn't sure this was the truth, there weren't any other groups on it, and maybe the rain made the steps and platform slippery and treacherous????  Plus, it was at the far end of the patch, and I wasn't about to walk out there and find out!  Well, because karma's a jerk, a few minutes later we saw a big group on the slide, and of course Carter The Observant noticed.  "MOM!  You're WRONG!  The slide is NOT CLOSED."  Touche.  So I came clean.  I told him that I was cold and miserable and I really didn't want to go on the slide.  But if he still wanted to when we were done picking out a pumpkin and all that, I would take him on it.  Or, we could go home and make hot cocoa!  His choice!  Obviously, he chose the slide.  And, (!!!), although by then I'd fully conceded and was ready to get a wet(ter) behind and slide with him, he insisted on sliding alone.  Small blessings, I tell ya!

The next day, as in 24 hours later, we went to a differnet pumpkin patch.  I should point out, that while it was a different patch, it was in the same state, the same county, and the SAME WEATHER PATTERN.  Although from the looks of the pictures, you'd think we were on a different planet.  It was sunny, warm, yet still a little muddy.  (Garrett chose to wear boots and shorts- classic!)  My dad joined us, as he's leaving soon for his latest adventure in SE Asia!

Sometimes in parenting, milestones happen that you didn't even know existed.  This was the year that Carter climbed the haystack alone.

Not a cloud in the sky!  Also, another milestone that caught me off guard earlier in the week.  I'd gone to Fred Meyer to buy The Bigs new mud boots.  (Carter has 3 pairs he alternates, all of which used to be G's.)  Garrett's feet are now big enough that he can't wear the cute kid boots anymore.  I had to go to the local farm store and buy him plain black ones.

Another unexpected milestone:  The Bigs are waaay too big for the play tractors, and Carter nearly is.

Carter was a big fan of the new water pumping ducky races.  So was his daddy.

Garrett sure loves his daddy these days.

"Everyone on top of the weird spider hay bale for the annual picture!"

These two sure are buddies.

He found the perfect one in about 30 seconds.

Carter took it upon himself to 'guard the pumpkins' (his words) while we helped Sissy search and seach (AND SEARCH) for her perfect one.

All 3 of our  huge pumpkins heading back to the hayride.

Quiet after a long afternoon at The Patch.

Thursdays and Pieces of the Week

I love Thursdays.  It's the one day during the week that I am truly a 'stay at home mom' with my little buddy all day long.  Each of the other days we have preschool, are running errands, working in The Bigs classrooms, or have friends to play- all good things, but I love that Thursdays are a quiet day for just me and my boy.  He plays, I blog.  We read.  We do puzzles.  We watch a cartoon (or 5) together.  We snuggle a lot.  Usually we take a nap together- in my bed, of course, and after reading several books.  Last week, I was so tired on Thursday that I fell asleep while telling him the story of the Three Little Pigs, and I remember saying something about the pigs running to their brother's house and turning on the overhead projector. (?!?!?)  No idea where that came from!

Anyway, here are a few scenes from our Thursdays.

This morning I was helping take off his sweatshirt and somehow I hurt him a little.  I said, "I'm so sorry I hurt you, Carter.  Will you forgive me?"
He answered, in his toughest cowboy voice, "I don't forgive anybody."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A conversation between Nana and G this week:

Nana:  Hey, Garrett, will youlook at the microwave and tell me what time it is.

Garrett: Sure. It is 9, dot-dot, finger-space, one, three.

(9:13, of course!)

Thanks, mom, for telling me.  Too funny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last week, a conversation between G and me:

G:  Wow, mom, you look like you already have a baby in your tummy.

Me:  (first of all, seriously?  I have been running my, um, big toe off!  Chalk it up to bad posture, maybe?)  Garrett, you know that the baby we aren't getting isn't coming out of my tummy, right?

G: pause, and then incredulously, She's not?

Me:  No, Honey, we're going to Ethiopia to get her, remember?  Tell me what you were thinking.

G:  Well, I thought you and daddy would go to Ethiopia and get the baby put in your tummy and then you and daddy would bring her home.

Obviously, we revisited the main points of adoption.

Remember, he's 6.  Later in the week I was relaying this story to Carter's preschool teacher, who also had G a couple of years ago.  We were both giggling and Garrett's sweet innocence.  Then she told me that during a read aloud a few days prior, the subject of adoption had come up.  One of the students asked what 'adoption' meant, and Ms A said that she kind of froze, but Carter piped right up and explained it somewhat properly.  (To me he says that adoption is when "A mom and dad isn't home anymore so another mom and dad comes and be the new mom and dad.")

Happy Birthday, Nana Pam!

To celebrate we headed to one of our favorite dinner places, Cielo Blu in Carlton.

The kids talked about their days,

Maddy had some big "Top Cat" news to share with all of us.  Quite exciting.

drew on the tables,

Garrett is apparently really in to doing comics these days!  He worked so hard the entire time he wasn't eating.

and enjoyed watching Nana open her cards.

Everyone liked their food,

and, as always in the Gibson household, dessert was a hit.

Happy Birthday, Mom!  We love you.  You are such a good Mom and Nana to us!

These pics make me laugh- I am 'shushing' Carter who is YELLING, "CHOCOLATE" because the server was bringing dessert.  Yelling, in this nice, quiet, restaurant. 

News

Nine years ago I stood in the back of an auditorium, rocking my baby girl and the journey of international adoption was put on my heart.  It's not logical, I can't explain it, but I remember the moment, I know it was real, and I know it was a turning point in my life.  Joel and I have talked about it the past nine years, and it just never was the right time.  Since Carter was born we've been discussing it with more frequency, and in June we sent our initial application to our chosen agency.  Since then we've been going through the process which has included many meetings and an incredible amount of paperwork.  There have been so many blessings, so many "WOW" moments during the past 4 months.

Currently, we are in the midst of our home study.  After that we will work on completing our Dossier, which is a collection of documents that will be sent to Ethiopia.  Once our Dossier lands in Ethiopia, the average wait time is about 6 months until we receive our referral- pictures and information about the child we've been matched with.

Those are the basics for now.  We are so excited where this journey will take our family!  We would appreciate your prayers and good thoughts as we travel this path.

Zoo

Earlier in October our kids got a 4 day weekend. We took advantage of the gorgeous weather and a day off to use our Zoo pass. Papa Vroom Vroom, who will be leaving soon for the winter joined us too.

We thought we'd be in the clear, going to the zoo on a Friday instead of a weekend day, but with most of Western Oregon on a statewide inservice day, it was SO crowded! We had to park in the overflow lot, and then wait for 3 bus loads to transport us to the zoo.

Once in, it was FREEZING. I dropped too much $$ on a cozy sweatshirt (totally worth it), but once we were all set we had a great day. (The sun eventually coming out didn't hurt either!)

My kids love their maps!

Notice that my kids were stripped down to t's and shorts.  I paid good moola for my sweatshirt and I didn't take it off all day!

Playgroup!

The Fall after Sissy turned 1 (so, EIGHT YEARS AGO), I received a phone call from my friend Andrea.  We had been in birthing class together, and her son was just a couple of weeks older than Maddy.  She said that she and some friends were putting together a low key play group, and would I like to be a part of it?  I remember she said, "No snacks, no activities, just an hour of kids playing and moms visiting."

I had just gone to part time teaching, and we'd recently bought our first home in McMinnville, (I had been communting from Newberg), so it sounded perfect to me!  Thus begun years of weekly playgroup- which usually included the host child ending up in tears at having to share with all these other wild kids.  What started with 6 kids, is now this:

As soon as we said, "Ok, you're done!", the kids scattered!

When the first round of playgroup kids were 2, Andrea and her family packed up and moved to the East Coast.  We've all kept in some sort of touch with her over the past few years, especially once most of us started blogging, and this weekend she and Tyler came out to visit the many friends and family they have in the PacNW.  Lucky for us, it worked out perfectly for the original playgroup crew to meet up at the park, and even the weather held out!  It was such a gorgeous morning, and so remniscent of the playgroup days all those years ago.