And because I haven't posted all fall...

Here are a few shots of the kids with the fall leaves in the background.

Cousins with Santa

This is probably the last time all the cousins will be young enough to sit on Santa's lap together! H was really excited to go; however, when Santa arrived and she caught a glimpse of him, you could just see the expression on her face turn to fear. Somehow he wasn't what she expected! She refused to sit on his lap, so sweet 'ol Santa hoisted up Hay instead. H was a real trooper though, and by the end she managed a tentative smile for the camera with Santa.

First Day of School 9/8/09

Driving...

pink camo

Soccer Season

It's soccer season at our house. J is playing and mom and dad are his coaches. I guess it's going pretty well. We don't actually keep score for this age group, so there's no pressure about our record.

They have two games of three on three going on at the same time, so it's a bit chaotic. J coaches one team, while I coach the other. If I had realized how that was going to work, I probably wouldn't have suggested we both coach since that doesn't leave anyone to watch H. Luckily, she isn't the type to wander away, and she has a few parents that she likes to hang out with.

If I haven't posted much lately it's because work and soccer and all the activities of fall have been keeping everyone busy. Oh yeah, and the weather has been sunny and dry, so I've been outside!

Cash for Clunkers

When J compared the bluebook value on the Montero, 60 some odd dollars, with the Cash for Clunkers rebate, there was no question that "Stinky" was going to have to go.

We took her in over ten years ago when J Riley decided he needed a fresher model. She has tirelessly taken us all over the west...after that first breakdown at Wolf Creek. And she faithfully proclaimed J's interests like "Surf the Turd" and "Save the Tram." So in true Currier fashion, "Stinky" went out with style.

After her makeover, J proudly drove her to the Honda dealer.

I Missed the HS Reunion But...

...When I was in Atlanta I got together with two of my friends from high school. Since we all have kids six and under, we met at Kangazoom. What made it even more eventful was that our moms came too. So there we were, trying to catch up on the last twenty years in a loud, choatic environment. I'm not sure we ever actually finished a conversation before someone had to chase a kid, but it was really fun. And as you can see, M and A both produced some really cute kids.

Cousins--Atlanta Edition

When the kids and I went to Atlanta, we met the newest addition to the the Smith family, Baby O. I'm sure Grandaddy L will be excited when he can pitch some balls to Baby O. See more photos of the Smith family gathering in the web albums.

Seattle Birthday Weekend

Many birthdays to celebrate in the month of June. CG's 7th bday is today. He requested a big seafood boil--lobster, clams, shrimp, etc. This afternoon we left H is Seattle to spend a few days with cousin H, and CG came home with us.

After eating a little pizza for dinner, the boys took off to the park to play some baseball. So far, so good.

Nudibranches and Tide Pools

On Wednesday morning the tides were the lowest of the year, so we woke up very early and headed to the coast so that J could find some nudibranches, something similar to a sea slug. J was determined to find these creatures in the tide pools created by the extra low tides. First we went to Hug Point. It was really cool and named because of the old road bed that hugged the point, allowing Model T traffic at low tide. I think all the photos on this page are from there. There were plenty of anenomes and sea stars, however, no nudibranches. So we stopped at Haystack Rock, like many other people, and there we found a bunch of volunteer guides who helped J find the nudibranches. If you're curious, I have some photos in the web album. Click on the link at the right.

Princess Dress and Track Meet

John's co-worker, Anisha, AKA Princess Jasmine, brought H a beautiful dress last week. H loves her dress and wants to wear it all the time.

When the boys went on a Father's Day fishing excursion, H wanted to go somehwere too, while wearing her dress of course. The only place I could think of to go dressed like that was church. So, I put on a dress too, and off we went.

One of the fun summer neighborhood happenings is the All-Comers Track Meet. J and H both participated in a few events. You can see more comprehensive coverage of the meet by clicking on the web album link.

Princess Birthday

"Baby" H turned 3 on Sat, and as she likes to tell us, "I not liddle; I big." We gave her a Snow White outfit and matching doll. She was pretty excited. As you can see in the final picture, she received many princess accessories, and her cake, was shaped like a crown. (Oh, and if any of you pirate treasure hunters happen to be looking, that's pirate booty being recycled as King John's treasure. I buried it in the yard in little tins and the kids ran around digging it up.) I think the princess had a good birthday, but we hope the whole royalty thing doesn't go to her head.