NO Momma...i don't like bob dylan!

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max has become a very creative artist




every night we do what seems like 100 laps before going up to bed




Those of you who don't know zadie very well think of her as a totally sweet angel of a child who couldn't possibly do anything unpleasant ...unfortunately we have the privilege of knowing the other side of zadie...she's very 2 years old and reserves her 'best behavior' just for us, at home. Apparently she doesn't like Bob Dylan.
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2 years old x 2 = craziness

It is time for that thing I've been dreading: potty training x 2!

...It's surprisingly not all that bad, we do a lot of hanging out & reading - the kids really dig it. It just gets kinda hard when one kid is finished and getting their clothes put back on and the other one decides that it's a great idea to run around the house naked.






We are building lots of garages (for our vehicles), barns (for our menagerie of animals) and towers (just to see how high we can get before our sibling knocks 'em down).








Max loves his circus train.


























































Z's cool shoes from Mimi & Poppa's trip to Turkey.



kissing Z







































coming down the slide




climbing the pogos at the playground






Sarah made some beautiful paper lanterns with the kids - they walked around at night and sang songs.







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Lena and Max
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it's halloween!

It's Halloween and Mimi and Poppa made a special trip out West to join us.










Mimi the fairy godmother










Trying on costumes














Max wanted to be a firefighter.





































Z just wanted to be "pink", so she was very "pink".















Rolling in the halloween booty















Firefighters get all the cute chicks (our neighbor Penny).












Z in various versions of "pink".







































Our pumpkins - the kids immediately sang happy birthday to the pumpkins as I lit the candles.



trick our treat








Portland is a political town even on halloween 1 year prior to the election.

















Sarah














trying on Daddy's boots
















Z just trying on anything she can get her hands on.

















Wearing the least number of layers I have ever witnessed!




















Poppa read many, many books.














Mimi read many, many books.















Everyone was pleased.











We even went to the choo choo club where old men still play with their model railroad trains - their youngest member was 50 (I kid you not!).












Max knows where he's going to be when he's 50.










max in the woods, he has fabulous diction.
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pumpkin patch

We went to Sauvie Island for an adventure to the pumpkin patch, it was a great time.



























The kids loved it.
































































It was pretty muddy out there - boots and rain pants were a necessity.


















yuck!







Z eats mud.

But she cleans up ok.












Making oatmeal cookies, we all enjoyed taking turns greasing the pan.




















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Out for a walk on Hawthorne.

Max loves to wear his firefighter hat wherever he goes,
Z just likes to wear accessories.









Max, the naked fireman.
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trip to bend

We took a trip to Bend and got a great house by the Deschutes river with a view of the mountain.














































We spent our days going on hikes














my favorite was Smith Rock, the rock climbing mecca.














not that I climb or anything - but I love the view.















The kids believe that they are rock climbers and still say "I a rock climber!"














Z likes to climb "little girl rocks", you know, "pink ones".

















Sometimes we needed to carry them around in the backpacks, but generally they were great at walking.

























































we visited some high altitude lakes, it was beautiful.






Bend is a volcanic landscape with lots of cinder cones and ancient lava fields.













The dynamic duo in a lava cave.












Max's favorite part of the trip might have been the choo choos or all the construction vehicles we saw working everywhere we went. This kid seems to know every vehicle name...he's such a boy!




























Sarah's beautiful art project


















































it's a lovely fall here in portland.
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