Rockaway Beach

On Thursday we headed to the beach with Con and Erin - not quite sure what we would find since there had been some major storms and flooding along the Oregon Coast - but we were pleasantly surprised! The weather was great - not too bad but good enough for some storm watching. Not sure who was braver - Con and Erin for agreeing to go with us or Paul and I for taking a 3 month old on vacation! Claire did great - we did a couple practice sessions in her pack-n-play before we went - so she slept like normal. The trip was really relaxing - watched a couple of movies, ate good food (a must!), Paul and Con got in some fishing, and the beach house was perfect. Rockaway is about 20 minutes north of Tillamook - so OF COURSE we had to stop here. A side note: for those that know me I have this wonderful love of fall but an aversion to pumpkin. Well, I was very proud of myself this weekend - I made pumpkin pancakes from Trader Joe's (although I put chocolate chips in mine) and had pumpkin ice cream at the Cheese Factory! Baby steps... :)

Claire's first sunset.

Con braving the elements.

The family.

Poor (but delicious) crab - they don't know their fate!

Hanging out in their pj's.

What are YOU doing?

Not sure what to think quite yet...
Also, Claire's first time in her bumbo...so cute!

Number 7! God is good...

Three months!

Little side sleeper.

November is just flying by - I can't believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Some of our November doings:
1. Celebrating our seven year anniversary (and our first date night)!
2. Claire hit the 3 month mark - 12 lbs. 5 ounces and 25 inches long.
3. We stopped swaddling Claire and so she became a side sleeper and started turning over onto her tummy. We had to do a little intervention - we put little wedges in her crib to keep her on her back.
4. Finishing my final library class.
5. Took the library endorsement test on Saturday morning...a little stressful.
6. First gingerbread latte of the season...yum.
7. Getting a lot of use out of our crockpot thanks to Missy's suggestion

The first...

With Claire's early bedtime she is not much of a party goer - so trick-or-treating and the church harvest party were out BUT we did manage to visit Paul at work and make several outfit changes.

#1 ~ hanging out at home until the "blow out" that caused the first change of clothes

#2~ our little "hair -wolf" sitting in the recliner at the station

#3 ~ we didn't have a costume but she does have a little bear outfit...a little big but it worked

Fruit Loop

Hmmm...I guess we are suppose to be the side of a barn?

The crew - minus Claire - it was a little chilly for her.

Draper Farms - fresh apple and pear cider & of course, a tractor.

After a years absence we returned to the Hood River Fruit Loop - one of my favorite fall activities. This year was a bit different than years past - mainly the addition of one extra little person :). It was Claire's longest car trip yet and so we decided to drag Con and Erin along with us! She actually did really well given the fact that she is not necessarily a fan of her car seat. We had a great time, although we realized that Columbus Day might not be the best time to go. Several places were closed - BUT the cookie farm was open and that is all that really mattered.

Dad's day

Last weekend my sister and I attended the Women of Faith conference. Originally I had planned on taking Claire with me but after some discussion Paul and I decided we didn't want to expose her to 10,000+ people. So...Claire and Paul spent their first full day together - 7:00 - 5:30pm! I must say I was *nervous* about being away all day but the day went extremely well. She had a great time playing with her daddy. Notice her clothing - Paul has this aversion to snapping her pants, onesies, etc. He just thinks it is too much work because we have to change her diaper so often. Hopefully this changes by the time she is in kindergarten :). PS - her legs look ginormous in this picture! I think it is the camera angle... :)

Two months + 1 day

Yesterday was the official two month mark but she had her shots yesterday so she wasn't feeling the greatest. She was a trooper! Current stats - 23.25 inches long and 11 8.5 lbs. She has discovered that she likes her rain forest "gym" and is also working very hard at getting her WHOLE fist in her mouth. Rather entertaining to watch. So many more smiles and coos - she is better than anything else we could think of watching! :) Claire is also wishing her friend Cate a Happy 1st Birthday today!