Halloween, O' what a night!

Holidays are challenging in the Grimes household.  I have a real problem with building up events, it can never be just a night in my head it has to be the night they remember forever and of course the kids are never cooperative with anything that I plan.  This Halloween was no exception, Finn refused to eat his dinner in a normal time frame (think 2 hours for 5 chicken nuggets and 4 apple slices) and Mayson Elizabeth's Halloween garb was not warm enough for the weather so I had to make her a costume in the span of a few minutes!  By the time that we actually left the house Mayson Elizabeth was not pleased to say the least and Finn had shed enough tears to cause dehydration.  Here are a few shots from tonight, while they are not good, I feel pleased that we made it out the door and both of my children are still alive, at least for now.

Leaving the house a mere 2 hours after Finn sat down for dinner

A slightly sinister Buzz Lightyear and an adorable Ghost! 

Buzz's first stop

Loving that strangers are giving him chocolate which is his favorite food

This is right before Finn told the lady that made homemade popcorn balls that he doesn't like that kind of popcorn. Wow, I could have killed him and to make matters worse she lives 2 houses down from ours.  While Finn may not like that kind of popcorn, John loved every last bit.  

My tired little Ghost 

The big kids down the street that Finn claims are "the coolest"!

Mayson waving good bye.

Fall 2010

 This past month has taken us to a few new parts of Oregon and we have been amazed at every turn.  The beauty that this state holds is breathtaking and I am so thankful that we have gotten to see parts that were previously uncharted by the Grimes Family.  Fall has always been my favorite season and it is so nice to actually be able to know that it is fall (without a Starbucks menu reminding you-no slight to the pumpkin spice latte) by watching the trees change and the weather cool.  Here are a few pictures of our journey!

Right above the Clackamas River

Me and my silly boy

Finn making his silly face! 

Oregon

My little model

He looks so sweet here, this is about 2 seconds before he had a major breakdown and refused to take any more pictures!

Mayson Elizabeth is finally awake!

I love this school

Mayson Elizabeth not feeling the photo shoot!

This feels like the Yellow Brick Road but I don't really know why

Weekend Update

This weekend the Grimes Family set out for a little Oregon exploration, as a kid my parents used to take us for long drives on the weekend.  We would drive all over the place just to check it all out.  While I don't know if I enjoyed it at the time, especially in high school, I now think that it was so nice to be able to take a few hours away from it all and just be together.  So this weekend my family continued this tradition and we are hoping to make this a regular thing, just maybe a little shorter-we were in the car for 10 hours yesterday!

This is a local Tv repair shop

Finn climbing at the playground in Estacada

Mayson Elizabeth wondering why she has been in a car seat all day

Finn rock climbing

Almost to the top

He made it.  This was about 7 feet tall and I was worried to death!

John and Mayson Elizabeth, can you tell she is teething with those fingers in her mouth?

Back on the Rock!

Trying to figure out how to get down

Middle School in Estacada

Elementary School in Estacada

The big city!

I love that View.  Such beautiful mountains!

The Grimes Gator Nation

As many of you know John is a huge Florida Gator fan and game day just wouldn't be game day without all of us wearing Orange and Blue.  While I am happy to watch football with John on Saturdays and it is a good thing or I wouldn't see him,  I am not the die hard fan he is (I have never once yelled an obscenity at the television).

However, this season I have really been able to get into the spirit of the game with a little help from an orange tutu I found for Mayson Elizabeth.  Had I known how much fun dressing up a child could be I would have thrown Finn in a tutu years ago!

                                   John and Mayson Elizabeth getting ready for the big game!

                                                                 A future Gator Girl

                                         Finn and Mayson Elizabeth, my two favorite Gators

He is the best big brother ever, sometimes 

This is the adoring look that she reserves for John 

I just love her little dimples

Fladd's in Oregon

 August brought many exciting things for our family, Mayson Elizabeth began smiling in earnest for the first time, Finnegan was able to realize that Mommy and Daddy have enough love in their hearts for him and his baby sister (more love than I ever knew I could have) and to top it all off our good friends came to visit us!

Here are some pictures from their trip.

John and Tom trying to get Taylor dressed for bed-how many men does it take to get a child dressed???

                                     Miss Taylor looking beautiful getting ready for the Winery!

                                                                    The Fladd's

                                                                           Finnegan

                                                                  Tom and Jessica

                                                     The Future Mr. and Mrs. Grimes

                             Finn was so excited that Aunt Jessica let him play with her camera

Me loving my little pumpkin, notice the Ergo that she is sleeping in, I don't think that I was without that thing attached to my body for the first 3 months!

                                                                   What an angel!

                               I don't know who looks more scared, Mayson Elizabeth or Taylor?

      The best picture we could get of all three of them, two out of the three are looking at the camera!

We are hoping that we can make this an annual event.  Look out for pictures of the Grimes in Texas next year!