A little bit of Fall nesting going on.

 The other day I was out looking at the grapes.  I came across this.  Aren't they so lovely?  Did you know that people have phobia's of dragonflies?  What do you think of this one Matt K.?

Mr. Ted here loves the pumpkins.  He'll bite the stems and roll them around.  I had a few of them on my fireplace hearth and he would decide to play with them in the middle of the night.

 I love to see this when I go walking.  I always have my camera in case I come across the momma deer and her two babies.

 I got this shot of Mt. Baker while I was waiting at the bus stop for the younger kids. The corn was almost ready to be cut down.

 The day after the corn was cut down I kept hearing all kinds of chirping and screeching sounds.  I was on our couch watching out the window and saw a bald eagle and a hawk fighting on the ground.  I ran outside to catch a pic, but scared them off.

 You can see the eagle in the middle of the picture.

 The two eagles are sitting on the branch sticking out the farthest.  The hawk is circling above them.  After observing them for a few hours I think the hawks must have a nest close by in another stand of trees.

 I got these shots while I was coming back from trying to get pictures of the eagles and hawks.  I'm sad the corn is gone.  It was so beautiful and I loved listening to them rustling in the wind.  Speaking of wind, the pine trees around the house sway like crazy when it's windy.  Sometimes it's a little freaky.  None of them are close enough to fall on the house.  I made sure of that.

 Waiting for the little kids to get off the bus.  Izzie knows when the are coming and gets so excited.

 Love the pumpkins they have along the roads here.

 The house is somewhat clean so I thought I would show some of my fall decorating. 

 Not a fan of the drapes in the house.  Oh well, just have to work with them.

 These are the hazelnuts that I gathered, dried and peeled. 

The poplars down the road.  I am waiting for them to turn colors.  Can't wait!

First day of School for Anna.

First day of 8th grade for Anna. She has gotten so tall over the summer, she is almost caught up to me. Yikes. A few days ago I took her to get her hair cut. She wanted it short, so here it is.

I think she looks like the teenager she is.
Have a great year Anna! Love you.

Anna's birthday!

Emerson and Ella hanging out at the Mall. We had just finished going to Claires. Can you tell by the colorful hair extensions.
How funny is that?

Olivia is sporting a lovely pink one.
Soren was miffed that he didn't get any.

We had asked Anna what she wanted to do for her birthday and she promptly told me the Mall.
Torture.
Anxiety.
Smelly.
Can you tell I hate to go to the Mall.
So she had her two best friends come with her. Sarah and Ami.

We had Lunch at Johny Rockets.

We had them sing Happy Birthday to her. She did NOT like that one bit. Anna is so shy. She was giggling/crying. We didn't know what she was doing.

Good thing Sarah was there!

Definitely cried.

Sarah saved me the hassle of making a birthday cake for Anna. She showed up at our house with a load of cupcakes that she had made. I love you Sarah!
I now have a teenage daughter!

Way to go Anna!

We are so proud of Anna. Last night was her Middle Schools Honor assembly. The teachers pick a select few students that have shown exceptional growth, character and talent in a certain subject. Anna's reading teacher Mrs. Ware, nominated Anna.

Anna switched schools in the middle of the year because of some issues that were happening at the other school. This put her in a difficult position of playing catch up with her group.

This amazing girl has had to work very hard to overcome some obstacles to get where she is at. By far, she is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. She is so determined to succeed.

Thank you to all of Anna's teachers at Lincoln Middle School. You all have done an outstanding job with our daughter. She has gained so much confidence in what she is doing. As Anna's parents we have seen a huge change in her attitude toward school and learning. You all deserve an A+!

Ella, Soren and Anna showing their excitement.

" I AM" By Anna Dunow

I am from, computers, TVs, instruments, pillows, tissues, blankets and laundry.

I am from, flowers, flags, trees, cars, trampolines, swing sets, tree houses,
toys all over, dirt, and gravel.

I am from going to big green parks, living in cull-de-sacks, schools, walks,
stores and hospitals.

I am from getting called "George", "holy cow", "get out of town",
"mind your own beeswax", " Come here what's your name",
"go away bad dream", and "drama queen".

I am from pumpkin pie, tamales, apple pies, chicken wings, ribs and pudding.

I am from camping, grandparent's houses, cousin's houses, Dions,
McDonalds, and Wendy's.

I am from hope chests, under my pillow, and my diaries.

I am from parents, grandparents, cousins, and Butch Cassidy.

Anna wrote this poem for Literacy night at her school. She stood up in front of half of the 5th grade class and their families and read her poem out loud. She has really come out of her shell. This poem really says a lot about our family. The reason behind the "Butch Cassidy" is because Grandma Fowler told the kids a story about him and told the kids that they were related to him. Boy did that stick. It really is quite hilarious that the kids all believe the story. Hope you all get a kick out of the poem! We sure are proud of our Anna.
This is a picture of Anna when she dressed up as an American Girl. They had "favorite book character" day at her school last week for Literacy Week. She turned out so cute.