A Little Fall Fun

Today I took the kids out for a little adventure. With it being fall and all the pumpkin farms in full swing, we travelled out to Snohomish for a visit. After a 20 minute drive through the city we headed off the beaten path (somewhat :) for a beautiful drive in the country. Although we were not the only people there by any means, it felt great to leave the hussle and bussle behind and to relax. The farm was a little crowded from all the school field trips that day but we walked in between the crowds and got to experience much of what the farm had to offer.

It started out with a ride on a stationary tractor for Landin. Then we headed over to view the animals. Much to our surprise, we stumbled upon a duck race. The ducks started a one end of a long water trough and raced to the other end. The highlight was after the race was over when all the ducks flew back down the line and into the pen.  Out of all the animals there, these were Landin's favorite. 

After a picnic lunch we wandered into the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin to take home. I don't know what was more exciting, picking out a pumpkin or pushing the wheel barrow. Either way this was Landin's favorite part of our adventure. 

Then after a little prodding, I finally talked him into letting me take a few more pictures before we left. Life was too exciting for a two year old to stop and pose for a picture. But with a little encouragement of going on the swing and slide after the pictures were done, we both were finally satisfied. And it was a nice ending to our day. 

Here's a few pics of the farm:

                                                            Landin driving the tractor

                                                        The ducks after the duck race

                                                              And another tractor

                                Landin's pumpkin. The first one he choose and the one we took home :)

                              Mommy's pumpkin. One of the ones he is holding. What a happy boy :)

The beautiful view. It was very green (and cold). There are mountains in the background as well that are hard to see with the clouds.

First attempt of having Landin hold Audrey to take a picture with the pumpkins. He only agreed because I told him he couldn't go on the slide until after a took the pictures. However, he had a lot of fun holding his sister.

My attempt of getting a picture of Audrey by herself with the pumpkins. It must have been hilarious to watch as I help her up against the pumpkin, aimed the camera in her general direction, then let go of her long enough to take the picture and then caught her as she started to fall over. After many shots I gave up. This is the best that I got. 

Seattle

Well, it's official. We made the move to Washington, the last state for me to complete the journey of living in all the states on the West Coast. On October 1 we left Portland. Mike drove a UHaul while towing his car and I drove the kids up. It was a long, crazy, windy drive. But with God's protection we made it safe and sound. And thanks to a crew from North Seattle Alliance Church and a few friends we got everything moved in and started to unpack.

The first week we spent unpacking and settling in. We took time to familiarize ourselves with the area and Mike dove in head first into his job. He had three days to learn how to run a coffee shop. Pretty crazy! Needless to say it was a really long week. We were all excited to reach the end and have my parents come visit us. They drove up for the weekend to help us get unpacked and settled. So after a week our place was finally looking like home.

The biggest challenge I have had is helping the kids to settle. Audrey has learned to demand my attention when I am with Landin and Landin has develop fears of monsters, giants, the dark, and the neighbors. He does not like to be left along, especially at night time. It has turned into one more thing to add to the craziness of life.

On the plus side, we came up at the perfect time for weather. Although Seattle is significantly colder then Portland, we had a beautiful sunny week to kick off our move here. That helped to keep our moods high and positive.

We are enjoying our new adventure and missing our community in Portland all at the same time. We know that God has brought us here for a reason and we are in the center of his will. It seems no matter what the enemy throws our way, God continues to amaze us and bless us. He is always providing in ways we never could imagine. We know it is going to be a long road ahead of us as slowly settle here but knowing that God is with us makes the journey easier. We are excited for what lies ahead and for what God has in store for the future.

                                             Downtown Seattle from the waterfront


                                             Here's a few pics of our duplex :)

                                            Dining Room

                                             Living Room

                                                   Kitchen