Marcus/Mom date

My original idea for my date with Marcus was to take him to the beach where they have a cool old fashioned train you can ride. But time got away from us, and after Labor Day they only run on the weekends. Between soccer and church, weekends are not happening! So... because the Baby Child is three, it is pretty easy to get him excited in a new direction :) So... a day at the Portland Children's Museum, and a day at the Oregon Zoo. Both days alone with mom, and with all undivided attention!

The piano outside the museum for the kids to play

I think we are related :)

Special fall moments

Periodically I need a page for all the random and special things that are going on... So many cute moments :)

Marin found a tire swing!

Marcus and his "city"
(don't meth it up, Mommy)

Max getting his eyes checked.
I love his little toes, and his funny glasses :)

Our beloved pediatrician is battle breast cancer.
The patients are writing her white board messages
whenever we come in the clinic!

Mom and Babylove at the park :)

On a hike with Nana & Grandpa

 Maps are a must!

Max and Madeline were both awarded the Friendship Award at school.
One child is selected from each class, so this was special.
Marin won this award last year.
Proud mommy!

Chillin' at McMenamins with my parents!

Marin and bestie Silas both reading during our family dinner :)

Big and Little holding hands down the trail :)

Max/Dad date

Wrapping up the last of the sabbatical kid outings! Max and Kyle finished off the summer together on a camping trip - kindergarten started a few days later than the big kids, so they took advantage of the free time by camping during the first week of school :) The original plan was for them to go on a helicopter ride in Seaside, but a certain young boy got a slight panic attack as the heli started taking off. The pilot was awesome though, and noticed this in the rearview mirror. He stopped the takeoff, and offered for them to get off (full refund too!)... Max just didn't know what he was getting into, so maybe they will try this another time. Instead, Kyle took him to the Seaside aquarium and they fed the crazy seals :) This was much more enjoyable!

They also went kayaking (same place as Marin earlier in the summer), and of course the camping! Kyle presented Max with his first knife. Father-Son bonding times spent camping, whittling, searching for critters, creek stomping, eating MRE's, shooting the spit gun, boating, almost flying, beaching, and best of all spending time together :)

Coming of age: his first whittling knife!

Oysters for lunch

Seaside aquarium

Delicious (?) MRE's

Spit gun!

Almost made it up in the air ;)

PS. About a week after they arrived home from camping, I started to notice droppings in my mini-van, which after a long and freaky day of me investigating, we discovered there was a critter living in our car. Kyle thinks it snuck in from the campground, since the car was open a lot of the time. We did our best to try and get the little thing out in a humane way, but in the end we had to set a trap since it was hiding from us. It was a CHIPMUNK!!! Poor baby, it was probably dying of thirst and hunger (although let's not kid ourselves, my mini-van has enough crumbs and water bottles to feed 10 families of chipmunks). But we did find scratch marks all up and down our interior doors (nice, I know), so we just had to get it out. It didn't take long in our little electric trap, but we all had some sad feelings about that cute little thing being trapped in there for a week (AND I WAS DRIVING AROUND WITH IT IN THERE). My wordy word.

Madeline's Nail Art

While up at my parents house for 4th of July this year, Madeline got to messing around with a bucket of nails and some scrap wood. She was hammering away out on the driveway, and after a little while came trotting in with the cutest thing I've ever seen. A sign that said "I love the Newells", which she proudly gave to my parents :) Then she marched back outside and a little while later, came back in with ANOTHER treasure... This time the sign said "God is real" and she wanted her younger cousins to have it (which I hear is proudly displayed in their bedroom). Both recipients were totally thrilled and loved her creations.

This interesting day kicked off some big ideas for this little entrepreneur. 

Kyle was gone on a fishing trip, and yet the wheels were turning. She couldn't bear to wait for Dad to get home. He is, after all, the one who usually helps with these big ideas. She went out in our garage, rounded up all the nails and scrap wood she could fine, and made a "sample sign" to be used for advertising purposes. This girl had a business idea! "The Corrigan's" was her sample sign, and she asked me if I would post on Facebook that she would custom make any sign for $3. She got a BUNCH of customers, including one of our favorite teachers at Quatama. This teacher, once she got her sign made for her classroom, asked if Maddy would consider a bigger project for the school garden. A large, painted nail sign that could be mounted in the school's section of the community garden. 

Madeline spent the entire summer working on these signs, and I would say the only mishap was when Dad came home from fishing only to discover that all his "scrap" wood had been used up. I use quotation marks because it was his really nice wood that he was saving (oooooops). But, the awesome Dad that he is, didn't flip his wig, but instead took her on a shopping trip to Home Depot to buy her a bunch of her own supplies. 

Her final project was the school garden sign, and (while her business is on hiatus during the school year), her wheels are already turning on what new business plan she can come up with.

Marin's turn  is next... (a little preview: Marin's Fabric Company... "it's sew amazing"! she already made a commercial!!!)