Beach Trip!!

The only other time we've ever taken Grady to the beach was when he was just a few months old!  He slept on Keith's chest in the front pack.  We were really excited to take him to the beach and watch him experience it - we were not disappointed!

Grady loved the sand (big surprise)!

We were unprepared parents - we didn't even bring a little shovel!  He found shells to dig with.

We tried to make some very simple sandcastles by filling the bucket up and turning it over.

Grady liked to use is face to knock the castles down.  Yuck.  Sand in his mouth and nose.  He didn't seem to mind.

It took some creative and high energy parenting to get him off the beach... but we had lunch at Mo's in Lincoln City, and then we headed down to Newport to walk along the boardwalk.  Gotta stop for some salt water taffy (adults) and a rainbow sucker (toddler)!

Look, Mom! No hands!

Look Who Made The Cover of ESPN Magazine!

Grady was the first to take "wagon pulling" seriously as a sport...

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Hopefully you followed the link from our Christmas card and ventured over here to our blog!  Those photo cards just don't give you much space to write...

Instead of waiting until the first of December to try and remember what we did all year to draft a Christmas letter, we thought we would start a family blog - our goal is to post once or twice a month just to let you know what we've been up to.  Most of the posts are picture-heavy, so if they look long, don't panic - there's not too much reading here.

Enjoy!

Annual Cookie Exchange

Here is a picture to make your mouth water!  Every year, the women on my dad's side of the family get together before Christmas to do a cookie exchange.  About 10ish years ago we started getting together for lunch and shopping, but as the group started to grow... it just wasn't as feasible.  About 5ish years ago we started gathering for a cookie exchange.  It's such a fun day!

The Pumpkin Patch!

A couple of weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch - it just took me this long to get the pictures off the camera... For pumpkin patch fun, we went to Fir Point Farms out in Canby. I went here frequently as a kid and there is lots to do for all ages. We had fresh apple cider and cinnamon sugar donuts - yum! We fed the goats, watched chickens and cows, got lost in the corn maze and went on a hayride. Here are some pictures from our trip, and a video of Grady feeding some goats.

Standing in front of the tractor with Robyn and Lilly!


Our "little turkey"!


Forget the pumpkin... this dirt looks like fun!

Basketball 101

I can't believe it's November already... basketball is just around the corner! Keith and Grady are getting an early start on the season by putting together these instructional videos for all you ballers out there.

Watch a pro demonstrate some fundamental defensive techniques:

Defensive Stance



Staying Straight Up



Taking the Charge



Rebounding

GO DUCKS!

Grady's first live Duck football game was Saturday, September 26th against the #6 California Bears... the Ducks won 42-3!

Apparently it wasn't quite exciting enough to keep Grady awake... he fell asleep at the beginning of the 2nd quarter and slept all the way through the end of the 3rd quarter!

Thanks to Aunt Kim for securing the tickets for us!