More Leaves

The last couple of days have been cold and windy, but I managed to get some pictures of the leaves just before that.  We went on a walk to capture some of the last signs of fall.  Now they are mostly down, except for the late changers.  :(

Even our young yard had some color contributors.

In an unrelated note, here are some pictures of Owen burying/stockpiling/organizing and general mischief.  Maybe he's getting ready for winter....?  (One of these days he will learn what "smile" means!)

Cress Creek Trail

Not much going on lately.  We've been recovering from a stubborn cold or two for the past week.  But the weather has been great this weekend, so we ventured out to a local hike called Cress Creek Nature Trail about half an hour away.  The Cottonwood trees were ablaze in shades of orange and yellow.

It was an easy hike, except for a pretty steep part up to an overlook of the Snake River.  

From the top, you could see 180 degrees from the Tetons in the east, across the valley, and back to the Sawtooth mountains in the west!

22 months

Almost time to stop counting age by months!  (I am very excited about that.)  This past month Owen has been babbling more and more.  Sometimes we catch a few words, but mostly we wonder what he is going on and on about (anyone know what "gobishe" translates to?), and usually it ends with him laughing at a joke he's made.

That being said, here are some notables for the last month:

• "ga-gone" - all gone, "eye", "bee" - any bug, "boo", "sssh" - snake, "dis" and "dat" - asking what to call things, "wok" - walk, "quack" - duck, "boap" - boat, "wet", "wat" - water
• Sentences like "I want down now" (uttered at the end of our hike) and "This is momma" with a point
• herding the adults by using his hand to try and pull you by your pants or pry you out of a chair, usually accompanied by a straining/groaning sound
• exploring his surroundings (i.e. running off).  He's been doing this for a while, but it's more noticeable now that he's so fast!  I can't just walk to catch him anymore.  :)
• enjoying helping like picking up things that spilled, closing doors and drawers, putting up the baby gate when we come up the stairs, etc.
• blowing his nose into a tissue!  Not perfected yet, but definitely strides in the right direction.
• using napkins when eating at the table
• fake-falling down for laughs with his feet over his head
• giving out hugs and kisses upon request
• learning to watch and appreciate college football games!

Pumpkin Patch

Since it's October, we had to hit up the local U-pick pumpkin patch.  It was a really cute place with a good selection of gourds, a straw maze, and even a little train to ride around the pumpkins.  Needless to say, Owen had a good time tromping through the patch, riding in the wagon, hopping on the train, and catching up with his pals Carson and Abigail.

Seriously....Already?

We were a little surprised when we started to get SNOW this morning.  I think the weather forecast missed this completely!  And it's been coming down in big, fluffy flakes for several hours now.  Hard to believe that we were sweating outside just a few days ago!!  Here's hoping that it melts very soon, so we can learn and do all of our "winterizing" before it really sticks.

We made it!

We survived our first weekend sans-Daddy.  No problemo!  It was a mini-trial for when he'll be gone for a whole week later this month.  How did we manage?


Playing with friends - Carson, Abigail, and Owen doing an "all fall down" (the best part of Ring Around the Rosies!)

Owen's first football game - The stands were packed for the cross-town high school rivalry game; we didn't stay long because it went on well past his bed time.  We wanted to ease him in to football games to see how he'd handle a full college game, since last fall he bawled every time the crowd cheered at practice.  Conclusion?  Cautiously optimistic!

Outdoor time - Not just any outdoors, hiking the Tetons with friends (Jacob, Brady, and their parents)!  It was a gorgeous day that started out clear and ended with just a few raindrops as we got back to the car.  Though it's mostly evergreens, there were some leaves changing color, especially in the undergrowth.  The hike wound around Jenny Lake and went up into a canyon to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point (an overlook of the lake).  Beware, lots of pictures ahead!


Cozy car ride to Grand Teton National Park w/ 3 adults and 2 car seats in an Outback 

String Lake trailhead - the boys liked to throw pebbles into the water

Group shot at the start of the hike

And not long after that...

Walking along Jenny Lake

Osprey in a nest near the lake - we could hear the babies chirping

Serene mountain path and stream

Hidden Falls - we let the boys run around here and they enjoyed their freedom!  All they need is some dirt, rocks, and/or sticks.

Over-the-shoulder shot of my backseat driver

Perilous hike to Inspiration Point overlooking Jenny Lake

Majestic mountains - you can see the storm clouds rolling in on our way out