The Great Tree Adventure

We went to the Helvetia Christmas Tree Farm yesterday to get our Christmas tree. There are so many tree farms around here, it is amazing. It was so fun to look at all the trees and trudge through the mud to find just the right one. Plus, it was a beautiful sunny day and the weather was just right. It was really a great experience.

Here is their train room.

Riding the caboose out to more trees.

Weee! Calon really liked this despite his face in this shot!
Beginning our search.

Keston really liked the ones that were his size. But we finally got him to choose a slightly bigger one.

Chad does the chopping. Thank you Paul Bunyan.

Keston gives Dad a hand.

Ange got to finish it off.

Chad hefts it up.

The remains.

On to the tree truck.

Then the shaker.

And finally, the baler.

AAhhh, gotta love the smell of Christmas trees! The boys went under to breathe it all in.

Not really a tree picture, but we saw this spider during our tree time, on our patio. And Chad just informed me that he left it there...alive.

Putting the lights on.

Trimming the top.

And.... the STAR!!

A moment to reflect with Keston's 2008 ornament.

Pretty.

Ta Da!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!

Calon the Fort Lover

Calon loves forts. He makes himself little homes everywhere. Here he is under the hide-a-bed.

Out for a snack break, from under the side table.

He makes this fort in the kitchen almost everyday. Kes joined him this time.

Sheet fort in our bedroom.

He just loves chilling under the castle.Yep, that's Calon in a Thanksgiving dinner fort.

And that doesn't even cover all the real forts we build that he hangs out in. We're talking forts on the stairs, under the kitchen table, using chairs and the castle, under the coffee table, on top of beds with headboards... he is a cozy fort lover!! Here he is trying to squeeze into a side by side chair fort. Ha! He is so adorable!
He also loves Keston's boots!
And playing ball with the Christmas tree.

Merry Elfmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

BOO!

Halloween is so much fun! Here is a picture of the web the boys help put up and all the spooky decorations on it that they made.

Let the pumpkin carving begin.

Oh ya!- our motorized pumpkin saws were awesome this year!!

Pumpkin decorating- toddler style.

Chad's cool fancy pumpkin picture.

The whole gang.

Ange- King Veg, Kes- Batman, Chad-Joe, Cal-painted dragon, Rue-Crazy Cat.Creepy Halloween breakfast for the boys. Twinkie spiders and orange cocoa.

Pumpkin pie!!

Papa Murphy's Pumpkin Pizza- holiday food is great!

Mickey Cal and Pumpkin Tank.

Mickey Mouse and Batman.

They were great trick or treaters!

Calon went to every house with Kes.

Found his girlfriend.

Calon still won't put his bucket down.

They got lots of yummy treasures...

Kes even got a spider ring. :)

Rue Rue

Rue came to visit last week, which was great. We were able to do lots of fun stuff while she was here, especially because the weather was nice. We saw a basketball game, an airplane icon, a Portland mansion, a vineyard and the Willamette river.

Intel invited all the NM families to dinner and a Trail Blazers game. The boys are playing before the game.

Ready for some B- Ball.

Cheese.

Nothing beats brotherly love.

Well...maybe airplanes. Chad?

Rue Rue and Calon checking out one of the planes at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.

This is the best shot I could get of the Spruce Goose. It was just too big to fit in the frame.

Fascinated by pennies going down the tube.

Cute boys.

Chad checking out a model of the Wright Brothers plane.

Pilot and Co pilot.

We stopped by a vineyard. It was so beautiful.

Walk through vineyard rows.

So sweet.

The boys love to run around outside- all 3 of them!

Walking around downtown Portland.

A lot of fog at the Pittock Mansion.

Chad, Mr. Pittock. Mr. Pittock, Chad.

Kes loved the fancy stairs there.

The grounds were so pretty. Oh, to have land!!!!