Merry Christmas a little late!

Merry Christmas a little late! Here are Jake and Sam in front of the tree.

A family shot, though blurry, but still cute. Obviously no baby yet!

This was from before Christmas. Scott refurbished this old John Deere tractor that we inherited on our property with a cool trailer and new wheels in the front. The boys generally fight over it, but this was one time they worked out their differences.

Grandma Barb, Uncle Matt and Tucker were here for the holiday and we had a nice relaxing time. Lots of baking! Barbara made peach and blackberry pies that are now in the freezer awaiting those middle of the night cravings of a new mommy and daddy. I tried a pecan pie that turned out pretty good.

For those who saw Scott's Facebook photos, you know we had some fresh duck to eat, as well. That may be a new Christmas eve tradition. I highly recommend Duck seared in cooking sherry and blackberry jam!

No baby yet!

Jake's birthday and Thanksgiving

Here is Jake, age 4. His preschool teacher took this and I think it is a great picture of him. I can almost see what he'll look like when he gets bigger.

Here are Jake, Finn, and Henry on our trip to the Olympic National Forest to get a Christmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving. It was a really fun and pretty trip. I definitely think that will be a new tradition now that we are in the northwest!

Here are our friends, Robyn and JR. It was their idea to go get Christmas trees.

Here is our most recent good family picture. You'll see it on a Christmas card coming soon. If only I could see Sam a little better, it would be perfect!

Here's dinner on Thanksgiving. We had the Rohls and Grandma Barb and Uncle Ryan for dinner. It was really good food thanks to help from Grandma and Auntie Kate! Scott fried the turkey and it was soooo good. I think that will be a new tradition, as well. No fires or burns, either, thank goodness!

Here is Jake at his birthday party enjoying cupcakes with some buddies. Hard to believe he is 4!

In other news, Sam is now 17 months old and actually starting to really say some understandable words. We really think his first word was backpack, which he says in reference to our Kelty backpack carrier that he loves to ride in. Then mama and daddy were sort of similar timing. Doggy (when Tucker is around), ball, and bottle have been said in various ways, but definitely understandable and purposeful. He's really cute right now and definitely getting around really well. Not sure how he'll be when baby sister is born, but he's doing well right now.

My Turn

Scott has been great about keeping up with the blog since we moved to Washington. I must admit that my life is full of kids, studying, work, and being pregnant so the blog is not highest on my list. I have realized, though, that this is the closest we are going to have to a baby book. Perhaps our blogs of our kids are the modern version of baby books. I have two partially completed ones; one for Jake and one for Sam, but I find the information here on the blog is more accurate and more fun to look back on. I'm grateful that Scott has continued this as much as he has.

We just enjoyed another fun weekend with Kate, James, Henry, and Finn. I was on call this holiday weekend and Scott was invited to go duck hunting so the Rohls came to be our back up in case I had to spend significant time in the hospital this weekend. Thankfully, I didn't have to go in over my time on call and I was able to spend time with them and my boys. Scott had success with getting 3 ducks. He suggested to my dad that they were a sacrifice to help Oregon win yesterday! Here are some cute pictures of the everyone this weekend. Sam is getting around really well and actually hiked much of the time yesterday, though James did help me carry him in the backpack!

A visit to Hippietown

We recently had a nice visit last weekend from the Rohls and Iversons all the way from Iowa.  The weather here this time of year is unpredictable, meaning it will pretty much rain every day but you never know how much, how long or how hard.  One outing we made with all the boys was to take the ferry over to Vashon Island to try and go apple picking.  Mandy has fond memories of going apple picking in New York and outside Chicago and we decided to try and find a similar place.  I think everyone must have their own trees here becuase Vashon Island seemed to be the only place to go and pick your own apples.  We had never been there before and the idea of taking a ferry seemed like a lot of fun to the boys (and was).  The community on this Island is accessible only by ferry and was an interesting mix of hippies and retired folks.  After stopping at one of the various coffee shops for some organic, vegetarian sandwiches and humanely harvested produce we finally arrived at the co-op where we could pick the apples.  The boys had a good time selecting which ones they could pick and eat and we made sure they ran around a lot to work off all the gummi worms that they ate on the ferry.  We couldn't stay too long though becuase my SUV was looking pretty out of place and I was starting to get the evil eye from the other customers.

Gummi worms on the ferry

Organic apples!!

Im pretty sure a barbecue like this is illegal on Vashon island

James is seen here increasing his carbon footprint.

Happy 15 months Sam

Sam is now 15 months old and today Mandy got some good video of him using his fork at dinner.  He has suddenly picked up on many new things.  He is now a stair master and can go both up and down stairs as long as he has something to hold on to.

The apple usually doesn't fall far from the tree?

I randomly pulled out and old photo album yesterday and found a picture my mother gave me that she took when I was 10 months old.  Both our boys are blonde with blue eyes and I think that most people say they have more of Mandy's features than mine.  The one think is the nose that neither one of us is sure where it came from.  I'll let people be the judge and post it here.  I made a collage with photoshop of the picture and several pics of Jake and Sam at 10-12 months.

Changing bulbs and Running laps

  Some of the lightbulbs are in difficult places and changing them sometimes needs a big ladder and a little problem solving.  I had Mandy take a picture as I was putting a new LED bulb into the recessed lighting above the fireplace.  Hopefully I won't have to change that one again for a while.  The weather has started to change here and summer looks like it has finally left.  The rain started today and the days are suddenly significantly shorter.  We had Grandpa Tomtom here for a few days and he helped me do a few of the last remaining outdoor projects on my list as well as the indoor ones.  It was great getting to spend some more time with him and the boys while I have been on vacation.  I included another video of Jake below.  Part of his punishment as well as playtime involves running "laps".  I won't say what he did to get a couple laps this time but it was just normal 3-year old stuff. It helps him get rid of extra energy and who knows maybe a scholarship later on?

Breaking The Trend

We have a first for the Mcgrail and Cuda sides.  It appears that the string of 5 boys in a row has finally been broken.  Everything from the ultrasound appears normal so far.  It amazes me how much better the resolution for a standard prenatal ultrasound has become even in the past few years.  Obviously nothing is for certain but it appears that we are having a healthy girl.  The pictures above are side views of her folded over with legs touching her chin. 

Monster Truck

Most people are going to wonder why after averaging only one post a month I am putting two in one day.  Well, I just decided that this was worth another short post.  Our friend Pete got a a big 4 wheel drive Ford with oversized tires and lift kit.  As soon as Jake saw it he fell in love with the "monster truck".  Every guy wants to use his truck for whatever he can like in the comercials so when I told Pete I hated the two trees in front of the deck he offered to come try and pull out the stumps with me.  I am kicking myself for not taking some pictures or video of the whole process but other than a burnt finger from touching a hot part of the chainsaw it was actually kind of fun and gratifying to rip tow treestumps out of the ground.

I still have some more cleanup work to do but the view from the deck is much better already.

Summer Berries

Jake Mandy and I got this in about 30 minutes

One of the thngs about growing up in the northwest was that berries are part of the summer harvest.  I grew up a short bike ride from several strawberry farms and we always had our own supply of berries in the summer that my mom would use to make jam and pies that we had year round.  I actually laughed the first time I saw a pint of blackerries on sale on the east coast for about 5 dollars years ago.  As James said they are pretty much a weed here in the Northwest and I spent a significant amount of time destroying them in our yard growing up.  Since we have enough room I decided a few of the blackberry bushes can live as long as they don't get too close to anything else I am growing.  Additionally the road is lined with bushes that just started producing.  We have been picking them the past several days and what you see above is just the tip of the iceberg.

Part of the eventual plan is to grow our own strawberries and raspberries.  Along the perimeter of the property we found several bushes that look like they were planted but were so overgrown it was hard to be sure.  They were producing what looks like some kind of black raspberry.  I have never seen them before but they are pretty good.  Matt and I cleared around them and found some old irrigation tubing so I am pretty sure they are not wild.  I found some posts while clearing some areas and we strung them up so they will hopefully start doing better next year.

Anyone know what kind of berry this is?

Berry vines after the posts and wire are installed.

In other news we finally have all the planned renovations in the basement here is a picture of the kichenette with all the appliances and sink installed.

Another Day, Another Project

I have been off of work the past week and have been able to get a lot of things done around the house.  Most everyone knows that we have more than enough projects to keep us busy all summer.  Show up and you are likely to get assigned a small project.


Gretchen, Colin and their two daughters were visiting this weekend before going on their cruise. After they left this morning I decided to tackle one project that has been bugging me ever since we arrived.  There is a nice play gym that came with the house however it doesn't appear that anything has been done to maintain it for many years.  The paint is faded and mold moss and mildew was growing everywhere.  The same goes for the picnic table right next to it.  About 5 hours later I had both pressure washed, the table sanded and painted however I ran out of paint for the play gym and I didn't want to go back to Ace hardware for the 3rd time today.  Mandy was encouraging though and she and Jake convinced me to try and finish it tonight.  They both were a big help and we got done just before dark.  I still have to bolt some of the handles back on and find some rope for the climbing wall but so far I think we all made a huge improvement and just may squeeze a few more years out of it.

This is a picture from the springtime.  I wish I had taken one before I started today.

The final appearance after powerwashing and painting

Looks much better after washing, sanding and staining.

Gretchen, Colin, Hope, Phoebe and Jake at the Beach

Getting Settled

Well it has been about 6 weeks since our last post here and as I type this I am wondering if anyone is still reading it. We made the long drive from Atlanta to Gig Harbor and along the way got to hang out with Mandy's parents in the RV which was a huge help. We celebrated the 4th of July and Sam's 1st birthday with more family in Newton Iowa before stopping to visit Mandy's Grandmother in Sioux City. After that we made our way through Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone which was a first time for me and the boys. I wish we had a few extra days to explore but we had a good time and got some great pictures along the way. We have been here in Gig harbor for a about 3 weeks now and are still getting settled but things are slowly getting put back in order. Being a homeowner is a shock again with all the additional projects that I are on my to do list.

Sam at the Newton Iowa 4th of July Parade

Mt Rushmore

Yes that is a snowball that Jake threw at me.

Sapphire hot springs in Yellowstone

The boys watching TV with TOMTOM in Gig Harbor.

Happy 11 months (belated) and River Madness

Sam turned 11 months on the 4th of June so I figured I would post the monthly photo even if a little late.  He has started to stand up without assistance from other objects and has become the speedy crawler.

I can sense that the first steps are only a matter of weeks away.  The question is whether Mandy will be back in time?

Atlanta has been pretty darn hot the last few weeks with no let up in sight.  Jake and I were invited to go down to the Chattahoochee river with one of our neighbors.  The water was nice and cold but didnt seem to stop them from having a blast.

The Scooter Gang

Jake is a member of a notorious gang of troublemakers in the neighborhood.  They are usually seen riding scooters between houses and terrorizing the local plants and earthworms.  Below is the first known video of the gang in action.

Kids and Fountains

It is already getting hot in Atlanta and the pool a Piedmont park doesn't open until Memorial day but fortunately there is a really nice new fountain that has not been discovered by many people.  Both the boys had a blast getting soaked and cooling off.  There is a nice grassy area right next to it as well and we have been having a picnic the past 2 weekends.

Better than a shower

The new camera takes great action shots

wrestling with a random kid

baby + water = happy face

A few cute pictures

Jake and Sam overlooking the setup for the Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park.

Picture in the sunshine of the house with a pretty flowering cherry tree.

Grandma Weezie and Sam. Jake claimed that Grandma was visiting from Louisiana "weezie-ana"

Sam is now able to pull himself up and nearly cruise with some assistance. Jake is so funny and articulate now. He still likes to run around and play. He has a group of boys on our street that he runs around with. We call them the "scooter gang" for obvious reasons. Jake is the youngest, but the older boys (oldest is 10) are so good with him, very kind and patient. I keep asking their dad how he helped them become so kind. He just shrugs and admits that he has always been that way. We're getting more and more excited to move as daily pictures come from our contractor with updates and progression on the house. We will miss aspects of our time in Atlanta...our neighbors, our church, friends from Scott's work.

Happy 10 months Sam!

Sam is definitely crawling and cruising now that he is 10 months old. He is obviously able to pull himself to standing.

He's eating most foods now including all table foods. His favorites are avocado, bread, and pears.

He is so expressive! He claps and raises his hands when we say hooray. He babbles mama and baba.

Here is Jake with his buddy from down the street, Tyler. They are the oldest and youngest members of the "scooter gang" on our street.

Happy 1o months, Sam!