I had been wanting to go to Cottonwood Beach on the Columbia in WA as a family for several summers and we finally made it on Labor Day. I had been there a couple of times but we had never been as a whole family. It's almost as long of a drive for us as it is to get to the coast but it's usually much warmer. Anthony Holden met us there with his kids (Allison was running a race). We had a picnic and then spent a couple of hours playing in the sand and water.
Everything was great until Mason fell off the paddleboard in shallow water and rolled his ankle on the river bed. He was in a lot of pain and some kind fellow beach goers gave us an ice pack. We cut our stay a little short to get Mason home and then waited to see if the swelling would go down. Urgent Care was closed by the time I decided we should take him so we had to wait until Tuesday morning. After an examination and x-rays, the doctor thought it was just a bad sprain so they gave Mason crutches and a boot and sent us off.
It was only the 4th day of school and I wanted to keep Mason's good momentum going so I took him straight to school after Urgent Care. I felt bad leaving him there with a brand new boot and without really knowing how to use crutches yet though. He was excited to get an elevator pass since his classroom is on the 2nd floor of the school and liked all of the extra attention. He wound up needing to wear the boot for about two weeks and his ankle was completely healed in about a month. So grateful it wasn't fractured!
Grace and I spent a lot of time at parks in September. The weather cools down just enough that it feels good outside and all of the big kids are in school. It was great!
Always finding new things to climb on.
She had been trying to steal a toy lawnmower from a house in our neighborhood all summer so I was super happy when we got picked for this one off the Buy Nothing group. She loved it but still pointed out the other one every time we went to the park by our house for months.
Grandma stopped by a for a couple of hours one afternoon. Grace was super shy and nervous at first and Debbie had to work pretty hard to get her to play. It eventually worked though and we had a nice visit.
Mason had his golden birthday on the 11th! Since he was turning 11, he woke up to a room filled with "owls" and Hogwarts acceptance letters. Mason isn't super into Harry Potter right now so this was a total surprise and he really liked it. He opened presents quickly before Spencer left for seminary and then ate his favorite breakfast of waffles with whipped cream for breakfast.
Mason's favorite activity right now is riding his bike. He spent hours and hours riding around the neighborhood and park with his two best buddies, Colt and Urijah, over the summer. Mason also still loves to read and write his own stories. He is always thinking of new ideas for stories that he types on my computer. He prefers his hair longer now and likes to wear a hat so I don't make him comb it. Haha! He likes to snuggle in his bed, give hugs, and listen to music in his room. Owl City is his favorite band. He still loves biscuits and pretty much any bread or treat.
Mason does not like math or going to Singing Time at church. I wouldn't say he's super picky but there are lots of foods he doesn't like - mostly anything including a vegetable.
Last winter, Alan and I felt like we had lost our enthusiastic, happy, cuddly boy. By the time he turned 11, we were starting to see more and more of the real Mason come back. We have witnessed miracles in this boy's life this year and will be forever grateful for them. I hope I never take his sparkling personality for granted again. Happy birthday wonderful boy!
Maybe this will keep her from coloring on my walls?!
Spencer got roped into going to Homecoming with a group at the last minute and it turned out to be his first date! One of his xc buddies was dating a girl from McMinnville HS so he set up a bunch of his friends with a bunch of hers. They got together to officially ask the girls one evening. I stole these pictures from Spencer's phone. :)
Because of some technical issues, Mason got one of his bday gifts a couple days late. I found this design on Etsy and Alan helped me re-create it to match Mason's personality. He has come a lot way in his understanding of and acceptance of his adoption this year and we hoped he would appreciate this. He loved it and it now hangs above his bed.
For his friend party, Mason chose to take Colt and Uriah to Next Level Arcade in Beaverton. Alan drove the three boys over and they spent a Saturday afternoon playing video games and then came back to our house for pizza and cake. I love this kind of party!
Grace has finally learned to be gentle enough that Kiki sometimes tolerates her. :)
"Sleeping"
Watching Mason and Arya play through the fence.
Everyone but Mason loves our Sunday evening walk tradition. Mason needs more action than just walking. Haha!
Mason started out the year riding his bike to and from school and it has been awesome! I had to snap this picture right after he got home one day though. What a sense of style!
Grace LOVES grape tomatoes and was constantly trying to pick them whenever she was in the backyard. I'm so glad I finally have a fellow tomato-eater!
HOCO 2025. Spencer's date was Taisley and she is such a nice girl. It was a small miracle that she and Spencer were the only two members of our church in the group and they got paired together. I admired her willingness to stand out by wearing a modest dress and felt really bad that Spencer didn't get the memo that all of the other boys were getting flowers for their dates. Ugg. They wound up having a fun time on the date/dance. Too bad that she lives 45 minutes away.
The washer and dryer Alan and I had been using for almost all of our married life was on its last legs so we jumped at the offer of a new set from a family who was investigating the church in our ward. I had helped take them dinner when they had their first baby a couple of months prior so they picked us! It turned out to be a great set that was only about a year old. They are SO much quieter than my old ones and we feel so blessed. Another example of blessings that come from paying your tithing and serving others. We have never had a lot of money but have always had what we needed and have been given many nice items (a leather couch/loveseat and a very nice dining room table/chairs!) over the years.
Mason with his beloved 3D printed dragon
Grace loves these little stampers now and they provide some good indoor entertainment.
