Happy Halloween from the Kay/Kearns fam!

We had so much fun carving pumpkins the other day with Freddie. He loved pulling out the pumpkin guts and putting them in the bowl. We've also spent the past few days taking their tops off and then putting them back on. It's even more of a thrill then putting lids on tupperware!

Freddie has a Halloween party to go to at Dad's Rock this Saturday but sadly we won't be going trick-or-treating tonight. I'm going to have to find somewhere to do it next year! 

Photo of the week- bellies!

Thought I'd take a step back in time to my elementary school days and whip out a poem...

Roses are red,

Violets are blue, 

Freddie's gonna be a big brother...

cause we're expecting baby number two!

True, it's not as good as the poem/rap we wrote for my sister's 6th grade vice presidential candidacy (yes- she won) but you get the point! We are very, very excited to announce we are expecting another baby- due this Spring!

We've told Freddie the news and although I'm not sure he fully understands what's happening, he is very excited that we are talking so much about our bellies!

Adventures in cooking

Adding food coloring to the playdough

We've had baby gates up in the kitchen and hallway for months now. Our kitchen is pretty small and it's been just too dangerous to have Freddie in there while I am making dinner. So, we set up his own kitchen in the hallway with some other toys and he is usually pretty content to play there while I'm making dinner. Until recently...

About a week ago we were having a long afternoon inside, waiting for a package to be delivered- aka the worst, boring sort of afternoon. This is pretty rare for us- usually as soon as Freddie wakes up from his afternoon nap we are up and out of the house ASAP to go to the park or playground or see the ducks in the pond before coming back home for dinner. But, since we had to stay home, I quickly tried to come up with new, exciting, indoor activities. Not a bad idea since it's also starting to be freezing and we have both continually had a cold since we've been back.

The finished product

First on the list was making playdough. I found a recipe online that called for, according to my mom, the key ingredient- cream of tarter. I put an apron on myself (a first) and Freddie and he loved it. I have to say, it does make you feel like a legit chef when you have an apron on. Must do it more often. We stirred together the ingredients slowly, adding one at a time, and used various, non-essential pieces of equipment (measuring cups, spoons, forks, a wooden spoon, a spatula and the garlic press (I was getting desperate)) just to keep things interesting.

When it came time for the cooking part (you have to cook it on the stove briefly), I put Freddie on my back in the Ergo to keep him safe and sound. Within minutes, we had perfectly squishy playdough in two different colors and spent a good portion of the rest of the afternoon playing with it. We whipped up another two colors yesterday and now have yellow, blue, green and red (ok it's maroon- FYI it really changes color when you cook it!).

Since that first "cooking" escapade, we have made cookies twice and dinner together every night. I seem to have created a monster- my days of cooking alone have vanished! It's great to have Freddie in the kitchen though and lots of fun to see him discover the feel of all the different ingredients. One tip to all you cooking with a one-year-old though- add a bit extra of everything when you're baking to counteract all the spillages!

Every good chef tastes his work.

Making sugar cookies- guess who loved the dough!

Our trip to Seattle!

We're baaaaaaaa-aaaaacccccckkkkk. FINALLY, I am back to blogging. Coincidentally, I am also back in Edinburgh after a month-long vacation in Seattle. We had a wonderful time at my brother's wedding, whale watching on Lopez Island and hittin' the beach in Seaside, Oregon. And, of course, just hanging out in my old hometown of Kenmore and seeing friends and family.

Freddie and I got back a week ago and are finally over the traveling/jet lag. Actually, he bizarrely wasn't affected by jet lag this time, which I attributed to two things: 1) He didn't sleep much on the flight back (well, as much as I'd hoped!) and 2) He had a bad cold. Both blessings in disguise I guess because while I was up for 3 hours a night catching up on Keeping Up With The Kardashians the first couple nights back, he was fast asleep in his bed. What a guy!

It was impossible not to take over 300 photos over the course of the trip (that's only about 10 a day if you do the math!) but I have managed to stop myself from putting them all on here. Here are a few highlights:

Doubling-up in the swing!

Splash park with his big cousin/idol

Hava Nagila!

Fun with Grandma Martha's walker

Boys at the wedding

Paddleboarding on the lake

Whale watching!

Whales!

Congrats Jody and Anton!

On the beach in Seaside!

Four cousins on the kitchen step at the cabin

Fun on the beach when the tide was way out

Digging his toes in!