Outdoor fun

 We have been enjoying time outside, both at home, 

and out in some natural areas nearby:

We have also been enjoying seeing the deer come through our yard:

It is nice to be in Oregon this time of year ❤️

Games

 With the weather having turned raining and colder, we are playing a lot of board games when we have time. The other night we had a family game of Rhino Hero:

Yesterday the kiddos played several games, including a few rounds of checkers:

I love that our kids are at the age where we can all play games together (sometimes with Linden on a team with one of us), and even better Maren and Linden can play games on their own. It is a phase of parenthood that I have been looking forward to, and it is just beginning so there will be many years of it to come ❤️

Piano prodigies

These kids are too cute: 

Escape

 Today, for Jeff’s 45th birthday, we did a sort of escape room experience that took us on a walking tour of Corvallis downtown. After a downpour of cold rain and  technical problems (resolved by switching out our “holopad” for a different one) it ended up being fun. Here we are looking menacing to scare some trolls:

But after being out in the cold rain we never quite warmed up. So now Jeff and I are cuddled up by the fireplace, all cozy ❤️

Pumpkins

 We are having a lovely fall. Last weekend Jeff‘s siblings and their families came to Corvallis for (Canadian) Thanksgiving. We had a lovely time taking them to the farmers market, visiting a pumpkin patch, cooking and eating a full Thanksgiving meal, and having sibling (and sibling-in-law) conversations while cousins played. So much fun 🥰🍁

This weekend was last soccer games of the season, putting up Halloween decorations, and more pumpkins from my mom’s epic garden. We are still busy with all the stuff that comes with moving, but things are starting to settle.