Sorry Dad, time to jump off the bandwagon

What a beautiful weekend we had! Thanks to the nice weather, we got to do lots (and lots) of leaf raking and mowing and strolling around the neighborhood with Will. Charlie and Lyssa (& Clicquot) Cole spent Sunday afternoon with us and brought homemade mac n' cheese with them, which was yummy (thanks, Lyss!)
This will be our first year as a family where trick-or-treaters will (hopefully) come to our door. We got the candy ready and Olive's got her bark finely tuned for a night of fun door-answering. We'll be sure to get Will in his costume this week and post some pics.
Oh, and sorry about those Rockies, Mom & Dad (they jumped on the bandwagon last year when living in Denver).

Impromptu bbq on the deck during our 70+ degree day last week

Lyssa, Will & I

Clicquot and Olive

Willy J

All-American Weekend

This weekend was filled with some of America's favorite pastimes: football (flag football game in the fields of Monroe, Huskies, Seahawks), baseball playoffs, and ice cream at our local DQ (see below for highlights).

Hunting for Pugs

Will LOVES Olive. I'm not so sure the feeling is mutual, but Olive is a good sport. Here's a video of Will chasing after Olive on all fours. Look out, little pug, he'll only get faster.

Evey & Will

Up until recently, when I got together with other moms and their babies, our time mostly consisted of us moms talking while babies played wherever we placed them. My have times changed! Will and his cousin, Evey are both crawling and beginning to figure out that they can interact with each other. Here's a video of them "interacting" (aka Evey fighting off Will) and another one of Evan shakin' what her mama (and daddy) gave her. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Gretchen

Even though you're a continent away without telephone access, we wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. We love you!

p.s. Olive says Happy Birthday too, she is also a b-day girl, turning #2 today.

Join Us

It is a well known fact that HIV/AIDS is running rampant in the world, with some of the highest rates of new infection and mortality being in Africa.

World Vision has begun work in many countries in Africa to bring Caregiver Kits to those who are providing aid to patients and their families. These kits include pain relievers, antibacterial cream, gauze and cotton balls, soap, washcloth, a flashlight for the caregiver to see their way, and more. They are vitally important in the fight against AIDS.

Pine Lake Covenant Church and our community, partnering with World Vision, are hosting an event in November to build 7500 of these kits to send to the country of Zambia. This Sunday, September 30th, there is a "BBQ with a purpose," with the goal being to raise money to purchase these kits, which cost $25/piece for supplies and shipping. Not all of us can go to Africa, but we can do something here. E-mail or call me if you would like more information.

If it seems that Caregiver Kits won't make much of a difference in the problem of AIDS, watch this video, made by Gretchen Myers on PLCC's recent trip to Kenya and you will see otherwise. While these kits won't cure the disease or necessarily change cultural stigmas associated with it, they do carry an important message: "You have not been forgotten or abandoned. While we can't heal you on this earth, let us love you and care for you. Some day you can be made whole again."

Patriotic Will

Last weekend, Will got a hold of one of those little American flags that real estate agents and such tend to stick in your lawn around the fourth of July. I was wearing him in my front pack while I ran some errands. Throughout the 45 minutes we spent at the grocery store, etc, he waved the little flag proudly and let out lots of little yells which, of course, drew some attention. It didn't help that I had the world's squeakiest cart besides having a little baby waving an American flag strapped to my front. We must have been a sight walking through the store. I'm sure Will looked very cute--too bad I couldn't see from my vantage point. Anyway, I did get a quick video of Will waving his flag later that same day.
The other video was taken when I heard Will waking up from a nap and thought I'd catch it on camera. He is so sweet!

Besides that, here are a few new pictures of Will from the past weekend. My personal favorite is the photo of Will caught mid-push. He always makes this hilarious face when he's working on a little "something." See if you can guess which picture it is :-)
Patriotic Will

Will waking up