Pumpkin Patching

We came. We saw. We picked some pumpkins. There was a hay ride and a corn maze. We made some memories to last a lifetime. And it's a good thing because our pumpkins were stolen off our porch and smashed into the neighbor's mailbox. All that remains from our triumphant pumpkin pick are these pictures and a few loose stocks of hay still stuck to the bottom of our shoes. But never fear, Smith's Market Place is here and they sell pumpkins too.

C is for Cookie

Four little Cookie Monsters sitting in a row.

The Ladybug Haiku

Ladybug in a bag

Black, red, spotted and so sweet

My little ladybug

Put Me in Coach!

I am a fan of trying new things and I think it's important for kids to get experience doing new things. So when I noticed Finn really enjoyed kicking the soccer ball in the back yard, I thought, "what a great idea. He'll love it." Well...I was wrong.

Finn apparently loves playing soccer everywhere except on the field during the games. Then he hates it. Pregame at home he would kick the ball run around and then we would start getting the soccer gear. That would start the change and by the time we got to the game we were using bribes, threats, trickery. Anything to get him to go in. It worked a couple of times.

The funny thing is that somewhere mid-season, when we would play soccer at home. He changed from player to coach. He would pull a chair up and tell Brad or myself where, when, how to kick the ball in to the goal. He even had Harper running drills. No wonder all of our efforts to get him into the game failed miserably. The Coach doesn't play. After all he's the Coach.

Farewell Good Friend

As our good friend summer comes to a close we would like to say a sincere goodbye. We will remember you fondly as the snow starts to fall and we have to bundle up in 18 layers of clothing, hats and gloves in order to go outside. Before you go, here are some of our favorite moments together. Come back soon...we will miss you.

Day One for Two

Sharpen your pencils teachers, The Rutledge Kids are in the house! Finn and Harper started preschool last week and luckily I've been studying up all summer on how to take a fast photo, because we only have one shot (if that) to get both kids smiling at the same time. (Exactly two seconds after this photo was taken a complete melt-down ensued.)

When I dropped them off and got into the car I definitely felt like something was missing. The car was so quite I could actually understand what was being said on NPR. Now I just need to figure out what to do now that we have twice as many art projects coming home. I'm thinking it might be time for a storage unit.

Drive, Bike, Swim, Run, Drive

This summer Brad and I completed our first Olympic Triathlon, which was an accomplishment. But the real amazing feat was taking our kids on a week long road trip from SLC to the Oregon Coast and back via Boise, Bend, Yachats,Portland, Boise, Sun Valley and Pocatello. I can safely say that through it all we had fun and live to tell the tale.