When I picked Hayden up from school last week she mentioned that they were going to be building a Leprechaun Trap in her class. It brought to mind a totally adorable and creative blog I saw a few years back that was done by I gal I used to go to high school with. Feeling inspired, I decided to look on line to see if there were any other fun ideas we could do at home with Hayden. There were tons (of course) on Pinterest. Chris is a super creative guy and a pro at executing that sort of stuff, so I knew we'd have a stellar end result.
We spent all day Sunday baking cupcakes and cutting out construction paper shamrocks, pots of gold, and rainbows, getting everything prepped for the trap we were going to set. It was a really great little family project that we were all able to work on together. We set a trail to the "pot of gold" with gold and green shamrock coins. Hayden really got into it.
Once Hayden was tucked into bed, Chris and I really got to work. I dyed a couple of raw eggs green. Swapped the pink Kool Aid for green and added some green food coloring to the milk. We even dyed our toilet water green. Chris left a trail of Lucky Charms and Shamrocks all over our living room and kitchen floor. He worked tirelessly making the streamer rainbow and demo-ing the trap. We created little clues for Hayden to follow. Starting where the Leprechaun "got away."
First Clue: The girl who made this trap is quite the inventor, But she hasn't found me yet, she should try the refrigerator.
Which led her to this:
And the 2nd Clue: I drank your milk and turned it green, Now this little Leprechaun needs to pee!!
This led her to the bathroom and her 3rd and final clue: You're a smart Lass and this chase has been fun, Once you find the rainbow, your prize will be won!
Behind the rainbow was a green bucket full of little green goodies the Leprechaun left just for her.
She was elated and we were thrilled by her reaction. I headed to work and Chris made her green scrambled eggs for breakfast before taking her to school with a load of cupcakes for her class.
We both worked really hard to create this memory for her. But Chris, the hardest. I went to bed by 11:30 and he stayed up nearly all night making sure everything was perfect and in it's place. He's a VERY special Man and Father. Hayden and I are both incredibly lucky to have him. Chris and I both agree whole heartedly that seeing Hayden light up in the way she did is worth every ounce of energy it took. She will only be little for a short while. And things like this will cease to be magical in the all too near future. And I want to savor every chance I get to see that "magic" in her eyes.
Chris is working outta town a couple weekends this month and the weekends he is in town, I'm on call. Seeing how we usually go to Green Bluff (which is quite a ways out and has very little cell reception), I thought that we would have to skip the pumpkin patch this year. I was feeling really bummed about it. Then I remembered Carver Farms in Newman Lake, Wa. I had always heard about it, but had never been there. It was far too beautiful out yesterday to not at least attempt a trip there, even if it was in separate cars (in case a got called in). It's only about 25 minutes from our house, close enough so that I wouldn't miss any calls and would have enough time to make it in to work if needed.
It turned out to be a total blessing that we went there instead. The last few years Green Bluff has been totally commercialized, over priced and ridiculously over crowded. Carver Farms was a dream in comparison. The pumpkin patch was HUGE! The variety of pumpkins was unreal and even though it was Sunday and the weather was AMAZING, it didn't feel like we were fighting lines of people and traffic during our outing. We left with 5 large pumpkins and probably 5 or 6 smaller ones and only spent about $20. We went on the hay ride, which Hayden LOVED! We practically had to drag her off the truck. And to top it all off I never got called in to work. We made it home and had some left over home made chicken noodle soup, hosed down the pumpkins, decorated the house and relaxed for the rest of the day. I love family Sundays like that. It really was a perfect fall day. I am so incredibly grateful for my little family. Life is good!
I'm gonna go ahead and start out this post by saying this weekend was INCREDIBLE! Chris and I left Hayden with her Grandma and Pappa and headed to the Oregon Coast last Friday. I was thrilled to get away for the weekend. Chris and I haven't done something like this since before Hayden was born and, believe it or not, I've never been to the Oregon Coast. Boy, have I been missing out!! The beauty there is surreal and unlike anything I've ever seen.
The drive down was long, as expected. Enjoyable though, considering I had time to relax, snooze and read which now days is hard to find time to do. We made a stop at Multnomah Falls and I'm glad we did. It was incredibly beautiful, the rain had stopped and the sun was shinning. It was the first of many memorable memories that were going to be created over the next few days.
We arrived at Cannon Beach a couple hours before sunset on Friday. We checked into our room, a set of little town houses just a block from the beach. There was a lush little courtyard in the center with a koi pond. Chris did an awesome job choosing the place for us to stay while we were there. We threw on our rain jackets and headed to the beach while the sun was still up (even if it was behind the clouds and raining). We took a stroll along the coast, checked out the tide pools and just took in the beauty that IS the Oregon Coast line. We grabbed dinner at Castaways Tini Tiki Hut afterwards and then called it a night. We new we had a lot we wanted to see on Saturday.
Although the temptation to sleep in Saturday morning was great, we new we had a very limited time so we were up bright and early at 7am. We had breakfast in Cannon Beach and then we were off to Astoria to see the Goonies house. We actually watched The Goonies on Thursday night before we left so it would be fresh in our minds. We got to see the Goonies house and (if you remember the movie) the window at the bowling alley that Chunk squeezes his milk shake all over in the opening credits car chase scene.
On a side note, as we were leaving the Goonies house, Chris and I took a wrong turn. I told him to just turn around, as Siri (iphone GPS narrator) began to redirect us. We took a couple turns and started laughing as we realized we were suddenly directly in front of this famous school.
If it doesn't look familiar, this might jog your memory:
We had heard the school was in Astoria, but didn't really have the intention of driving by so it was funny that we just happened across it. It was a pretty funny discovery. As Chris said, "we had a very 'nerd productive' morning."
Once done in Astoria we went back South on the 101 and ventured into Ecola Park. It was a wilderness wonderland there. Breathtaking views of the coast. We visited a couple of different view points from within the park. One of which was also a film spot of the Goonies. We hiked the coastline, took tons of pictures and were just blown away by how majestic the beaches were there.
On our way out of Ecola park we came around a corner to see close to 10 elk down in a small valley below grazing. We parked and were able to get a couple shots before the forest ranger got after us for stopping on the road. The reprimand was worth the ability to get so close to those animals. Afterwards, we went back to the room for a quick power nap to refuel for an evening of walking the coast/waiting for sunset on Cannon Beach.
It was a little rainy and gloomy when we laid down for a nap in the afternoon, but by the time we woke up and got down to the beach, the rain had stopped and the sun was shinning. It was beyond perfect. We started walking around 4 and just kept walking. Past Haystock rock, past flocks of birds. The waves crashing.
We stopped just slightly before the sun started to go down. We were in a quiet little cove, all by ourselves, the waves crashing, the sun setting, when Chris got down on one knee and asked me to MARRY him!!! The setting was incredible. Perfectly amazing. Chris helped design the ring and it has a great sentimental story. I couldn't have dreamt up a more perfect proposal. I mean, just look at the backdrop behind the photo of the engagement ring! Chris and I have been together for 7 years. We own a home together, have a child. And we made a commitment to each other throughout that time that we both have planned to honor and cherish forever and always, marriage or not. But it feels good to be able to call him my fiancé now. Boyfriend always seemed so....not right some how. We have not set a date. But now we can start planning and that makes me super excited. I don't know how I got so lucky to have such an amazing and thoughtful man in my life. I'm looking forward to spending forever with him.
Those of you not from this area are probably not familiar with Mudgy Moose and Millie Mouse. Hayden received the Mudgy and Millie book as a 3rd birthday present from a dear friend and old coworker of mine, Connie Taylor. The book is special because it takes place here in Coeur d'Alene and features several places that we have not only visited with Hayden but that were also landmarks in my upbringing in the area. You can learn more about the Mudgy and Millies story here. The book includes a map with a trail around town that features actual statues of Mudgy and Millie. Hayden adores the story, characters and statues. I saw an add in the paper a couple months ago with the date for Mudgy and Millie's 5th Birthday party (5th anniversary for the book) and hung it on the fridge so I 'd remember to take Hayden when the day rolled around. The party was this last Sunday so we took Hayden down to participate. The author of the book was there, along with the man who created all of the statues. Susan Nipp (Author) read the book to all the children, we got Hayden's copy of the book signed , Mudgy and Millie made a guest appearance and there was CAKE (pretty sure this was Hayden's favorite part). It was really a great little party for the kids. I'm happy to be part of our little community and to take Hayden to events like this one. Seeing her little eyes shining with excitement (especially about books) makes me feel so warm and fuzzy. I love that Susan Nipp wrote this story and that I can share my love for the town I grew up in and read with my daughter all at the same time.
This week we attended my cousin Roxanne's baby shower. Spent 1 last day at the fair. BBQ'd at our friends Brent and Jessica's house. Spent 2 days on the couch overcoming a little virus Hayden picked up somewhere. Today we went to the bounce house in town and fed the ducks down by NIC at Coeur d'Alene. All on top of our regularly scheduled weekly duties. Yet another busy week in the life of us. Here a few of my favorite photos from the last several days
What a week! Chris has been outta town, working in Philadelphia, since the Wednesday before last. So I've been playing the role of full time working, single Momma. Although traveling is not uncommon in his career, this week has been a little extra exhausting it seemed. I think maybe all of the excitement of the summer is just finally hitting me. Every weekend has been full of birthdays, BBQ's, family gatherings, beach trips, events in downtown Coeur d'Alene (Ironman, Art on the Green), etc. It's always something. I'm not complaining by any means. It has been a wonderfully eventful and amazingly weathered summer here in North Idaho. But truth be told, I think I'm starting to run a little low on fuel. I'd almost say that a little piece of me is ready for the next season, but I know I'll eat my words as soon as I step outside and can see my breath. Fall is definitely in the air, though. The days are still very warm but they are getting noticeably shorter and the evenings and mornings are definitely getting chillier. It's weird how you can actually feel the transition of the seasons within you. Not to mention the fair is in town here in Kootenai County (for me, this has always been a marker that the end of summer is near).
We took the girls (Hayden and her cousins Holland and Halle) to the fair last night after I got off work. I really didn't feel like going, to be honest. It's been a long week at work. Our other technician has been on vacation so the work load was heavier than usual. As I mentioned Chris has been out of town and Hayden has been going through an exceptionally trying, testing, sassy phase. All I really wanted to do was go home, put my feet up and have a glass of Vino. But I knew that Hayden would LOVE seeing her cousins and going on rides and petting the animals so of course I couldn't say no. And of course, after the fact, I'm certainly happy we went. Her smiles and giggles were priceless. We even ran into one of her classmates while we were there and they went on the Dragon Coaster together. And as if that wasn't enough we saw her teachers Miss Chris and Miss Ashley there, too. I remember how excited I used to get when I was little and would see people I knew from school when I was out with my Mom. It was really cool to see Hayden's face light up like it did.
My Mom, Hayden and I were talking the other night and the subject of holidays came up. We mentioned to Hayden that the next big holiday to come would be Halloween. We asked her what she wanted to dress up as this year. Her eyes got wider than I've seen them in a while and she grinned from ear to ear. Without hesitation, she excitedly answered, "SPIDERMAN!!" We all laughed out loud! I couldn't help but wonder how she knew about Spiderman. It's not really a cartoon we watch at our house. Then I remembered that her friend Oliver had a Spiderman costume on a few months ago when we were there for a visit. And her friend Stella has 2 older brothers that have probably watched the cartoon when Hayden was there for play dates. Regardless, it was an unexpected and totally adorable response. "You don't wanna dress up like a princess for Halloween?" I asked.
"Princesses are NOT for Halloween!" she informed me.
Touché, my dear. Touché!
The next day my Mom texted me a picture of a Spiderman costume for sale at Costco. So, of course, I stopped there today after work to buy it. I knew Hayden would be THRILLED to see it when I brought it home. The look on her face was priceless! That spidey costume was worth EVERY penny.
Once she was all dressed up, the first thing out of her mouth was, "I've gotta go save everybody!!"
I walked into the bathroom while she was admiring herself. She couldn't stop giggling. At one point she removed the mask, telling herself, "Hee Hee, it's just me Hayden."
This kid is so full of surprises. I just adore her and all her silliness. Who knows if this will still be her costume of choice once October 31st actually rolls around. Whatever makes her happy, and as of now, being Spiderman obviously does!
Once Hayden was tucked into bed, Chris and I really got to work. I dyed a couple of raw eggs green. Swapped the pink Kool Aid for green and added some green food coloring to the milk. We even dyed our toilet water green. Chris left a trail of Lucky Charms and Shamrocks all over our living room and kitchen floor. He worked tirelessly making the streamer rainbow and demo-ing the trap. We created little clues for Hayden to follow. Starting where the Leprechaun "got away." 
