Pumpkin Patch 2009

We headed to the great pumpkin patch and corn maze this past weekend, but I think we waited too long in the season because there were no good pumpkins to be found!  Scotty and Zac managed to salvage two small pumpkins and that was good enough for them.  I guess we'll know better next year to get an earlier start.  The corn maze was fun.  Last year you could see right over all the stalks, so it was lame.  This year they were nice and tall so it was a real maze where you could get lost if you weren't careful.  Lots of fun for the boys!

An October Day at the Beach

she almost caught one!

Scotty had sniffles yesterday so I kept him from school, however he was feeling fine and I wanted to get out of the house.  So I got a crazy idea to head to Ocean Shores, a two hour drive from our house.  It was raining and blustery and cold and the wind was blowing 100 miles an hour (that ought to be good for Scotty's cold), who wouldn't want to be at the beach in those conditions?!?!  But we had a great time beachcombing, chasing birds and digging in the sand.  A little rain never hurt anybody.  We practically had the whole beach to ourselves so we were able to let the dog run around to her hearts content.  It was a lot of fun.

Alaska Grown

I thought these "Alaska Grown" shirts were cute when I saw them on our trip to Alaska, but had no luck finding them in the boys sizes before leaving.  However, my good pal Suzanne finally found them in Juneau and surprised us with them earlier this week.  Scotty was excited to wear his to school today and it was a hit!!  Super cute.  Thanks Suz! 

Grandma's 75th Birthday Party Surprise

Patricia Lou (DeMille) Godfrey, age 16

We hosted my grandma's 75th birthday party at our house and it was a fabulous time.  She and three of her friends traveled over from eastern Washington on Saturday morning and arrived our house around 5 PM.  Meanwhile, the rest of the family arrived around 4 PM and it was a great surprise to her all who were in attendance.  My grandma is very special to me and it made me so happy to have our family and her friends at our house to celebrate this milestone.  She doesn't look 75 nor does she "act" 75, as you would be able to tell by the video clip of her 'gettin jiggy'....so glad I recorded that!!  Of course, thanks in part to the "Bourbon on the Rocks" that Jay kept feeding her all night - my Grandma was loopy and it was HILARIOUS to watch her let loose.  I know everyone had a lot of fun at the party and it was really great to see my grandma so happy and so loved.  Happy Birthday, Grandma....here's to many more!

Helping grandma find her way

The grand entrance

The cake I had made and the collage of pictures of the family

59 years later....

The Grandkids and Great-Grandkids

(seven other kids were missing unfortunately - but the most important ones were there :))

Bye Bye Baseball :(

We brought the boys to the last Mariners game of the season yesterday.  It was a beautiful Fall day in Seattle and it was Zac's very first baseball game. 

Zac checking things out

The boys were totally engaged in all the goings on

MMMM gotta have garlic fries a.k.a. Rally Fries :)

The Ms played a great game and ended a winning season with 84 wins, 77 losses.  Third place in the American League West.  A record that no one expected after last year's heartbreaking 101 losses.  It's amazing what a new General Manager, a new Manager, lots of new young players and a few older ones can do to improve a sinking program.  They called it the rebuilding process, something the Ms have long been overdue, and the new slogan this year was 'A New Day, A New Way'.  A new way indeed.  Manager Don Wakamatsu refers to a "belief system" that the players embraced and it is definitely what made things happen this year.  Despite lots of injuries and setbacks, they prevailed and it was the most enjoyable season to watch.  It beats the year they had 116 wins and all the years they made it to the playoffs.  This year was magical for a lot of reasons and I am so glad we were a part of it from start to finish.  No one knows if Griffey will be back next year, but his comeback year is something we will never forget, even if he was only batting .214!!!  He is a hero in every sense of the word.  The impact he had on the team and the fans is immeasurable, and he is definitely one of the main reasons this year was so special.

Griffey

The players saying goodbye to each other,

a rare show of comaraderie and emotion in professional sports