Loebtoberfest 2.0

To celebrate our September birthday boys, we hosted Loebtoberfest 2.0, complete with lederhosen, beer, brats, and Curious George. Because monkeys and Munich go together, right? Yesterday proved that to be true.

The girls and Grandma and Papa Loeb helped get the house ready for the party while the younger of our birthday boys napped. When he awoke, Ryan was delighted to discover festivities and fun. He exclaimed, "Oh me gosh!" again and again, each time he saw birthday balloons, a guest arrive on the doorstep, Mary expertly placing dots of frosting around the cake. He was truly grateful for it all.

When the candles were lit on the cake at the end of the evening, he squealed with joy. Unfazed by the crowd, he grinned and basked in the moment. It was a moment I will remember forever. I don't know what his birthday wish was, but I certainly got mine.

Truth be told, there have been many times in the past two years when I've been envious of my friends who are enjoying that "sweet spot" of parenting-- where all of their children are fairly independent, sleep through the night (oh, blessed me, when will that actually happen for us!?), use the toilet on their own, and don't have to rush home for nap at 11:30am lest they risk a meltdown.

And yet, this amazing little boy is what makes our family feel complete. We adore him. We can't imagine life without him. He is a perfect addition to our clan. He is worth every sleepless night. Every single, solitary one of them. And then some.

Happy 2nd birthday to our beloved baby. Oh, and shame on us for not getting pictures of the seriously awesome lederhosen worn...next year!

The new, new millenials

A sure sign that this baby is a product of the 21st century....trying to plug iPhone ear buds into the skeleton key hole of our toy box.

School days

Look at these big school kids!

The Magic Beach

Much like the title of one of our favorite children's books, our Magic Beach did not fail us. We embraced the final weekend of summer by sprinting off to the coast for the day. It was an amazing, warm, magical day.

Flashback Friday

To celebrate the last Friday of summer, the kids and I trekked to the Enchanted Forest with a caravan of pals. It was akin to time travel. Not much had changed there in 30 years-- aside from fashion trends, that is. 

September of 1976, with Amy and Mom. 

August of 2013, my three babies. 

Western town 35 years ago. 

Western town today. (Exactly the same.)  

Tribe of Cousins

Grandma and Papa Buck treated our tribe of cousins to a special adventure on the Warm Springs Reservation. A trail ride on sturdy mustangs and hours of endless fun in a warm pool left the tribe tuckered out, just in time to climb into the Bison Teepee to enjoy a Papa bedtime story and a chance to glimpse the first stars of the night with Gra's evening sky chart.  Incredible memories were made, to be sure.

Veraison

The summer is screeching to a halt faster than we'd like to acknowledge. While it's been full and wonderful against that ol' yardstick of summertime adventure, the days have been less (okay, truthfully none) of the umbrella-drink-in-the-hand-toes-in-the-sand variety and more of the carsick-bags-and-schlepping-gear-and-overtired-toddler mayhem. So imagine how lovely it was to drop the children off with my parents and spend an entire day in the Columbia River Gorge winetasting with dear friends.

An incredible gift. At one of the wineries, the pourer talked about the ripening process of the grapes, known as veraison. Colors begin appearing in the grape clusters, a sign of the impending season of picking and crushing. It's a time of great anticipation for vintners as they begin the anxious waiting period before harvest. The day in the Gorge felt a bit like our own veraison-- a day to be calm and reflective as we prepare for the fall bounty of volleyball practices, soccer matches, and back-to-school nights.

And speaking of gifts, we just returned from two fun-filled days with the grandparents and sweet cousins in Kah-nee-ta. Snapshots of horseback trail rides and teepee tales coming soon...