In which I catch up, Part II

Part I of this In which I catch up series takes us through our arrival in Washington through to the start of home school, but I have fallen so far behind on recording our comings and goings on this blog that a Part II is needed. And probably more parts. I'll call on some bullet points to help me.

• Late September our dear friends Bernie and Pat drove out from North Dakota to visit Pat's sister and we were able to spend lots of time with them. The thought may or may not have flitted through our minds that we had already had more visitors in Washington than we ever had in North Dakota...
• Ever eager to see Washington's wondrous sights, we took a day trip to the Pacific Ocean, the first ocean I have ever seen. I'll never forget parking in a remote lot among the trees, stepping out of the van and hearing the distant roar of an ocean that never stops; the roar I've read about countless times in books. It got louder as we navigated the marshy path toward it, 

• and then all of the sudden...

...there it was. We even got to see our first bald eagle as we were leaving.

• My brother Danny and his girlfriend Lexi came to stay a night and run a half marathon in late October. Natalie and Heather pretty much leeched themselves onto them both and didn't let go until they left. They weren't even scared of Danny's beard this time :)

•  Of course Halloween came next! To me this meant baby was coming soon, but to Natalie and Heather, it meant candy. Natalie had decided long before that she wanted to be a witch again- a scary one, and Heather, well, she was all over the place. But she settled on a cupcake. The day before Halloween we all headed into Jo-Ann Fabric for the perfect material and accessories, and subsequently came up with this:

...then this:

• Our annual pumpkin carving contest which usually includes my sisters Jaclyn and Jenny resulted in some interesting pumpkin creations:

Made by Natalie, and also voted first place.

Made by Heather.

Made by me.

Made by Larry. Ask him what it is.

• Let's note how pregnant I was by this time. Baby was due mid November, the 12th I think, I was in serious hip pain and oh so ready to meet the squirming little person inside. We did not know the gender, which made baby's arrival so much more exciting.

And then........ In which I catch up, Part III: Claire comes!