Fundraising update

We are thrilled to announce that our Benefit Concert raised $800 for our adoption fund! We raised $500 that night and then received the rest from people who weren't able to make it but wanted to contribute. We feel so blessed by your generosity!

December Fundraiser

The Joel Palmer House (Stefan's brother's restaurant) has generously offered to donate the proceeds of these dinners to our adoption!!! We are really excited, not only about the fundraising aspect, but just to see the menu, which will be unbelievable. We're hoping for a full house on each of these nights!

Election . . . or not

I'm going to mostly avoid talking about the election, because I'm just so glad it's over and I'm happily looking forward, rather than back.

But I do want to mention one, hopefully non-divisive issue that I'm happy about: Proposition 2 in California. This measure bans the use of crowded pens for animals being raised for food. This includes pigs, egg-laying hens and veal calves. They now have to be able to turn around and stretch their limbs (crazy, I know.)

Part of what is so great about this measure, beyond the human treatment of the animals, is that it helps small farmers. It's the large factory farms that routinely abuse animals, and small farms already follow these practices for the most part. We're pretty passionate about small farms around here and get much of our food from local ones, so I was glad to see something like this happen in neighboring California and just hope it will be a national trend.

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Recently heard around our house:

Meghan (realizing she hasn't seen Bridget in a couple of minutes): "Bridgey, what are you doing?"
Bridget: "I'm eating butter Mommy!" (and indeed she was scooping butter into out of the dish and into her mouth. The girl knows what she wants.)

Aidan (after the election result was announced): "Mommy, I'm so happy, but I'm starting to feel sad for John McCain. He lost, and he's so old he might die."

Aidan (in robotic voice): "We're Fix-o-Bots. We fix things . . . with guns."
and later . . . "We're just doing robotic type things."

Another pumpkin patch and Halloween

Aidan jumping out of the slide

Bridget wasn't sure about the dark tunnel

She finally made it


As did Aunt Lisby!

Uncle Cole, Aunt Vicky and Bridget on the hay ride

Uncle Conner and Aidan on the hay ride

A brave knight and a biker chick

A little loopy after a long night of candy

Pumpkin Patch

Stefan was auditioning a substitute for the day

Playing in the "Nuthouse"

The moms are ready to go . . . as long as they've got caffeine.

Aidan and his buddy Jeremiah

Aidan's preschool took a field trip to a pumpkin patch trip this past Wednesday and had a great time going down the giant slide, playing in the "nut house" and going through the dark hay maze.

Concert this Saturday

Saturday, October 25th
6:00-8:00 pm
Chapters Books and Coffee in Newberg, OR
Drinks half price!!
$10.00 cover charge

This Saturday at Chapters there will be a concert by Phil Zahn and Trent Conant, two local artists. Phil just released a new CD and Trent will have copies of his CD available as well. Drinks will be half priced for the evening and there is a $10.00 cover charge. The artists and Chapters are generously donating all the proceeds to our adoption! This should be a great night and hopefully spread awareness about adoption in general, beyond just us.

It might be considered nepotism . . .

During the presidential debate this evening:

Aidan: "Mommy, are women allowed to be president?"
Me: "Yes, they are"
Aidan: "Well why isn't there a woman president or a woman trying to be president?"
Me: Well, I guess there hasn't been a woman so far that enough people thought would make a good president."
Aidan: (thinks for a minute, then his face lights up) "Mommy I know! Aunt Sonja!"