Zoey's first race...

Zoey has been looking forward to the Jingle Bell Run for weeks. In fact, the first thing she said this morning was "Do we get to go to a race?" So, we bundled up and went down to the track to take part in the action. After putting on the number, antlers and jingle bell, she was ready to go! The kids race was 1 or 2 laps. After the first lap Zoey decided that she wanted to go one more! Eryn tackled the 5k almost 4 months to the day that she delivered Carly and ran right around 8 minutes per mile. Nice job Mommy!!!

We're back...for now

Here is a little recap of the last three months. While there have not been any blog posts during that time, the action hasn't stopped!

That's a wrap!

I woke up early this morning to the sound of rain on the roof. It wasn't that misty summer rain that we occasionally get, it was HEAVY. So, I guess it is official...summer is over. The fact that I'm required to be back in the classroom tomorrow doesn't help either. Zoey has been helping me get my classroom set up over the last couple of weeks and it won't be the same when I hop in the car in the morning and head to school...by myself.

Looking back at the last few months, we have been fortunate to experience a lot of great things. Of course the arrival of Carly was one of the biggest events, but there were many other good times as well. A trip to the zoo, bike rides, 4th of July fun, BBQ's, carnivals, playing in the pool, watering the garden, blackberry and blueberry picking, meeting Benny the Beaver, the ice cream truck, playing at the lake and a trip to Enchanted Forest are just a few of the highlights.

So, while the end of summer isn't always met with joy, it can definitely be looked back on with a lot of great memories. Here is some footage from the last eight weeks or so. I reached back a couple of decades for the music. I don't know if they can be considered "classics", but I think it worked. Thanks to everyone that we were able to spend time with this summer! These events would not have been the same without you! I'll do my best to continue to post pictures but with the start of school comes a little less free time.

Afternoon with Grandma...

Grandma came to visit today! After spending a little time with Carly it was time to hit the trail to look for blackberries. I think we are still about a week early at this particular spot but we did find a few.

A Frog!

Here are a couple of pics from the last week or so...

Still summer...

Zoey loves having a new little sister but she also loves taking advantage of a few more weeks at home with Daddy! We have been busy weeding, watering, playing in the water, and visiting OSU to see Aunt Christina, Cousin Brody and Benny the Beaver! We also had a stop at Grandpa Scott's for some fun in the sandbox, riding the quad and playing on the swing before we started the trek home. GO BEAVS!

Welcome Carly!

On August 5th we added one more to the family! Carly Hannah Knutson was born at 6lbs 6oz and 20 inches. After one night in the hospital everyone is at home and doing well. Zoey is really excited to have a sister and constantly asks what Carly is saying. She wants to know how soon Carly can go swimming, on a bike ride, eat cake...you get the picture. Before we get to all that we are going to try and conquer eating and sleeping (at night). Thanks to everyone that came to visit and help out the last couple of days.

Still waiting...

Zoey has been staying close to home as she awaits the arrival of baby sister. Luckily the lake is only a few minutes away so she can play and stay cool. The water is great and it is not very busy on the weekdays. The Knutson family will have another addition sometime this week!

Let's go fly a kite!

So, I think this is the best $2 toy purchase I've ever made. We found this kite on clearance at Target today and brought it home. As soon as we walked in the door Zoey was begging to go fly it. After looking out the window for even a little hint of wind I was trying to figure out how I was going to explain it to her once we made it outside only to have the kite not leave the ground. I guess the joke was on me because the little scrappy thing took right off. We must have flown it for at least an hour and Zoey was squealing with joy the whole time. I was worried that we were going to miss this moment but thank goodness for camera phones! If you haven't flown a kite recently Zoey highly recommends it.

Bohemia Mining Days...

So, the Bohemia Mining Days in Cottage Grove. It's kind of like a cross between the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo and the Fall Festival EXCEPT Bohemia Mining Days is about a quarter of the size. Grandma and Jerry came down to visit in the morning and we headed for the park. Zoey got to ride on the train and eat cotton candy for the first time. She was disappointed that the carnival wasn't open yet so we headed back again in the evening. Apparently we have an adrenaline junkie on our hands. Zoey would have stayed at the carnival all night to ride if we would have let her. After the first round on the roller coaster I thought she may be a bit terrified but the next thing I knew she had her hands up in the air like all the other little kids. Zoey was having so much fun on one of the rides she suckered the operator in to letting her ride once for free. Lucky Zoey got her mom's looks because I never could have pulled that off.