We visited Santa Claus and his reindeer at the Cougar Mountain Zoo again this year. The boys really enjoyed feeding apple slices to Rudolph and the other reindeer, although Avery needed an explanation as to why Rudolph’s nose was not red.

Then we continued past the reindeer up to Santa’s cabin, and that’s when our normally outgoing and flirtatious Kieron turned to mush on the floor. He does not trust that Santa Claus! I briefly considered handing him over to Santa for one of those classic crying toddler pics, but the man just looked so nice, and Kieron is quite a fighter, and surprisingly strong. I worried Santa would wind up with a black eye or a fat lip, so I ended up back in the picture this year, holding Kieron. Avery told Santa he had been a good boy this year, and that he would like a Serpent Pirate Ship for Christmas.

Tossing coins into the fountain


On Santa’s sleigh







The boys helping out with Christmas cookies

The day after Thanksgiving we hopped on a plane to Maui. It was warm and sunny and beautiful, and we have way too many cute pictures to post, so I’ll just keep this short. Suffice it to say, we all had a great time!





At the Maui Ocean Center

Frog fish

Banded coral shrimp

Octopus

Pufferfish

Avery was thrilled to see a hammerhead shark up close!



Avery & Grandpa

Avery struck a couple of poses for Brianna:




The brothers playing sweetly together






Around Day 5 Avery got up the courage to venture down the “big water slide”

After one trip down, it was all he wanted to do for the rest of the trip!









Nana & Grandpa with the boys


Look who we bumped into on Maui!


Bump shot, 6 months









Nana & Jonathan

November flew by way too fast! Here are a few of our favorite pics from the month:




Avery and his buddy Jackson, emergency responders

Kieron monkeying around at The Little Gym





Lindsey and Jen walking along Bellingham Bay

Bjorn

Avery and Bjorn warming up with some hot cocoa

Jen & Ollie

We had an action-packed first weekend in October. That Saturday we went to the Salmon Days Festival in Issaquah. We had fun checking everything out and watching the salmon try to jump the fish ladder. At the end of the day, the boys got to try their first cotton candy, which they both loved.

The following day we met up with our friends/old neighbors, Jessica, Vasili, Lily, & Owen, at Remlinger Farm in Carnation. Avery and Lily enjoyed going on all the rides together. Before leaving, we treated Avery to his first candy apple. Avery saved some of the seeds and planted them in the back yard the next day. That’s when he informed me he was growing a candy apple tree!

Picking pumpkins







Jessica, Vasili, Owen, & Lily

Kieron loved playing peek-a-boo on the train




Snacking on kettle corn

The daddy’s and Kieron


Riding the train at the Salmon Days Festival (Avery appropriately picked the animal cage)

Go, salmon, go!




Tired festival-goer