October Madness

October was a very busy month for us.  It was a blur....but we did manage to capture a few memories!

A trip to the pumpkin patch was required.  The kids couldn't wait to find their own pumpkins.   We love the farm we go to in Frederick, Bloomfield Farm.  The day included a hay ride, tractors, animals, and loads of pumpkins and squash.

 We spent two weeks out in Washington State visiting Josh's family.  It had been four years since we had been able to venture west.  So this trip was so special.  Nathan and Kate loved the time with their cousins.  I just loved being with family.  I think we ended up with just shy of 300 pictures from this trip.    Here are some favorites:

Nathan and Alex horsing around  

Kate loved the time with her girl cousins (as she is usually surrounded by boy cousins out East.  She wasn't feeling well in this photo (hence the odd expression on her face) but Bri and Hannah were such a big part of her experience that I wanted to share this photo.  We miss them all so much!

And of course, we spent a lot of time with Papa Dan and Grandma Ann.  My kids ask daily if we can go on an airplane to see Papa Dan and Grandma - as if it were as easy as that.  We loved the time we had with the family.

 On our last day, we ventured out to Snowqualamie Falls.  It was a crisp fall day, and the views were amazing.

 

A special addition to our trip was a visit with good friends Paul and Peggy Wilkinson.  They happened to be in Oregon at the same time we were in Washington.  So considering they usually live in L.A. and we live 5000 miles east of them, we couldn't pass up a chance to drive 2.5 hours to spend a precious 24 hours with friends that really are more like family!   It was great to catch up, but it was even more precious to watch the kids jump right back into each others worlds.

Henry Hand-me-downs - so to speak

 Ann Henry is a saver! She's also the Henry/Rosenlof family historian.  It's so interesting to see the things she has kept and how the family history flows from the stories the items bestow.  Over the years, she has saved a few outfits of Josh's that she wanted to have the kids wear.   But this outfit predates even Josh. 

Ann's dad owned a Texaco station in Nampa, Idaho.  These overalls were made by Ann's mom and worn by Ann when she was around 2 years old.  Nathan (18 months) was almost too big to fit in them, but we managed to squeeze him in for a few historic photos.

Here is Kate wearing the same pair at 14 months.

Highlights from the Outer Banks

Josh' dad came with us to the Outer Banks. It was a lot of fun showing him around a part of the East Coast he had never been to. One place we had to visit was the Wright Brother's Monument. Josh and his dad are big fans of aviation - they once had their pilot's licenses. Here are some pictures from their visit.

Henry Traditions

We were very excited to have Josh return home after two weeks in Ohio on business. It's amazing how much a baby changes in just two weeks. Nathan will be 3 months old this coming week. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by.

With much sadness we have just said goodbye to Grandma Ann after three months of loving care she gave us all! I'm sure Anna and Shawna are happy to get her back on the West Coast; it might be a few weeks before Grandma is rested enough to babysit again. Sorry if we wore out Grandma! Papa Dan is still visiting for a few more weeks; we are glad we didn't lose both of them at the same time. Kate is already asking when she can go to Grandma's house.

Grandma Ann always brings with her special gifts. Kate has been given many books and creative activities this summer. One item that Grandma brought Nathan, was an outfit that Josh wore when he was a baby. It was in excellent condition considering it was nearly 40 years old (sorry Josh to spill the beans). So on Grandma's last day we dressed Nathan up in the same blue outfit and took some pictures with Daddy. We also took the chance to get a three generation picture of the Henry men.

Nathan at 12 weeks holding the picture of Josh about 9 months in the same outfit.

Off to the Outer Banks

We are taking our beach vacation a little late this year; however, there is something wonderful about the ocean in the autumn. Josh managed to work a business deal so that we got a week's stay at a family's home in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. The house overlooks the sound and is in a nice quiet neighborhood with beautiful walking paths and quick access to the beach.

Yesterday, Josh, Kate, Shayla, Auntie Shawna and Cousin Gabriella all went for a swim in the ocean, while mommy stayed homed and enjoyed a wonderful nap. Kate has loved flying kites with Daddy (Daddy bought her a small turtle kite just her size), finding shells, walking to the pier and playing with her cousin! She also enjoys chilling on the balconies and admiring the view.

Our niece, Gabriella, loves horses! So today Uncle Josh took Bri and her mom, Shawna, off on a wild horse adventure! The northern part of the barrier islands is a horse/wildlife sanctuary. There are Spanish mustangs that have roamed these parts of the beach for ages. A tour guide took the three of them in a jeep deep into the dunes and restricted access areas of beach in search for horses (and possibly some boars too!). It was a two hour ride through sand, dunes, and very cold winds. Katie would probably have loved the adventure, but pregnant Mommy and little Kate decided to wait the adventure out this year and plan on doing it another year down the road!

View from the jeep

State law requires humans keep a distance of 50 feet away from the horses. Must be tough to adhere to this law when you walk out your front door and find them munching on your grass!

Sewn with love

Papa Henry has taken up sewing this past year. Lately he's been making stuffed animals for the grandkids. Grandma Ann brought Kate two more creatures to add the yellow bear she got at Christmas time. As you can see, Kate loved the animals! Thank you, Papa!!

The Package Has Arrived!

This is code in my family whenever we successfully pick up a loved one from the airport. Tonight Josh's mom arrived from Washington state for a two and a half week visit. In honor of her birthday, Josh and I flew her out to see her lovely grand baby as her gift. (Southwest had awesome deals this month!!) We are so happy she is visiting. Kate was happy to see her and also happy to see so many airplanes. Airplane is the word of the day today!

A Day in the Park

Well, Olympic National Park that is...


Since it was the first day that the rain has stopped since we arrived in Washington, we decided to hop in the car with Josh's parents and go on a little adventure for the afternoon. We thought we'd head north to a little quaint touristy town called Poulsbo. But as we reached our destination, Kate was fast asleep in the car. And since our Little One has been sick most of this trip and not sleeping well, no one wanted to wake her (especially me). So we kept driving north and ended up in Washington's northern peninsula. It was a beautiful drive, one Josh and I have taken before when we headed up to Port Townsend. But today we went farther and found ourselves in Port Angeles at the base of the Olympic Mountains. Unfortunately the main road to Hurricane Ridge was closed from the fresh snowfall. But we still managed to get close enough for some beautiful pictures.

Josh and his mom used to hike a lot together. They have visited numerous National Parks over their lifetime. Many of Josh's favorite memories involve hiking and camping. Grandma Ann bought Kate her very own National Parks Passport Book. And Kate received her first stamp from the Olympic National Park. She'll be too little to remember this trip, but this is a place we'll come back to. Breathtaking scenery...simply breathtaking.

The leaves were almost as big as Kate herself!

This tree segment was huge! It began its growth in the year 1349.

We found normal sized tress to play in too.

Carry on Baggage

We headed up to the airport O' so early on Thursday morning for a visit with Josh's family in the Seattle area. Kate did great on the airplane. We stopped in Minneapolis for a brief layover, but she slept on both flights and was a fabulous traveler! (Thank you for all those prayers!)

Josh's parents haven't seen Kate since she was about 6 months old, and some of his family have never met her. We're excited about showing her off and letting her get to know the rest of her family.

Visit from Grandma Ann and Papa Dan

We just dropped Grandma Ann and Papa Dan off at the airport so they could fly back home to Tacoma, Washington. They have been visiting with us for 2 1/2 weeks, and we really enjoyed their company. Kate loved playing with Papa Dan; she also loved his scruffy beard. :)

Grandma Ann took really good care of Kate while Mommy and Daddy went away to Nashville for a few days. Grandma liked to take Kate on walks when the weather was warm enough. Thank you for helping us get away for a few days! We needed it!! :)

While they were visiting we had the honor of dedicating Kate to the Lord - thanking God for the incredible gift He has given to us in our daughter and testifying before family and friends that we will raise Kate in a home that honors God and trusts His grace to work in Kate's life as she grows. It was a special day. We were very blessed to have both set grandparents with us that day.

We are so grateful for the time Grandma Ann and Papa Dan spent with us. Kate will miss them now that they are back home. We are glad that they will be coming back in June for another visit.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Ann

Today is February 5th--Grandma Ann's Birthday.
We hope it is a day filled with joy and blessing.
We thought we'd contribute to your joy with a little song,
and well, Katherine had her own surprise to add in.

Happy Birthday! We love you.

Happy Birthday to you!

Today, we celebrate two family birthdays:

Anna and Gabriella



My sister, Anna, and Gabriella, my niece were both born on the 29th of December. Both of them live in Tacoma, Washington, which unfortunately, is on the other coast from the Washington that I live near. I wish that we lived much closer so we could see each other more often, but for now, we have to rely on cell phones and the internet to keep in touch.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Anna and Gabriella,
Happy Birthday to you!
(I know you know the tune, and are singing it in your head.)