the first day of fall

riley and i welcomed the first day of fall last week by starting a parenting education class at bellingham technical college. many many friends have taken the parenting classes and have had nothing but good things to say. we meet every tuesday at the college for 2 1/2 hours. you walk into the portable and just gasp, as it is truly toddler heaven! they have everything: a fish tank, books, dress up clothes, kitchen, wooden blocks, arts & crafts, babies and an entire fenced in backyard with all the outdoor toys imaginable. riley was a bit tentative as we walked in, but as soon as she saw a baby, she ran w/delight and carried the baby with her for the next 2 hours. the time is pretty structured, but lots of the time is set for free play. the best part is the parents split in the end and half the group watches the kids and the other half meet with the instructor and get to chat about our parenting needs/questions/concerns. we look forward to taking this class through the fall, as it will be a great cold/rainy day option!


riley pausing to read her book before we head to class


sponge painting



painting a leaf (and the best part is the parents don't have to do the clean up!)



riley signing her name...everything these days is, "no mommy, my do it"



once we were home and done with lunch & nap we whipped up a big batch of pumpkin cookies for some friends. riley has taken on quite the little mommy's helper role in the kitchen. she loves to cook & bake with me...so this is her helping drop the cookies on the sheet



i also want to pause and remember my friend janice from college. she passed away from sarcoma cancer on tuesday. our hearts are heavy for her husband, family & friends. she was a true light to everyone she came in contact with. we will miss you janice.

fight gone bad

i don't normally like to share pictures of myself working out...but i am very excited to share about participating in my gym's competition this morning. monday thru friday i attend a 6am class at the local crossfit gym, jogo. it's usually the same group of people and the community and support is just amazing. you have to be pretty crazy to want to get up that early (esp in the dead of winter in bellingham!) and do the hardest workouts you ever imagined. so we have a great common bond. some people like to think it's almost cult-like, but that's cool. i don't mind being in a cult with other people who take their health seriously and have fun while doing it :)

crossfit gyms around the country hold their own fight gone bad competition and everyone raises money for the wounded warriors as well as the prostate cancer foundation. i was very nervous to sign up, as this workout is INTENSE. it consists of five exercises (wall ball, sumo-dead lift high pull, box jump, push press & row) done for 1 minute each, with a 1 minute rest in between rounds, for a total of 3 rounds. that's 15 minutes of pure gut and sweat. so anyway, after much peer pressure from my coach and friends at the gym i decided to sign up and was honestly glad i did. enjoy the pictures below and please don't judge me for my funny-i'm working really hard-faces.

my heat - we had fun and decided to accessorize with yellow shades and green arm/leg bands

uncle drew & riley: the best of buds! (and check out all of andrew's hair!!!)

the cutest little man ever, even if he does sport a mullet

our spot on the village green

sumo dead lift high pull - women's weight is 55lbs

box jump - 20 inches

push press - 55lbs

wall ball - you have to squat down, then stand/jump to have your 14lb ball hit that green line, which is at 10 feet

no pictures of me rowing...but i think you get the idea. i felt like i was going to faint and could barely move afterwards, but in a sick and twisted way that is such a great feeling! anyone agree? thanks to my family for all the great cheers and support!!! and p.s.: i got a PR!

clayton beach & fairhaven

last weekend we truly soaked up our last weekend of summer by taking two adventures after riley's nap on both saturday and sunday.

on saturday we loaded up doc and a picnic and ventured down chuckanut drive to clayton beach. once you park there is a 1-mile or so hike to get to the beach. you even have to cross the train track to get there! but it is so worth it. once on the beach the views are spectacular and we were there from about 4-6 so the sun was low and shining right on us, making it hot! we snacked on our picnic and i spent the majority of the time laying on the blanket reading. riley was naked before we knew it and her and tyler had fun playing in the sand and water. it was such a treat to sit and read and enjoy the beauty that we are blessed with up here in bellingham.

on sunday we attached the bike trailer to our tandem and rode to fairhaven. our destination was milagro's, a cute mexican restaurant that has outdoor seating. we enjoyed the sunny and breezy weather on the patio while also enjoying their great happy hour menu! riley became quite antsy after a bit and decided that she had to play in the water fountain. tyler again was gracious enough to let me sit and watch while he took her to play. once back on our bikes we stopped part way home and enjoyed the view of the bay and even found some blackberries to pick. our last stop before we went home was our favorite, boundary bay, to split a dish of their mac n'cheese and enjoy their outdoor seating. i guess you could say we had a progressive happy hour/dinner on our bikes kind of evening. we even got totally crazy as we pedaled through bellingham's blocks and cranked up tyler's iphone so we could have some music! it was oh so yummy and peaceful, as riding alongside bellingham bay in the early evening is an experience that everyone needs to have. talk about the wind blowing on your face and sun just starting to set over the islands & water kind of experience. so tranquil!




i guess that wraps up our summer! we will definitely mourn the warmer weather but i am getting quite excited over the thought of the fall season and all that is has to offer! this weekend tyler is off to san diego for some surfing and golfing for a friends bachelor party and riley and i are headed to whidbey island to do some camping with my mom & her church.

have a happy labor day weekend!