We're just coming off a weekend that left us with very full hearts.
One of my childhood best friends and her family came out to visit, so we spent Halloween weekend with 4 girlies under 5 years old! It was a blast, and this morning I’m also very tired (in the best possible way!).
Highlights include:
- 💦 Bringing them to one of our favorite (easy!) waterfall hikes in Oregon
- 💃🏻 Halloween morning dance party at one of my favorite coffee shops
- 🦙 Feeding alpacas at a local ranch
- 🧙 Dressing as witches with my friend and joining the annual Witch Paddle on the Deschutes River
- 🎃 Trick-or-treating together with our daughters 🥰
👉🏼 Do you celebrate Halloween? Did you dress up?
You can probably already tell but I’m a huge Halloween fan!
Here’s a picture of our Halloween costumes 👽🌙🛸✨
Juniper (our 4.5-year-old) decided months ago that she wanted to be a “purple baby alien”. I will be making family costumes until our girls no longer let us haha… so I took that concept and ran.
- Ben = Galaxy
- Katie = Moon
- Juniper = purple baby alien inside a UFO*
- Senya = alien that is having an identity crisis and refused to wear her antennas 🤷🏻♀️ (picking my battles)
*The UFO turned out so cool & we she got lots of compliments on it, but dang, it was heavy and Mom & Dad ended up carrying it a lot haha
‼️ 2-NIGHT STAY GIVEAWAY!!!
2 weeks ago we had the DREAMIEST stay near Mt. Hood (one of our favorite ever spots in the PNW!).
The vacation rental we stayed at is brand new and truly a 10/10 (especially for families!).
- 🔭 Stargazing dome!
- ♨ Sauna + Hot Tub
- 🔥 Fire pit + BBQ
- ☕️ BEST coffee bar I’ve ever seen at an Airbnb
- 🛌 3 bedrooms
- 👶🏼 High chair, crib, all the child utensils
- 🧩 TONS of games, puzzles, a Tonie box
- 📍 PERFECT location near Mt. Hood
ENTER TO WIN! We’re giving away a 2-night stay at this place. See how to enter in the caption here!
The winner will be chosen THIS FRIDAY (11/6).
⭐️ And here is the booking link to this spot!
Psst! Here’s the exact itinerary we followed for our Mt. Hood weekend away!
Silver Rail 💔
I’ve typed and erased more than I care to admit. But I’ve come to the conclusion that there really are no words in the wake of a tragedy this big that make anything make sense.
But I also know that saying nothing doesn’t feel right either. Life has felt heavy lately and this shouldn’t feel normal or be something we brush off.
By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the news that shook our community in Bend, Oregon on October 15th.
I don’t even know how to quite express what it has been like to witness something this horrific in a place where you live. I hate that this is a reality in our world, and I have all sorts of emotions (especially when I think of my oldest daughter entering kindergarten next year).
In all the darkness, one glimmer is that there have been lots of local businesses and organizations that have tried to step up and help in any way they know how.
If you want some ideas of ways you can help, here are 2 resources:
- Here is a list of all the GoFundMe accounts for victims.
- You can write a letter to Silver Rail students. The information is below.
One more thing I wanted to share is that a friend (who is a child psychologist) recommended this book:
“Breaking News” by Sarah Lynne Reul
(NOT affiliate links)
Described as, “This reassuring picture book helps young children understand difficult news events, process big feelings, and find comfort in community, kindness, and hope―empowering families to have gentle, honest conversations about the world around them.”
I just ordered it and think it can be a good tool for explaining to young kids about why adults might be feeling big feelings (without going into details of the news itself, so it can apply to a lot of situations).
Again, I am just lost for words and am very much still processing.
Hug your people and be gentle with yourself ❤️
What if the hard part was already done?
All you have to do is pack your bags!
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