No wisecracks about the title of this post! Alton had some fun yesterday playing with his good buddies *B and *F, and upon our departure Elizabeth invited Alton to select a pumpkin from the collection on their front porch, because their backyard garden had yielded plenty of orange orbs to share around. After contemplating his options, Alton indicated that he wanted to take home...their scarecrow decoration! He asked what it was, and was delighted at the looks of this fun stuffed man with fake corn husks hanging off of him. I explained that we couldn't take their scarecrow, we chose an alternate pumpkin, and I drove off toward home amidst a chirping chorus of, "Where is the scarecrow? I want to see the scarecrow," from the backseat. I had been thinking earlier in the week that I wished we had more fun seasonal decorations, but wasn't really interested in shelling out bucks for paper skeletons and the like to tape outside in the elements. A good, homemade scarecrow is just what we needed! I promised Alton that we would make one together, and today we accomplished just that. I figured I could wing it on a design and pattern...right? I looked through my bin of leftover fabric and grabbed a Sharpie.
Here I am, winging it! Head.
Shirt.
Trousers...and cut.
Pinning and stitching.
I just used whatever thread was already on the machine: black.
Alton snapped this one.
Assembling shirt and trousers together.
The scrap man is coming together out of remnants, much like the scarecrows of yore.
Another Alton photo original.
The part Alton got to help with: the stuffing!
Making his yarn feet.
And yarn hands.
The headless horseman! Complete with Minerva foot photobomb.
Alton's viewpoint.
The scarecrow gets ahead. (Geddit?!)
He is almost complete!
Two little Halloween elves.
And he gets a face! Andy lashes him to his sharpened wooden stake and we plunge him down into a potted plant. Alton poses with finished scarecrow and our two pumpkins. (Thanks Elizabeth for the one on the right!)
Boo!
Some mornings, Alton wakes up before Andy has left for work. While Daddy is downstairs eating breakfast and packing his lunch, Alton gets a diaper change and then hurries down to make sure he gets in his hugs and goodbyes. Last week, before Andy had a chance to pack his lunch bag, Alton commandeered it from the countertop and said, "I'm going to work with Daddy."
He began to scurry around picking up his favorite toys, filling the lunch box with "the things I need that I will take to Daddy's work." He looks down at the bulging lunch box, doubtful that his fridge farm will fit.
He heads over to his toy bins for a load of monster trucks.
Finally, we're full!
Zips it up.
Just grab 'n go, right?
Poor little guy! Daddy had to go to work without him, of course, but luckily we had some fun plans in store for this morning--a playgroup outing to the pumpkin patch! Last year, most of our pumpkin patch outings were rained out, so this year I set them on the calendar as early as possible. We wound up with a gorgeous, sunny fall day and pretty much the entire patch to ourselves!
Cousin *P was one of the attendees. Alton entreats her to chase him!
Most of my pictures of them look like this--running away from the camera.
This patch is a particular favorite because they have both a train and a boat. Your admission ticket buys you a ride on each one. We're "all aboard" to head out to the far end of the pumpkin patch.
Auntie Karen and *P are ready to go!
Out at the other end of the property, they have u-pick pumpkins, or ones that have been harvested already. Alton uses two hands to grasp his baby pumpkin.
For the way back to the barn to buy our gourds, we ride the boat. Alton hands off his ticket to the pilot.
And off we go! Our baby pumpkin is already proudly displayed on the dining table at home. Hope for more bright fall days like this.
Last Sunday was my birthday, wa-hoo! To celebrate in an extra-ordinary way, Andy, Alton and I went out to the Oregon Coast. (With Minerva, of course.) We'd taken a similar fall minibreak out to Seaside last October, but this time decided to try something a little more cozy and a little less touristy. We found a vacation home rental for the weekend in Pacific City, a farther drive from our house, but a quite small, friendly little beach town and fully-equipped house for us to stay in. It had a gas fireplace in case it got rainy and chill, was walking distance to the beach, and plenty of space for us to stretch out. We left Hillsboro on Friday after the work day, and arrived in Pacific City to check in and hit a pub for dinner just in time for this sunset.
The next morning we were up and ready to go amidst Alton's choruses of "We are going to the beach!" But first, breakfast at a local cafe called "The Grateful Bread."
We had bacon, challah french toast, and some unwilling kisses.
Alton was in apple juice heaven--his favorite treat ever.
Back to the beach house, loaded up with towels and chairs to sit on (Andy and me) and monster trucks to play with (Alton), and we began our trek up 'n over the dune bridge that linked the housing community to the sand.
Dune Bridge - Crossroads!
On the sand, settled happily in chairs in the sun, it's playtime.
Alton picked up seaweed debris to use as cargo for his monster trucks--they are not just crushers, they are a gloppy leaf delivery service.
Our view of the iconic Haystack Rock.
I took Minerva on her long lead to go for a swim in the surf.
The dudes on the beach.
After awhile, it was time to go back home for lunch. Alton downed some mac 'n cheese at the dinner table, then went down for a nap...
while I took one of the cruiser bikes that belonged to the house and pedaled up the road to Ben & Jeff's Burgers and got takeout lunch for Andy and me to enjoy on the sunny deck!
Someone begged to come outside.
After the meal, I settled back in the sunshine to read my book while Andy and Minerva went on a major hike. They headed back to the beach and this time decided to scale this huge dune, for which Pacific City is known: (note the tiny specks at the top that are people!)
Andy's views from the top, down to the beach where we frolicked earlier.
Pacific City is also known for kite flying.
The grey marine layer started rolling in and it was time to head home, where Minerva was finally, finally tired.
While I showered in preparation for our family dinner out, Andy and Alton enjoyed some bubbles out on the patio.
(Dang, does this kid like bubbles or what?)
He had time to squeeze in a little dancing...
some hanging out with a snack and a dawg...
...and a monster truck rally, of course. He loooooves crushing the cars.
I had put out an APB to my local Oregonian friends to ask for a recommendation for a nice place on the coast for dinner, and several suggestions led us to The Bay House in Lincoln City. True to its name, the dining room afforded views of a little estuary outside.
We perused the extensive wine list, enjoyed a delicious meal, and Alton was smiled at indulgently by most of the other diners in the room. He even hopped out of his chair to sit in Daddy's lap for a minute and take this picture! What a natural.
Too much fun! Rainy weather the next morning had us not-so-reluctantly saying goodbye to the beach, then heading home for unpacking (Andy and Alton) and mani/pedis (me). Hey, it was my birthday, after all!
