Halloween costume has been found!

Rawr says the lion.

What's that saying about curiosity?

I am telling you, this cat is Naughty.

Just look!



and in other news....

Big News Today

I went to the Eye-doctor today because I can't see the board at school. Even when she uses a bright red marker I still can't see the bord. I have glasses to see things that are far away. Except I won't wear them all the time, just when I need to see things that are far away. They are dark brown on the front and dark brown with a orange and white design on the arms. Well that's the BIG news! I hope you're excited I surely am.

Sincerely,
Katie


(She has to wait 7-10 business days for her glasses. -Ed.)

PR5 has come to an end.

Watching the finale of Project Runway 5...

I cannot help but remember how I felt going into Project Runway 1's finale. I wanted Jay to win so badly! I watched nervously, I loved his collection, HE WON, I whooped! Whoo! I thought I would be wearing his clothes by now, but the fashion business is harder than I knew.

Having seen that, the PR finales feel a bit different. Winning PR doesn't guarantee you anything: if the winner does become "the next great American designer," it won't happen for a while. The finale is still fun to watch, having gotten to know the designers during the season, but their careers remain to be seen!

_____________
Kenley's Collection.
I pick out these two as my favorites:

I would LOVE to wear this dress!

This look is not that feasible in the "real world," but what a pretty look. Beautiful shape.

_____________
Korto's Collection.
These two are my favorites:

I would totally buy this dress (if it were a bit longer).

This one was very striking on the runway!

_____________
Leanne's Collection.
Watching this collection, I think to myself: "this is the one that seems to be inventing something new, imagining a new direction."
These two are my picks for favorites.



____________
Announcing the Winner.

It's Leanne!
(Eric and I have been referring to her as "Portland Girl" this whole season -- YEAH! Go PDX! Rip City! Stumptown! The City of Roses! Bridgetown!)

I wasn't really rooting for any one of the THREE WOMEN finalists - I liked Leanne and Korto all along - but I do agree with this decision. Well done, judges!

Portland must be excited tonight!

written by Julianna (some in third person)

Julianna has fun at school because she is good at reading.

And the new kitten named Turbo is fun. Two times he fell asleep on me. Now he has a collar.

Today we were working with Q. I drew a picture of a queen. I got finished just in time.

At recess the boys who were mean the other days decided to play our game today. We played dogs and owners. The dogs crawl around and the owners feed them using play food from the play house. I was an owner. I had lots of dogs: David, Marshall, Eric, and James. They were not as well behaved as the other people's dogs.

We went to music and we sang a song I love called "Alleluia."

I saw Marshall's new puppy with his mom picking up Marshall. She was a French bulldog named Coco. I got to hold the leash and walk the puppy.

At home I made lunch. Carrots, yogurt, and of course raspberries. Grandma will say, "she ate raspberries? Mmmmmmmmmmmm."

Time alone with Nick

Yes, we have time alone together every Tuesday and Thursday morning, but we had some unexpected time together when Julianna went over to Alyssa's house for lunch.

Nick got to choose what he wanted to eat for lunch, and he decided on scrambled eggs, and asked if he could help make them.

I don't usually have the kids help prepare the food, just because I don't think I can keep tabs on them well enough; but with only one, it's really fun to have them help make the meal!

Nick cracked the eggs and beat them with the whisk. While I tended to them on the stove, he did a very careful job cutting up cucumbers!

We sat down to enjoy our lunch together, and as you might guess, this time he didn't resist eating anything on his plate! He was excited about those cucumbers!

A simple thing can be really nice.

Progress

Here is where things stand today:


Definitely coming along!

The first few days, Dino just hissed at Turbo and then left the room, giving us the cold shoulder and his patented glare of disapproval.

Then, he started to hiss and swat at Turbo. (Turbo seemed unfazed.)

The next step was Turbo starting to swat at Dino (mostly trying to get him to play & wrestle). Then Dino would bait Turbo with his tail, get him to pounce on his tail, and then hiss and swat at him when he did!

Finally, Dino consented to being in the same room without any drama.

Turbo still wants to get him to play!

____

Here are a couple of other cute pictures:


That's a tired kitty!

Thank You, Grandma!

We love our costumes!

Now I've Gone and Done It

There's a three-month-old baby living with us. He is a present for Dino, although Dino is not yet seeing it that way! I think he'll come around...



We'd like you to meet him!






He may look familiar to you (Mom and Darell)...





(drumroll...)







This is Turbo!



He is from the pet store, and I met him there about a week ago. I thought he was sweet and friendly (and yes, I was a sucker for his coloring). Eric and I had been talking about getting a kitten for a few months, thinking that Dino would enjoy some companionship (I should now change that to "hoping," though). We also thought it would be fun for the people in the family!

I told Eric about this kitten, but then I hesitated, thinking that I should go to the Humane Society instead. I thought about it for a few days, and decided to go back to the pet store, since I knew he was friendly and since he had been an abandoned kitty and would end up at the Humane Society anyway if no one bought him.

I wanted to surprise the kids. So, while the girls were at gymnastics class on Monday, Nick and I went to the pet store and got him. Then, when the girls came out of class, I was holding our pet carrier and Nick was shouting, "we got a new kitty!" It took a minute to sink in, but then there was much jumping up and down and cheering!

It was hard to concentrate on homework (or much of anything) the rest of the evening. The New Kitten did a lot of exploring, and a lot of LOUD purring. I remarked to Nick, "he has a loud motor!" and Nick liked the idea of a cat having a motor.

We couldn't focus enough to think of a name that night, although Katie wanted him to have a name before she went to school in the morning. But we didn't want to rush into anything!

Katie asked everyone at school for name ideas, wrote them down, and came home with a long list of suggestions. I came up with a list of ideas, too.

Catherine, Henry, and Violet came over to meet The New Kitten after school. They wore him out chasing the laser pointer, and he slept most of the evening! This gave us a chance to talk over the name ideas and come to a consensus! Can you guess why "Turbo" seems to fit?

Our list of ideas included:
Coloring-inspired:

• Rocky


• Dusty


• iNKy (New Kitten)


• Smokey


• Cloudy


• Misty


• Storm/Stormy


• Thunder (see also: loud motor)


• Bo (Bojangles) (white tap shoes)


• Boots


• Sox,

Mischief-making-inspired:

• Rascal


• Roscoe


• Tuggy

Loud-motor-inspired:

• Thunder (see also: coloring)


• Diesel


• Harley

Little Cute Bug

If you're ever wondering what Turbo is doing "right now," chances are it's this:


Julianna is very good at picking him up and holding him, and seems to be doing just that during 99% of her waking hours.

He seems to like it too... so much that he has been known to fall asleep in her arms, as captured in this photo:



This is a snuggly kitten who loves people. Can you tell?







We're all committed to giving Dino extra love, because he is our #1 man! He's been getting lots of hugs and scratches!

Pictures from Disneyland

We love the Dumbo ride!




This giant Mr. Potato Head tells jokes while you wait in line for Toy Story Midway Mania. Very amusing!



Look who "marched" in the parade!

Hightailing it to Adventureland

This weekend, we spent a day at Disneyland. Eric's company had arranged for everyone to go. After arriving and picking up our tickets, they handed everyone a cap with the company logo on it. The company is very secretive and does not put their name on anything -- just the logo which is a simple shape.

So ... there were thousands of us roaming around Disneyland and California Adventure that day, wearing identical caps embroidered with the simple shape. Like some sort of Cult of the Square had come to melt the minds of everyone waiting in the lines.

We had a Disneyland Day Full of Firsts!
We went on the Finding Nemo ride for the first time, as well as the Toy Story Mania ride (which was definitely the winner out of those two new ones).
We discovered that Nick measures right up to the line, as in the You Must Be This Tall To Ride This Ride line! That was a very exciting discovery!
With this new knowledge, we decided to take everybody on Space Mountain. Yes, this would be a first for all three kids... BUT ... there is a story. First of all, to understand the story, you must remember that the cars on Space Mountain are three rows of two seats. And that we have two parents and three kids in our family. OK, and ... scene: We are getting close to the front of the line. The girls are getting nervous and both say they will only go on if they can sit next to Daddy or Mommy. Nick is saying he wants to go on the ride, but 1) he is three, and 2) he doesn't know what he is getting himself into (he has no idea what this ride is). So Mommy and Daddy want him to sit next to one of us. We suggest that the girls sit together and have Mommy and Nick in the row in front of them, and Daddy in the row behind them. The ride attendant sends us to Lanes 1-3. The girls say NOOOOOOOOOOOO! THEY EACH NEED TO SIT NEXT TO A PAAAAARRRRREEEEEEEENNNTT! The car is ready for us to board. It is decided (real fast) that Mommy and Nick need to hop in and Daddy will wait with the girls for us to come out and then go on. So Mommy and Nick hop in.

Well, what do you think? Did Nick enjoy his first time on Space Mountain?

No, he did not.
I couldn't see him in the dark during the ride, so I held his hand and shouted "Wheee!" the whole time so he would feel me in the dark and hear that I was having fun, in case he was feeling scared, but I had absolutely no idea if he was liking it or not. He wasn't making any sound. At the end, I asked him if he liked it, and he very calmly said, "No, I didn't like that one. I do not want to ride it again." He didn't seem upset, but he definitely stuck to that opinion.

Now it was time for the rest of our group to ride. When we saw Daddy and the girls, Nick informed them that "That ride is too scary." Julianna decided she did not want to find out for herself, which was perfect because Daddy could go with Katie and I could wait with Julianna and Nick.

So what do you think? Did Katie enjoy her first time on Space Mountain?

OH, YES. Yes, she did!
She was exhilarated and declared it her favorite of the day! Way to go, Katie!


Another first was on Soarin' Over California. This one is a big family favorite, and since Nick was finally tall enough, we could all go on together for the first time! It was fantastic, of course, and Nick loved it!

We also got to eat dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant. It was everyone's first time except for me (growing up, my family ALWAYS ate dinner there, every time we went to Disneyland). Since the Company Day at Disneyland had been planned quite some time ago, I had been able to call ahead and make reservations, and I was very excited to eat there again, like coming home after all these years! When we walked in, the darkness and mood made Julianna nervous, but I assured her that we would just be enjoying the peaceful nighttime river scene with the pretty lanterns strung above our heads, watching the boats go by... we would not see the boats go down the waterfalls to where the Pirates of the Caribbean are. After reassuring her that we did not have to go on the Pirates ride, we could just eat here and then walk back out the door, she was fine and we all enjoyed our yummy dinners and our dessert shaped like a pirate ship.

There was another first, an unfortunate one that I could have lived without.
The last thing we did was go to the Enchanted Tiki Room, even though Nick had already said he was tired and wanted to go. Since both Julianna and Nick looked like they were sleeping with their eyes open through the Tiki Room, and Main Street was filling up with people sitting and waiting for the fireworks, we decided we had better book it out of Disneyland or we might not be able to get out until after the fireworks.
We got out of the park and I realized that I did not have our bag. I had left it sitting in the Tiki Room. Eric and I looked at each other, trying to figure out if we could leave anyway, not wanting to deal with how to get it. When we realized the car keys were in it (and since we preferred to keep our camera), we knew I had to run back inside.
And RUN I did. Swimming upstream against the flow of the crowds (after waiting in line to get in the gates - ugh), I hightailed it into Adventureland. At the Tiki Room, I told the guy "I left my bag in there!" and he pulled it out of a storage closet! Huzzah!
I called Eric to tell him SUCCESS! ON MY WAY BACK TO PARK EXIT! and ran back out to the family. Eric was Shocked, Shocked I Tell You that I had been so fast. "You must have run!" he said.

OK, so first time leaving the bag inside Disneyland and having to go back in for it ten minutes before fireworks. AND THE LAST TIME.

Written by Julianna: A Report From Kindergarten

A boy named Michael made friends with the girls at recess. That was fun!

The next good thing was Katie H. shared her birthday cupcakes at snack with me, Alyssa and Nicolette.

And the next good thing was today wasn't so boring.

I have fun in P.E.

We have been learning the alphabet. That's fun because the lower case letters are easy for me. I get stickers for working very quietly. And so does Alyssa.

We have Centers when the afternoon kids are in P.E. There is Computer center, Reading center, Building center, Dramatic Play center, and Coloring center. I wish Centers was every day.

Today we had music. I made friends with a girl named Jennifer from the afternoon class. And a girl named Mia.

Today I gave one of my stickers to my mom. It looks like a nickel.

My mom helped in my class on Monday! That was FUN! She read a cute story. I felt very very happy.

The End
Love, Julianna

That weird fungus

It's back, and it opened up this time:


I've been getting them out while they're still really small, but apparently this one grew and opened up quickly.

It's in a pot! How am I going to get rid of it?


And why am I putting up pictures of a weird fungus when I still haven't put up the Oregon pictures? Because there are just 2 fungus pictures, and over 300 Oregon photos! Ack!

The First Day of School

Today our girl had her first day of Kindergarten! She was cheerful and excited this morning as she got ready to go.


We were quite a group walking over to the school! Julianna had her little snack in a little lunchbox.


You know what? Julianna has the same desk that Katie had on her first day of Kindergarten! I think she was a little nervous when she got to the classroom, although she hides it well when she's out in public.





After our (much smaller) group left the school, we took Nick over to the preschool for his first day!


There were some tears at drop-off time, so I stayed to watch for a little while. Nick was shy during circle time, his hands fiddling with his mouth, but did speak out loud and strong when they asked them if they knew their teachers' names! He played by himself in the bike yard, and I found that a little hard to watch, so I headed home. When I came to pick him up, he was enthusiastically participating in Story Time. He saw me, ran over for a hug, and told me "I like Room 7!" Then we took the picture you see just above!


This is Julianna when she got home from Kindergarten:

Doesn't she look happy?

She had a good first day and is looking forward to tomorrow. Maybe I'll hear more about her day tomorrow!

Speaking of my firstborn...

It is hard to believe my baby is in the third grade!

And yet...




...she sure has grown up since the first day of kindergarten!

Happy Birthday, Malia!

You are one today, you little charmer!


We love you!




I remember when my firstborn turned one. It was so hard to believe that a whole year had gone by, yet my life had changed so completely that my pre-motherhood days seemed like a distant memory. I certainly couldn't imagine my life without her!

Since we've been home

Neighborhood Water Balloon Fight!



Weird fungus growing in my front pots



Playdates! and Swimming!
(Not pictured)

Took Nick to the dentist!
(Not pictured, but if there were a picture, heavenly light would be emanating from it. Six months ago, this boy was so afraid of the dentist that he wouldn't sit in the chair and wouldn't open his mouth and the dentist gave up and told me to just forget it and come back in six months. This time, he wanted "shiny lion teeth" and clambered right up into the seat and opened his mouth wide before the hygienist was even ready! He was CALM and followed all directions! Cue the Hallelujah Chorus!)

Drop-in Day (the girls carefully chose their outfits)



On Tuesday, we took the girls over to school for Drop-in Day. We brought all of Katie's school supplies and she put them in her desk in the third grade room. Julianna got to see her Kindergarten classroom and some of her friends who had dropped in at the same time. (I thought this would help with her nerves, but it was minimal.) Katie was having a great time in the third grade room and didn't want to leave, but Nick was VERY insistent that he did not want to be there anymore and we needed to come home! He was hoping that the girls would stay at school and he would have the house to himself, but no such luck.

The First Day of School for Katie



A very happy third grader has headed out the door for two mornings straight! She is so excited about the year, her teacher, learning cursive and multiplication (after January)... She's feeling very big because "we're the oldest on the playground!"

When she came home from school yesterday, I noticed that her new jumper is pretty long. So I took the waist up and hemmed the skirt last night (on both jumpers). Now, when I wash them, they'll probably shrink and I'll have to take it back out. Maybe not the best planning ever.

Julianna's first day will be Monday. She was wishing that she could start when Katie did. She's nervous about Kindergarten and wants to just get started so she can stop worrying. I agree!

Song About Oregon

by Katie (and her collaborators)


(sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)


There are things that must be done when you go to Or-e-gon.
See the animals at the fair, look at Mount Hood way up there.
Drive up the river to see the falls, go to OMSI and play with little balls.
Oregon City is where the Trail ends, go to the museum and tell all your friends.
A trip to the seaside can’t be beat, feel the sand beneath your feet.


Pictures are coming!

We're not the only ones

There's another Chabot 5!!

Congratulations to the other Chabot 5 - Ryan, Sarah, Lucas, Cole, and Jacob!

Jacob Ryan Chabot was born at just before 6:00 pm on Wednesday, July 23.
8 lbs, 11 oz
22 inches

My second week of UPSTAGE!

HIYAfolks! I am in GOOD MORING BALTIMORE, MAMA I'M A BIG GIRL NOW, WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES, and YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT so far. I'm a business man in GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE. I poke my head out of the curtains and say "hey mama, say mama" in MAMA I'M A BIG GIRL NOW. I'm a little girl playing on the streets in WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES. I'm a reguler person in YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT. Don't forget my performance is next week!


I'M HAVING A GREAT TIME AT UPSTAGE!