I stopped by Amy and Joe’s house after they finished trick or treating for a visit and to see the boys’ costumes. Justin was a fireman and Brian was a chili pepper (some of you may recognize the chili pepper costume from Justin’s first Halloween :) – What I did not expect was that Amy and Joe also got into the spirit of Halloween… Joe dressed up as a construction worker and Amy had on a sweet wig and some 80s style shutter shades, she said she was just being funny – but my guess is that she was an aerobics instructor! Mom went along for the trick or treating as well. From the looks of Justin’s candy bowl at the end of the night, it was a successful trick or treat.

At the end of October, Nonnie came up from Connecticut to spend some time with Mom and her stay (of course) included some time with her two great grandsons, Justin and Brian. Nonnie and Brian seem to be fast friends – which surprises no one. Nonnie also enjoyed a visit with Justin, who was happy as always, to share his newest books. Click on the above image to see the album of photos from the family visit.

Nothing fancy here – just some colorful photos from this past October. One autumn night I came out of the grocery store and the sky was orange and purple as the sun went down. Also, there is a tree in the middle of the cul de sac we live on and this past fall its leaves were beautiful, especially against the blue sky. Here’s a small album of fall photos.

In October last year Aaron and I took a much needed vacation and traveled out west to Orcas Island off of the coast of Washington State. We took a trip to Orcas Island over the summer of 2008 and liked it so much we decided to go back. Again, we flew out to Seattle, met up with Bonney and Patrick and made our way out via ferry to the San Juan Islands. We rented the same house as the year before and quickly settled back in. It was a little cooler than our last visit – so we wore fleeces rather than tee shirts – but we loved it just the same. We played games, read books, had delicious food both that we made and out at restaurants, explored the island – and relaxed. Having enjoyed the same house two years in a row, I think we are all starting to delude ourselves that it’s ours…