EWALD

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, this fall has been beautiful. Seriously, beautiful. It has allowed for us to enjoy regular afternoon/early evening walks that almost always include the same route to a nearby park.

I enjoy these walks for several reasons, but here's one of them:

Ewald.

It might be my favorite street in Salem. Okay, I don't know if I can say that for sure, but it's definitely my favorite street in our surrounding neighborhood...especially this time of year. The trees go on forever and you almost don't notice the houses beyond them (or the fact that it was garbage pick-up day when I took this photo).

Within the next few days, these trees will be all shades of red, orange and yellow and absolutely breathtaking. I told Brett on our last walk that I wanted to take family pictures in the middle of Ewald, that's how much I love it. Unfortunately, he didn't quite understand my desire to stand in the middle of some random street just to get a beautiful picture...but I'm pretty sure it has more to do with the fact that he just doesn't enjoy being in pictures, period. You win some, you lose some.

So even though I probably will never get family pictures on this street, I know I'll enjoy family walks down this street for years to come.

And just because a post wouldn't be complete for certain grandparents without a picture of the main man, here's how most of our walks end up: Wyatt sick of being in the stroller, wanting to get out and walk, and then wanting to push the stroller... all by himself.

(since these pictures, Wyatt has received a fresh new do. These pics made me realize just how long I'd let his hair grow. Yikes!)

Thankful for these clear fall days. I know they're coming to an end, but I'll take them while they last.

answering the question - how was your trip?

At the beginning of October, Wyatt and I took a trip to my parents' house for a long weekend. I had been super busy with work and was in need of a few days off. Plus, my older sister, Heidi, was heading home for the weekend too. It was a much needed time of relaxing and being with family.

It was the first time I had been back home since Sara's service in May. It was a little difficult. I found myself just wanting to sit in "her chair" all the time. It made me feel closer to her somehow. I couldn't, however, work up the emotional energy to go to her grave site. I've struggled with that side of things from the beginning. It's interesting how all of us (in our family) deal with things so differently. It makes it difficult to know how to talk about it at times. I know my parents and siblings want to be there for me (and vice versa), but I don't necessarily want to "burden" them with my pain when they are dealing with enough pain of their own. We all know it's not burdening each other, but it's hard not to feel that way. It's one thing to grieve as an individual, but how do you grieve as a family? We're working through all of that. All I can say is, I am so thankful for a family who knows God and loves each other. I can't imagine going through this grief and sorrow if those two things weren't true.

Speaking of family, we really did have a good time with each other. Wyatt was the center of attention, as always, and I'm pretty sure he didn't mind it. He really loves his "boppa" and "maama" which is toddler talk for grandpa and grandma.

And he's still working on saying "Heidi." It sort of comes out as "hi-e"

In true Fallon fashion, my dad and I took Wyatt out to the dairy. There were a bunch of brand new calves and Wyatt enjoyed walking by and waving at them all.

But then he spotted the tractors and was quickly done with the cows. His tractor and truck noise is "mah mah" with a slight grunt behind it. It sounds a bit like "mama," which makes it somewhat embarrassing when he says it out in public while pointing at large trucks. Ah well.

We were able to go to church on Sunday and I always enjoy hearing my dad speak. He spoke from Philippians 4 on how we should live: joyfully, gracefully, prayerfully, thoughtfully, purposefully & gratefully. And how all these things are prerequisites for contentment. He reminded us that in order to truly be content, we need to embrace God's provision and God's sovereignty. Only then will we find an inner rest and peace that comes from being right with God and knowing He's in control.

It was exactly what I needed to hear, Dad. I should have told you that sooner. Thank you for having the strength to talk about something so difficult and so close to home.

So yeah...overall, it was a really good trip. Hard, but good, which seems to be the answer to most questions these days. Good thing the two can coincide with each other.

FALL so far

I used to be a summer kind of girl. I've always loved the sun and the heat, and I'm not going to lie...I enjoy being tan. But things have changed. It's called working. I think one of the reasons I loved summer so much is because during the first 20 years of my life, it meant I had 3 months of freedom! I guess I should have become a teacher, but instead, I married one. Nothing like leaving your hubby and child at home on a beautiful sunny day while you go in to work...for 3 months in a row! No, I'm not bitter. ;)

So I had a a change of heart. I decided that Fall is my new favorite season. And so far, this fall is confirming that decision. It's been beautiful. The weather has been fair, the rain has held off, and the pumpkin spice lattes have been at their finest. Plus, I recently purchased an awesome sweater that I've worn almost every day for the last month. It's been the first thing I put on in the morning as I go grab my cup of coffee and then crawl back in to bed to read until Wyatt wakes up.

I have some posts in the works with what we've been up to this month, but for now, here's a little peek at fall so far...

More to come...

impromptu shoot

A few months ago our good friends Scott & Sage came to stay with us. It was a quick trip, but Sage is an excellent photographer (check out her work here: http://sagefitchettphotography.com/) and decided to take a few quick shots of our little guy. It's crazy how much he's changed even since these pictures were taken. He's truly growing up so fast...he'll be 18 months next week.

We love our little monster!

Whatever It Takes

Yes, I'm back. Are you surprised? I know it's been 3 months, but I was just struggling with how to get back into the swing of things. The long hiatus wasn't due to lack of time, or lack of things to share. It was simply a lack of "know-how." I just didn't know how to go from writing about Sara to writing about going to the zoo? Bleh. Blah. Bluh.

So what did it take to get me to post again? I had knee surgery on Tuesday. It was nothing serious...just a minor, arthroscopic, get in there & clean things up sort of surgery. But I've been tied to the couch for the last 4 days and a person can only spend so much time on Facebook and Pinterest. I decided I had the time, so I might as well go for it.


So what have we been up to these last 3 months? Here is a quick recap of our summer through pictures:


Went on vacation with my side of the family to Bodega Bay, CA:

Spent many a sunny afternoon at the park playing in the water:

Played with Wyatt's best little girlfriend, Nora:

Discovered how much Wyatt loves black beans at Baja Fresh:

Had some good quality time with Brett's side of the family:

Attempted about 20 family pictures:

Took Wyatt on his first zoo trip where he perfected his elephant noise:

& realized we have quite the little athlete on our hands:

There is so much more that went on this summer - it was crazy busy! But this turned out to be a pretty packed post (say that 10x's fast), so I'll be back with more summer happenings and pictures in the next couple weeks. Or maybe even in the next couple days while I'm still tied to the couch (in between facebook stalking and pinning cool projects that I'll probably never do).

Happy Friday!

turning 1...it's kind of a big deal

My baby is a boy. Obviously. What I really mean is, he's not a baby anymore...he's a little boy. Last Sunday was his birthday and even though we didn't have a blowout party for him, we lived it up all day long...just the three of us. This is what Wyatt woke up to. Spoiled? Um, yes.

Wyatt loves balls. Throwing balls. Kicking balls. Chasing balls. Putting balls in to anything you can put a ball in to. So he was thrilled when he saw all of this just calling out his name. We got him a basketball hoop for his birthday. And my parents and his Aunt Sara got him a ball pit. Yes, a ball pit. Awesome present for him, not so awesome gift for me. I'm finding those plastic balls EVERYWHERE!

We devoted the entire day to playing.

and Wyatt ate his entire cake (and as a result didn't take a nap all day long).

It was the perfect day together.

i went for it

Wyatt needed a haircut...big time.

I don't cut hair. I especially don't cut boy hair. The last time I cut a boy's hair, I was in high school and we were on a beach retreat with my youth group. I was a freshman, the guy was a senior and he really wanted his haircut. For whatever reason, I volunteered to do it and no joke...this is what he ended up looking like. Seriously. I felt so bad, I cried. He may have cried too.

Fortunately, I had better luck this time. It was quite the experience cutting an 11 months old's hair...he doesn't stop moving. But, I went for it and I'm happy with the results. I didn't take any pictures of the process and I don't have great "before" and "after's" so here's the best I could get.

I think it makes him look so much older. He'll be one in 2 weeks from today. What a year!

Boy oh Boy!

I can't believe the last time I posted about Wyatt was when he was 6 months old!?! He's 11 months now, people! Can you believe it? Obviously, there is a lot to catch up on, but let's be honest...how many of you (other than you, mom) actually care about all the "cute" and "cool" things my little boy did/is doing? Seriously, honestly, do you?

Well, I'm going to share anyway...but in fast forward: He crawled. He ate "real" food. He threw his food. He gained weight. He laughed. He was naughty. He laughed at being naughty. He was disciplined. He waved bye bye. He said "mama." He had his first Thanksgiving and Christmas. He was spoiled rotten. He saw his first snow fall. He went to the dermatologist (found out the "mole" on his forehead is actually a juvenile xanthogranuloma...nothing to worry about...should go away on it's own, eventually). He gained a love for dogs. He took his first steps. He got a black eye...and several more bruises. He should probably wear a helmet. He hasn't had a haircut, although he needs one. He cut 2 more teeth (and NOT the 2 front teeth...let's just say, it's a good thing vampires are "in" right now). He had his first plane ride. He loved on his Aunt Sara. He walked. He brought so much joy...and still is.

I seriously love this little boy so much. He has been such a blessing in our lives and I am so thankful that I get to be his mom.