General Randomness

September has come and gone and, I have to say, I'm not sorry to see it go. It was a crazy busy month for us and I'm looking forward to the upcoming boring times we have planned.

Two days after my mom left, my dad, sister and nephew came down for a couple of days. Meanwhile, Will's brother-in-law and nephew also came down to stay for a week, not to mention two of Will's uncles and their wives were in town as well. It was an incredibly crazy weekend, but lots of fun too. I was happy to see my family again and Erica and I went to a thrift store and walked to the near by book store. It's hard being so far away from home and it all seems all the more painful when visits are few and far between.

Here are some random shots of our last weekend of September.

My dad and Liam taking Ashlee for a walk

Kyla being silly

The weather was very warm, but the water was cold. It didn't stop the kids from jumping in, though. This is Morgan taking a brave leap.

Moira's cannonball

Then it was time to dry off by jumping on the trampoline. Here Morgan is doing a forward flip.

Then Kordon had a turn practicing his back flips.

Kordon surprised us all by bringing down two of his turkeys. They are living a relatively comfortable life in the confines of the old dog kennel at Will's parent's house.

On Sunday evening we all got together at Will's parent's for dinner. It was the first time that I had met some of these people.

This is Jim's brother Gary and his wife

Pam with Clyde and Elizabeth

This weekend was the first we've had in quite a while where we didn't have anything planned. We all sat on the couch watching cartoons until noon on Saturday and today the girls and I actually made it to the cat shelter. I managed to get quite a bit of homework done. It was the perfect do nothing weekend.

Liam's 3rd Birthday and Mum's Visit

September 8th marked Liam's 3rd birthday. It's hard to believe that three years have already gone by since he came into this world. Yet, it's hard to remember when he wasn't around. Will had to go out of town the morning of Liam's birthday so we had a little party for him a couple of days before. Will's dad came over to have some cake with us. On Liam's birthday, he got to open his presents before Will left.

Liam decorating his cake

Opening presents on his birthday:

Last week my mum flew down for a visit. It was the first time she had been down in almost six years. She got to experience the Highland Games here in Boise. It was our last game of the season.

The kids petting a border collie after the agility demonstration

Working our butts off because we were swamped all day

The same weekend was the Hyde Park Fair. Idaho Indie Works set up a really kick ass booth again this year and I was so happy to be a part of it. We got electricity this year and the "Christmas" lights really set a great mood for shopping.

My display

On Monday, Kyla, Liam and I took Mum to the zoo. She hadn't been there before and I thought it would be a good place to go where we could all have some fun.

Looking at ducks

Feeding the goats

Pretending to be birds

Mum left yesterday morning. Now we are getting ready for a visit from my dad and sister and two of Will's uncles this weekend.

Busy as Hell

Breathe in, breathe out. I'm trying hard to catch my breath these days. August is a busy month for us, even more so this year.

We started off the month at the Highland Games in Enumclaw, Washington, just south of Tacoma. Erica, Jake, Matthew and Connor came down and spent the weekend with us.

Connor and Moira snuggling together Saturday morning

Liam and Matthew

Erica and Kyla

Me and Liam

The pipe bands had their tents set up behind us so when they were practicing, it got loud.

Liam in his new kilt. He's wearing the Black Watch tartan.

The cousins

On August 16th (also my mum's 60th birthday), my step-mom, Sharon, passed away. She had been fighting cancer for several years. This picture was taken on one of her and my dad's visits to Boise when Moira was little.

That weekend we were in Jackson, Wyoming (Liam calls it Hy-woming) for the Highland Games. We've been going to that one for years and we really enjoy our time there.

This was taken in the town square. I didn't realize until after that the kids had put their fingerprints all over the lens. The photo turned out OK in spite of the haze.

Liam pouting in front of Made, a really cool, but expensive, boutique in Gaslight Alley right across from my favourite Valley Bookstore.

Liam using the dolly to haul my pillows around

Entertaining us with funny faces

Those of you who know me know of my fetish for hats. I've been wearing and collecting them for years. I have them scattered all over the house so I decided to make these hat stands, painted in my favourite shade of green, to display a few of them. If I wanted to display all of them I would need about thirty stands.

They will also work out great when I do my set ups to sell these:

I've been making reversible bucket hats. I also have some vintage hat patterns that I can't wait to try.

This hat was made out of shirts.

This past weekend we were in Baker City, Oregon for the Highland Games. Baker is only two hours from here so it was a nice short trip for us.

Moira's friend Emma was there with her Irish dance troupe. She is the one up front on the left with the pony tails and really high step.

My old belly dance troupe was there too. It was so good to see my teachers again. I'm hoping to join them again soon.

Next to our booth was a husband and wife and their six Irish Wolf Hounds. They were so big. The one above weighed 190 pounds. They were so gentle and affectionate. Have I mentioned how big they are?

Poor Liam zonked out at the end of the day. We packed up around him.

Kyla helped us by taking down the earrings.

Will's parents spent three weeks in August in Scotland so Will and I and his brother did a lot of work around their house and yard. They are not in very good health and they are having a difficult time keeping up with everything. Will's mom is battling cancer and it's not looking so good. While there is still a chance that she will pull through and I'm desperately clinging to that, the practical side of me is gently preparing for the worst. Yesterday Will's dad ended up in the hospital over night. He is home now, but not out of the woods yet. This is when my inner super woman comes out and I want to take over everything to protect and nurture the ones I care about. I'm sure I come off as sounding bossy, but it just means that I love you.

Kyla started her first day of preschool today. She did much better than I thought she would and she even had a good time. I was so proud of her. She is looking forward to going back on Thursday. As for Liam, he was a bit lost without her, but soon got into playing with his cars and trucks and entertained himself very well.

Moira started grade four this month too. She has a male teacher this year which she is excited about. She's never had one before. She is doing well so far and is excited about the new things she is learning.