First Ice Skate

Today we took Will for his first time on the ice. We were so grateful for the little metal trainers that they provided at the rink. It didn't take long for Will to feel confident holding onto the rails of his trainer and he was just zipping around with his friend Lane.

Christmas is Coming!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We tried to get some photos of Will and Mandarin this holiday but as you can see, Mandarin tries to be as far away from him as possible so this was the best we could do.

Are we done yet?

Looking for Chum

We've been keeping our eye out for spawning salmon but thus far there haven't been many seen. We stopped by this weekend and only saw a carcass and then last week Paul said that they saw a couple making their way.

Shaping Up

Paul has been working furiously on the "tubes" for the bathroom with Will. So far everything seems to be running smoothly...

Finn's Pirate Party

Will celebrated his friend's birthday party in true Seattle style...kayaking, steering a tugboat, moving containers onto trucks, working on a fishing boat, and admiring some of the largest fish caught in PNW waters! What a great party!

These fish on the wall were just amazingly large. There is something about big fish that just makes me hyperventilate... on the far right is an 11 1/2 foot sturgeon caught in the Columbia River. On the far left is a salmon, then a king crab and then a halibut... all far too large for me to imagine swimming beside!

Flourless Pumpkin Pie

Karina's Kitchen in Seattle is where I got this recipe:
1 14 or 15-oz can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups plain hemp milk
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla
2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer (I used one large egg and omitted the olive oil)
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Cover and mix until smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl, if necessary to incorporate all of the dry ingredients. Bake at 350 until edges look crisp but it will take some time for the middle to set. This pie is best eaten after it is cool.

We added tiny apple stars on the top of the pie which made it extra fun!

Happy Halloween!

Will had quite a night-- quite possibly the latest night he's ever had-- yet still was up at 8am! First we treated the neighborhood and then we headed over to his friend Lane's house for some trick or treating among the huge homes of Capitol Hill. These homes were quite spooktacular and we were all so amazed we forgot to take pictures but I'm sure the photos wouldn't do justice to it all. At some of the homes Will just stood there awestruck and we had to help lead him away.