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We had to fore go our annual pumpkin carving party this year due to scheduling conflicts, but here is a picture from a previous year. We cover the pool table in the basement with plywood and plastic, then everyone has space to scoop out pumpkin guts and carve a spooky design.

Originally an informal get-together with a few neighbors, this quickly became a tradition among our friends. Some years it evolved into a full-blown Halloween party complete with costumes. Hopefully we can resume the fun next year as it is a favorite for adults and kids alike.

September is always a busy month in Amie's family; lots of birthdays (including hers!) plus the change of seasons - it seems like time speeds up in the fall. This year was no exception: the end of the month brought an unexpectedly quick succession of events, primarily a whirlwind trip to Boston for the purpose of meeting some birthparents.

While the trip did not result in a successful adoption, we do count it as a successful meeting and a good experience. Plus, we LOVED Boston! We intend to go back when we have more time to explore and take in all the history. Still, not a bad way to spend a birthday!

Our ten year anniversary! We talked about taking a big trip or throwing a big party; in the end we did our favorite thing - a trip to the beach just for us and Abby. We stayed at our favorite cozy cottage and enjoyed walks on the beach, relaxing time to read, a little antique shopping and arcade games (and photos!).

We visited Carl's aunt's farm for a BBQ in honor of his cousin's birthday. Carl enjoyed meeting the goats and Amie enjoyed watching the dogs round up the goats! Everyone enjoyed a leisurely afternoon and a fantastic BBQ dinner.

Seattle has had fantastic summer weather this year, and the 4th of July weekend was no exception. We spent a beautiful day out on the water and caught our limit of dungeness crab in record time. Here we are heading back to the marina in anticipation of a feast!

Spring has finally come to Seattle! The fruit trees in our backyard are blooming, and the tulips we planted last fall have survived the late snowfall we had this year. We love the longer days and look forward to warmer weather...

For many years Amie's family had talked about taking a trip over Christmas in lieu of exchanging gifts. In 2008 we finally decided to do it - Christmas in Mexico - but an unusually heavy snowfall caused our flight to be canceled and our trip postponed!

We were able to reschedule the trip for March, and it worked out well - having just finished step one in our adoption process - the home study. It was a fantastic break for us before we dove into the networking/advertising phase of our journey.

Carl is second from the right and Amie is second from the left in this picture. It was taken on one of the best days of our trip - we hired a boatman to take us down the coast beyond where the road reaches. We enjoyed visiting a remote village and relaxing on the beautiful beach. On the return boat ride we were surprised by a whale surfacing very close to our boat - what an awesome experience! In all our years of boating in the San Juan Islands, that is the closest we've ever been to a whale.

We were so excited to finish our home study that we decided to have an open house celebration. This was a way to thank our friends and family for their support and to kick off our networking efforts. We were overwhelmed by the number of people who came by to learn about our next steps in the adoption process and wish us well.

We love hosting parties at our house whether it's for family, friends or neighborhood gatherings. This was a combination of all three so it's a good thing we made it an all day event. Even with people stopping by at various times, it made for a crowded house and a lot of activity!

With so many people in the house it was hard to get good pictures. Here Carl is holding one of our younger visitors while a few of our friends gather around the food table.