Clay

I had this grand plan of going to the Children's Museum and having the kids create Christmas ornaments that we would give as gifts this year.  However, I totally over estimated their skill level and they were unable to create anything that we could give as a gift.  We did have a great time playing with the clay.

Zoo Lights

On Monday night we made a last minute decision to go to Zoo Lights!  The kids love being at the zoo at night and being surrounded by all the lights.  There wasn't a line for the train so we did that too!  I'm sure that we'll be back again soon.

Camera :(

The day that we left for CA, I dropped my iphone into the toilet.  It has yet to fully recover, and I am definitely going through withdrawls.  But to make matters worse, while we were in SLO, I dropped our new camera lens first into the sand.  Of course the camera died too.  But then to really make sure that things couldn't be worse we took the camera back to Costco where we bought it, only to discover that the warranty expired three days earlier.  A little streak of bad luck in the electronics department for us.  As a result, I don't have many pictures from our trip to CA....

The Beach

We had two great days at the beach.  The kids happily ran around in bathing suits and played in the waves!

The Mission

I remember my parents taking us to SLO when we were children and playing in the creek along the mission.  It brought back so many memories being able to watch Nora and Ronan play in the same place. 

SLO Children's Museum

We decided to take a break from our time in Visalia and head to San Luis Obispo for a couple of nights.  They have a children's museum there that we went to the first morning we were there.  The kids had a great time.  The museum was so different from ours and the kids explored every inch of it.



Nora on a police motorcycle.

Ronan riding a horse.  They had an entire stage set up like a Western Town with several stuffed horses that the children could "ride."  I was shocked that Nora wasn't more interested because she is going through a pony phase.

The museum was on three levels and had several unique lookouts and climbing structures within it.  At the top of this staircase it was 90 degree!

Clare is at such an great age for places like this. She really loved looking and touching everything the museum had to offer.

Tank

This is the only picture that I took of my family while we were in CA.  The kids had such a great time with Tank, Coco, Nana and Pappy.  When we come back from the beach the rest of my dad's family arrived, including COUSINS!  It was so much fun watching all six kids play at my parents house.  I really wish that I had captured some of the pictures to share....

Rides!

Our plan when we got to Visalia was to spend time with my family.  We also had to keep the kids entertained too, and found out about a Kid's Convention.  We some how avoided going inside and paying an entrance fee and just rode some rides outside.

Jeff took the big kids on the spinning apples.  The guide told Jeff that this particular apple didn't have much speed.  Jeff heard this as a challenge and made sure that he spun faster than all the other apples.

The only other ride was a car ride.  I snuck Clare on too, which was probably a little risky.  All the kids loved it though and had a great time screaming on every turn.

Sunshine???

This was the first picture we took in CA.  As you can tell the children didn't know how to respond to the glaring sunshine.

The Closer

As our nighttime routine currently stands, I am responsible for putting Clare to sleep while Jeff takes care of Nora and Ronan.  For the most part this works out really well.  But then there are those few nights when Clare doesn't just nurse to sleep.  And when she would usually be sound asleep is starts squirming around wide awake.  That's when we call in:  The Closer.

Jeff waltzes into the room, Clare lays down in her bed, and Jeff walks out of the room, victorious, a few minutes later.  He's the closer.



Laundry Basket Hallway

The ultimate parenting advice:  No need to get fancy.  Just pull out some laundry hampers and you will be rewarded with at least 20 minutes of entertained children.

Sleepover

Nora's friend, Aubrey, stayed the night at our house a few weekends ago.  It was the first time that Nora had a friend spend the night and we had a great time.  Aubrey is a great little girl and we can't wait to have  her spend the night again!

Nora really wanted to take Aubrey to Papa's Pizza for dinner.  I'm not sure why we agreed to do this...the place is pretty gross.  But, the kids all had a great time.  I think we were also hoping that it might tire them all out for bed time.

The kids crawled up into Nora's bed and Jeff brought in our little tv and they watched an episode of "Yo Gabba Gabba" before going to bed.  Then they all crawled into Ronan's bed and created a giant nest of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals.  Ronan was evicted early on in the night and sent in to sleep with Jeff and the girls eventually fell asleep a little after ten.

Zoo Train

Wasn't it nice that the ticket attendant at the zoo asked my three lovely children if they needed train tickets? 

Don't ask the mother, she's not the one making decisions.

Don't Wake the Baby

If your baby falls asleep in the stroller during a run, and the stroller won't fit through the door, you'll end up in this situation.  A sleeping baby, still in a jacket, on a giant pillow pet.  But, it will be worth it.

Playdough

We are a playdough family.  It's like therapy for us.  Mom brings it out.  The kids sit down.  And we work, create, knead.  It's our therapy, and it is very effective.

Clare doesn't use the playdough so much as all the tools.  She loves being a part of what the bigger kids are doing.

Ronan uses all his strength to push and pull and prod the playdough.  Then he rips and tears and stretches it to pieces.  The floor beneath his seat is always sprinkled with fallen specks of playdough.  He enjoys this therapy more than any of us.

Nora is my creator.  She is detail oriented and has a vision that she works towards.  And she wants her masterpieces to be appreciated.  And so we admire her unicorns, hearts, and jewels.

Leaf Pickup

Have I ever mentioned how many leaves we have?  And that we have to rake them into our street every weekend?  And that a "leaf eating machine" comes and takes them away for us?  And that watching this is the most excited part of our Fall?

Pinkalicious

We have read the story Pinkalicious many times.  The cover is worn and the pages have creases and curl on the edges.  We've made pink cupcakes on rainy days and often refer to all things pink.  So when I heard that the Children's Theater was doing a musical production of our beloved story, I decided that Nora and I had to attend.
All dressed in pink, I took Nora to see the play.  She sat on the edge of her seat and watched every minute of the show.  She loved all the special lighting effects, especially a dream sequence that including dancing cupcakes and a disco light.  I had such a wonderful afternoon with her.

Trick-or-Treating

Trick-or-treating is a major event in our house.  It is talked about for a month, rehearsed, anticipated, and when it finally arrives it surpasses all expectations.  The idea of wearing a costume, ringing doorbells and getting CANDY is just too much for any child to handle.  And yet, we have this ONE picture from one of the most exciting events of the year.  No picture of Nora dressed as a unicorn.  No picture of Clare in her zebra costume.  No picture of buckets full of candy.  Nothing to show all the joy of the night.

And it really was a wonderful night.  We went out with a classmate of Nora's that lives two streets behind us.  The kids went to about twenty house over the course of about an hour.  At the first house, when Ronan received his first piece of candy a light was sparked in Ronan.  His shock and happiness was immediately apparent.  This was something he was going to enjoy.  Until the haunted house, where Jeff assured everyone that Ronan could handle the thrills, which of course he couldn't.  And we had to carry him home, crying.  He soon remembered that he had a bucket full of candy to console himself and all was well before bedtime.

Pumpkin Carving

Jeff is the mater carver in our house.  Although we all enjoy pumpkin carving each year, it is a project that Jeff leads.  This year the kids had a cut out of Mater and Lighting for Jeff to carve.  He did not disappoint.
We also were able to retrieve and bake the pumpkin seeds.  I soaked them in salt over night and they were delicious!

Clare loved playing with all the goo that came out of the pumpkin.  She is going to love this activity next year.

Nora and Ronan loved the mess of this project.  They did a great job finding all the seeds and collecting for me.

The masterpieces.  Impressive, aren't they?

Swim Lessons

The kids have been taking swim lessons at our local gym this fall.  I have been amazed at all the progress they have made.  Nora is able to swim across the pool on her own and is working on her freestyle stroke.  Ronan is also well on his way to being an independent swimmer.  He does a great job swimming, but will only take one breath.  We are taking a break from lessons during the holidays and will probably start back up in January.  I would love for the kids to be able to swim this summer!

Hoyt Arboretum

Nora's class went of a field trip to the Hoyt Arboretum.  The best part of the trip was that Ronan and Clare were also invited so I was able to attend!  The guides even had an extra backpack for Ronan to use.  It was filled with spy glasses and shovels and insect cages for the kids to use during the hike.

Clare did a great job on the hike.  She just happily hung out in the backpack.  It also debuted her french braids that day!

Nora and Ronan loved the hike.  I was worried that Ronan might get lost in the group of kids, but he did excellent.  He participated with all the other children and enthusiastically answered all the questions the guides asked.  He amazes me how well he does in group settings.

This was Nora's first ever school field trip and she was really looking forward to it.  I enjoyed going with her because it was a rare chance to see her interact with her classmates and teachers.  All the children and parents at her school are friendly and her teachers are amazing.  

Fall Festival

We went to the Fall Festival this year at the Cedar Hills Recreation Center.  The highlight of the day was winning a fish at the ball toss.  Two days later we hit an all time low when Little Fish died.  The children were devastated.

Apple Farm

Ronan's class went on a field trip to an apple farm.  It was a great field trip that started with a tractor ride through the orchards.  We then were able to taste some apples and bounce in an apple shaped bounce house.  Ronan was so excited the entire time.  He becomes a very different little boy at school:  one that is more outgoing and happy that I see at home.

Ronan adores his teacher, Louise, and it is obvious that she adores him just the same.  He has two fantastic teachers and he really responds well to them.

Pumpkin Patch