skip to main |
skip to sidebar
**The first song does not go with this post at all, but after my wonderful video chat with Cam last night, I was so happy to discover, "Then," on playlist finally! LOVE YOU, Camlon!
***********************************************************************************************************
I must be crazy!!! Taking 3 young ones to a 4 hour harvest festival at Ally's preschool. Especially, when their behavior has been pretty interesting lately! BUT, we did it. And, they lasted all 4 hours.
We had an interesting beginning.....The kids all got balloon animals. And I took this video! The pop you hear at the end is Ally biting the dust along with her balloon pony!
After that little drama, Ally #2 came out. Ally is a very smart girl. She seems to decide to be happy or decide to be upset and mad. These emotions don't just happen to her! She also chooses when she wants to listen to me and when she wants to do the opposite. Doing everything opposite of what mommy wants is called Ally #2. So, we took a little walk away from the fun to the car. Ally was a little anxious, thinking we might be leaving before she could enjoy her hot dog meal, something she's been looking forward to ALL WEEK. Her teacher came up to me and said that Ally talked about her hot dog meal all day on Friday! :) So cute. (side note: I do not use the terms Ally #1 and #2 with her, so don't say it!)
Anyway, back to Ally #2. So, we had a little Pow-Wow in the car. I explained how it would be so much easier if Daddy were with us. While, Mommy wanted to help Eric have a pony ride, Daddy could have taken Ally and Finn to do something else. But, since we only have Mommy, we all have to wait together. This seemed to make sense to everyone and we all agreed to have a good time.
AND, they did. So, I had a good time, too (always a plus!).
Ally was so excited to get her hot dog. At one point she was frowning while holding her bun and I realized she had lost the dog. :)
Finn and Ally could not get enough of the bouncy houses.
Awwww! Those fingers.... The remnants of nursing always melts my heart. I still remember him rubbing his ears during feedings!
But I'd say the pony rides were a big highlight as well!
Surprisingly, Eric was not scared at all to ride by himself. This surprised the staff as well.
He took many trips around the schoolyard.
Many. Even into the night, we got to ride the ponies again!
It was so nice to be at an event like this that didn't have really long lines. If the kids wanted to do something again, they didn't have to wait long to go again.
Friday night, we had our traditional Pizza and Movie night! The movie, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." And, the Pizza..........a new GF crust recipe.
I've really missed my pan pizza recipe and was trying to make it the past couple weeks just switching flours, and that was not working!!! But, this was really tasty, in fact the kids ate the whole pizza! I will try it again before posting the recipe. I think it's a keeper!!
One of my favorite books from childhood was, "The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, " by Steven Kroll.
We have yet to do anything with pumpkins during fall time, except the fall of 2009, we did carve pumpkins with Grandpa Eric. But, I just got this book from Amazon and it is about a pumpkin contest. In the end, they carve the pumpkin, so the kids wanted to carve pumpkins this year, too.
Ally loves the taste of anything, especially if you warn her beforehand that it probably won't taste very good.
Finn was excited until he saw we had to scrap out the gooey stuff. Then, he got grossed out and left that job to Ally!
Finn decided to play photographer instead!
Eric wasn't too excited about the goop either!
Don't use a sharpie to trace your design.....and then, if you do.....cut outside your markings!! LOL!
They LOVE it!
It seems like we have harvest type events up the wazoo over here! Hope you guys are enjoying all your fall activities! I miss the Heaven Hill Farm trip during our Jersey days!
Cam, I know you will be able to see this post! WE LOVE YOU!!! **If you want, you can leave Cam messages in the comments. He normally can't check the blog, but right now, he is able to! :)
On the fly this past weekend, I took the kids to SeaWorld for their October "Spooktacular" event. The kids dress up and get to walk around the park collecting treats! I had a babysitter coming for most of the evening so I could meet up with a friend and hit a ship spouse dinner later that night, so I wanted to tucker out those kids! It worked! And the time at SeaWorld was a blast.
First of all, apparently, there was this theme of an octopus holding candies in his 8 arms. Phin kept pointing out tentacles he spotted around the park and it took me forever to understand what he was counting!
He did find all eight!
It took Ally awhile to figure out what goes on at the Treat Stations!
She kept trying to give away the candy that she got at previous stations to the next place and say trick or treat. Because they were giving her candy, she wanted to give some to them. Very cute!
She loved being Cinderella!
Thanks for the dress, Nga!!!
Eric knew what to do!
I think I need to start an entire section in our family quotebook for when Eric says, "No! I'm Eric!" to people. It is just the funniest thing!
"Hey, look at you, Cutie. What a happy little guy."
"NO! I'm Eric."
"Would you like a candy, Cookie Monster"
"NO! I'm Eric." in his full cookie attire....
He braved 85 degree weather in this snowsuit type costume! THe hood did not stay up long!!
SeaWorld is actually a great place for me to visit when I don't have Cam around to help b/c some of the rides, we can all go on together!
We rode this teacup type ride twice in a row. I will never do that when they are older and actually spin the cup like crazy....It only takes one time of complete disorientation from one of those to make one weary of the ride forever. But with 3 tots who are focusing just on holding the wheel for dear life or their little bodies will slide all to one side, I can handle that.
We ended the afternoon through the Treasure Island maze. It was a lot of fun for the kids.
Through this cave was the last treat station and the staff member handing them out was none other than my favorite actor from the Sea Lion show!!! I didn't get a picture of him but we shook his hand and thanked him for being such an amazing entertainer.
Yes, we have season passes. How'd you know! B/c I have a favorite actor from their shows!! Lately, we had some rough days at the house. And, I'm learning to let go a bit and relax and choose my battles. But, this weekend, it was just so good to see the kids laughing and having fun together! We needed it!
I shall go to bed now...Cam might be getting me up before dawn tomorrow to video chat. Yikes..... I wanted to look pretty for these occasions, but that is NOT happening at 5am. :)
I've lived a few places since leaving Iowa after high school. I recall how I experienced fall in each of these places. In Iowa, I definitely remember the changing leaves of the towering oaks down our street. When I was little, my dad often rode me around town in a bugger behind his bike. Some days, it was a pretty brisk ride. I rode my own bike all over town and remember crunching through the dry, brown leaves at the base of our driveway when coming home. In Massachusetts and New York, the colors just seemed to last forever. I made many trips up Mt. Sugarloaf in Sunderland to enjoy the view of the Pioneer Valley each fall I was at UMass. That was part of the fun of college, to explore a new part of the country and find all these hidden treasures there, from hiking spots to cool little dive restaurants or cafes.
New England holds a very special place in my heart. I do long for my roots to be sunk deep in Amherst or Northampton. One of my favorite memories from college was being on a drive with a friend and getting into a deep discussion. I was not the one driving. My friend decided to take a turn down a side road we'd never been on. We kept chatting and driving for miles, the road winding predictably along the Connecticut River. The road ended suddenly at a railroad bridge crossing the river. We were in a valley and the actually tracks were 150 feet above us. We ventured out on the beams of the bridge and found a nice spot to sit on the concrete supports right over the middle of the river. It was a great spot. I came back there many times on my own, just for some time of solitude. Oh man, I do love my kids, but thinking back to those moments of quiet is such an enticing thought on occasion.
September in California has the same feel as March in New England or the Midwest. In March, you are tired of the snow, but you know that it is likely you will get one more snowstorm. The old snow still on the ground is black and dirty. You are aching for that day that will come soon, when the sky is suddenly bright blue, grass is making an appearance through melting snow, and the temperatures are warm enough to enjoy a walk outside! September for me here leaves that same ache in my heart. The days of 90 degree temps are wearing on me. The ten day forecast has predicted accurately full sun every day for the last 90+ days. Last year, this amazed me and I was in love! I didn't even check the weather because, heck, you just knew it would be amazing! Another beach day! This year, however, I could really use a thunderstorm! Some rain, maybe. Or a cloud or two would be nice. I wake up at midnight and 4am, to listen to the soothing sound of our sprinkler system. Truly, I do.
So, October brought temperatures just that little bit cooler to take the edge off from summer. We've had an afternoon of rain and now the 10 day remains all sunshine, but the temps have fallen into the low 80s midday. It is a minor change, but enough to ease me into the next season. Last weekend, we went apple picking with some friends.
It was a HOT day and we were there right at midday. I have to say, I miss the apple picking in other states like New York or Vermont, but this orchard was all dwarf trees and the apples were right there for the kids to pick. Very nice. Eric dug right in!
Although, his favorite part was grabbing sticks and swinging them as hard as he could at the trees.
Ally was my big helper. Also, it must have been in the 90s that day. I remember being quite hot. But, she did not complain once about the heat even though, I see she is in long sleeves and pants. I kept thinking the kids would have a meltdown b/c of the heat while we were deep in the orchard, far from the car, but they never did!
She even wanted to carry both our bags!
This month, we had a special visitor to our local marine air station.
The President's schedule is pretty amazing. I'm sure he flew back out only hours later.
Lately, though, I've truly been a home body, venturing out only to do my weekly food shopping at that base and to hit the gym. I'm not one to hold to a routine, but I've always wanted to. My recent routine, and well, pretty boring days have brought me a lot of comfort and joy. I need to find and cling to these routines for when the baby comes. I'm talking very basic things that most stay-at home people master the first year. Menu planning, house cleaning schedule, completing kids routines and chore schedules, etc. It is funny that it took Cam leaving for me to find my feet around the house. I'm hoping when he comes home, I'll continue running the house this well. :)
Anyway, that makes for more photos of 1. kids and 2. food and 3. house projects. These pictures are strangely emotional for me though, b/c I'm starting to see the kids grow and know that Cam's heart just aches that he is missing these changes. I went back and looked at pictures of videos from just a couple months ago and just took it all in. Our kids are growing so fast. I'm growing as a parent. Things are changing around here without him. It is a strange feeling!
For the first time since Cam left, I was feeling like some coffee!
We make pancakes once a week.
Everyone is pretty happy on pancake mornings!
I've always wanted to do this huge stack thing!
Eric's smile for the camera these days is so classic!
Needless to say, we've spent a lot of time doing the same things every day. Walk to school, playtime at the house, lunch, naps, pick up from school, snacks, homework, playtime, dinner, stories, bed. Repeat!
I love seeing the kids interacting at snack time. They've missed each other all day!
Melanie's Mexican Dip
More pictures of the kids covered in food! Ally has an unnatural obsession with sour cream!
More of that great smile...
I think Finn did his homework this day in his Jedi costume! It is a favorite!
I revamped the boys room.
I finally got this bunk bed together properly!
I figured out how to use these socket wrenches for the first time. I made my first solo trip to home depot and got the right hardware.
I couldn't use the drill worth squat. But, at least, I only stripped one screw!
Ally and Eric are sharing this room temporarily until I get Ally a new bed. Eric was ready for a big boy bed before I was ready! His open crib set up was not working! He would get up repeatedly at night. Since being in his big bed, he sleeps soundly!!!
I got the bed together on a sick day for Ally. The cold/flu season has struck our house early.
I'm hoping to get Eric and Ally and myself the flu shot soon. Did you know that when your doctor says the flu shot, they aren't talking about the stomach flu??? I didn't know this. I always hated the flu shot, b/c when the kids got it, they would somehow wind up getting a stomach bug the following week and I always wondered why I would get the shot in the first place. My doctor explained that the flu vaccine is for the flu that causes high fever and respiratory issues. OHHHH! Gotcha! Finn just got his shot, but of course, Ally is the one who got nailed!
Eric helped me make animal crackers today! They turned out fantastic, even using GF flours instead of the all-purpose flour called for in the recipe. I've been using a lot of kid-friendly recipes from Weelicious.com lately. It is a great resources for any parents of young children!
Eric was a really good helper. He rolled his own dough, cut out each shape and used the spatula to place them on the cookie sheet. I was impressed at his skills. He is getting so big!
Yes, I know. Sorry! More pictures of kids with food in their months. At least, they aren't starving over here!
He's so proud!
I pray these kids will grow up to be best friends. Lately, they seem to be. Eric gets left out on occasion, but maybe #4 will be his pal!
Even though, I express a lot of longing in this post for things that I do not currently have, I feel quite content to be here, both in location and circumstance. :) This next season, we will be welcoming many visitors and soon, a new baby! More pictures to come!
