Golf Twins

Like father, like son........even down to the same white polo shirts and khaki shorts.

Pumpkin Festival Part 2

An incredibly motivated and organized mom from Lizzy's school has piggybacked on the carnival started by the 8th graders and created an entire Pumpkin Festival for the community to enjoy. After the 8th graders "close down" on Friday, the moms quickly get to work and set up the festival. There are still the same wonderful carnival games, but more food, a petting zoo, pony rides, a train, and some special rides are added. What fun we had! It was a gorgeous day, and the kids had the best time playing all the games. They especially loved the petting zoo and pony rides. I loved the amazing treat assortment, and I'm always a sucker for a good, old-fashioned carnival. This will certainly be a tradition we will look forward to every year.

Pumpkin Festival

Lizzy's school has the most darling Halloween tradition. Every year, around Halloween, the 8th grade plans a carnival for the rest of the school as a fundraiser. For two hours, on a Friday, the entire school has the run of the place. There is a small pumpkin patch set up, old-fashioned carnival games, a bouncy house and big slide, and a spooky haunted house. The kids by tickets ahead of time, are given a small bag to keep their goodies and prizes, find a partner in their class, and are then set loose to enjoy the carnival. Moms (and little brothers too- yay!) are invited to come and enjoy this special carnival too. As soon as we set foot in the carnival, I could feel the buzzing excitement. How I loved seeing Lizzy with her big smile, running from game to game, enjoying herself thoroughly. I loved my school's carnival when I was a little girl. I loved all the fun games, the amazing sense of freedom and recklessness that you get to run around school (somewhat) unattended. Lizzy was really excited to try the haunted house. We walked all the way over there.........then, she promptly turned around and said maybe she'd try it next year. I know I will always look forward to this darling carnival every year.

Kindergarten in the Patch

It's a tradition, right? One of those rites of passage you look forward to- visiting the pumpkin patch with your kindergarten classmates. I was so thankful I could attend! In fact, I got to be a driver, which is pretty serious business. Boy were those kids excited (and loud)! They laughed and talked (loudly) the whole way there, and were buzzing with anticipation. Since I usually only see the kids in school where they are very busy working and very serious, it was delightful to see everyone acting.......well, like five-year-olds. There were lots of smiles, lots of running around, and lots of excitement. Lizzy picked out a perfect little pumpkin to take home. What a special day to spend together!

Boys Day

Poor Peter. Lots of times when Lizzy is at school he gets dragged along on lots of errands. I try to fit in some fun play time too, but we do need to get our chores done, and Peter's often my (sometimes) willing assistant. The other day though we put all those errands aside and had a boys' day. We met several of our special friends at the little zoo, and then hit the park after. Peter was in heaven. He loved running around and looking at all the animals. His favorite part of the day, however, was discovering a "secret" house behind a bush in front of the zoo. In fact, when I tried to check it out, Peter looked at me seriously and said, "Go, Mommy. Just go." Peter and Connor found some sticks and had the best time "hiding" and playing in their secret spot. My favorite part was when we were walking along the path to the park, and came across four big piles- rocks, dirt, tanbark, and sticks. It was like we had found heaven. The boys stared at the piles mesmerized, and quickly began climbing all around, throwing rocks, and jumping off. I was reminded, yet again, how the everyday is awesome through the eyes of a child.

Peek-a-Boo!

When I was a little girl, I vividly remember shopping with my mom and finding the best hiding places amongst the clothes racks. The circular ones were my favorite because once you made your way inside, you had your own secret little house to play in. In my memory I was so sneaky and quiet, no one knew where I was, and I was lost for what seemed like a really long time in my imaginary world. If I was anything like Lizzy and Peter, however, this is completely delusional. They too have taken up the joy of hiding behind the clothes at stores, but they are anything but sneaky. They are giggly and silly and think they are completely hilarious. They love to be "found," and always seem slightly surprised when they are discovered. Don't they know I invented this game? Turns out this version of peek-a-boo is only mildly entertaining for adults, as clothes start to fall and other shoppers get annoyed. But I must admit, seeing their pleasure, hearing their conspiratorial giggles, and remembering my own delight at feeling hidden away, I always smile when I see those little legs sticking out from their hidden world.

Tiny Pumpkins

I love tiny pumpkins. I mean, I really love tiny pumpkins. Every year around this time, I get super excited when I see all the little pumpkins hitting the grocery store. There's no valid reason for why I need to buy so many little pumpkins, but every time I see them they make me happy, so that's a good enough reason for me. When I was in Safeway with Peter, he picked one up and said, "Look Mommy! We match! A little pumpkin and a little boy!" When we brought them home, he lined them all up to admire them. It seems I'm not the only one who loves little pumpkins after all.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

It's that time of year again- the spooky decorations are going up, the days are cooling off, it's getting darker earlier in the evening. It's starting to feel like Halloween, and that can only mean one thing- pumpkin patch time! Now, you can't really go wrong with pumpkin patches. There are hay mazes and tons of pumpkins to look through and enjoy, but the patch we go to with our cousins is by far the best around. Lizzy has been talking about it since last Halloween, and when she figured out it was that time of year again, she could hardly wait. What makes this patch really special are all the baby animals in the barn that you can hold. There are chicks, ducklings, bunnies, kittens, kid goats, a calf, lambs, and piglets. It's a total hands-on delight and the kids are in heaven. There is just something really precious about your babies holding babies. It's a cute overload, but of course I love it. Visiting this pumpkin patch, and spending a special day with our cousins, has become one of our favorite Halloween traditions.

Our First First Friday

I remember fondly going to First Friday Mass with my class when I was a little girl. It was always exciting to see who you were going to sit by, and you could look around and spy on everyone in the whole school. As I got older, it was fun to get to plan the Mass, and maybe even get to have a part in it. I remember being amazed, and slightly in awe of the Exposition. At the end, the priest would display a huge golden cross on the alter and burn incense around it. I can still remember that strong smell, and how mysterious and wonderful it all seemed, how quietly everyone sat, almost like we were part of a special spell no one wanted to break. Lizzy's class went to FFM for the first time this week. I wondered how they would do. Mass can be long, and hard to sit through quietly. They were amazing! It was really touching to experience FFM on the "other side," as an adult, almost like someone looking in. The church was full of children, the Mass was entirely put on by children, and the Homily was designed with children in mind. It was touching, and lovely, and very special. I'm so thankful Lizzy can have this wonderful experience.

Pit Stop

You know how Lizzy likes to make all sorts of stores and displays with blocks? Well, Peter had a pretty great idea the other day. While Lizzy was busy on one of her creations, Peter made a pit stop for cars to come and rest and be worked on. Of course this pit stop was extra special because it was decorated with jewels, fancy buttons, and pretty stones. You can't entirely deny your big sister's influence.

God Bless Buddy

We were praying for you, Buddy, at the Blessing of the Animals at Lizzy's school to celebrate St. Francis. This may be the first (and only) time I've ever felt the slightest tinge of guilt that we don't have a pet.

Puddles and Snails

With rainy days comes an old favorite......puddles. We always love a good puddle walk. Lizzy and Peter's relationship with puddles is always evolving. Lizzy used to love to wear her rain boots and splash around. Now, she walks with me on the sidewalk, always on the lookout for cool leaves, hiding snails, and unusual rocks. Peter, who last year would flip out if his pants got even a tiny bit wet, is now one with the puddles......literally. Really, I don't know why we even bother to wear boots, when he becomes completely soaked, from head to toe by the end of the walk. He always fools me because he starts out casually walking through them, but then each step turns into a stamp, followed by a huge jump and splash, which eventually evolves into full on running through giant puddles at full speed, spraying water all around. He'll pause every now and then to admire Lizzy's finds. This walk was a doozy- we saw a spider web full of water drops, the first red leaf of the season, and the real whopper, a bush completely covered in snails. By the time we made it home, I had to strip Peter bare, and dry him all off. Good thing it only rains once in a while here. The charm of the puddle walk may quickly wear off at this rate.

Hot Chocolate Fun

It's beginning to feel like Fall here.......well, at least a tiny bit. The sun is still shining, and we're often still in t-shirts, but we had a few cloudy days last week that put us in the Fall Spirit- we'll take it! One of our Fall favorites: hot chocolate! Any excuse for a mound of whip cream atop some chocolatey deliciousness and we're there. Perhaps I'm speaking too soon, but it seems we may have passed the stage where drinking hot chocolate is awaiting eminent disaster as it is sure to spill. We can actually usually make it through a cup now without having to change someone's shirt.......usually. We all love the whip cream the best, but Peter has taken this love to a new level. Why drink the whip cream, when you can scoop it out with your fingers? That's fun, right? I guess I was speaking a little soon about conquering hot chocolate. There's always next year.

Shell Store

Welcome to Lizzy's shell store. Stores and displays are all the rage at our house these days. Lizzy uses blocks to make a display, then sets up whatever theme is appropriate for her store. We've seen a jewelry store, shell store, candle store, even a car store. The items are always sorted and carefully displayed. This shell store doubles as a place where you can study shells using your magnifying glass, and talk to the "worker" (Lizzy) to learn more about shells. Since I'm always the best customer, I'm excited to see what she'll come up with next.

Supermen

Remember last Halloween when Peter dressed up as Superman, and then wore his costume almost everyday for the next six months? Pat saw a Superman shirt at the Gap, complete with it's own cape, and had to get it for Peter. Of course, he loved it, and though his old costume is now much too small, this new cape is a good substitute. It turns out Peter isn't the only lover of the Big S. Charlie is a fan as well, and has decided to dress up as Superman for Halloween this year. Whenever Charlie sees Peter wearing his cape shirt, he runs home to put on his own red cape. Have you ever seen two Supermen racing around, riding scooters, and playing together? It's pretty darn adorable.