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.