Trick or Treat

This year we trick or treated with our good friends Melanie, Ryan, Makena, and Brody. Connor and Makena were very excited about trick or treating! Abby had a good time too after she got over the trauma of being put into her costume. She was very busy playing with all of Makena's wonderful girl toys (especially her vacuum) when Mommy forced her to stop and dress up like a ladybug. Needless to say she was not impressed! But all was well again thanks to a lollipop which was unfortunately blue. Guess who else was blue? And very sticky which was shared with Mommy. Connor and Makena believed that trick or treat was some sort of race and ran to every house. Their pumpkins were so full of candy that Connor's handle kept breaking. Abby also became a very good trick or treater and said something close to "Trick or treat!" and of course "Thank you!" which is one of her favorite phrases. I wish I could type the inflection she uses when saying it because it is very cute. As we wound down our trick or treating marathon, Connor kept saying, "Just one more house, just one more house!" What a great night!

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

Carving Pumpkins

Halloween Party

Our annual Halloween Party, which we hold with some good friends, was very exciting this year. With all the fires in our area we weren't sure if we would be able to have it. It was actually raining ash! But, the fires avoided us and we moved the party inside (the air was smoky outside)! We had a great time playing games, eating, and talking with friends and family. The kids were adorable!

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

Happy Halloween!

A Very Special Birthday

Our family recently got together to celebrate my mother's birthday. We rode the Palm Springs tram to the top of a mountain. Connor of course was very excited! He thought the tram was very cool. Once at the top, we got to go on a hike. Connor was so excited that he barreled ahead full steam. Abby also enjoyed the hike but she wanted to stop and sit on every rock and log we passed. Needless to say this made for slow going. After the hike we ate dinner at the top of the mountain with an amazing view! It was a special birthday for a special mom!

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

The Pumpkin Train

Connor and Abby went to Irvine Regional Park to ride the "Pumpkin Train" with their friends Makena, Brody, and Christopher. We had so much fun! First, we rode the ponies. There was a little wait but the kids had no trouble occupying themselves. (They climbed fences and hay bails!) Connor thought the pony was great but Abby said, "No, no, no!" She walked around with Connor and me and we had fun singing pony songs. Next, we rode the pumpkin train. Connor and Abby were very excited for the choo choo. Connor was afraid I was going to miss the train because I was taking pictures. He kept waving me on. After our train ride, Christopher and Connor went through the "haunted house" (just cobwebs, spiders, and black lights) a million times! We also ran through the hay maze and climbed a tree. The kids jumped out some of their extra energy in the bouncy house and we picked pumpkins of course. Before going home we had a picnic and ate cookies. The kids loved that of course! Abby was so tired she fell asleep eating lunch! It was a great day with great friends!

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

Night Swimming

Daddy heated up the pool and we went swimming for probably the last time until next summer. The water was so warm and we had so much fun! Connor did a great job swimming! We love our pool and will miss it!

Abby the Artist

Abby had a little too much fun when we were painting with apples! She thought painting herself would be a much better idea! It was hilarious!

Apple Fun

Connor and Abby's friends Makena and Brody came over for some fun with apples. We made very yummy apple muffins and applesauce. Then we made some apple prints with paint. Everyone had a great time!

Soccer

Connor enjoyed playing soccer this fall. He mostly enjoyed running around the soccer field with the other kids. He wasn't so sure about the stealing the ball from other kids part. The first time we played a "game", he ran over to me and said excitedly, "Mom, we need more balls!" Abby was Connor's biggest fan. She enjoyed yelling, "Kick it!" right along with mom. She wanted to play soccer too, so she always found her own ball to kick. Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed watching Connor's final game. Connor had a ball!

Slide shows, scrapbooks, photo ecards, and more

The Park

The other day Connor had a play date at the park with his friend Ryan. It was so funny because we also ran into his friends Christopher and Kendall. (Unfortunately, Kendall had to leave.) He was so excited to see so many of his friends. It was so funny to watch the boys play! They played firefighters and "drove" the firetrucks which were the play structures. They ran all over the park making noises like fire engine sirens! Abby also had a good time sliding down the slides and swinging. It was a lot of fun!

We Found Nemo At Last!

The other day we went to Disneyland for a few hours in the evening. Connor has been dying to ride the new submarine Nemo ride. He has talked about it so much. We have gone to Disneyland several times since the opening of the ride but the line has always been too long. Well, finally the line was down to "just" an hour wait. So, I decided I was absolutely going to wait in line! Connor was so excited that he wanted to wait with me. Rich took Abby to ride some rides while we waited. Connor was perfect! We talked and read the Disneyland map. We watched the submarines go by and Connor told me about all the things we would see under the water. Rich and Abby joined us when we got close to the front. Connor was just bursting with excitement! One of the workers noticed Connor's excitement and Abby's cuteness and talked to us while we were waiting. Finally, Connor's moment arrived and we descended the stairs into the sub. Connor could hardly contain himself he was so excited. Connor and Abby both loved the ride! They both had their faces practically plastered up against their porthole. Abby was so funny because she kept saying, "Bubbles, bubbles!" She was so excited about them. The animated portion of the ride was cool. Connor was excited to see Nemo and especially Crush. So, thank goodness, after the long wait, the ride was a hit. When we got off, we told the friendly Disneyland worker how much the kids enjoyed the ride. He replied, "Enough to ride it again?" I said, "It was fun but the line was too long." He said, "No, I mean we'll let you go again!" So, to Connor's sheer delight, we got to ride the submarine again! After riding again, Connor was very happy and declared, "I'm going to tell Makena!"

Oak Glen

On Saturday we went to Oak Glen with some good friends to pick apples and pumpkins. It was an absolutely perfect day!

Slide shows, scrapbooks, photo ecards, and more

Baby Dolls

It has been so much fun playing cars, trucks, and trains with Connor. Abby loves all of Connor's toys as well. She has been playing trains practically since birth and is an expert at pushing the train along the track and saying, "Choo, choo!" (Unfortunately she also likes to take train tracks apart which is not a big hit with Connor!) But I am so excited because Abby has discovered baby dolls. She loves baby dolls! She carries them around and pats them on the back. She feeds them bottles and makes little drinking noises. She pushes them in her stroller and talks to them. Her grandparents bought her a bath Dora doll which she loves. It's so cute when she calls her "Dora! Dora! Dora!" as if she's her best friend. She is obsessed with putting Dora's "shoes" on which are actually flippers. The other day we bought her a new baby doll that says things, cries or laughs when you push different spots on the doll. She played with the doll all through Target and kept saying, "Push it! Push it!" so we would make it talk. When we got home she played with it all day and had to take it everywhere we went. The doll is almost as big as her so it was hilarious!

The San Diego Zoo

The San Diego is a very nice zoo. We have gone twice in the last six months with Grandma and Grandpa. The first time, Connor was dying to see the giraffes which of course are like the furthest animals from the entrance of this very large zoo. What a workout! He was a boy on a mission to get to those giraffes! We bought him a little stuffed giraffe to remember the day and it is one his favorite animals to sleep with. The second time we went to the zoo we were able to take a slightly more leisurely pace and even took the bus tour and tram. Outside of the zoo there is a train which Connor and Abby love to ride of course. There is also a wonderful little train museum which Connor adores! Both days were full of fun and very special because we shared them with Grandma and Grandpa!

Slide shows, scrapbooks, photo ecards, and more