Halloween 2010

The kids got to go trick-or-treating a couple of times this year. On Friday night they went with a good friend to our church Halloween carnival. Olivia was a bride and Alex was Buzz Lightyear. Olivia loved getting to wear make-up!




On Sunday we took the kids to a few houses in the neighborhood. Liv was Batgirl and Alex was Spiderman.


One cute thing was that Alex got his first bag of candy and moved on to the next spot. When he got there they held out their candy bowl for him to pick one, and Alex tried to put the candy he'd just gotten into their bowl. =)

Santa Cruz

Mike and I took the kids to Santa Cruz a couple of weeks ago. Olivia loved it. She played in the water, dug in the sand, chased birds and had an overall great time. She was an absolute joy to have at the beach.


To say Alex isn't a huge fan of large quantities of sand or water would be an understatement. However, he can't get enough baseball so we distracted him from how much he hates beaches and oceans until he forgot himself and started having fun.


The boardwalk was garish and crowded and overpriced, but still fun to see.


Afterwards we went to a yummy restaurant with an amazing view (we sat outside in the perfect weather, but I liked this image).


Liv got an upset tummy and Alex threw pancakes at the seagulls, attracting an aggressive bird mob, yet it still managed to be a satisfying close to a lovely day spent celebrating our 6th anniversary.

Smelly Lunchboxes

Last spring while I was learning how to pack school lunches, Olivia was practicing how to spill food into the lunchbox. Her lunchbox was a soft bag that looked something like this.


After just a week or so of using it, I noticed it was smelly.

I'd been wiping or shaking it out every night, but I hadn't realized how smelly and gunked up the crevice that goes around the interior seams can be. I won't even tell you how gross it can get.

Despite my best efforts to keep the bag clean, there was no way I could keep up with the child that insisted on bringing home a half-eaten yogurt with no lid, loose in her lunch box.

Luckily, Liv was only in school for 5 weeks, and the smelly lunchbox went into the trash soon after.

This year I'm looking for something insulated, easy to clean, and preferably with a shoulder strap. Anyone have any suggestions?

Baseball Game

Our church offered tickets to a family baseball night last week for a Giants v. Orioles game in San Francisco. The stadium was really nice and we had a great time. The kids especially loved getting a big bag of cotton candy!

The tickets gave us free admission and 5 free rides at the county(?) fair next door to the stadium so we spent a little time there before the game.

Mike had told me it might be cold, but I stubbornly refused to believe him. I knew we were in for trouble when I saw people going into the stadium, staggering under the weight of their sweatshirts, wool blankets, and space heaters. Ah well, lesson learned. The kids were too excited to worry about the temperature anyway. Or maybe all that cotton candy kept them warm. :)

A Stroll in the Park

Last weekend we took the kids and met up with friends in Golden Gate Park. This photo is Olivia trying to fly the smallest kite in the world. My favorite part is that in the background there's a yoga class in session. There was a little bit of everything at that park.


It was our first time seeing the ocean since we got here which was fun (though this photo is technically the Bay).


I didn't get many photos that day: no one would hold still! We had a lot of fun at the park and then driving around the city afterwards.



My sister and I decided to start a new blog for fun. It's called City Mouse, Country Mouse and it's about the differences between our lives right now.

Courage

Some days
there aren't any
trumpets,
Just a lot of Dragons.

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes Courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
"I will try again tomorrow."

Simply persisting is sometimes
the most Courageous
act of all.

Big Cinderella

When Olivia was three she was in love with all things Cinderella, so when some friends offered us this child-sized doll we took them up on it. "Big Cinderella" joined our family on Christmas morning, about three weeks before Alexander came along.


She's been a pretty fun toy, especially because her clothes are made to fit children, so Liv could swap outfits with her.


Sometimes though, she's a little creepy. I’ll feel like someone’s watching me and see her out of the corner of my eye, not realizing for a second it’s just Big Cinderella. Or I’ll walk into an empty room after the kids are in bed and she’ll catch me off guard. Like this:


A few days ago the kids were playing Cinderella Ball, and I told Xander to dance with her so I could take their picture.

He is so not going to Prom. Ever.

Snowpocalypse 2010

Here are some pictures taken during and after the huge snowstorm we had this weekend.

Sugar on Snow

A couple of excerpts from "Little House in the Big Woods," by Laura Ingalls Wilder:

"Grandma stood by the brass kettle and with the big wooden spoon she poured hot syrup on each plate of snow. It cooled into soft candy, and as fast as it cooled, they ate it. They could eat all they wanted, for maple sugar never hurt anybody."


"One morning [Ma] boiled molasses and sugar together until they made a thick syrup, and Pa brought in two pans of clean, white snow from outdoors. Laura and Mary each had a pan, and Pa and Ma showed them how to pour the dark syrup in little streams onto the snow. They made circles, and curlicues, and squiggledy things, and these hardened at once and were candy."


I've always wanted to make maple sugar candy, and today while Alexander was napping Olivia and I gave it a try. It was pretty tasty, and especially fun thinking about pioneer children who might not have had any treats other than this.

We boiled 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup and 1/2 T of butter in a pan with a candy thermometer until it was about 240F. Then I poured it on a pan of clean snow. Once on the snow it cooled immediately and we were able to try it. It was a lot of fun to eat, even though it made our teeth stick together.

It's a fun way to spend an afternoon with your kids when you're snowed in by 2' of snow!

Silly Girl

I've been writing down some of the funny things Olivia has said over the past couple of years, and decided to post them here. I'm also including a few of the more interesting outfits she's come up with. I'm not sure which is more amusing!

We asked Olivia what it takes to be a big sister and she told us, "Strong muscles."

Tonight I made spaghetti with sausage for dinner. I asked Liv what her favorite part was and she said, "The sau-shits."

After telling Olivia the reason we have Easter she asked, "Why do we find eggs for Jesus?"


Liv: "I'm putting my tongue-lick in the baby's hair."

When I asked her why she was pulling out her hair:
Liv: "I'm picking flowers for you Mama."
Me: "Um, that is really gross, Please. Stop."
Liv: "Here, smell my hair flowers."

She wanted to know where crocodiles live so I told her in Florida. She looked at me and said, "like Florida, Fauna and Merriweather?"

After she watched a gang drive by on their Harleys, Liv said, "When I get bigger I want to be a motorcycle girl."

Liv (in tears): "If I go to college, who will be my mama?"

Our lesson at church this Sunday was about temples and I asked the kids what they think about when they see the temple. Liv said, "I think about the temple with flowers and a unicorn flying in the sky."

Liv: Do I look like a ballerina sheep?

Liv: When I get bigger I'm going to swing on vines in the jungle.

The other day I took the kids to Target and was trying to explain to my daughter what an air freshener was, since we haven't really had one before. She cut me off and said, "You mean like Air Wick?"
Who says kids don't learn anything from television?

Today I had the kids out shopping with me and had this conversation:
Liv: Mama?
Me: Yes?
Liv: I think someone is at our house right now stealing our jam.
Fortunately when we got home, our jam was safe and sound. You know what kind of shenanigans those jam thieves can get up to.

Liv: Why did God make Barbies?

My daughter has been fretting lately about death (and college). Primarily because she is worried about not living here with me any more. So a few days ago she said: “Mama, when I die I want you to drive me to heaven.”
I told her I would.

The other day Liv made a birthday card for her dad and when she finished I asked her to tell me about it. She told me it was a llama belly and a stripper. (And no, she doesn't know what a stripper is, she made up a word for a bunch of stripes.)

Liv: Mama, who will I marry?
Me: I don’t know sweetie. A nice boy.
Liv: Like Dad is a nice boy?
Me: Yes.
Liv: I need someone to be like a twin to Dad so I can marry him.

Olivia has a strawberry shortcake friend doll called Ginger Snap.
I just noticed that she calls her "Ginger Snatch."

When asked what we could do to think about Jesus more this Christmas Olivia said:
"Daddy could wear white and dress up like him."

Liv: The only way I can rest my eyes is by watching a show when I’m laying down.

Liv: We shouldn't cut things off our body, right?

Liv: "When I drink water it goes into my brain, but chocolate milk goes into my tummy."
(trying to convince me to give her chocolate milk instead of water)

I’ve been trying to explain to Olivia that I work so I can earn money.
The other day she came over to where I was doing some work on my laptop and said, “Can you show me where the money comes out?”

Liv: "When I eat the last bite that means it’s all gone."

I overheard Olivia tell her little brother, "Parents are kind of like servants. They bring you stuff and sometimes do a show for you."

Liv (during breakfast) – What if we were hand eaters?
Me: You mean what if we ate with our hands?
Liv: No, what if we were haaaaaand eaters?
Me: I am not sure what you are talking about.
Liv (sounding exasperated): What if we ATE HANDS?
Me: Well, I think that would hurt.
Liv: Not OUR hands.
Me: Whose hands would we eat?
Liv: Bad guys’ hands. Then they couldn’t hold their guns.