The Pumpkin Patch

My kids love the pumpkin patch. It is almost like Disneyland. Sometimes I feel like Disneyland would be cheaper! Anyway, we went for family night and the kids had a blast. Mia was so hyper and had so much fun.





We left the pumpkin patch with no pumpkins. We only go for the rides. So a couple days later we went to Armstrong nursery where you can get as many pumpkins as you can hold for $18. Brett was able to hold all 5 of our pumpkins! Can't beat that deal.

Swine Flu

So the dreaded swine flu hit our house. Of course it was Eliza who got it. She came down with a fever and I took her to the doctor to get her tested for the swine flu. They didn't end up testing her because they said the test is not accurate. If she has flu symptoms then it most likely is the swine flu, since that is the only flu going around. She was put on Tamiflu and told to stay home until she is 24 hours fever free. I ended up keeping everyone home all weekend just to be safe. I called the school to see if I could send Avery to school even though she had no symptoms. They told me to keep her home until Eliza was better. Better to be safe than sorry. So we were all home bound for 5 days. Eliza's fever lasted for 3 1/2 days, which is quick for her. Once she had Motrin in her she was fine and playing around the house. In the mornings she was really achy and complained of a headache. But once the medicine kicked in, she was fine. So it wasn't that bad for us. Luckily nobody else got it. The kids got a little stir crazy, but we survived.

Soccer

This year we have two soccer players. Avery is in her first year of soccer. She is part of the mini-kickers program. Which means each Saturday she meets with the other kids her age. They do drills and then a quick game for the last 10 minutes. She is having a lot of fun and hopefully learning something for next year.

Eliza is in her third year of soccer. She loves it and is on a team that can actually win!

HAWAII

The second week of school Brett and I left our kids with my parents and took off to Hawaii with some friends. We went on a week long cruise to the different islands. It was amazing and a much needed break. I eventually stopped taking pictures because Brad and Annalee became the official photographers of the trip. So I'll post more pictures later. For now, here is the quick recap.

Brett and Steve were brave enough to jump off this cliff. A local boy told them exactly where they had to land. They both made it. This same local boy informed us that he grows and smokes pot. I think he was hoping to make a sale. Wrong crowd, kid. Sorry.

We saw a ton of waterfalls...so beautiful!

The beaches were amazing.

The last day we went on a tree top zipline. It was so pretty and a lot of fun.

First Day of School

It is a big year around here. I have a 2nd grader and my second is starting Kindergarten. Eliza starts first. She is out the door at 7:30 to walk to school. School starts at 7:45.
Here she is with a little attitude:

Eliza and Zach. They are in the same class again this year!

The neighborhood walking group.

Eliza in line at the morning flag ceremony. She is getting too old!

Avery has late start kindergarten. Which means she doesn't start until 9:30. It gives me time to get her ready once Eliza is gone. The first day of school was only an hour for her. The parents come to hear about the year and then do little projects with the kids. It is a good way to get them comfortable with the teacher and classroom. Avery has Eliza's kindergarten teacher who we LOVE. She will have a good year.
Here she is sitting on the rug during the roll call.

Doing one of her projects.

Avery at the school.

Her first official day. The second day of school where she went all by herself. She went with no problem at all. I didn't even feel close to crying. Is that bad?

80's Party

Our neighbor and good friend, Alex, turned 40 this weekend. His amazing wife, Lori, celebrated by throwing an 80's party. She did a lot of work and it was such a blast. Look at us! Was this really fashionable??



The birthday boy and his rocker wife

Me and Vanilla Ice...I mean, Brett.

Summer has come to an end...

and we are so sad. Well, kind of. I am also so ready for school to start and to be back on a schedule. But I have to tell you, I love summer. I love sleeping in and not getting dressed until later in the morning (or afternoon). I love not having a plan and figuring it out that morning what we will do. I love swimming in our pool. I love beach days. I love family night surfing at Doheny. And I have loved our trips...the ranch, Utah, St. George. It was a great summer and I'm so grateful that we made it without anyone getting sick or hurt. Here are some random pictures to wrap up our summer:
Mia wearing Avery's dress up earrings. She is in love, look at her!

Avery stealing my camera...again.

Paige and Eliza pretending they are George Washington. I can vividly remember doing this when I was little.

Movie night at Newport Dunes.

Brett in the Camp Pendelton Tri. He got 2nd place in his age group!!

Many pool days. Mia started off this summer by just playing in the pool area. Now she wants to go under and "swim" to her sisters.


And my favorite picture from the entire summer.