Thanksgiving

 We got to spend Thanksgiving with at my parents house.  We really did experience a Thanksgiving miracle because Trevor did not have to go into the hospital all for three straight days!  We all got a nice surprise from Shayla who flew Kaylee down from Utah to celebrate with us.  We all have so many things to be grateful for and spending time with family is up pretty high on the list.

 Because we just did not eat enough on Thanksgiving we went out the next night from some BBQ.

 This girl LOVES her some ribs!

 The next day the California weather gods gave us the prefect beach day.  I would say playing on the playground at the beach in November in short sleeves and flip flops is worth the scorching heat in the summer!  At least Kyle seemed to think so.

 This little guys could have sat in the swing all day long.  When he would start to slow down he would slap the front of the swing and say "mo mo mo!"

 Great sisters...we missed you and thought of you often Karina!

 Climbing to the top of the rope pyramid.

 We took the ferry over to Balboa island so we could try a...

 Balboa bar.  I prefer the ice cream bars from Costco but being able to pick your own topping from crushed Oreos to toffee pieces, to sprinkles was pretty great.

 I'd say they were a hit!

It was a great holiday and even though the stomach flu made several appearance and has not yet decided to leave us entirely I'd say we have SO MUCH to be thankful for.

Student of the Month

Abby has really grown up already this year.  She was student of the month and her teacher could not say enough good things about her.  She has really started to LOVE reading and for the first time this year I don't have to ask her if she has done her AR reading.  She was at 260% of her reading goal halfway through the grading period and she is still going.  She also have a very kind heart.  Her teacher has her sit next to the hardest kid in the class because she says that Abby is the only one who could do it without getting into fights.  Abby still loves to create things whether it be a picture, a Lego house, or a made up song.  She is a good friend and a great kid.  We LOVE our Abby!

Oak Glen

 We made it up to Oak Glen a few weeks ago and it was the perfect day.  I remember going as a kids and thinking that it was freezing! But every time we have gone since we have moved back it has been really warm almost hot.  This time was the best yet.  We got to take the tractor hay ride up to the field to pick our apples.

 There were still a few pumpkins in the field waiting to be picked but they looked a little homely so we decided to pass.

 Aunt Shayla got to come with us!

 Kyle thought it was great that he got to pick his own apples and Aunt Shayla made sure they came off the tree and not the ground.

 Emma only picked the BIG apples!

This little guy was just content to eat his apple in his seat.

Cleaning off our apples and waiting our turn to make cider.

 

The cider making machine is the real deal old fashion press.  There are a lot of scary looking metal parts but amazingly enough nobody lost any fingers although my heart did stop a every time Abby put her apples in.  Grandpa did most of the cranking to squeeze the juice out of those apples.

 He let me take a turn and after a few turns of the wheel I gladly gave him his job back (you can see he is laughing at me in the picture).

Abby got to take a turn with a little help from Grandpa.

 The girls got to spin the stick to squeeze out the last bit of juice.

Kyle with the finished product.  He really liked it but we had to limit him since the workers informed us that drinking just one cup is the same as eating 12 apples!

We ended the day with tasty apple pie and apple cider donut holes which I am sure will become a new tradition because they were YUMMY!  Thanks for a fun day Grandma and Grandpa!  The kids really do love you no matter what the picture says!



Halloween

So if anyone is wondering why I don't blog as much any more it is because I have become a horrible picture taker and I don't like to post without pictures.  I was disappointed in the number of photos I have from Halloween.  The kids have had their costumes planned out since last Halloween and these pictures just don't do them justice.                             

 

 I did find this little gem though.  Zac was a pretty cute Perry the Platypus if I do say so myself.  He even wore the Fedora for part of the night as long as I let him carry around his other eyeball.

My favorite part of the outfit was his tail.

 Ferb, Phineas, Candace and Perry.  Trevor was Doctor D but of course no picture...Emma made a fabulous Candace.  In fact it was a little scary how good she was at telling on her brother and sister.  I am glad that it was just an act and she returned to her sweet self the next day.

 We also had some fun carving pumpkins with friends.  Abby was way into her carving and you should have seen her once she realized that she could paint it to.

 Of course Emma was all business.

And this little guy lost interest quickly when he realized that there were treats to be eaten.  We had a pretty fun Halloween this year and have enough candy stored up to last practically till it comes around next year.