Pumpkin Patch

We had a wonderful family home evening at the Kerman Pumpkin Patch. A tractor ride, corn maze, haybale obstacle course and a grain table for Camille to play in. Tons of pumpkins at good prices and cousins to share all the fun with. The only thing that would make it better is if Aunt Myrna were with us!

Are you a Problem Solver?

I tell my kids all the time "Solve the Problem". I have seen way too many adults who do not know how to solve problems and I refuse to let my children enter adulthood as such. So, I got a taste of my own medicine in the past two days. Here's a brief recap: Flat tire as I come out from church. DVD player in my car dies (How am I going to drive to Utah with 4 kids by myself without movies????). Can't get my pump to work to blow up the tire. Cigarette lighters in my car are dead. Drive to Costco on a flat (I know - BAD). 3 hour wait at Costco - no thank you. Good Guys replace tire(s) and fuse and now my DVD player and my cigarette lighters work. Yeah - and that was only a 2 hour wait (with a 2 year old). Allyson informing me that they have a Peter Pan rehearsal earlier than I realized. Called company to see where her green leotard was only to find out that the lady who placed my order was fired and the order was never processed. Found a white leotard in our bin FULL of old leotards (benefit of having 4 girls). Bought green dye and made my own mint-green leotard. Had my mother sew a Tinkerbell Skirt and we ended up with the best costume ever! I'm tired. Aren't you?

The BIG Fresno Fair

One of my favorite things to do is to go to the county fair each year. I have a little routine we follow.... animals, reptiles, rocks & vegetables. No rides. No toys. Yes cotton candy! And the best part is watching my kids the entire time. We walk through all the animal pens.. cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, turkeys. This year my niece, Robin, was the most fun to watch. She was sure the cows were just big dogs and she needed to pet them! Camille was enthralled but even the 13 year olds (Natalie & Dylan) were having a blast. It never gets old for me. The reptile house was Mallori & Allyson's favorite. They were reading up on every creature and trying to find the snakes, lizards and frogs in the small glass cages. We walked out of there with a few frog stuffed animals (such a sucker of a mom). And living in the San Joaquin Valley means that the fruit and vegetable displays are simply amazing. We try to identify all the produce grown here and then try not to want to eat the beautiful fruit right there in front of us!

This year my nephew, Dylan, tried fried frog legs. It was hard for me to watch. Thank goodness most of my nausea has gone away! Yes, I'm feeling so well that I could actually enjoy some cotton candy! We had a fantastic time - and everyone was ready for early bedtimes afterwards.

School Photos

Here are Allyson's & Amanda's school photos from this year. Natalie doesn't like hers so I decided not to post it. Amanda & Allyson are totally opposite in their coloring and when they are together nobody believes they are sisters.

Not on the Agenda

This morning did NOT go as planned. While trying to get myself and Camille out to door to my doctor appointment, she dropped a container that had all of my nail polishes inside and one of the bottles shattered - on my carpet!!! So, thank goodness for google and wikpedia! I got it all out - but what a disaster. We were a little late to my appointment but that wasn't so bad since the doctor was running an HOUR behind. Not fun to sit in an OB/GYN office with your 2 year old. Then she had diarrhea - the kind that runs down your leg. Ugh! Can we rewind and start this day over?