Falling Behind

Oh, dear. It's been awhile! 

Christmas is creeping up so fast, these pictures seem like ancient history!

I've fallen behind on our fall updates.

That said….

Fordy before his awesome new hair cut at our "big park" just minutes away.

We got to see a few of Katy's soccer games this fall. They loved watching their cousin rock the field and learn how to dribble. 

I think they're both ready to start next year.

Don't you think?

Falling down laughing...

Or perhaps cheerleading…?

We'll have to work on using our hands and our funny faces...

You can see that this is from awhile ago…

soaked from the sprinklers and eating a show cone. 

There is a cute little train that is near our local zoo. 

(Thomas the Train is on the list for Christmas!)

And Abby's new favorite job :

caring for cousin Sloan.

Or, as Abby calls her, Sessy or Bessy. 

Hysterical.

She's got us all doing it.

She's such a daredevil, it takes both of them to keep her from falling down the stairs!

A fun moment with my girl after a run...

Some deep reading while at Trader Joes…

(The Case for Christ that he found in the car and insisted on bringing in)...

And while Trader Joes does not have us searching for Rosie the Monkey (like on Del Mar in Pasadena) or Cap'n Jack (like in Hastings Ranch in Pasadena), and there are no popsicles, at least there are animals they get to impersonate.

And…of course, stickers.

So, there's our recent info download. 

Merry, merry to you all!

1100. 5 grocery stores close by

1101. stools

1102. cards out early

1103. surprise LA friend sightings

Fall Into Winter

A few weeks after the cousins were reunited here, the moms and kids took a walk to the lake just before sunset. It was lovely once we got there (over the river and through the woods…)

(The bigs posing with a very low lake behind them…)

and terribly sad when we couldn't go down to the water seeing that the sun was setting.

(it's hard being two, isn't it?)...

but we all rallied and had such a fun time.

Just days after Thanksgiving, we took a walk down to the lake again - on a different trail.

It was glorious.

All of  God's creation in dry patches of grass and dirty and sand.

Red loved running around and even got shoved into the water.

I should've been home preparing for advent but instead….

we walked.

We laughed.

We felt like we were on vacation.

And I'm so glad that all of the Advent prep had to wait or I would've missed it.

This year we're doing The Jesus Storybook Bible coupled with Truth In The Tinsel. 

Print and go.

So easy.

More on that coming up!

1094. actually needing a jacket (and finding one from the 90s that works!)

1095. leg warmers

1096. wearing the warm boots

1097. personalities coming on strong

1098. a telling teacher conference

1099. help while at the conference

Fairy Correspondence In Fall

For those of you who don't watch the news  (and also live overseas) we're having a bit of a cold snap around here. Before that happened, we were in full-fall tilt with long sleeves (!!) and flip flops. 

Apparently, I forgot to tell you all how the fairies communicate.

Right above the toadstools, this acorn was left here by the previous owners of our home and it's the perfect little spot for the fairies to leave their notes. It's a fairy mail box!

This was before the little man got a massive hair cut…

The our lady's very "serious face"...

followed by silly faces. Their favorite.

And lots and lots of falling leaves (which we've yet to rake up)…

It's still all very novel to us. 

There was also warm weather weeding in the front patio (i have the cutest helper)...

And plenty of river beds to walk through with big walking sticks to find (and hit your sister with)...

And carpeted stairs. 

And although the stairs are now "safe" for the kids, they still sleep downstairs, together in the guest room, right next to our room. In truth, this saves us from having to tromp through the house in the middle of the night when a certain little ones wakes up. I'll leave them in there for 5 years if it means more sleep for us.  They do have some good bedtime stories in there (especially when Papa comes over)…

1089. frank the monster book

1090. wearing hats without complaining

1091. old shoes still fitting

1092. warm water in the morning

1093. a true wintery Christmastime

The Fairy Tree

Before we moved, we knew that a big selling point to making the new house something exciting rested in the hands of two people (or should I say things?). 

Rapunzel and Tinkerbell.

And, so, since the kids' bedrooms are the only thing upstairs, the Rapunzel part was easy. "You and Fordy get rooms in the tower! Like Rapunzel!" 

Done. Sold.

There are a few big oaks in our backyard and one of them was begging to be a fairy tree. 

We told her that the previous owner advised us that fairies sometimes visit that tree.

And they leave notes.

(gasp!)

and sometimes gifts

(huge gasp!).

So, as a one-time-only-you-just-moved-in-thing, she got a gift from the fairies, up at the tree after being here a few days. (A left over Christmas gift that we deemed was "just too much" last year). A few notes followed….and then suddenly,  these showed up.

"Mom! What are they?"

"hmmm. I think they're fairy toadstools."

"Wow! Cool! 

Wait… what are toadstools?"

("Something you can buy on etsy….")

And, so, the fairy myth was born.

Notes are left.

Sometimes they light lanterns to alert us.

And Abby writes back, leaving hand-made necklaces and such.

But one day after we'd been here a few weeks, there was indeed a fairy party to attend.

Since I'd been to a huge sale the week before and scored a fairy dress for pennies, 

we thought this was a good idea.

A fine idea.

A very fairy idea.

So, up in the morning light, hung this fairy dress.

And here they are seeing it. 

(Fordy is almost more excited than Abby)...

And since then, the fairies have been on vacation

(preparing for Thanksgiving --shoot, that's this week!).

But that day was filled with fairy stuff….and thanks to the fairies, Abby was ready.

A perfect unicorn...

A preschool pal….

And the birthday girl!

1083. believing in fairies

1084. pixie dust magic

1085. the speaker fitting in the slot

1086. fordy's tummy trouble being over

1087. holiday music before thanksgiving

1088. dates lining up without  me doing a thing

Cousin Reunion

Did I fail to mention that almost 4 weeks exactly to our move-in date, cousins arrived literally around the corner? Yes. It's true. And yet totally unbelievable. Sometimes, I still can't believe it. 

While they were getting settled, we took care of Goldie - who's anything but gold - a Beta fish. Here's Aunt Stacey showing Fordy how to feed him... This took care of any fish obsessions anyone was having. No one wanted to "help" clean the bowl!

And this was the first moment the big cousins saw each other.

Chaos.

Mayhem.

Happiness.

1079. cousins around the corner

1080. cousins that drop by

1081. cousins that we can walk to

1082. cousins that go to the park on friday

Nugget Market

When we first moved, I was determined to find raw milk for the kids.  They love it, gulp it down and ask for more. Regular pasteurized milk? Nah. Not big fans. And so, for many reasons we made the switch.

A really fun market up here is Nugget Market. I think so because of their deals on paper towels and abundance of raw milk. The kids think so because they get balloons. I am always shocked that balloons still get this kind of response... and yet, they do. "Mom! Mom! Can we have one now instead of waiting till we leave?! Can we?!"

A few weeks ago, when the afternoons were still warm and we hadn't changed the clocks back, after we got home from Nugget, Ford spent some time in the yard. Just him and his balloon.

"Hi Mommy. Look at me."

And I can hardly keep up with him as he charges down the rocky stairs.

I'm hollering the whole time, "Careful! Slow down!"

But the fearless one charges on.

And just last week, the balloon was outdone by the pink Barbie cart at Whole Foods.

Eeek. This might be a more costly cart drive.

1075. the monkeys in bed by 7:45

1076. fordy feeling a little better

1077. calling my Pasadena advice nurse

1078. an unexpected friend calling