Bring on the holidays!
October started off with National Walk to School Day, so the kids and I walked Landon to school. It was great until about halfway back home when Brooklyn got tired, but she managed to make it. As a rule, she doesn't get her nails painted until I can tell that she hasn't bitten them (as motivation to stop biting). Brooklyn requested this one "long" fingernail be painted because she didn't bite that one.
Landon and I attended his buddy, Juliana's, birthday party at Uptown Jungle then to froyo after. (Brooklyn and Daddy went to Burgers & Beer and cuddled to the movie, "Woody Woodpecker.") He had so much fun at Uptown Jungle that he and Brooklyn went the next day with Pappou and Babcia as well as a couple of weeks later with Grammie!
Landon's soccer season ended. He had a great time and especially loved his time playing goalie and playing with his friend, Tristan.
Cousin Night! Why is dinner so much better when it's outside on a blanket?!
Pretending to sleep when Auntie Amber & Uncle Peter returned to pick up the cousins.
Warriors game + lollipop = focus
The kids made us a family snack!
Recipe:
Separate 1 row of cookies from the filling of Mint Oreos, smash each separately, then mix together.
Add tap water, cinnamoon, salt, 5 kinds of sprinkles, and 2Tblsp vanilla and mix together until it's the consistency of paste.
Then drop in red grapes and banana slices and coat in the "delicious" paste.
Daniel and I each had a bite, and allowed the kids to DEVOUR the rest. Landon still says it is his best dish that he cooks!!
The kids have gotten along SO WELL for SO LONG, and now the bickering has began. We knew it wouldn't last forever, but it was so nice that they got along so well. They still say that they are each other's best friend and favorite person in the world, but they spend a good portion of their time arguing and hurting each others' feelings, unfortunately. We're working on it in hopes that it will get back to how it was not too long ago. Then there are the moments where they shower with all cold water (intentionally) for 20 minutes, (happy) screaming and cracking up the entire time (sorry about the drought, California!).
The chipped piece of Daniel's repaired tooth fell out, and when the chocolatey/minty/cinnamony paste stuck on the front of Brooklyn's tooth they looked like twins. :)
We made ghost/pumpkin toast to get into the fall/Halloween spirit and headed to Literacy Game Night at Landon's school.
We doggysat for Tyson, and Brooklyn took it upon herself to take him on 2 walks a day a couple of days. She loves him and loves taking him on walks, but she REALLY loved walking him all by herself (not knowing that Mommy was watching her every move sneakily from the porch). She also decided to make some drawings on PostIt notes and "sell them for free" to cars passing by at her table on the curb. (She didn't get any takers, but she was excited that one of the neighbors drove past and waved to her!)
Landon loved having a bed buddy, especially the night of their flu shots. They were both calm and okay to get shots, remembered from last year that it didn't hurt. Brooklyn took hers okay, but Landon freaked out when it was his turn, yelling, crying and not letting anyone hold him. He stopped the nurse right before she grabbed the needle with, "WAIT! I HAVE A QUESTION!" What's your question? "I don't know! I haven't thought of it yet." just trying to stall. Poor guy. But, of course, he was okay afterward and says he'll remember it didn't hurt for next time.
I love how Brooklyn pronounces chapstick as "chopstick" still. Brooklyn does this cute face when she thinks something is really funny!
She fell backwards onto the stucco, and a tiny piece of stucco caught her head. The dried blood in her hair on all down her shirt was nasty, but Ms. Jen said she handled it like a champ! About a week later she was standing on the top of our backyard couch and fell behind it, also hitting her (fore)head (and back) on the stucco and setting off 2 rat traps (luckily not snapping on her!). There may be a scar on her forehead from it.
We had a picnic outside, and she chose green and yellow Skittles "for Cal Poly!"
The kids both did a trial music lesson at School of Rock. Both liked the drums the best.
Landon had a Fun Run at school and did great! He did his best and got 43 laps, 7 more than the maximum number for donations. The donations! Oh my gosh, the program that encourages (brainwashes!) the kids to request donations realy knows how to motivate the kids. Landon was obsessed with asking everyone he knows for donations (luckily, we were able to talk about how it's not appropriate to ask everyone we know before he did!)
He shared his face paint with all the first graders...and Brooklyn. Brooklyn had a great time playing with her buddy, Ashlyn!
The four of us attended our first Temecula Valley High School football game, which happened to be the Homecoming game.
The kids, especially Brooklyn, were very excited to see Ms. Elyse (her preschool teacher's daughter who she loves to see and has babysat the kids before) cheerleading. Brooklyn even got to go on the field! They both collected the fake money that had the homecoming queen's face on it, and Brooklyn decided she wants to be a cheerleader.
The kids and I spent a day with Gunnar & Mackenzie (& Jen) in Anaheim. Jen got the girls matching Elsa dresses (worn only briefly by Brooklyn) and the boys matching Mickey shirts for our very first character breakfast with Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse and Stitch! The kids enjoyed it, and both loved silly Stitch the most and talk about how funny it was when Minnie kissed them on the head with her nose.
The boys, who only remember meeting each other once before, 4 years ago, were fast friends again! Landon wants Gunnar to live next door so they can play all the time.
After the breakfast, the kids swam at the hotel before relaxing in the room while Jen and I had a chance to chat.
Back at Grammie's house, there were matching Halloween jammies waiting for the kids, even though Grammie and Papa weren't in town until the next day.
We met up with Erin, Syd and Mackenzie at Zoomars to feed the goats, hold the guinea pigs and decorate pumpkins. Grammie met us at lunch, then we stopped for froyo and board games on our way to their house before the traditional Mongolian BBQ dinner on the way home.
When he didn't think he could keep the poker face up he and his teammate, Grammie, tried to physically hide his reaction.
Daniel and I finished updating the dining room with new DIY shelves and decor (and some outside wood projects as well). The design took just as long as the construction.
Landon asked one day if Luke could come over to play. They played together for 2 hours when Brooklyn was in school, and they had the best time. They cracked each other up over and over!
We signed Brooklyn up for School of Rock, and she has really taken to the drums.
Brooklyn taking her drumming skills to "nature:"
We love Brooklyn's preschool!
We had another visit from the tooth fairy! Landon was determined to lose this tooth at school (to get the tooth case from the nurse's office), and, luckily, it happened. He loved The Chipmunks' song, "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth."
Camping Day at Giggles & Gluesticks! PJs, a tent and a s'mores craft! After, she and I drove around the neighborhoods looking for houses decorated for Halloween - she loved it!
We decorated another pumpkin, this time with melted crayons.
"Look! I caught a baby lizard!" (and brought it into the house)
Landon played with Jacob's maze ball over and over again until he got it! And both kids have been doing more and more Art for Kids Hub drawings. Red Ribbon Week included "I moustache you not to do drugs" and wear red day.
This girl's reading is improving so much!
Brooklyn's back to enjoying gymnastics.
Landon's soccer season ended, so we had the end-of-the-year party and awards at Pizza Factory.
Landon asked Daniel to start helping him practice basketball to get better at it, so they began doing drills. It's fun to see him so dedicated to something. I was watching when, one time, he missed the basket and, on his own, started over because he wanted to get it right, even after Daniel told him he didn't have to.
I started working again, and the kids are really excited about it because we're builing my office with a little desk for them to sit at when they come to work with me.
Twinsies! Now that Daniel got glasses (and matching shirts) they really do look similar.
What's October without a trip to Peltzer Farms Pumpkin Patch?!
More matching PJs from Grammie!
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Brooklyn and Ms. Karissa (Kids' Club at the gym) sported matching hairbows.
We had a Halloween party at the park with a bunch of the kids' friends, festive games and treats. The kids LOVED it!
...followed by annual pumpkin carving with the cousins!
Brooklyn's gymnastics and preschool classes even got to dress up for the holiday. Brooklyn decided to be a dalmation after she heard that her best preschool buddy, Indie, was going to be a dalmation.
Goofy kids!
We also attended a Halloween event at Auntie Amber's church. They had a bunch of fun activities and Trunk or Treat for the kiddos, but the room of balloons was the fan favorite! This year Landon chose to be Pikachu from Pokemon (a show he's never seen before but apaprently really likes it because that's what he chose his backpack & lunch bag to be).
We held a "fall party" on Literary Character Day (which just so happened to land on Halloween) in Landon's classroom. The kids got to dip and roll apple slices in all sorts of festive toppings.
And we still had actual Halloween to go!
Brooklyn asked to pass out candy with Daddy & Uncle Peter mid-way through again this year. They had such a great time that she told me next year she ONLY wants to pass out candy and not tirck or treat at all. (We'll see if that changes in a year!)
And the best part of all....sort, re-sort, repeat!
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