Acorns...

We went to Felicita Park today to join a family picnic with our unschooling friends. It was great! There were acorns all over the place and Hannah and Noah started collecting them and putting them on the table. Noah played with them for a little while, pretending they were tea cups and passing them to me after taking a sip. It was cute. We have a nice large collection of acorns in our house now.

Wild Animal Park…

I haven’t been to the Wild Animal Park in a long time and I think the last time the children have been was about a year and a half ago. So it was time we went. With another open house in our home, we had to clear out for the day (6 hours!) and figured that today would be the day we headed to see the animals to the north of us.

We watched the gorillas and measured ourselves up to their size. Ben talked about the balloon ride that he wants to go on (very expensive). We got misted by the misters as we walked up the trail. We spotted giraffes from afar. We watched the elephants for a bit and then hit up the petting area. Noah was thrilled to find out that there was food for sale and that it was for the animals. This petting area had deer in it, so much bigger than the goats at the zoo. Noah loved feeding the animals. He tried to hug the deer but they wouldn’t have any part of it. At one point the deer didn’t want to eat the food out of his hands. Maybe there was something wrong with the food pellet smell.

It was a great day, the weather was perfect and we were all tired on our way home.

Snuggles...

Hannah and Noah snuggled up on the couch together...

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have lots to be thankful for this year. This year we spent the afternoon at my aunt and uncle’s house with all of our family on my Mom’s side.

Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad! 40 years! There have been a few anniversaries that have landed on Thanksgiving. I am thankful that I have such wonderful and loving parents. I love you both!

Zoo...

We had an open house today (because we are trying to sell our house) so we went to the zoo to stay away. I actually haven’t been in a long time so it was nice to go again. Noah loved the petting zoo. Ben and Hannah showed him how to gather little pieces of grass lying around to feed the goats. I thought he’d be timid about it but he was all over it. He wanted to hug the goats too but they tried to get away from him. He was sad when they didn’t eat what he had in his hand too.

TV...

Recently we got in a habit of watching “How It’s Made” on the Discovery channel with the kids. They ask to watch it every night. Each segment is about 5-7 minutes long, just short enough to keep their attention and they are very interesting. We’ve learned how they make jelly beans, cars, wheels, aluminum, bicycle helmets… Here they are watching it tonight piled on top of Daddy's lap.

Field trip...

Hannah went on a field trip with her Daisy scout troop this afternoon. They went to learn about Native Americans from a local Native American shop owner. They loved it. Hannah’s favorite part was learning that different animals have different meanings and powers. They also learned about different stones, dream catchers and about some instruments they use(d). The shop owner let each girl pick 2 stones from their assortment. Hannah loves stones and collects them. She wants a dream catcher. In blue. And in the shape of a heart.

Train trip...

Our monthly field trip took us on the Coaster and it was fun! As soon as I told the kids that they needed to get ready for our field trip, they were ready in 5 minutes and waiting at the door. That never happens. Ever.

We drove to the station and there was no parking, we circled the lot a couple of times and were starting to get nervous about missing the train because we were cutting it close now. After I decided to leave the lot, on our way out I saw a man leaving with his car, we took his spot and grabbed our stuff and ran to the train. It arrived right as we were under the track, running to get to the other side. We found our group which was so far away from us, but we made it and boarded the train. Once on the train I took inventory of what we had with us and realized that we forgot to grab the cooler with the main parts of our lunch inside. Oh well.

The train ride was awesome, the kids were really into this field trip and loved every minute of it. They found their friends, got reacquainted with them (because we see most of them once a month) and enjoyed the ride. When we got to our stop we walked to a nearby park together and all the kids played for a long time together. Every once in a while we saw them show up to eat something but that wasn't a long visit. One family brought a kite and all the kids wanted to play with it, they took turns. Noah wanted a turn and cried for a long time because no one would let him play with it. I finally got him distracted by bringing him to play with Eliza, his friend. They played and picked what they called "dragon berries" around the park. They had fun. Ben brought his backpack (as usual) and he showed everyone how to make a kite with paper and yarn. Noah was not impressed and still wanted the real one.

We headed back to the train station and waited for our train to come. While we waited the kids played together, read the schedule and watched for the train to show. One train zoomed by and it was so loud and fast that it made everyone shiver. Some of the kids got scared with the noise. So we got a picture of them holding their ears with their hands. We got on the train and I noticed that all the kids were sitting together, not many were sitting with their parents. They were all chit-chatting and snacking together on our way home.

It was a great day, we're all looking forward to next month!

Hannah on the train

The super fast train was so loud

It's here!

Looking out the window

Noah is so happy

Party...

Tonight we went to Shaky's Pizza for Ben's soccer party. He still has one more game this weekend so we're celebrating a little early. We've never been to Shaky's Pizza but the kids knew the drill from going to Chuck E Cheese's once before. Anyway, it was a nice party and I was surprised that we (a family of 5) ate for only $5. For the entire family that's $1 each! What a deal. The kids didn't win many tickets form the games but they all ended up with super bouncy balls from the prize counter. And as we were walking out I noticed that we could've bought 3 super bouncy balls for 75 cents from the little dispenser by the door. Ugh what a rip off! Oh well, they all had fun and it was a nice ending to the soccer season!

Ben with his bobble-head trophy and dog tag

For Sale!

Well, we finally did it! We met with some realtors, picked one, hired her and put our house on the market! We have been dreaming about this day for about 5 years now and it is kind of surreal that we finally are doing it. All of our little (and big) projects are done and we are ready. With our new baby coming in a little over 2 months we think it is time that we get a bigger house, with more bedrooms and another bathroom. We are all using one bathroom now and it does get a bit harried at times when everyone needs to go. So, we'll see how it goes and pray that it sells quickly! One of the realtors called it an emotional house, whatever that means.

Wish us luck!!

When we got up this morning this is what we found on our front lawn :)

The listing :)

Honor Roll...

We were invited to celebrate Marissa getting on the honor roll this quarter! Congratulations Marissa! We are so proud of you and your hard work!! We made her a big banner to mark the occasion. We haven't been up to the house in a while but it was hot enough that the kids went swimming! Yes, mid-November and still swimming in the pool! We had a nice dinner together and the kids played nicely. We got home pretty early though because it was a school night and Marissa and her family have to get up EARLY in the morning!

Noah and Ryan talking to each other on the phone about trucks
Hannah and Ben in the jacuzzi before they jumped in the pool
After the pool they watched a movie together

Game...

Ben loves his soccer games but loves to be the goalie. We signed him up hoping he would get the running out of him and all he wants to do is sit in the goal (literally, see pic below). Today was his before last game and they all had fun as usual. I think the team is getting better since they started out in September, Ben is definitely understanding a bit more about the game and being a bit more agressive in getting the ball from the other kids. It's his first year so we'll see how much he retains from this year till the next.

The Great White Shark team
Noah and Ryan on the sidelines
Ben loves to sit in the goal (he made a seat with the netting)
Ben is getting in there (he's in the back)

Thank you Granny and GranDad!

In the mail yesterday, Ben got a birthday card from his Granny wishing him a happy belated birthday and also saying that he should watch the mail for his birthday present. (She caught pneumonia and was not able to bring it over herself, and now she is obeying the doctor's orders and staying home and doing nothing.) So he plopped himself on the front doorstep waiting for the mailman to come (again) with his present. Hannah and Noah sat to wait with him. We talked about how the mail only comes once a day and that he'd have to wait until tomorrow to see if anything came for him. He was bummed but he could wait.

So today we were pretty busy and I thought he forgot about it. But when we got home, lo and behold there was a giant box on the doorstep waiting for him. He found his name on the label and ran for the scissors. He found his gift inside and it was "exactly what I wanted!!!" He giggled and screamed and was so excited about it. He called Granny and thanked her on the phone, he was all smiles and thrilled to death telling her all about it. Hannah and Noah were equally excited for him and couldn't wait for him to tear it open to start building. Which is exactly what Ben started to do. So far he has built a couple of fire engines and a garage, Hannah helped build some flowers to decorate the front of the fire station and Noah put a Lego fireman together. 600 new Lego pieces...

Ahhh... the joy of seeing your child opening a gift that he really wanted...it's priceless, I tell you!

The list...

Hannah has been preparing for Christmas for quite a while. Every time she sees something on a TV commercial or in the store, she has me put it on her Christmas list. She doesn't want Christmas to come and not know what she wants. She wants a clear list for Santa and anyone else who is going to buy her presents. The other day we got the Target toys catalog in the mail and the kids have been devouring it, wanting everything on each page. Tonight I found this on the floor. Hannah had been quiet for a while in the other room earlier today. I guess she was taking charge of her list, maybe not trusting that I was keeping her list safe.

If you click on the picture to make it larger you can see her process (I can) in copying the words and numbers.

Soccer...

Ben had a soccer game today. He loves to argue with the coach and tell him that he doesn't want to play a certain position. Coach always wins and that is good. Here is a picture of Ben motioning to the referee something about what is going on in the game.

PIcs...

We had a nice day, Ben opened his presents, played with them and then we went to soccer practice.

Ben opened presents. He loves his presents and especially loves his golf set. We went to the park this evening to hit some balls with his new clubs. He loves it. After a few hits with the golf clubs he had his soccer practice with a few of his teammates. With the time change the practices have taken a halt, too bad because the team needs practice playing together. Anyway, Ben had a great day, we went to Rubio's for dinner-his choice.

Happy Birthday Ben!!

Happy Birthday Ben!!

You're 7 years old. Wow times flies. So far this morning you have had a special pancake breakfast and opened your presents from us. You love your new golf club set and can't wait to try it out! You also got a K'nex set from Noah and a light saber from Hannah.  This afternoon we are going to bring cupcakes or muffins to your soccer practice, watch your practice, get dinner and maybe go out for an ice cream :) yum, your favorite! I'll update again later!

Little Mommy...

Hannah is super excited about our new baby coming in the beginning of next year (so are the boys). She has felt the baby kick and wants to feel it all the time. No one else has been there at the right time :(. She lays her head on my belly and sings and talks to the baby, so cute. Today she was nursing her baby panda bear on the couch while watching TV. She knows what's important for babies :) I'm happy.

Soccer...

We had a mid-morning game to go to today. They tied 2-2. This is the last 10-11 seconds of the game. Ben (#8) is on the far right and ends the game running after the ball before it goes down the hill. I wanted to catch Ben running after the ball (and playing) because he doesn't really run, he gallops and it's goofy to watch. But the funny part is that he isn't the only kid who does it on the team, they all do. I'll try to get it next week.

Great Pumpkin...

These are the presents that the Great Pumpkin left for the kids. They've already torn them all open and are playing with them right now.