Happy Birthday Ben! …

After opening a few presents from us and a specially made breakfast for Ben, we went to Legoland and our kids had a blast. We signed up with the homeschool days that they offer. Nanny went with us and treated us to the day, what a great present for us! Ben & Hannah loved it. Everything was made of Legos and there were so many rides and things for the kids to do and see, that we could’ve been there for a couple of days and still not done everything. Hannah loved the roller coasters and the twirly boat swing, she giggled and raised her hands with glee. Noah liked riding in the helicopter and going on the rides. Ben loved everything. He loved the roller coasters and the bumper cars, the playground, the water guns, everything. We stopped by the store on our way out of the park and Ben picked up a couple of sets of Legos. Thanks to all the money he got for his birthday he was able to get the ones he really wanted! He can’t wait to go again. We all can’t wait to go again. Thanks Nanny!!

Legoland...brrr...chilly!!

First ride
Making music with water instruments
In the fire truck
Pirates singing
Wishing well Mardi Gras, New Orleans
Treasure Island, Las Vegas, NV
Exploration time with quakes and shakes

Fire devastation…

We drove up to my parents house today to return some of the things they stored in our garage while they had evacuated from their house. What a sight. It was amazing to see that on one side of the road it was totally scorched and the other side was not.

Party....

Ben’s official birthday is not until Monday…when he turns the big number 6! We had a little birthday party for him today, inviting our families and their children for some fun over at our house. They all came in costume because it was Halloween-themed. We had activities for the kids to do like apple-bobbing, a ghost hunt and a string of donuts that they had to eat off the string without using their hands. Quite fun for all involved. Some kids were scared of the ghosts (really, they were lollipops dressed in crepe paper) and others not interested in bobbing apples that they would have to eat after they bit into it, but all in all it was a great evening for all. Ben had a great time and loved that all of his family came to celebrate with him. He got some great presents too…and lots of money, most of which is going straight into the bank. He’ll get to spend some of it.

Here are some pictures of all the fun…it’s so hard to decide which to post when I’ve taken so many pictures!

Firehouse museum....

We joined a field trip group for a tour of the local firehouse museum this morning. I thought it was appropriately planned (not on purpose) to tour especially after the wildfires. We had never been to this museum even though we had driven by many times before. There was a lot of great stuff to see. Noah screamed most of the time so I followed the tour at a distance with him in my arms, but Ben and Hannah were very interested and kept up with the group.

Halloween...

Finally the day has arrived that our kids have been looking forward to for such a long time. Halloween. Ben decided that he was going to be a superhero this year and quickly changed his mind after we got our decorations and costumes out. He chose to call last years costume a dragon instead of a T-rex. So Ben was a dragon. Hannah was a pink kitty for the 3rd year in a row. I made her costume but we used the same ears and tail as years past. Noah was Mickey Mouse (without ears).

They didn’t want to put on their costumes until tonight even though I told them that they could wear them all day (I even asked them throughout the week).

Marissa and Ryan came over after my sister got off from work and we went trick-or-treating. Our trick-or-treating experiences have all been different through the years. This year Noah and Ryan are 2 and 23 months old so they had their own containers to carry. They didn’t get it though. At one point they thought that they were going to trade their candy (from the previous house) with the candy from this house. Half the time they didn’t go to the door because they thought we were on a walk in the dark. Oh well they’ll get it and then we won’t be able to get the candy away from them. Marissa, Ben and Hannah raced from house to house. Luckily they had a flashlight so we could see where they were. They had so much fun. Next year, we might have to go around 3 blocks because the 2 we did tonight.

Tonight we set the candy out for the Great Pumpkin and tomorrow we’ll see what treats he brings for the kids in exchange for all the candy they give…

Haircut...

We went to a funeral today. The kids stayed home with Corey’s Mom because we thought they might be bored with the ceremony. It was a beautiful ceremony, there were so many beautiful words said about my cousins husbands father (follow that?). He was a barber and as he retired continued to cut his two sons hair and then continued the tradition by cutting his 3 grandchildren’s hair too. Mario talked about that and how it made an impact in his life. Sweet memories.

When we got home, we saw that while we were gone, Ben decided that his hair was too long and in his eyes. He snuck into the kitchen, took the scissors and snuck into the back room to chop his bangs off leaving about ¼ inch of growth on his forehead. What a shock and surprise for us to come home to see a handful of hair was missing off of his head. It really was funny looking and I spent the next 20 minutes or so cutting the rest of his hair off to match it. So now he has short hair.

Unplugged...

Usually, when we get crafty, we do a project and I am helping them all the way while are learning to use the scissors or how much glue to put down, cutting shapes to make a picture…etc. But today we did it a little bit differently.

I got this idea from Suzanne (who got it from another) and today I let the kids be creative with whatever ‘props’ they had in front of them. I put out a bunch of crafty extras, paper and some egg cartons and let them loose with it. I didn’t know what they’d do and I don’t know that they did either but it was good for them to explore on their own without any guidance and find their inner creator, their inner artist. At first they didn’t know what to do and looked at me for help, I told them that they could do whatever they wanted, however they wanted. I walked away and stayed away but within earshot so I could see that they were still working.
Ben created a bug and Hannah did too. They both came out differently as they used different materials but all in all I think they liked not having me around for this type of activity. And we will do it again, I promise.

Kids at work

Hannah's creations

Ben made a mouse

Pumpkins...

We decided at the last minute to go and get some pumpkins for the kids to carve this afternoon. Everyone had so much fun. They surveyed the bins of pumpkins and picked out the best one. Of course Ben wanted the biggest one and wouldn't let anyone else have one bigger than his. Hannah picked one out front and then picked a different one in the store and it turned out to be the bigger than the others. No one noticed. Then they got to carve them, boy that was fun. We got the drywall saws out and they had fun with them. We are always safe and right there with them...we didn't let them loose with those sharp objects. Ben managed to carve his all by himself, he even gave his ears (one triangle and one circle). And who knew that there would be mushy goo to pull out of the pumpkins mixed in with all those yummy seeds? They had forgotten about that and wouldn't put their hands in. I gathered all the seeds and went to work and prepared them for roasting tomorrow. So here they are...we'll put them out front in a day or two.

Their pumpkins (Noah's, Ben's and Hannah's)

Empty...

Our house is empty now. All of our guests have gone. Back to normal for everyone. Dad left this morning to see if the roads were open, he called to tell us that they were. He was headed to the house. My Mom was the next to leave. She had butterflies in her stomach as she was going home for the first time in 5 days. The rollercoaster ride of emotions running on her nerves this week was over and she was going home. My sister spent a good amount of time running around today and readied herself to leave tonight. The kids were playing together and having fun while she packed. We sat the kids down to eat and they ate together one last time before they headed out. Our house feels empty now, even though there are still 5 people living and moving around here.

This week was good for all of us. Granny and GranDad got to spend time with us. The kids loved having their 2 cousins over for a big sleep-over. They have never had a sleep-over so it was extra special with their cousin. Noah and Ryan played and really had to learn fast at how to share. Ben, Hannah and Marissa ran around and went wild with each other all day. It was tiring but they had a blast. No one wanted anyone to leave. But we'll see them on Halloween night, if not sooner!

Full house...

We have a full house these days with my fire-evacuated family staying with us. We've done pretty well though without very many issues with the kids fighting or bumping into each other, or lines for the one bathroom. The kids have been happy to stay in the house all day and do nothing but play with each other and their toys. We have 5 kids and 5 adults in our 1,000 square foot house and it isn't really too bad. My parents have been spending a lot of time near their neighborhood and trying to find out what is going on with their house. My sister and her kids have visited the Qualcomm Stadium where they have set up a nice shelter for the evacuees to stay. From what I hear it has everything like acupuncture, massages, free food, supplies for just about anything you might need, donated books, crafts and games for the kids... They had a great time and she says that all the volunteers reached out to everyone and were so kind. I'm sure they have happy memories of their times with other evacuees.

My parents keep thanking us for sheltering them in our house, but really...it isn't a problem at all! We don't mind having them here. It kind of feels like we have family here from out of town. You know like for Thanksgiving or Christmas except that there aren't any turkey dinners or Christmas trees. We aren't cozy-ing up around the fire either...well, maybe we are...just a different type of fire!

We did venture out into the front yard today and the kids had fun playing with each other in the wagon. They climbed in and then out for a long time. We didn't stay out for long because the air was thick with smoke but at this time the sun was able to peek through and give us a little break from the 'gloomy' like feel of the gray sky.

The story....

We have a cousin who is training to be a firefighter. A couple of years ago she stayed with my parents until she found a place to live and a job. So she knows the property well. Tuesday she happened to be working the fires and found herself on my parents property again. She was clearing brush and doing her job fighting the Harris fire that was threatening their house. She told all the firefighters that this was a home of a family member and they really worked hard at fighting the fire (I'm sure they would've worked hard anyway). The fire came within 50 yards of the house. Our cousin had left leaving the fight to the firefighters but a few hours later sneaked back to check on the house to see how it fared in the fire. It was in the clear... for now. On a break, she called my brother, who handed the phone to my Dad, who told us all. There was a celebration on our end of the phone. The next day the roads were still closed to residents, she went back to see the house and it was still there. All of the houses near my parents house were saved too. There was still a bit of a fire threat on the other side of the mountain so the roads remained closed.

That phone call was the best news ever. It was like we had an insider giving us the scoop on what was happening. Thank you Meredith!!

Pics of fires...

This afternoon, we went to check out the house (if we could see it) and found that there were more family members doing the same thing. We hiked to a point where we could see where it would be if we could see through the smoke. Here are some pictures of our short time there.

Sun setting in the west

Birthday boy!The fires to the west of the house...not a good picture, but you get the idea

My Mom

More Family

An update....

Today we spent most of the day indoors with the air on. The outside air is so mucky with ash that we'd rather just have wild kids in the house than try to deal with respiratory problems. We tried to avoid going outside but we did make a quick trip to Costco for some supplies. With the fires around the county we have my parents and sister with her 2 kids staying with us and not much food in the house. We couldn't stay in all day and took a break and climbed to the top of a mountain to survey my parents house area with our binoculars. The fire raged and calmed, we had a hard time watching it. We couldn't see the house but my Dad did say that he could see their look-out tower at times through the smoke. I've also taken to calling the house, getting the answering machine and hoping that that means that it isn't engulfed in flames. We pray and hope that all is well in the morning, we are glued to the TV for any little glimpse of the neighborhood or even the house!

Happy Birthday Noah!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Noah!!!

Today is his second birthday but we celebrated it on Sunday with family. It's a good thing too because the fires have encompassed our lives the last few days.

He is two! I can't believe it. This last week his vocabulary and ability to make sentences has grown at such a speed that I can't catch up! He loves life with such a passion and his brother and sister are the best in the world. He loves to play with balls, drive his trucks, ride his tricycle, kick like a soccer player and just about anything else he can think of doing. He has become very comfortable with going down the slide at the park, until recently he wouldn't go by himself. He is such a hunk of love at around 40 pounds. He is about 31 inches tall. I'm sure I'll give an update on all that when we go for his well-child visit.

Happy birthday big guy, we love you so much! Pictures below are from his little Sunday afternoon party.

We're OK...

There are 8 fires in our county and some of them are getting closer and bigger. Not so close to us, we live in the city. But close to my parents house, they have been told to evacuate. We are hosting my sister and her 2 kids for the night and my parents will be staying with us or other members of the family tonight. Tomorrow brings another day and we hope the firefighters can get this contained to some degree tonight. Please keep everyone here in your prayers.
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