Pumpkins!

A few weeks ago we went Bates Nut Farm, a semi local farm (30 minutes away), that had become a popular pumpkin patch.  The Archard family makes is a family tradition and we were thrilled to join them!  We went years ago when I was young so it was fun to go back with the kids.  We have been to the pumpkin patcvh in Hawaii that was always 8- degrees and dirty!  This year wasn't much different, other than being in Hawaii.  It was hot!

First stop was feeding the animals.  Both Abby and Zack got a kick out of the animals eating right out of their hands.  Saylor, the youngest Archard, loved it too.

There were tons of pumpkins to choose from and climb all around.  A & Z found their favorite and then climbed around every other one around.

After we found the perfect pumpkins, we went on a hayride. 

Saylor and Abby

Cruising around the pumpkin patch in the wheelbarrow thank to Uncle Jason.

Once we got home, we carved the pumpkins right away.  The kids helped Matt design and we all gutted it baked the seeds...this is about as crafty as I get!

Abby said, "Halloween is at the end of the month and our house isn't very scary."  That might, Matt went shopping and we decorated the house.    It is so fun to see the kids excited about the holidays!  The kids had a blast enjoying the Halloween festivities!!

This last picture was taken before my mom's schools fall festival.  The kids dressed up in their other costumes.  You can see we cut Zack's hair since the pumpkin patch.  Looking back at the pictures, I wonder if the blonde will ever come back.  He is still adorable but I love the blonde highlights:). 

The Birthday Circuit

Both kids have been making friends at school and seem to be fitting in just fine.  About a month ago we got our first birthday invite from a little boy in Zack's class.  Abby was a little sad that it wasn't one of her friends but was relieved that she could at least go to the party too, which meant she got cake and treats so she was ok.  The following week, Abby got a white envelope in her mailbox and when I handed it to her she literally squealed, "I GOT INVITED TO A BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!" 

So, we had 2 parties 2 weeks in a row and it was great to meet some other families with kids and see our kids play with their school friends.
 

Abby delighted to get her face painted and "lipstick"

Pinatas were never a big thing in Hawaii so the kids were really excited to get a turn to hit the pinata and go diving for candy.  They seemed to figure it out very quickly.

Abby's friend's party had the tars of Tangled make a guest appearance and the little girls were in heaven.

And more pinatas...

Biking the Beach

A couple of weeks ago we rented beach cruisers and cruised Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Mission Bay.  It was such a beautiful ride and Matt and I had the kids in seats behind us.  We rode for about an hour on the beach path and when the kids started to get restless we stopped to play on the playground at the beach.

 

After our beach "workout" we had lunch at the Bahia hotel, where we rented the bikes, and took in more of the beautiful scenery over lunch.

Airshow & Cousins!

We had planned on meeting my cousin Sara and her family, who where on vacation from Colorado, at the airshow but with 5 busy toddlers we could never actually pinpoint a place to meet up but we all had a fun tine checking out the planes and the show.

Zack and Abby loved getting to explore the planes and  of couse see and hear them so close!

 My one and only meager shot of the show..

 After a few hours in the heat and observing planes we were all ready to go.  We stayed for the Blue Angels and then headed out.  The kids passed out shortly after we left during our 20 minute walk to the car.  Next time we might come later or just stay in the back yard and watch the show from a distance!

 After some minimal napping, Sara and family came over for pizza and partying!  The kids didn't miss a beat.  They played for hours and had so much fun!!!  Abby, being the only girl, commented on the boys playing rough but she loved it!  She is still talking about her cousin, especially Jake!.

 The adults got to catch up, which is such a luxury to have some time to hang out with my cousin!  Every one in a while we would check on teh kids and they were so content.  Playing with plaens and trucks. 

 Towards the end of the night we put on Dora and they were so sleep derived and mesmerized they all just sunk into the couch...too cute!

Labor Day BBQ

These pictures are not the best quality since they were taken at dusk (I am ready for my new iphone!) but we had a nice neighborhood BBQ for Labor day.  Many neighborhood gatherings are what I loved about growing up in  a cul-de-sac and it is so great to be able to enjoy it again- but it makes house hunting way more challenging!!!

The kids riding their scooter around the cul-de-sac

Our neighbors have a pool and all the "big" kids started to disappear and we all realized they had gone swimming.  Abby and Zack are the littlest kids on the block by about 10 years but they are all so cute with them.  A & Z really look up to the big kids and I am always amazed how much they like to play with them.  We get knocks on the door to see if they can come play!!! 

Abby jumped off the diving board with the big kids and still talk about getting a diving board.  Sounds fun but I think we'll focus on the house first!

Santee Lakes

One Saturday, about a month ago, I went to a writing conference and my dad and Matt took the kids to Santee Lakes.  I had never even heard of it but after their adventure it seems like a great place for kids. It was a sweltering 100+ day out.  We definitely had a hot moth of September- and we constantly heard, it is never this hot in San Diego!

They went paddle boating

 and played on the humongous slide

cooled off in some water

They had a really fun day and were worn out when they got home which means it was a pretty good way to spend a Saturday morning.

Midland Railway

It feels like a million years ago that I took the kids to the railroad in Poway to ride the train but it was actually just in teh end of August.  They loved riding the train and it was  fun way to spend an afternoon when dady was busy prepping his class before the kids started.