Cuddles and Snuggles

Cole can't think of anyplace that he would rather be, than cuddled up in Emily's bed on a chilly Thanksgiving morning.

Good Day Sunshine

Little Pilgrim

This little pilgrim says, "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Hobo Style

For Emily's birthday party this year, she planned a hobo party. She spent over a week planning and setting up her hobo encampment. Her friends all donned their best hobo costumes and pulled up a crate to the campfire.

Her guests enjoyed beans and soup from the can and hot dogs served in pie tins. One of the favorite dishes was what Emily called "garbage dumpster cake". It was a sight to behold with old cans and bottles, dirt, and wiggly worms. Yummy!

Even though Cole was too young to join the party, he did his best to get in the hobo spirit by trying on some of Emily's costume.

Emily's 12th Birthday

Emily celebrated her 12th birthday in style.
Nana and Grandpa treated her to a birthday lunch.

There were presents to be opened, and manicures waiting to happen.

Emily is great with the gift opening reactions. No wonder she enjoyed drama class.
There was also lots of time to goof around with her brothers. Here she fashioned protective gear for herself to wear in a cotton ball fight they were having.

With Emily there is always some art involved, even if it is only on her own knee.

Autumn Leaves

Grayson suggested that we rake up the leaves in the backyard. Cole and I joined in, eager to celebrate the change in season. The boys were quickly done in by the 90 degree day.

Their shorts and sweaty faces don't exactly look like the Fall scenes we see in books and movies, but we had a great time anyway.

Pumpkin Patch

Halloween is finally here, but what to do with all those long hours before trick-or-treating begins? The kids suggested the pumpkin patch, so we headed off to run off some excess energy.

There was no shortage of photo ops.

Totem of Cuties

Emily shows off her prize pumpkin patch catch.

Five At Last!

Five Years Old at Last!
The day couldn't come soon enough for Grayson, for me it came too quickly.
It was a very happy occasion, with family, cake and many presents.

Getting Ready for Halloween

Who's That Girl?

Just a cool self portrait from Emily.

Halloween Parties

The kids spent the day enjoying Halloween Parties with their friends. Emily went back to her elementary school to enjoy the Fall carnival with Ally and Cassie.

Grayson's class made their own popcorn costumes and trick or treated around the school.
He was so cute, Jeff was going to eat him up!

Monkey Around at Pretend City

The boys were very excited to check out this Curious George exhibit at Pretend City.

When we got to the new exhibit, we were greeted by this handsome doorman.

Cole wasted no time blasting off in George's rocket ship.
So many things to explore. I am sure we will be going back soon.

Last Day As a Four Year Old

Grayson decided to spend his last day as a four year old at the Santa Ana Zoo.
The eagle is his favorite animal on the carousel.

Cole was being a little monkey as usual.

Treats in the Trunk

Each Halloween Grayson's preschool puts on a party they call Treats in the Trunk.

The kids love showing off their costumes before Halloween.

They also like getting an early start on those candy buckets.

Grayson's Birthday Trip

After several months of waiting, Grayson finally got to go on his Disneyland birthday trip. With Emily gone and Cole at home, Grayson got to call all the shots.

One favorite spot was Pirate Island. He loved exploring the caves. I did my best to keep up with him, but he managed to lose me a few times.

He was quite the daring pilot on the rockets.

The Buzz Lightyear ride is always a hit.

Nothing says birthday outing like a gigantic ice cream sandwich.
Since it was a drizzly, school day, the lines were short enough to squeeze in 14 rides and two meals. We all arrived home happy and tired.

Twilight

I am getting concerned that Emily may be reading too many of those vampire books. It seems to be affecting her somehow. Well, at least she still has good taste in music.

Happy Birthday

The birthday twins celebrated another birthday together. Nana and Cole spent a wonderful morning together filled with presents and family.

I am sure Cole is going to spend many mornings enjoying his birthday gifts.

Hiking

Grayson decided to sit out the September camping trip,
so Jeff and I spent a weekend at William Heise by ourselves.

We had a chance to go on a few great hikes,
something we haven't done since Grayson was born.

Along the way, we ran across this little kingsnake.
We admired his spunk, especially since he was only a few inches long.

It's Potty Time

Cole is always eager to do what his big brother does. He seemed interested in using the potty too, so we picked him up this froggy potty. He has the sitting and reading thing down, now we just have to be patient.

Fire Station

Our Mom's Club had a chance to take a tour of a local fire station.
Cole wasted no time making friends with the firemen.

He had a chance to use the fire hose,

check out the equipment,

and even sit behind the wheel.
Hopefully he had a chance to see that "sirens safe", as he always repeats whenever he hears one passing by.