YIKES!

We caused a car accident today. So it wasn't more than a fender bender and we weren't even in our car but 2 families sure were not starting their day as planned this morning. We were walking to school with some friends this morning. There were 3 adults, 4 kids and 1 baby in a stroller. We weren't an insignificant bunch crossing the road. But somehow the second person in a line of people waiting to turn right across the cross walk we were in missed seeing us and plowed into the first car in the line. We hadn't even gotten half way across the street when we heard the BANG so we were in no danger but it was still a little unsettling. Ironically we had just finished answering the question from the kids, "Why do we have to hold hands every time we cross the street?" This is why. One of the moms in our group was nice enough to leave her name and phone number with one of the crashers just in case. Other than a few rattled nerves and bent bumpers everthing will be alright. Thank you guardian angels for watching over us this morning.

Irvine Park

We met up with our pre-school friends at a local park to enjoy a fall day. Of course the weather thought it was still summer! We found a nice shady area to call our own. There wasn't much there to play with but you never would have known it by watching the kids. They made up their own games and stayed busy all afternoon.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Disneyland of Pumpkin Patches with Grandma Holly and Papa Rich. There were animals to feed, an animal show to watch, giant pumpkins to climb, a corn maze to get lost in, a hay bale tower to climb, a hay ride to ride, cows made out of barrels to ride in, a box with a ton (literally!) of beans to play in, wheelbarrows to ride in, oh and of course... pumpkins to choose!

Oak Glen

In order to experience "fall", we have to drive to the local mountains, gain some elevation, then see what the rest of the country raves about. We love to go to Oak Glen each year for this purpose. Once we were up the mountain, we found a lovely orchard that was having its opening weekend. That meant that the trees were covered in apples still and the girls had a very easy time filling 2 big bags in a short amount of time. They also liked exploring the grounds, feeding the resident horse and patting the resident pot bellied pig.
After working hard in the orchard, we had to reward ourselves with a treat - carmel covered apple slices! The bowl was scraped clean by the time we were done with it.

We finished up by pressing some cider. We picked out 20 pounds of apples. Claire threw them one by one into the press while Daddy, Emily and I took turns turning the wheel. When we were done we were sticky and tired but we had a gallon of yummy cider.

Student of the Month

We're proud to announce that Emily was selected Student of the Month for her class!

Karate

Although I can hear Kramer from that old Seinfeld episode every time I say it, Emily started a "kara-te" class today. Well technically they call it self-defense but they wear the cool pajamma uniforms and yell loudly as they punch with their arms so in her mind it's karate. For once I didn't have my camera in tow so I didn't get any pictures this week but she promised that she had a good time so since there are 14 weeks left in the class, there is a good chance I will remember at some point. I really wasn't sure she would be into it but she was running and punching with the best of them. And so starts another obsession in Emily's life...

Alright I brought my camera and got this...

Bye-Bye Summer

We met up with a group of pre-school families for an afternoon at the beach. All the kindergartners had started school already so the moms could swap stories of how things were going so far. The kids were just happy to see their old friends again. They have the amazing ability to make it seem as if no time has passed since they last got together.
After playing in the water and sand for a few hours we had dinner. Our fire pit got taken over so we had to use the parking lot as home base while we ate. The consensus was that eating in the parking lot isn't so bad. There was far less sand in our food!

Our after dinner entertainment. The kids all piled into the motorhome to choreograph a song and dance routine. Then they came out to perform their different numbers. The whole scene with the motorhome and parking lot was a little Griswold-ish but everyone had a blast.

After the sun went down and it was time for s'mores we imposed on a very kind group that let us share their fire pit. They had actually witnessed ours being "stolen" and pitied us and our "big group of kids". The kids ate and played sand football with a glow in the dark ball until it was time for everyone to head home. What a great day!