Fall Family Fun

Some of the family was camping at Mauthe Lake the weekend we were in town, and there were lots of fun fall activities planned for everyone to enjoy there.

 

Jacinta was ready to hop right into the fall spirit.

 

The setting was perfect.

 

While some were carving pumpkins on Saturday afternoon, Jacinta preferred to wander. She wanted to make sure I was getting my exercise.

 

That evening the kids got decked out in their Halloween costumes. Veronica is obviously a fire-breathing dragon.

 

Though there was some question of whether or not dragons can fly.

 

Time for a costume parade!

 

Jacinta’s wandering tendencies meant she had to be contained by Daddy. Marching in formation just isn’t her thing.

 

Time to Trick or Treat!

 

And what kid doesn’t enjoy Trick or Treating?

 

Then some games were in order.

 

And though I missed getting pictures of the pumpkin carving in progress, Veronica did get to pose with her pumpkin she “carved.” With a marker.

 

Sunday was another chance for everyone to get together and play. Even Jacinta joined in chasing the bubbles.

 

Her wanderer’s heart did contemplate escape now and then.

 

But a little impromptu song and dance drew her back in.

 

There was also some time for fishing, which Veronica was looking forward to.

 

With a little help, she reeled one in for Papae.

 

She was excited to get up close and personal with the fish.

 

Eventually she even caught one with her cane pole. She was pretty disappointed to have to throw it back in. Unfortunately I missed all the action on that one, as I was on Jacinta duty back on shore and not on the pier.

 

We had lots of fun over the weekend, and it was great being able to spend time with everyone.

 

Thanks to all whose planning and hard work made it possible!

Next up, a long-awaited fall visit to the The Little Farmer!

A Fishy Situation

The big project on Saturday was…digging a hole. But not just any hole.

 

It was the mother of all beach sand holes. Complete with a ramp for easy access and an archway for decoration.

 

The kids loved climbing down into the hole, despite my aunt insisting that holes and tunnels weren’t safe and she had read about them collapsing and trapping kids inside. Everyone thought she was being a worrywart, until the archway did collapse – right on top of one of the kids who was, for some unknown reason, lying under it. I wasn’t there to capture the exciting moment, but I’m pretty sure they pulled him to safety.

 

 

Aside from those involved in the hole-digging, it was a day for relaxing in the sun. The weather was perfect.

 

And there was plenty to snack on. Ew.

 

Once the sea-side antics were finished, some of the group went for another shell-collecting walk.

 

The rest of us stayed behind to collect diaper sand.

 

There was plenty of that to go around. But it was worth the fun playtime.

 

 

I mean, it’s not every day you get to drive a lounge chair around the beach, right?

 

The walkers came back with some interesting finds. This was some kind of stationary sea creature…but if you look closely it kind of looks like a very small hippo. Weird.

 

And of course there was Fernando the Fish. Irresistible to three year olds everywhere.

 

Oh, Fernando. What fond memories.

And Veronica did wash her hand thoroughly when play time was over.

 

Which is good, because we had a tasty dinner waiting to close out the night.

 

Sunday slowed down a bit, at least for me and Jacinta. We took an afternoon nap in my parents’ tent trailer while everyone went back down to the water. But while she was waiting for me to finish my lunch, Michael kept her entertained by reading the ingredient list off of various items on the table, including this bag of flour. Fascinating.

 

And Sunday was a special day – Tyler’s birthday! So there had to be a tasty treat at end of it.

It was also really our last day, since Monday was spent packing everything up and then driving back into the Arizona heat.

We had a fabulous time, especially the girls. I don’t know if I mentioned it yet, but Paul couldn’t make it on the trip, so it was just us girls who got to go. I’m so thankful to my parents for taking such good care of us, and to my aunt Kathy for letting us use her house. It made a huge difference, and let me get the rest I needed to make something like this possible.

And now I’m ready for the next adventure! Or at least I will be…after a few weeks of sleep.

House Lizard

Or, how we almost acquired a new pet.

Tuesday morning I was getting myself and the girls ready and I reached down to the foot of my bed to grab my jeans. They frequently reside there on the floor with a few other select items of clothing that I wear…frequently. I mean, who has time to walk three steps to the closet and hang them up or get them back out again? Not me.

Anyway, I reach down for my jeans and see a thing. On my jeans. Something. Bigger than a bug, but smaller than a mouse.

 

A lizard! It was just sitting there on my jeans. I’m not afraid of lizards, but I was kind of at a loss.

How did it get there?

Why was it on my jeans?

How was I going to get it off my jeans?

Would it stay in the house and eat all the bugs, please?

I eventually shooed it away, and it skittered over to the corner behind Jacinta’s crib and claimed this old dress shirt of Paul’s for its own. And it stayed there for over a day. There were several times when I was sure the lizard had died, as it didn’t seem to move much, but no, it was just taking it easy.

We considered letting it live in the house, but food is scarce in our bedroom. The second night of the house lizard we decided to set it free in the backyard where it could find more bugs to eat.

 

But first Veronica had to hold it.

 

 

Of course, she was thrilled. She told us about how the lizard lived in the trees with the birds, and the bees were his friends.

Eventually it was time to set him free. Then time to pick him back up again. Then time for him to climb up Veronica’s shoulder into her hair. Then time to set him free again.

 

Fare thee well, house lizard. We will think of you fondly. Especially if you eat all the bugs out there.

 

Veronica lectures about lizards. Don’t miss the fun at the end.

Here’s a little bit of the lizard fun.

To the Side

Jacinta loves drinking from a cup. I’m sure it makes her feel like a big girl. Also, she gets very thirsty.

 

It’s cute watching her with the cup because she definitely doesn’t want to miss what’s going on around her.

So she holds the cup a little to the side when she drinks.

 

Like this.

 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?”

 

Just lookin’ at you, cutie pie.

Memorial Day Weekend in Pictures

I’m beginning our weekend with Thursday afternoon. Veronica wanted to share her current favorite movie, My Neighbor Totoro, with her cousins. Michael may have been a little nervous. Donovan was not picking his nose, I checked.

Meanwhile, Jacinta was being very cute for the camera.

Sunday night we went to dinner at Deb and Clint’s. Veronica ran around the backyard a bit, picking up rocks. I bet you didn’t know that kids don’t need expensive toys. They just need rocks or boxes or pans – unless you want them to play with any of these household objects. Then they want the expensive toys.

The refrigerator magnet animals became her new best friends and accompanied her as she roamed the yard.

Reading a book with Tori and Hailey.

Monday was the Memorial Day feast and swim extravaganza at my parents’ house.

There was a lot of swimming!

Even Jacinta joined in, though she was a little unhappy at first. I’m sure the fact that Ri Ri had just licked her face had nothing to do with her expression.

Jacinta and Omi.

Starting to get tired.

Motorboat!

Veronica was a little chilly. How that is possible in Arizona on Memorial Day, I don’t know.

And how could it be a fun afternoon without a romp on the trampoline? Not every trampoline comes with a human net!

Taking a rest. Jumping is hard work!

Back up and running!

Countdown to the final bounce!

Aaaaaaand GO!

The professionals.

There was also a crazy 17-person game of Telephone Pictionary (my phrases of choice are usually not as long as the examples at the link). Any game involving drawing, little kids, and adults who have imbibed alcohol must be fun, right?

And the food! Everyone brought some really tasty Memorial Day fare. I made Strawberry Lime Squares and Blackberry Cobbler. Yum!

It was a great end to a great weekend.

And not forgetting the reason for all of this fun: if you get a chance, check out the photos that The Pioneer Woman posted here. She did five separate posts, take a look and just try not to cry.