Tag!

Time to play tag again. Amy tagged me, so look out! I've already done the 100 things, so I'm going to try not to repeat.

1. Link to the person or persons who tagged you. 2. Post the rules on your blog. 3. Write six random things about yourself. 4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. 5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog 6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six (6) Random Things about me in no particular order:

1. I hate tomatoes.

2. Jon Stewart is my boyfriend. Okay, he's not...but he is.

3. I never used to cry at movies such as Steel Magnolias, Beaches, etc... Until I had kids. Now even certain commercials make me well up.

4. I am usually attempting to read 4 to 5 books at one time. My nightstand is a mess of books.

5. Green note: I have become very lax in using my re-usable grocery sacks. I'm going to go ahead and blame it on the fact that one of them broke on me and I became discouraged. Time to whip myself back into shape! I have been using my Klean Kanteen, and I'm loving it.

6. I'm trying to re-learn how to eat when I'm hungry, vs. when I'm just bored. I'm tired of dieting. I want to eat what I want!


Okay, time to tag my six: Donavan, Sabrina, Megan, Patricia, Jen, and Kelli. GO!

Pumpkin Patch II--now with more pumpkins and more peril!

We headed up to Sacramento today to help celebrate the birthday of this sweet girl. We couldn't have had more fun if we'd tried!

We got to meet Becca's BFF, Tawny.

What goes up, must come down. You can't argue with physics. Believe me, I've tried.

Oh, for crying out loud--I can't get anything near a decent picture of these two together anymore. I give up.

Adrian was very excited about the funky gourds, so he took a picture while we were on the train ride.

It's true--you really can't make this stuff up.

Rachel (after a long bout with a runny nose): "Mommy, my nose-sucking feels better today!"

Charlotte (getting out of the van at Grammy's this morning): "I'm ready for the presentation!"

The Pumpkin Patch...of PERIL!

A tad dramatic? I think not. Our trip to the pumpkin patch was fraught with danger!

First of all, we had to work our way through a corn maze that stretched clear to the foothills. We weren't sure we were going to make it, but figured we could live on corn until someone came to find us.

Smack in the middle of the maze, we found a corn cob that had fallen on the ground, so we had to stop for an impromptu lesson: "Where Corn Comes From--As Told By Daddy." That's right, we had to learn something...on a SUNDAY!


Two days later (at least it seemed like two days), we emerged, crying and sweaty, from the maze. Okay, maybe that was just me crying and sweating.

But wait! It was also really, really bright! Any fellow fair, blue-eyed folks will back me up--trying to keep your eyes open for outdoor pictures in the midafternoon is TORTURE!

And witness how my poor child was nearly overtaken by a passel of pumpkins! Okay, maybe she was just picking one out--I'm just trying to stick with a theme here.

Whew! We made it out alive and here you see we're ready to take our newly-aquired pumpkins home.
Gah! We had to stop for one last photo. Rachel was having none of it. Even after Dad tried making Donald Duck noises in her ear. And you thought the pumpkin patch was fun.

Friends.

What a nice night. Tonight is the guys' night to play cards/games, so we decided to have a girls' dinner at our house. Sabrina and Donavan brought the kids for a night of food, talk, and lots of playing. We had a nice surprise before dinner- our friends Steve and Carol were up from San Diego, so we got to visit with them for a bit. Their sweet Aiden turned a year old yesterday. It was nice to have the old group back together for a bit before the men went off to play. I finally got to meet Parker, Donavan's brand new baby. I just wanted to hold him all night long!

Parker--the newest member of our Peanuts Gang.
Get used to it kid, they're going to be all over you for a long time.

Carol and Aiden--Mr. Mellow.

Donavan and Maddie. She loves it when I do "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." Maddie, not Donavan.

This character made a beeline for the playroom as soon as she got here. She knows how it's done.


Hey look! One of mine! They were trying to coax Maddie over for a picture.

Thanks for the company dear friends!

Is this where I'm supposed to say, "Bad Blogger!"?

I've been informed by more than one person that the blog needs some TLC. My own mother summed it up beautifully: "The blog is looking pretty sad." Thanks Mom. Ever the dutiful blogger (and daughter), I whipped out my trusty camera this afternoon. That would be my trusty camera...with a dead battery. But don't fret! My mom must have seen this coming, as she took some pictures of the girls just the other day.

They're getting entirely too big. People tell you that they grow too fast, and you think, "Yeah, yeah...I know." But seriously...they grow way too fast!

We're growing out the pageboy cuts and the bangs. We've also got a bit more growing to do to fit into these shirts! I don't know why I say "we," as if we're a collective. Is that a mom thing? Also of note: they've transitioned into cheesy smiles for photos.

Yosemite...kind of.

We took off for the hills today! It was great fun. First, we rode the historic Sugar Pine Railroad. It's a real steam engine that takes you through the old logging route as you sit in open-air cars and gaze up at the trees. The girls really enjoyed seeing the steam engine and hearing the whistle blow. It has to work pretty hard to get the train up the grade, so you can literally hear the "I think I can" sound of the engine chugging.

Then we headed into Yosemite (just barely) to do a bit of the Big Trees at Mariposa Grove. We made it as far as the Grizzly Giant, but the girls had about had it. It's a lot of walking for 3 year-old legs. Along the way, we spotted several deer and chipmunks. They're so used to the tourists that they just stand there and graze right next to the trail.


I really need to get myself a point and shoot for trips like these. I really can't manage my mom responsibilities and worry about aperture and shutter speed. And when you're going from light to shade to light again...ugh.

You're not supposed to take any cones out of Yosemite, but this was on the train. So it wasn't in Yosemite. So don't go calling the feds.

Sleepover

"Adventure sleepin'" at Grammy and Papa's.


And of course, at Papa's house, there's always the possibility of a free hat.

Another trip in the "way back" machine.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The other day, we were recalling the days where we had to manually feed these two. I don't miss it, but I do miss the old man banana faces. You can hear Adrian laughing and Rachel yammering away. And yes, that is the Simpsons in the background. Hey! We have a refined TV palette!

In my opinion...okay, in someone ELSE'S opinion.

I saw this OpEd piece on Yahoo! the other day, and I have to agree.

Dt. Bookman is going to come after us...

We have a missing library book! I swear that I dropped it in the library's overnight bin, but they're telling me it's still checked out. Not good. I don't want the library police coming after me. A thing like that will stay on your record!

Just wondering...

What the guy three treadmills down would look like with his Bluetooth shoved up one nostril. Honestly Friends, you are not. that. important. Hang up and exercise.

The Southpaw's Turn

Rachel is our resident lefty. Little known fact: identical twins don't always share handedness. Charlotte is a true-blue righty, and Rachel will do some tasks with her right, but prefers to write with her left.

"Let's see here..."

"A little of this."

"Some of these..."

That's a mighty fine M.

Rawlings Scrawlings

I know what you're thinking. I come up with clever titles? I know. Actually, it was going to be Rawlings "Drawlings" in honor of the 2, 000,000 second-graders I've had that say "drawling" instead of "drawing." Okay, maybe I haven't taught 2,000,000, but it feels like I have.

Now to the matter at hand--I've been very proud of the fact that the girls know all of their letters, as well as letter sounds. They can count to 20, identify shapes and colors, and make some rhyming pairs. Rachel is even beginning to blend CVC words. However, they've been pretty reluctant writers. Many times I've offered to sit down and form letters with them, and they just haven't been interested. I didn't want to force the issue, as I didn't want them to think of it as work or something they were forced to do. However, Adrian came up with something that they DO like to do. Using our trusty IKEA whiteboard, he's been having them follow his pen (which is actually all dried up). They think of it as a fun game.

Still not used to this lens, but don't you love how Adrian's hand and Charlotte's shoulder are in such nice focus? Bet you didn't know she had a freckle there, did you? Now you do. You're welcome.

Blending a word that they've written. Look, there's my laundry basket. I'm the consummate housekeeper. ....Yes I am!

Stay tuned for Rachel's turn....

Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere...

Grammy Terri came by this evening and gifted us with these, and the girls had a ball.

Oh, someone spies their Daddy.

He needs bubbles!

Fight, Daddy, fight! Don't let the bubbles win!

I love movies.

And I always have to checkout any Top 10 or Top 20, 50, 100 lists about movies. Currently, Yahoo has "The Top 10 Buddy Movies," which just happens to include 3 of my favorite movies. Ever. Actually, it has quite a few that I really like, but these have to be my favorites:

I've been known to like a Western or two, but Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is so much more. It has some of the sharpest, funniest dialogue (thank you William Goldman of Princess Bride fame), and it's just FUN! I can't wipe the grin on my face the entire time I'm watching it. And Paul Newman and Robert Redford in their prime. Yes, please! By the way, this photo is depicting the best scene, with the best line in the movie.

Some Like it Hot

Another comedic gem with classic dialogue. In fact, the last line in this movie is rated as one of the best last lines EVER. Jack Lemmon was one of our best actors and definitely one of the funniest. I'm not normally a Marilyn Monroe fan, but she's perfect as Sugar Cane. It's part musical, part mobster movie, part romance...all good!

Two words--"Vegas, baby!"

Swingers