Pumpkin Patch x2

The good news is that I survived two trips to Bates Nut Farm (aka the pumpkin patch) last week.  The bad news is that it was about 98 degrees for the preschool field trip and I never want to see another pumpkin again.  I'm partly kidding.  It really was that hot, but we made it.  

The field trip was on Friday morning, but we took a quick trip out on Wednesday afternoon.  Dan's class wasn't doing a field trip there this year and there was no way that I was going to drag Zach there on a weekend (the whining would be never-ending), so the kids and I went and had a great time.  It was late in the day, so not too hot or crowded.  We could just kind of do our own thing and not be rushed around.  Dan and Ben and even Hannah loved climbing on the piles of pumpkins and running around on the hay bales.  They each picked out a pumpkin and we carved them today.

Then on Friday, Hannah and I headed back out with Ben's preschool class.  It was quite hot and much more crowded with other school groups and families.  We listened to a presentation about pumpkins, did the tractor ride, got lost in the straw maze, picked out pumpkins, and ate lunch.  A fun, but tiring, day! 

100th Birthday Party

Zach and I were honored to attend the 100th birthday celebration for his great uncle, Roger Rashman.  Roger is the brother of Zach's paternal grandfather, Gordon.  He lives in the Los Angeles area, so it was really great to be able to drive up for the night and see/meet a lot of family.  My sister watched the kids overnight (with the help of Jesse) and I think they were pretty well-behaved.  She didn't sprint for her car as soon as we got home on Monday, so that's a good sign.

Roger is an amazing man--he did a three-week trip to Asia earlier in the year, he does Pilates a couple of times a week, he's active at his Temple and country club.  I can only hope to be as physically and mentally active when I'm 64 years older.  It was a wonderful evening and I'm so glad that we live close enough to be a part of it.

And here's a picture that Lauren took after the kids were bathed and ready for bed:

Tots & Trucks

It's our annual trip to see some trucks!  This year, we were lucky enough that it was 95 degrees at 11:00 in the morning on October 4th.  Awwwww, autumn.  The kids seemed oblivious to the heat, so they had a great time while I sweated through my clothes.  Zach flew in the Miramar air show this weekend, so my friend Angie and her kids met us there.  Cael is in Dan's class, Coen is in Ben's class, and baby Reid is a few months younger than Hannah.

The kids loved all the trucks and stuff, but they seemed really impressed with a yellow car that had a mouse tail and mouse ears.  I'm not sure exactly what kind of business it was promoting, but the kids had a great time climbing in and out of what looked to me like a regular car.  Ben also managed to take the jake brake off a big tow truck so the driver had to move quickly to avert a crisis.  Just a normal Saturday morning around here.

Afterwards, Ben and Coen had their first soccer game.  They had a great time, but I'm hoping the heat will break so all of us can enjoy being outside again.

The Big Zoo

We go to the Safari Park all the time but have only been down to the San Diego Zoo (aka The Big Zoo) a few times.  It's about a 45-minute drive (instead of 5 min) but we always have a good time when we do make it down there.

The weather was supposed to be over 100 degrees, so we got down there right when the zoo opened and only stayed until noon, missing most of the really bad heat.  The boys loved the hidden jungle, the polar bears, the Skyfari (aerial tram), and the playground.  Hannah enjoyed the bear on the tree limb, a kettle corn snack, and riding around in her stroller.

We had a great time!  A big thank-you to Grandma and Grandpa for renewing Dan and Ben's zoo membership for another year.  We'll go back a lot more soon, especially when it's not so unbearably hot.

Photo credit: Ben Rashman