Happy Birthday, Nanie!

Happy birthday, Nanie. We love you! Thank you for all the fun and love you share with us.

October is a long month

A few more shots of our activities during October. Halloween dominated the last week of the month with parties and games and candy and so much more. We had lots of fun.

Audrey enjoying soccer.



Sisters playing together sweetly.



Tantrum time.



Tantrum time, take two.



Sprinklers - Mark's labor of love/hate.



Claire midair.



After dinner antics (and dress up of sorts).






The day before Halloween - on the way to Audrey's school costume parade - our really cute, really sulky, ladybug-ballerina (the tutu was her addition - very creative).



Audrey before costume parade with her sweet friend Angelina (who looks a lot like Aunt Jolie!) Interestingly enough, every Disney princess was represented in Audrey's class.



Claire in the ball pit at Mommy and Me - from cute lady bug to ball pit camoflage.



At the school carnival in their alternate costumes: pirate with chocolate face and dragon with chocolate face.



Pumpkin patch - with a bounce house and giant slide.





Audrey testing her "fairy princess" wings on Halloween night.



We want candy!



We got candy!

Oatmeal is sticky

Mark makes good oatmeal and the kids suck it down like candy. The trouble is it sticks to everything - clothes, floors, chairs and curls. Here is a little piece that stuck itself to Claire's hair. She was partly playing with it and partly trying to get it off.

October so far

We are enjoying fall. School, soccer, rain, and visits with family have filled our month so far.


Saturdays are for soccer. Audrey is hot and sweaty, mom is pretty comfortable, Papa is riveted by Redondo current events.




Claire in between excursions to the nearby park.



Audrey won the "Best Player of the Day" award two weeks ago. We were very proud.




Cousins Kayla and Alexis came from Idaho for Disneyland and the beach and lots of quality time together. Grandpa Rick and Grandma Nancy brought them.



Audrey's portrait of the Minnie doll Grandma Nancy bought her.




Claire and the allure of the pitted olive.



Just hanging out at home.



Rainy day.

Newport camping

We decided to sneak in one last summer camping trip while the weather was still warm. We spent two eventful days in Newport Beach and have now officially had enough sun and swimming to hold us for a few months. We had a great time being together, swam at the campground's pool for most of each day, cooked out on our little camp stove, fought the kids to sleep - especially Claire who turned out to be coming down with a cold - and Mark and I took turns sleeping in. One of us would rest and the other would take the kids to the playground by the beach.
The most exciting event of the trip was Audrey losing her first tooth. It had been loose for a week or so, but I did not realize how loose because every time she showed me I wanted to throw up, so I just pretended to look and be very impressed. There is something gross about watching a tooth detach itself from somebody's jaw, but it wasn't just that. I was secretly afraid it really hurt, because it looked so gruesome, and I knew I had to hide my concern and nausea from Audrey.
So we weren't on tooth watch because we hadn't actually seen the tooth hanging by a thread. We were eating our dinner, chowing down on chili and corn muffins, Audrey said her muffin was not acceptable. Then Audrey starts telling us some story and Mark and I notice, in the same instant, that her tooth is gone. We both jumped and looked at each other and then asked Audrey where had her tooth gone. She did not even know it had happened. I was absolutely positive she had swallowed it. It certainly wasn't sticking out of her corn muffin. We asked if she had felt it or seen it fall. She had no idea. Then she says, "Ohhhh, maybe it was that gross thing that was in my muffin." Yes, maybe - what did you do with it? "I threw it on the ground."
So now I am thinking that tooth is lost forever because the sand under us is almost the same color and consistency of a little baby tooth. But Mark actually found it and we all celebrated Audrey's first lost tooth (and my relief that she hadn't swallowed it and we wouldn't have to explain how the tooth fairy was going to come for it in her stomach). We rewarded her with ice cream and the tooth fairy came to our tent and left $2 under her sleeping bag. Very exciting stuff. She used the money to by taffy, a good way to lose more teeth and get more money, I'm sure that's her tactic.
It was so great for it to happen when we were all sitting around the camp table together. Later, I felt pretty sentimental about that little tooth that's been with us for about 5 years and gave me so much trouble on its arrival. I lost at least a week of sleep for the sake of that tooth and probably have two crows feet and 20 gray hairs on my head directly related to the stress of Audrey's teething.
It is fun watching Audrey grow up a little right in front of our eyes. Too bad we did not get our family portrait done before the toothlessness set in.
I know I'm going long, but this whole losing a tooth thing has been pretty funny all along. Audrey first noticed her tooth was loose while eating pizza with my mother. She was all ready to be upset and afraid of the process when I explained to her that the tooth fairy actually leaves MONEY for lost teeth. After that she was gung-ho and every day asked us to pull the tooth out for her.
She wanted to hear all our stories about losing teeth, and ironically, Mark told her the story of how he lost a tooth and it fell into his soup. And on the day of her soccer game she said "What will I do if my tooth falls out during the game?" And I could tell her I knew just what to do because that had actually happened to me. My tooth fell out during a soccer game and, knowing it was against the rules for me to leave the field during play, I walked over to the referee and tugged on his sleeve. I told him I had lost my tooth and didn't know what to do with it. He had a good laugh, and so did the parents on the sideline when he explained, and told me he would keep it in his pocket for me until the game was over, which he did. I played the rest of the game and collected my tooth at the end.
Well, we are proud of Audrey and watching the rest of those teeth very closely. We all had a fun trip. Here are a few pictures: Audrey and her new smile; Claire so hungry she needs to eat with two spoons, and me and Audrey after swimming.

First soccer game

The other team won thanks to the little speedy Gonzalez who scored about 20 times. Still it was a great day (Sept. 19) and we loved watching Audrey - especially the moments when she chased after the ball and realized she was having fun and smiled so big. Mark was in Utah watching BYU play, but my mom came with me and she was almost in tears from the happy memories of watching her kids play. I remember playing too - and I yelled for Audrey just like my mom used to yell for me - I even sounded like her. Audrey liked it, except for all the sweating, and then when it occurred to her that her team had lost she was pretty grumpy but forgot all about it until Mark came home and asked "How was soccer?" "Upsetting," she said very dramatically. We have quite a few more games ahead of us - let's hope we win some.

First day of school

Audrey's first day of school (Sept. 9) was momentous and chaotic. Our family is not used to "early" morning deadlines and it was a real push to get us all dressed, fed and out the door, but we did it and enjoyed it and managed a few photos for good measure. We all wanted lots of hugs and kisses and Claire wanted a backpack just like Audrey's - Audrey very sweetly helped her put it on. Audrey was quiet and a little uncertain, but she handled it all well. It was all a rush listening to the teacher's introduction and waving goodbye and being excused and not feeling like I could leave the school grounds while my baby was still there. Naturally, I cried a good bit, and so did Claire. We did not stand around the fence sobbing, but went to our car and only looked back a few times. Claire and I muddled around for a couple of hours - I had no idea what to do with us - and then we went back for Audrey, who was OK, but still pretty quiet. She seemed to think kindergarten was fine but wasn't sure about the friend situation. She was so quiet I felt her forehead and then took her temperature and found it was 103 (you can see it in her eyes in the last photo, poor kid). I suffered a hidden panic attack as I usually do when a temperature is evident and loaded her up with juice and Tylenol.

So Audrey had a good first day of school, but missed the second. She returned for the third day, a Monday, and it has been going well since. She enjoys her homework, has made a couple of little friends, thinks her teacher is fine, and is still figuring out the mysteries of lunch room protocol. I'm not sure she realizes that this is a permanent part of her life or how many years she will be in school, and has complained that school takes too much time and she doesn't enough have time to color, but she's doing just fine so far. It's got to be more fun than hanging out with me all day - and Audrey likes to be busy. We are really proud of her and Claire and I miss her during the day. I stopped crying after the 4th day's goodbye and it's still hard to watch her walk away when I drop her off, but I know she's ready to handle it.

Summertime

I know it's already almost October, but here are a few photos of our summer. We spent as much time as possible at the beach and at any pool we could beg, sneak, or pay our way into. We also had a blowout "back to school" party for friends and neighbors that was great fun. I am always sad for summer to end, especially this year as Audrey is now in school, but we made the most of it, and the heat was starting to kill us anyway those last few weeks. Now we are ready for the fun that comes with fall.

Back to school party.



Beach baby.



Crazy big sand crabs.



Just lounging around.



One of us did not want her picture taken.



Swamp thing.

Big smiles

I thought these pictures were particularly adorable. (Taken in August)

Mommy's wedding dress

Every summer I let the girls put on my wedding dress and we take pictures. I usually do a better job, but this year the heat put me in slow motion. Audrey is starting to enjoy the novelty of a giant princess dress, but Claire is not so sure. I think it's pretty fun.