Cupcakes at School

We took cupcakes to Paige's school today to celebrate her fourth birthday. It was so fun seeing her in her element as her schoolmade crown glittered with the number four. She loved having all her school friends sing to her and felt proud sitting next to her little brother. Paige shares the same birthday with a boy in her class. He brought in rice krispie treats for everyone. After cupcakes and krispie treats, do you think they'll eat lunch today?

Botanical Gardens

This was our first time visiting the Quail Botanical Gardens. I wish we had visited sooner, what a great place to walk around with the kids. We only explored about a third of it, so we'll be planning a trip to return soon. I also would like to take part in some of the kids' activities they provide during the week. Paige had most fun walking through the tree house and kids' area. And, Nick enjoyed the freedom of running around in a safe environment.

Operation Cinderella Costume

Over the weekend, we went to Legoland's Brick or Treat Party. They do all sorts of Halloween activities and we had fun walking around, in the fog (courtesy of Mother Nature), with Peter, Nicole, and Terry. Paige was all too excited to wear her Cinderella costume for the first time. Yes, the dress is finished! Although I did buy the fabric, sewed the bodice and lining, and parts of the skirt, the true work of the dress was done by my mother-in-law, Cathy. The fabric was really difficult to work with and we had tons of bumps along the way: needles breaking, thread breaking, wrong tension. Cathy was bound and determined to get this dress finished in time for all of our festivities. Paige beamed when she got to put it on. She twirled and twirled in front of the mirror in our bedroom. So, thank you Cathy for making an awesome and beautiful princess gown...you're a true fairy godmother! As a bonus for me, I got back into sewing and am excited about tackling some easier projects. I plan to take better pictures of the dress come Halloween.As for Nick, he won't have anything to do with wearing his Knight costume. He just yells, "No costume, no costume!" Hopefully, he'll learn that no costume will also mean no candy come Halloween night.

The three amigos pose in a giant pumpkin made of legos. So cool!

Picking Pumpkins

Besides the 90° weather out in Valley Center today, we had a very good morning picking pumpkins at Bates Nut Farm. Going on a Friday was a little bit different, no bbqs, tons of field trips, and to Paige's disappoint the jumpers were not inflated (I'm assuming because of the field trips). So, next year we'll probably head out on the weekend again. We did, however, enjoy the petting zoo and climbing all over the big macs. And although Brian isn't feeling a hundred percent yet, he did troop it out. Cathy joined us and bought this hilarious wax moustache for Nick to wear. He wanted nothing to do with it, but Paige didn't mind getting goofy.

Playing with a View

Brian is working from home this week, getting more rest from his jaw surgery which occurred almost two weeks ago now. He's doing very well. The swelling has come down quite a bit and he's able to speak more clearly. He's on a soft diet, but has a great sense of humor about it. Today he joked, "Well I can't decide if I want a burrito for lunch, or broccoli cheese soup...I'll go with the soup." It's kind of hard to know when's he's kidding because he can't smile very well yet. At least, he's still got a good chuckle.

We went to get a little bit of fresh air this morning and took the kids to Powerhouse Park. They had a great time climbing, swinging, and cheering on the trains. This has got to be one of the best parks with a view in our neighborhood.

Princess on Ice

Paige and I went to Disney Princess on Ice yesterday. Paige and her friend dressed as Sleeping Beauty and I'm glad they did because just about every girl in the audience was gussied up. Paige said her favorite was "Cinderella, and the stepsisters ripped her dress...I liked that part." The ice skating was very good and all the songs were the originals from the movies. Even Mickey and Minnie were there. All in all, a very entertaining show. And spending some girl time with Paige was the icing on the cake.