First Day Back To School

This morning was rough.  There was a lot of whining, crying, and general unhappiness.  I carried Austin out to the car kicking and screaming, not even the grandma bus helped.  I am so glad that when I picked them up from school they were in much better spirits.  A little hot chocolate also helped.

It seems Austin’s unhappiness this morning was because he ran out of time to build his BB8 robot before school.  We built it when we got home.  Happy Boy!

Use the Force!

We were back at the beach today.  The kids were so funny, they were trying to use the force to keep the tide from coming in.  Haha!


Ethan exclaimed that they had found a dinosaur bone and that they were famous because they were the youngest people ever to find one.  They worked so hard to dig it up but unfortunately their force was just not strong enough to keep the tide out and their "bone" was once again buried.

Ethan gave boogie boarding a second chance but ended up taking a little beating in the waves and came in.  Then Austin insisted on going out in the ocean so armed with his life vest and a boogie board he went out to play with Dave.  With daddy's help he caught a wave and rode it all the way in before being tossed at the very end.  Whoops!

We also had fun playing with Ali in the sand.  She was so cute just exploring how the sand felt between her fingers and toes and in her mouth...Yikes!  I looked away for one minute.

We ended the day by going to see Pets and eating dinner at Denny's.  Their pancakes are delicious!

San Clemente!

I just love coming to San Clemente!  I love spending time with family.  Going to the beach.  Going to the pool.  Walking up the street to go get yogurt/ice cream or visit Rocket Fizz. 

Today we hit the beach and had a blast!  The kids played in the sand and in the surf.  Ethan and Lincoln both gave Boogie Boarding a shot and did great.  The waves turned out to be a bit more powerful than they were comfortable with so they each did a few runs and were done.

They also spent about an hour just screaming at the waves coming in.  Hilarious.

Oh and another exciting thing...Payton spotted dolphins just off the coast.  Really cool!

Peaches

Yesterday we got a bunch of peaches from my grandma.  Dave LOVES these peaches and looks forward to them each year.  I think he eats 2 or 3 every day.

This time I thought it would be fun to make some jam with them.  Today my mom came down to help.  

What an adventure!  We ended up having to find a recipe that did not use pectin because after visiting several stores we could not find any.  We ended up using every pot I own.  And I burnt the palm of my hand grabbing a pot handle, oh boy that hurt and still is hurting.

When all was said and done we ended up with 2 pint size jars and 3 half pint.  I sure hope it tastes good.  😆

Other news for the day...I took Payton in to the doctor for a lingering cough and it turns out she has Bronchitis and possibly a touch of pneumonia.  Oh man, I am so glad I took her in and that she is now on medication to help her get better.  Thank goodness for that!

A Lunch Date in Santa Nella

Today we had plans to meet up with Grandma Vella for lunch at McDonald's in Santa Nella.  Grandma was making a special delivery of peaches from her tree. 😀

Before we got to Santa Nella, Grandma called and asked if we wanted to meet her at the San Louis Resevoir.  The kids had a great time exploring and learning that the lines around the Resevoir show how high the water levels used to be.

Austin is so stinking cute!  Haha!

These two are good for a laugh as well.  😀

Payton was also VERY interested in getting a 4 generation picture.  She got so irritated with the boys jumping into the pictures.

Austin's version of the picture...

We continued on with our lunch at McDonald's.  I always remember going to McDonald's with Grandma and LOVING it.  Making memories with the next generation.  Haha!

The Rainbow Looms have returned!

The kids have recently pulled out their rainbow looms again and have been going to town making bracelets, rings, and even competing on who can make the longest rubberband rope.

Today we went to Michael's for replacement bands and found the FingerLoom party pack.  It came with 9 finger looms and we found a bunch of game ideas to use with it.  The kids have pretty much been using their fingers to make their projects recently and I thought these would make it easier for them to set down their projects and then pick them up again later.  They were so excited to use them and HAD to try them out before bed tonight.

Now to figure out the different kinds of bracelets we came make on them!

Pumpkin Patch

Everyday on our way home from school we drive past the Pick of the Patch Pumpkin Patch.  The kids ask everyday when we are going to go there.  It is full of bouncy houses, a HUGE tiger slide, and an inflatable obstical course with a huge dinosaur on it.  Who wouldn't want to go there.  Haha!

Last week we told the kids that we would go today and they have been looking forward to it all week.  Michelle has been telling us that Lincoln talks about it everyday.  And everyday Austin asks if we are going "this day".

They had a blast!  They LOVED the tiger slide, it took Austin a bit to find the courage to go down it but he did.  They also enjoyed the obstical course,  Austin wasn't sure about the part where you have to "squeeze through" but with some coaxing from Lincoln he made it through.

We had a great time!  These are the pictures from my phone.  I will have to take a peek at the ones on my camera.

On the mend.

Payton has been on antibiotics for 24 hours now and boy do antibiotics make a difference.  She is feeling so much better.  Thank goodness!

She took a nice long bath this morning.  Her rash still looks pretty bad and is pretty itchy.  We love Benadryl!  So thankful she is on the road to recovery.

Strep with a side of Scarlet Fever

Payton has been home sick all week with a low fever and a sore throat.  Poor thing.

Last night she developed a little rash on her chest and back.  Then this morning while we were waiting in the waiting room to get my blood drawn her rash started spreading and within an hour covered her whole body.  

Fortunately, the doctor was able get her in quickly.  It turns out Payton has Strep Throat AND Scarlet Fever!  Yikes!

So grateful that she can be treated with antibiotics and that the doctor predicts she will be back to normal very soon.

Love our little girl.

Spider Hat

I just love these spider hats, I wish I would have kept Payton and Lincoln's from when they were going to Busy Bees Preschool.  Maybe I can track down the pictures for a comparison.  So cute!

Austin Strikes Again

Austin decided to try standing on a ball and fell face first into a table.  OUCH!

 

The good news is that he didn't knock a tooth out and that he didn't break a tooth.  The bad news is that his lip wasn't huge and scraped up meaning that the force of the fall went full on to his gums.  Now we are in a waiting game, will his teeth stay white and normal or will they turn dark?  If they turn dark the Dentist recommended root canals.  Yikes!

I am hoping they just stay white.  :o)

Halloween Decorations

Halloween is right around the corner and the kids were so excited to decorate. 

 

Lincoln insisted on buying a bag of spider webs and spiders and then Austin insisted on another bag of spiders.  Haha!  We decided to put all of that fun stuff together with Lincoln's old spider costume to spookify our entry.

The kids had a blast throwing spiders into the webbing and trying to get them to stick.  There ended up being a handful spider hanging from a single thread.

Lion King

At the beginning of the summer Payton heard an advertisement for Lion King being performed in San Jose.  It was then she started begging for us to go.  Which led to Lincoln begging.  Which then led to Austin begging.

In true Kimberly fashion, I procrastinated buying the tickets until the week before the last weekend.  Guh!  I think the internet actually laughed at me when I entered that I was looking for 5 seats all together.  It turned out that there was only one show with seats all together and the seats were EXPENSIVE.  Dave and I decided to go ahead and get the tickets.

The seats were awesome!  We had 2nd row seats, when the giraffes bent forward they were right in front of us and when the animals walked down the aisles we were right there!  The kids LOVED the show.  I am so glad we were able to go and spend that time together as a family.  It was great!

Austin has a friend!

Austin had a play date today with his buddy Everett.  They talked and played the entire time.  It was so cute!

A Day of Lasts

Today was Payton and Lincoln's last day of school and the ACS Carnival.  What a fun way to end the school year!

There were lots of carnival games, face painting, a balloon person, and karaoke.  Plus popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy.  Can you say sugar coma?  The kids had a blast!

In case you were wondering about Lincoln's choice in face paint, he was either Olaf or the snow monster depending on when you asked.  Haha!

I can't believe the year is over.  I can't believe that Payton will be in 2nd grade and that Lincoln will be in Kindergarten.  Crazy! 

Lincoln and Payton both had such wonderful teachers.  Ms. Gomes was wonderful with Payton and Mrs. Lasher and Ms. Day were a perfect combo for Lincoln.  I feel so blessed to be able to send them to Almaden Country School. 

Today was also the last day of soccer.  Lincoln is super sad because he loves to play, Payton is thrilled because she doesn't like to play, and Austin is really indifferent about the whole thing, I think he actually loves it but his class was the last of all of them and he was always tired by the time his class started.  Haha!

Cohasset House Progress

This past weekend we moved from our old house to our new house.  I wish I could say that we were able to move seamlessly into our new home, however the remodeling to our new house is not yet complete.  So we moved our things into the garage and bedrooms and moved ourselves into Hotel Ahlgren. 

Here are some pictures of the progress that has been made.

 

Iowa's welcome...

Coming from an area in a record drought, imagine my surprise waking up in the middle of the night to the biggest thunder and lightning storm that I had seen and heard in a long time.  Then to further my surprise imagine coming down in the morning to find out that the basement had flooded and had over 12 inches of water in it.  Yikes!

It was quite fun getting to watch my dad and Uncle Richard work together to get the pump set up to pump the water out of the basement.

Once they turned the power to the house back on, I hurried to get in the shower and get ready so that we could get to the family reunion.  Well, the first thing I noticed is that the water pressure in the shower was REALLY low.  I figured maybe it was normal because the house is older and that is just how it was.  Well, as soon as I got the soap in my hair I heard the water start to sputter and then all of a sudden the water turned brown and then stopped.  Uh oh...

Called for Dad who was already on the way out to check the well so all I could do was wait.  With dripping wet hair.  With shampoo in it.  Haha!  After about 5 to 10 minutes my grandmother came back and told me to give up on the shower as it didn't look like they were going to get the water back on, at least right then.  "Hmmm, hey grandma do you have any water bottles?"  Yep, rinsed the soap out with bottled water that felt like it came straight from the fridge.  It was invigorating!

Turns out the pump to the well had become water logged.  So glad it was working again by the time it came to giving the kids baths after the reunion, they were filthy.

The reunion was fun.  It was at a park, which was nice because the kids could run around and play.  There were lots and lots of people I didn't know and lots and lots of people I hadn't seen in a really long time.  It was so nice to see and visit with all my dad's brothers and sisters (except Aunt Betty, who wasn't able to make it.)

Mom, Dad, Aunt Chantel, Uncle Richard, Grandma, Uncle Dean, Aunt Karen, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Kenneth.

  
Nice to see our cousins too!  I had fun getting to know them and their families again.  Talked to my cousin's wife about healthy eating for quite a while.  Very interesting!

My Grandma, her children, and their children, and their children...  Haha!

Cousins!  I wish I could find a picture of us all standing together when we were little.  It would be funny to see how old we are all getting.

Jennifer, Jeremy, Paul, Melanie, Tammy, Austin, and me.