Skeletons, Tombstones, Jack-O-Lanterns, Oh My

Decorating for holidays is so much fun and a great activity you can do with your kids. Aidan and I have been doing a little decorating for Halloween. I let him pick out a new Halloween decoration, it's a little tradition we started a couple of years ago. This year he picked out this great string of lights for his room. They look like dancing skeletons. They're actually really fun and not scary at all despite what Miles might tell you. Miles is a little scared of them, although both Mommy and Daddy have explained to him they're "friendly skeletons".



And what would Halloween be without tombstones? We have a small tombstone in our planter on our porch.


Oh and of course the pumpkins which will soon be jack-o-lanterns. I just love the colors of Fall including the bright orange of pumpkins, they're so festive.


We also have the boys treat buckets, plastic jack-o-lanterns stacked on top of each other in the kitchen sitting under "La Calavera Catrina" a perfect addition to our Halloween decor. Actually though, "La Calavera Catrina" is a well known Mexican image that hangs in our kitchen year round.

We have lots more Halloween decor dispersed through the house, these were just a few I decided to share.

A little Mexican art history side note as summarized from wikipedia: "In 1913 Jose Guadalupe Posada first created "La Calavera Catrina" as a zinc etching to portray the image of the rich and fashionable in death. He wanted to depict that the rich fashionistas were just as susceptible to death as anyone else, despite their pretext to self importance."
Politically it's a great statement. It's also important to us to have some of our heritage in our home....but that's another blog entry in itself ;)

Hope you're all having just as much fun getting ready for Halloween!

Tolay Fall Festival - Worth A Go

Today we drove to Sonoma county to attend the Tolay Lake Fall Festival. So glad we chose to do this because it was so worth a go, a two thumbs up by far! Parking is $6 dollars and the rest was free (except for food, but you can pack your own picnic). Even free Arrowhead water, anywhere else you pay $2 for water these days. Free hay ride, come on can't beat that. The last pumpkin patch we went to was charging $4 a head for a hay ride. Hard to believe but true. Also a hay bale maze the kids loved,



There were several craft stands that included, candle making, corn husk doll making, potato stamping, scarecrow making plus more.




There were lots of critters to see too, including a bee keeper enclosed in a tent, llamas, horses and the sort, you know your traditional farm animals but, they also had the non-traditional variety that included a vulture, falcon, snakes, tarantulas, scorpions plus more in this huge dark barn called the night time creatures exhibit. You even got to hold and touch some of these creatures, the nonpoisonous of course.



There was also a Native American exhibit with real traditional dwellings that the kids got to explore.



The kids participated in a pumpkin spitting contest which we all had a hoot watching.






We were there from noon to 5 pm and still did not hit every exhibit, there were a few more we just didn't get to. Instead, we lingered at some of our favorite sights enjoyed sitting on the lawn listening to music and eating kettle corn for awhile. Lots of open space for the kids to run and frolic. It really was just plain ol' traditional family fun outing.






I believe tomorrow is the last day, so if you get a chance to go, you should take the opportunity and enjoy!

Is it a Party You Want?

Insanity! Just realized I'm coordinating 4 parties in 2 weeks. TBB Halloween party tomorrow (yes I know I should be finishing up on some details or trying to get some sleep), Miles and Liam's last day at daycare/b-day party on the 29th, Aidan's kindergarten Halloween party on the 30th which of course I have taken it upon myself to coordinate/plan that event too (what was I thinking)! Finally on Nov 1st Miles and Liam's birthday party at home with friends and family. The good thing is I've purchased everything I need for all 4 parties. Now I just need to start putting treat bags and favors together and bake cupcakes just before the events. What's a mom to do when you want your kids to have good and memorable times?

Well I'm on a roll now, do you have a party you'd like me to plan for you? Just kidding!

Aidan Climbs

This past weekend we attended the local Oktoberfest. They had a section of kid oriented booths, with crafts and the sort. What they also had was this tall rock climbing structure that kids lined up for a turn. Aidan surprisingly said he wanted to climb it. I was surprised because he's really not the most physical type. Since he's started kindergarten I'd have to say he's gotten a little more involved in real physical play, jumping, monkey bars, climbing etc...but rock climbing, really!? Well he did it, he took his turn and he did well. He wasn't able to make it to the top, which most kids his size didn't but he made it halfway. He was disappointed for not making it but we all gave him kudos for trying and for making it as far as he did....and for trying something new!

Starting Off Fall With Pumpkin Patch Fun

I absolutely love Fall and all the changes that come with it. Crisper cool days, changing leaves and the beginning of Halloween fun. We've kicked off our Halloween count down with a visit to Joan's Farm and Pumpkin Patch. This place is so much for family fun, and the kids could stay all day.


We fed the farm animals,


ran through the fort maze,




found our way through the corn maze,


boys rode the patriotic express,




enjoyed the outdoors,





and had fun with all the pumpkins and attractions.


Indeed it was a delightful day!

Mid-Autumn Festival, Celebrating the Moon

This past Saturday (I know I've been so busy I haven't blogged) we celebrated Mid-Autumn Moon Festival at home with some yummy moon cake that grandma got for the boys.






This is a celebration I've come to know as an adult and celebrate it now since it's part of our families cultural background. As a family, we are making an effort in teaching the kids about their mixed ethnicity and culture, this includes celebrations such as Mid-Autumn festival. To my pleasant surprise, Aidan's kindergarten class also learned about the Mid-Autumn Festival and moon cakes. I imagine only in the Bay Area does this happen or maybe the LA area too. I surely don't remember learning this in my farm town I grew up in. Cultural diversity is one of the many great things about living in California.

Talking Numbers

Thanks to Aidan's friend Parker, we now have lots of conversations about numbers. Today's went like this:

Aidan: Infinity is bigger than a google.

Me: Yes Aidan I think you're right.

Aidan: So when you count out loud, google comes before infinity.

Me: That's right.

Aidan: Except Infinity is too big to count to...I think a google is to big for me to count to too.

Me: Yup, those are some big numbers.

Aidan: But I can count to one thousand, that's a pretty big number too. Actually, one thousand is a really cool number. I think it's one of my favorites.

Me: Yeah Aidan, one thousand is a cool number.

I can't believe I'm saying that I think a number is cool. I've never been a fan of math or anything math related. Wondering how many of these conversations we're going to have.