The Mistletoe Hunt

This year Bumpa took Luke on his first Mistletoe Hunt, a tradition from my own childhood. Nate and I tagged along, and we were lucky enough to find a giant bunch of mistletoe hanging on a tree so low we just reached up and grabbed it! It was just hanging there on the side of the road for the taking!

We went back to Bumpa's and starting putting ribbons on the mistletoe, and then we took it home for the sale. We set up our booth out front and went door to door.

When we took our money to Wescom to cash in (money Luke had saved over time, earned by the sale, and taken from his Bumpa's coin jar), Luke had over 70 dollars!!!

The plan was Luke would donate a portion, use a portion to buy Christmas gifts for our family, and then use the remainder to get himself a toy. The plan worked out perfectly!!

Nana took Luke shopping at the 99 Cent store, and he managed to buy something for the ENTIRE family, including his cousins, his aunts, etc. Luke and Nana came back and wrapped all the presents together, starting what I hope will be a new tradition. Luke also bought a stuffed animal for Toys for Tots, and later went to Target with me to pick himself out some Star Wars legos.

You cannot begin to imagine the look of pride on Luke's face when the family opened his gifts. It was obvious to all of us that he had learned about the joy of giving.

State Champs

Here we are with Daddy and his State Championship trophy!

We were thrilled to see Daddy's team pack the stands at the Home Depot Center in Carson as they faced Marin Catholic for the State title. We enjoyed watching the game with all our family and friends, and Luke was excited later to himself and his Dad on TV. Best of all, Daddy won, becoming the first team in the South Bay history to win a state title. We could not be prouder!

Tree Decorating

Two nights ago we went to Serra to meet Daddy after practice and pick out our Christmas tree. The Basketball team is having a tree fundraiser, and so we supported them, and got the most PERFECT-sized tree in the history of the world (this excites me because we have such a narrow space in which to fit the tree. That and I am easily excited by such things!) .

Last night we decorated our tree and it was a blast. Nate only broke one ornament; I'm sorry to say it was a cherished New Years 2000 ornament, but at least there were not more casualties. Yesterday, as Luke spent the afternoon looking at the ornaments and playing with them , asking questions about where certain ones came from and which ones were his, my own childhood memories came rushing back. As a grown up you forget that something as simple as your family's ornament collection is so magical for kids!

So far today, most of the ornaments have managed to stay on the tree. And the tree is still standing upright and has not been bowled over... I think this is a good omen for the season!

A Visit to Santa

Bumpa, the boys and I ate at Red Robin and then went for our sit on Santa's lap. Luke easily shared his requests, but Nate refused to get up there, even though he was bribed with lollipops. Now, he's certain that Santa and lollipops are synonymous.

Moms Club Christmas

The Moms Club has been a great experience this year for me and my boys. I found out about the club from Pam, the mom of one of Josh, a boy from Luke's soccer team. In February, the NW chapter of the Torrance Moms Club was started, and I hopped on board. Boy, was that a great decision.

The club is a support for stay at home moms, and is a way of networking with other at-home moms in your local area with children of a similar age. Every week there are age appropriate playdates at public and private places (parks, homes, aquariums, etc.), there's a monthly Mom's Night Out (we just enjoyed pole dancing! Boy my boys will cringe at this post when they're older!), a Book Club, and a monthly field trip (Pretend City, Irvine Railroad Pumpkin Patch, etc.).

I have already met some women that I cherish, and find myself surrounded by more great female friends than I have ever had in my life. And would you believe that all these women live within a mile or so of me, and their children either already go to school with Luke, or soon will? These are women who have all left great careers to be at home. They are married to supportive; hard working guys; they can talk about parenting without getting defensive; they know how to have a good time because they are not frazzled by a long day at work. Life has never been happier.

The boys now have a wide network of friends, and a number of mommies keeping on eye on them. We always have a variety of activities from which to choose.

On Monday we went to the Moms Club Christmas Party at Wendy's house, where Santa made an appearance. The pictures here are from this fabulous potluck event!

Metro Santa Train

Tonight we met Gramma Laurie, Grandpa Burt, Jenny and Shyla for dinner at Stuft pizza (the pizza crust here is HFI safe- and so delicious, too!) and then headed down to the San Clemente Metro station to check out the Holiday Train. The train is decorated in thousands of lights, and there is a stage show with all the major Christmas Characters.

Luke and Shyla watched the stage show....
Luke got to meet Rudolph after the show...

Nate, Burtie, and Gramma Laurie are thrilled by the train's arrival!

What a fantastic holiday celebration!

Imagination Movers

Today we went to the Imagination Movers concert at the Club Nokia and it was AWESOME! The theater was similar to a House of Blues, and the area in front of the stage had a giant carpet just for kids. Excited and unafraid, Luke found himself a spot right up front on the carpet, while Nate sat back (NOT by his own choice) with Scott and me.

The Movers are possibly the most likable people ever born. The concert was high energy and great fun- with little funny asides and jokes (think Van Halen's Panama, Eminem's Slim Shady) meant for the adults. Three of the four lost their homes in hurricane Katrina, and they have 11 kids between them. They all had noble professions before their foray into kid's music: teacher, architect, firefighter... but what was most special was watching their power to move kids ages 3-7 for well over an hour. Scott and I were awestruck watching these kids act like mini adults at a rock concert. Mouths agape, the kids swayed, danced, followed along to choreographed moves, and sang their hearts out. The Movers often came down into the crowd, serenading and offering a plethora of high fives. There was swag thrown from the stage and lots of opportunities for audience interaction. Luke walked away with a blow up basketball he caught during Smitty's "Playing Catch".

Can I be honest? It was one of my favorite concerts, ever. We all had a blast!

http://blog.scrooks.net/very-short-video-from-the-imagination-movers

The Latest Craze

LEGOS!

These are NOT the legos they had when I was a kid! Now there are Power Miners and Star Wars legos, Indian Jones one and cars to build... there's a even a free monthly magazine, "Club Lego" that has activities and different models of things to build. Today we built an airplane. Pictured is a car Luke created awhile back.

Pretend City

On our recent visit to Pretend City, Bumpa helped Nate navigate all things beach (mostly water!), while...

Luke played fireman and operated the dispatch center....

And then tried his hand at construction!

Pretend City was a huge success and we'll be back again soon!

Gwampa How

Last month our Grandpa Hal took all the grandsons to a special train show at the Botanic Gardens. Since I love the Gardens so much, I invited myself along, and so the boys and Hal and I took in the trains and explored the terrain. We fed the ducks, saw some turtles, and found our favorite old Indiana Jones trees. It was a lovely way to spend a Fall day, listening to Nate scream out, "Gwampa How!!" as we hiked the beautiful trails!

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving! The word "gobble" is hilarious... and Pilgrim Luke has just learned to play my favorite Thanksgiving game, Name That Gobbly Tune. Any players?

Daddy's Birthday

Happy Birthday to our Daddy, who turned 39 today!

We planned a little surprise party for him when he came home tonight... including this super cool football cake (Luke had the idea to make one for Daddy's Birthday when we were picking up Jamie's Baby Shower cake at Torrance Bakery).

We love you Daddy! Or as Luke always says (not sure why?), "I love you so much I'm squished like a coinie!!!"

Nancy Balls

It's no easy task to find the perfect Mommy and Me class, but we found it through the city, at Greenwood Park. Our teacher is Nancy, and Nate LOVES her. Every week we begin with a set of several interactive songs, including Little Red Caboose, This Is the Way the Ladies Ride, and Because I'm a Beautiful Kid. Then we move to the apparatus room, where each week there are different climbing structures, balance beams, tunnel routes, tents, etc.. For the last two weeks, Nancy has had the ball pit set up. Quickly this has become Nate's favorite thing, and he has named Nancy and our fun class "Nancy Balls"! Thank goodness Nancy thinks this is hilarious, since he screams it for the entire hour and a half!

Looking forward to next semester with Nancy Balls at Greenwood Park!

Five Great Things

These are five great things that happened today:

1. Today Nate peed on the potty and laughed the whole time; he was so excited (and so am I)!

2. Luke and I worked tirelessly on his first novel, called "Monster Blood"- which is actually taken from a Goosebumps chapter book.

3. Nate was the "Ball Pit Bully" at Mommy and Me today, hogging the whole pit, jumping in with total surrender, and trying to swim amid the balls like a playful otter.

4. Nate said "Yukey!"... his new name for his "Bra Bra" Lukey!

5. We saw our Bumpa for lunch!

Shorry

The other day Nate bonked Luke over the head with his sippy cup. It was a hard and loud bonk.

So, I picked Nate up to take him to time out in his crib. For months we have been doing this, more for Luke's benefit than for Nate's, since I thought Nate was too young to understand but Luke needed the demonstration in fairness.

I picked Nate up and told him he was going to time out for bonking his brother. Suddenly, from over my shoulder Nate shouts out, "Shorry! Shorry Bra Bra!" I couldn't help but grin at this apology as I placed him in his crib and walked away.

He sat in his crib crying for about two minutes, and when I went to get him, I told him he needed to apologize to his brother and give him a kiss. He waddled out of his room straight over to Luke, and without ado went in for the kiss, followed by a heartfelt, "Shorry, BraBra".

Why can't discipline always end in a smile?

Chuck E Cheese

Two days ago Luke mentioned Chuck E Cheese, and Nate lit up like a Christmas tree. We've been to Chuck E Cheese a few times in the last few months, when it's really hot, when it's really cold, and always at 2 pm on a weekday. Apparently, these visits have made quite the impression on Nate. Add to that his recent obsession with "gam-eeees" (games), and I knew Chuck E Cheese would be heavenly to Nate. We collectively decided that Friday after school we would make a special trip to Chuck E Cheese.

For the last two days Nate has been shrieking, begging and repeating, "Chuck E Cheese!" He gets so excited when he says it, he smiles a giant smile and giggles with glee as his shoulders sort of bounce back and forth. This morning when he awoke, it only took him a few minutes to ask, "Chuck E Cheese?"- he was thrilled today was the day!

And then Luke had a morning meltdown. And me being a bit quick to temper, I TOOK AWAY CHUCK E CHEESE!!!!!

Today was an important lesson for me. Nate is old enough now to KNOW STUFF. He ought not suffer just because his brother was nasty. I considered taking Nate while Luke was at school, but the nap got long, so that was out...

After school I talked to Luke about what had happened in the morning. I explained we were going to Chuck E Cheese for Nate's sake, but that Luke might not get any tokens to play games, depending on his behavior (Luke continues to be very challenging).

Long story short, Luke earned some tokens, Nate got an afternoon with his idol, Chuck E Cheese, and I'm still being hard on myself for my ongoing struggles to discipline my kids effectively and appropriately. I learned that I need to slow down in my quick consequences for poor behavior and think. And maybe breathe in and out a couple times.

Trick Or Treat

Nate dressed as a monkey, and took the trick or treating very seriously! He clutched his basket tightly, put his head and down, and marched door to door as though he were on an important mission!He loved every second! And I am enjoying eating the fruit of his labors.

This is our Metal Skull Biker with our family of Trick or Treaters. We got to do the deed in our own neighborhood this year, which was a blast! The kids did great and we covered far more ground than I had expected. In short, Halloween was REALLY fun this year!

Halloween Parade

This morning was Luke's Halloween Parade at school. It was quite a feeling to stand back and watch him interact with all his buddies, as they together took it all in... they were riveted and awe-inspired by the older kids and their costumes, the teachers who dressed up, and the number of goody bags they had waiting for them. They paraded around the blacktop in their costumes, proud as peacocks!

Afterwards, they all got together for this class picture. Luke is in the back row, third from the left... the "Metal Skull Biker" .

Halloween projects

We pride ourselves on being crafty, and this year we enjoyed several Halloween projects. We made a Haunted House out of an old box, some paper bags, and skeleton stickers given to us by Grandma Laurie. It was the hit of Luke's "share day" at school.

Our Bumpa made some wonderful lawn decorations for our front yard- we love our skeleton, mummy, bats, and Pirate Pete! Thanks Bumpa!

We also enjoyed carving our pumpkin, pictured here, so that it looks like it's eating the smaller pumpkins. Luke loved drawing on the faces!

More Pumpkin Patch

In the month of October we usually visit a pumpkin patch once a week, since they are always so much fun! We've visited three different pumpkin patches this season, and had all sorts of adventures! We've played with pumpkins, bounced in jumpers, walked through little haunted houses...

Posed with monsters and creatures of doom...

And gone on very fun pony rides!

We love Halloween!!

Tempers Flair

Luke and mommy are cut from the same mold. We have the same stubborn streak, the same ability to reason, and the same quick temper. Worse yet, lately I look at my oldest child and wonder when someone snuck in and replaced him with a thirteen year old girl. Take our battle last night:

Me, "Say goodnight to Daddy."

"I want Daddy to put me to bed."

"Mama's gonna do it tonight. Goodnight Daddy."

"NO! I want Daddy to do it!!!"

Me, "Let's start our prayers. Dear Jesus...."

"NOO! Daddy! Daddy's gonna do it!"

"Hey. How would you feel if I said I didn't want to put you to bed, I only wanted to put Nate to bed?"

He thinks for a minute... "Really really bad."

"Well that's how it makes me feel when you say you want Daddy to do it."

Whine whine whine "Well... I just want him."

"Luke, it's time to go to bed. You can pray now and we can have a song, or you can keep whining, and I'll leave and you can go to bed by yourself."

"No! Just get Daddy!"

"I'm leaving now. Goodnight." And as I exit the room....

"HUH! I WON'T GO TO SLEEP! HUH! I'M NOT CLOSING MY EYES. HUH! I'M GETTING OUT OF MY BED! HUH!"

So, I take the bait and charge back in furious and shrieking, "STOP IT RIGHT NOW! YOU ARE ACTING HORRIBLE!!! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN!!! GO TO SLEEP!!!!"

And I charge out to the kitchen, taking deep breaths and wondering why in the world I am so angry. Why?! WHY!?

So, I go back in, where he is quietly sobbing. Yes, I know. And I tell him I'm sorry I yelled and I give him a hug. I ask him how we could do it better next time, and he says, "I could not talk sassy at you and not do the whining and not kick my brother in the head." I tell him these are all good things and I ask him how I could do it better, and he says, "You could not scream at me." And so I made a promise to him to try much harder, which I fully intend to keep. And he promised me right back, which I know will take some work.

And I marvel at this little man, so like me. I am in awe at this responsibility, to teach him as many of my good parts as possible, and not allow the weaker parts of me to find a home in him.

Pumpkin patch Time!!!

Tractor Races!!!!!

Mommy, Nate, Luke and Jackson on a train ride.

Luke, Grace and Jackson hanging out after our picnic...

Engineer Nate welcomes you to Irvine Park Railroad!



In my humble opinion, the best Pumpkin Patch in Southern California is at the Irvine Park Railroad. This is our second year enjoying the festivities there, and it is definitely worth the drive. The Irvine Regional Park is so gorgeous, especially this time of year. The train and the pony rides are regular attractions, but the pumpkin patch boasts a haunted house that Luke and Nate explored over and over again, a hay ride, displays meant for sticking your face, a bouncer, and the biggest hit... tractor races! We went with our friends from Moms Club and finished with a delightful picnic :)

Love You Forever

When I was pregnant with Luke I remember buying the book "Love You Forever" and attempting to read it to Scott in our kitchen. I was crying and even his eyes were wet that day when we finished it.

This morning Luke needed one more book to complete his reading log, and he picked "Love You Forever", which we hadn't read in eons. I got two pages in and literally started bawling. This fantastic book is about a mom who loves her growing child at all his ages, in the night singing to him, even in his terrible twos and horrifying teen years:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

Eventually the boy grows up and moves out, and when the mom is old and sick the boy comes home to her, holds her in his arms and gently says:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my mommy you'll be.

Then, as if this scene in the book isn't sweet enough, the man goes home to his family and newborn baby to repeat this loving refrain one more time.

Hopefully by now you see why I was bawling my eyes out. And Luke was so patient as I read on through my tears, stopping only to explain to him that I just loved this story so much that I was crying with happiness- I told Luke this is how I feel about him.

Later that day we were driving in the car past the school where I used to work. Without any other comment, Luke said, "You work at my school now, right mommy? And I work there too?" Since I have been volunteering twice a week at his school, I said, "Yes baby. We're both working hard at your school." And after a second he said, "Love You Forever Mommy."

I almost had to pull over.

A Great Age

How stinkin' cute is this kid?

When you have a child this age (20 months) it is very common for people to tell you how this age was their favorite age when rearing their own kids. And it's so easy to see why. Yesterday, Scott came home, and Nate, for the first time, ran to him and yelled, "Hi Daddy!" A few days ago we were driving in the car and from the back seat I hear, "Halloween tings!" as he spotted a house decorated with skeletons, spiders, and tombstones. What I hear most of all is "Dada car", and this is because for some reason the Toyota symbol on our 4runner has made an impression on Nate. Walking down the street, driving to school, or from his stroller perch, Nate can recognize the Toyota logo on any Toyota vehicle, be it Camry, pickup, or Sequoia. And when he sees it, he squeals with delight, "Dada car!!!" (did you know that many, many people drive Toyotas? I had no idea until these past few weeks). I have tried to get Nate to say "Luke", but when I ask him, he says, "No. BraBra." As if to say, "I recognize his name is Luke, but I am choosing to call him this instead." Nate is naming and recognizing and communicating more and more each day, and this word explosion is a joy to behold!

Something else that comes with this age, though, is the separation anxiety. Nate reminds me of one of those little koalas that we used to put on our pencils back in the day. You know the ones that you pinch and then they hang on? Well, Nate is that Koala, just hangin' on. Luke was always very confident and independent-minded, so this is new for me, and bittersweet. This should pass soon, I know.

Nate loves to jump. We are taking a Mommy and Me class that has tons of soft play equipment. Nate is the brute of the group, and the daredevil. He finds the highest point of the stacked climbing donuts, then leaps into the air, throwing himself into a sitting position as he lands on his bum in the center. At the park, he climbs the curb just to practice jumping down into the sand. He is still climbing as well, and pushing furniture around (with too much ease for my comfort) to enhance his climbing experience.

He throws massive tantrums where he says "No" and bites and pulls hair. But one of the most endearing things about Baby Nate is that he is sure he is five years old. There is no question in his mind that he and Luke are equals. Nate believes he can do the same art, play with the same toys, and have the same friends. In fact, today at the park, two of Luke's buddies had to go home, and Nate started screaming and wailing at the loss of these boys (who had made a great effort to include Natey in their adventures). Nate worships Luke, and there is no question that they both love each other immensely.

This is a great age, there's no question about it. But I am looking forward to all the ages of my boys. My aunt JoAnn recently sent her daughter off to college, and I asked how she was coping with that. She gave me an answer that has really stuck with me. She told me that she loves her daughter at this age- seeing her independent and courageous as she goes out into the world to become a true adult. And she loved her when she was little and learning, and she'll love the daughter that gets married and gives her grandchildren. She told me that she saw the joy that every age had to offer, so it made her feel that seeing her daughter off to college was not a loss or an end, but the beginning of something else really cool. Yep.

Face Painting

Last weekend Aunt Jamie came over to play, bringing gifts, as always. But she is not loved for the gifts. She is loved because she is always up for anything. She painted Luke's face like this freaky skeleton. Then, she let Luke paint her face. Brave, brave Auntie! We love you Jamie!

Bumpa & the Boys

Here is our Bumpa enjoying a Choose Your Own Adventure book with Luke and Nate. These boys sure love their Bumpa.

Nate talks about him ALL the time, looking out the window, watching convertibles on the road, playing guitar, he will say, "BUMPA!!" At least once a day he picks up the phone and says, "BUMPA!" He finds a picture of Bumpa in the house and says, "Bumpa!" as he stares lovingly and proudly at his Bumpa's image.

Bumpa, you are special and loved!

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest used to be an annual adult tradition. Now it is a more sober ritual, fun for the whole family. Although it is the Altenberg heritage, it plays in this video of the parade more like an Auchterlonie family reunion...

The boys loved the chicken dance and trading off wearing the chicken hat. Daddy and Mom enjoyed the Spaten!

Choose Your Own Adventure

These are our favorite books right now! We just raided the paperback rack at the Redondo Library- Luke is hooked. It's very rewarding when your kid is this fired up about reading. It's not so exciting when he makes decisions that get him killed and he cries and screams for a do-over.

Wild Rivers

Coming out of the waterfall...

One little tough guy waiting to slide...

More waterfall diving...

This summer we were lucky enough to make two trips to Wild Rivers. The first time, we got the lay of the land with Kiki and Kurt. The second time, Luke and I got to go with Cousin Jenny and Shyla.

Wild Rivers is so much fun, for the burgeoning swimmer as well as for the experienced one! We explored the Water Walk, rode the waves in the Wave Pool, rode the water slides, floated in the Lazy River (then swam in the Lazy River), and hung out in the jacuzzi. Luke's favorite part, though, was diving under and swimming through the waterfall in the main pool with Cousin Jenny.

Since our visits, Luke has been working to engineer his own water slides made out of tinfoil and Tupperware. He names them fancy names like, "Double Slide of Death" and makes his Lego men ride down them over and over again. Wild Rivers is often a topic of conversation in our home, and we are anxiously awaiting their reopening next season!

Hulk Smash

Soccer Season is here again, and this time I am team mom. Luke knows and loves several of his teammates, including Quinn and Josh. The team name is Hulk Smash, which thrills Luke, and even Natey is getting in the spirit!

WOO WOO

Now that Luke's in school full time, and Nate has entered Toddlerhood, it's time for me and Nate to go have some fun on our own. He loves the train at the mall, screaming "WOO WOO" and frantically gyrating in his stroller as we approach the station!

The First Day of School

Today Luke David Altenberg entered the California public schools and started Kindergarten. I am thrilled that his teacher is Mrs. Vernick, who has more than 30 years experience. She reminds me a bit of my own Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Strother, who ran a tight ship but with a gentle voice and a smile in her eyes.

When we got to the Kinder yard, we became acquainted with the procedures. Luke hung his backpack outside on the hooks and stored his snack in the large plastic bin so that Robby the squirrel will not eat it or eat through his backpack. We saw the homework bin (homework every night!) and then went in to meet Mrs. Vernick (he gave her a firm handshake), get a nametag, and find Luke's desk.

And then, as he sat down at his desk, my heart jumped into my throat and my eyes brimmed over. The moment got the best of me; I can only describe it as sort of a bittersweet lingering hanging heavily in the room. All the parents, with their cameras and their hopes, not wanting to leave but knowing that you have to.

Luke came home singing Down By The Bay and Days of the Week and in this put a happier song back into my heart. He loved his first day. And I still can't believe how quickly this day came.

Big Shoes, and Other Things to Fill

Nate loves to wear big shoes around the house. He will wear Luke's or Mom's or Dad's. Missing your Nike's? Chances are they are somewhere in his bedroom or on his feet.

He also likes to climb inside of containers, drawers, sinks, anything he can fit his body into. He's hilarious, and a handful, to be sure.

Scuba Steve

This is Scuba Steve, and he is an excellent swimmer, especially after his private lessons at Lucky Duck and his group lessons at the plunge!

Bob Baker Marionette Show

On Wednesday the boys and I headed downtown to check out the Bob Baker Marionette Show with our friends from Moms Club. Both the boys really enjoyed the puppets, although the show itself was about fifteen minutes too long, and the music quite dated. I had to keep Nate firmly on my lap because he was anxious to rush the puppets, screaming "Elmo! Elmo!" at a bunch of singing chickens. Luke liked Peter Rabbit the Painter the best.

Legoland

Yesterday Luke and I went to Legoland for a last hurrah before he starts kindergarten next week. We packed up bright and early, dropped our Natey at Bumpa's house (thanks Dad!), and headed to Carlsbad.

In Oceanside, I realized I had forgotten my purse. With all my money, ID's, credit cards. Etc. PANIC SETS IN. I call information to get the number of the nearest Chase Bank. And well, I won't bore anybody with the story of the waterworks and heated conversation with Dorothy, the branch manager, but I will tell you that she was finally persuaded to give me 200 dollars from my account. (I also need to give a shout out to my Uncle Steve who was about to drive over from Encinitas and loan me the money had Chase not pulled through.... thanks Uncle!) Then, Off to Legoland we went!

Legoland ROCKS. It is perfect for boys it is perfect for five year olds. There is an entire room of Bionicle building sets to play with, another for playing with Legos. While you wait in line, you queue around a kids lego play area so the youngsters don't have to stand in line. But on this day, there were no lines. We went on everything Luke wanted, played in the "Wild Rivers Land" as Luke calls it, and took our picture (with my cell phone) with Darth Vader, Bionicles, Sponge Bob, and a million other things made with legos. Thank God a crisis was averted- we had a blast!

Can't wait to go back!

Ronald Mc-N-Donald

Yesterday the whole family went to McDonald's for a meet and greet with Ronald himself! Sitting outside in the sweltering heat, we watched Ronald perform magical feats, ride his unicycle, and hand out all kinds of swag. Luke got to go onstage to assist with the "zipper bag" trick and was thrilled, as you can see. Luke loves Mr. Mc-N-Donald. I think it's a guy thing... old Ronnie seems to creep out the ladies, right?

Step Stool Shmepp Shmool

Turns out the Mischief Man does not even need a step stool. Oh no....

Mischief Man

This is the mischief man. Unsupervised for probably fifteen seconds, Nate managed to crawl up and into the bathroom sink, pull all the things off the counter into the basin with himself, and turn on the cold water, full blast. He thought this was hysterical. And so did Luke. And frankly, so did I. Bye bye bathroom step stool; see you in about six more months!