Trick-Or-Treat

Foreword:
This blog is dedicated to my Grandma. We are very Best Friends!
She is 83. My dad prints off each entry and delivers it to her that very day.
She keeps them in a 3-ring binder and calls me everyday to talk about it.
So if you're sick of seeing so many pictures of us--my apologies--they're
for Grandma's viewing pleasure. Of course, all our family lives in distant lands
and appreciates the regular updates. Grandma Kip is now in South Africa.
My mom is currently in Seattle where she and my aunt have been for the last month +.
They are identical twins. My aunt has multiple myeloma. Three weeks ago my mom
donated her stem cells to my aunt. Auntie has begun the process of engrafting,
indicating that her body is producing new blood cells, which is good news,
however, she was recently admitted to ICU because of some complications.
We miss them and hope that they'll be returning sooner than later,
healthy and well! Love you Mom!!

Solano Park Halloween Party
featuring the
UC Davis Marching Band-Uh

THIS is why we love them so!
They are SO entertaining

Look at this handsome cowboy!
and his horse:

This is how we traveled tonight:

Beckam thought we could use some help with

this load so he got out and started pushing

What a Month-O-Fun!
We lived it up!
Now we're tired.

Until next year...

Jack-O-Lantern

"Aargh, Happy Halloween Matey"
Lately, it's been nearly impossible to get a decent picture of both boys in the same picture.
This was the best of what we had to choose from.

Here are only SOME of the others:

Happy Halloween

2006
Giddy-up Cowboys

(notice we even have our horse-Jaden's idea)

HALLOWEENS OF OLD
(My apologies for the poor quality of some of these photos--scanner isn't cooperating)

2005
The Bat Family

2004

Jaden's sick on Halloween
(He would've been a Lion and thankfully I'd ditched the
pregnant Dorothy and Tin Man or Scare Crow plan)

2003

Dino Jaden, Captain John Smith, my niece the leopard and Grandma Witch
(Micah got out of this one)

2002
The Rubble Family

Barney and Bam Bam

Barney, Betty and Bam Bam

2001
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

16 days before Jaden's birth
(At 37 wks., I felt much like Tweedle Dum
so we went with it--5 min. before the party!)

What's Grosser Than Gross?

(To more fully understand the reason for this post, please see the previous one)

Grosser Than Gross

While living in Bakersfield, during school breaks (spring/summer), I took care of my sister's four kids ages: 3, 5, 10 and 12. Jaden was 2. We never stayed home. We embarked on great adventures everyday, including water parks, children's museums, regular parks, other places that donned water features and on occasion grocery stores or...dum, da dum dum..... ....COSTCO!!! This was one such day. I decided to make it easy (?) on myself by also getting lunch there so we loaded up on the hot dogs, pizza and churros. To top off our meal (and keep the kids occupied) in true Costco fashion, we hit all the Free Samples along the way, which included Shrek Gogurts (green yogurt, of course). To keep a better handle on this situation, Jaden, the 2 year old and the 3 year old rode up front in the basket and the 5 year old was IN the basket amongst the goods. Easter was just around the corner, so I'd picked up an Easter basket along with a couple of outfits for baby gifts and then all my routine items--we were loaded. As we made our way to check out, my niece, the 12 year old, wanted to peruse the music section so the kids and I slowly meandered down the isles and told her to catch up. We had just turned down a new isle when all of a sudden, I heard a man yelling, "Your baby is spitting up!" Knowing that I did not have a "baby" in my cart, I turned my attention to see who he was talking to. First of all, it was NOT a baby but my 3 year old nephew and SPIT UP?!!!! That was the understatement of the year. It was full on, heaving and PUKING AND it was GREEN, thanks to that delicious Shrek Gogurt!! What do you do? I ran over, put my hands out and tried my best to catch it...until I realized I had absolutely nowhere to put it so I ditched that plan, threw it on the ground and stood him up in the cart to take him out. At which point, he began puking ON TOP of Jaden's head!! Once Jaden realized what had just happened, he did exactly what any of us would do in that situation, starts gagging, followed by his lunch AND the Shrek Gogurt. As I'm trying to finagle him out of the cart in an attempt to salvage as much of the stuff as I can, I look into the basket and see the look of horror on the 5 year olds face. I tell him to just turn his head and as I'm rushing over to rescue him, HE STARTS IN!!! And folks we ARE NOT talking a little "spit up." I mean, you can imagine what this scene would do to anyone. You should have seen the glimpses I caught of the horrified looks on people's faces. Obviously no one stopped and kept a very safe distance. One Costco employee was kind enough to THROW a roll of paper towels to me as he RAN past the isle, never slowing down. I mopped up the floor with the paper towels as best as I could and we got out of there as fast as we possibly could!!!! I stripped the kids down, threw them in the car and never looked back...for 3 months or more. It took a long while before that scar healed!!

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

The animals were safely secured for the ride--
we were allowed to feed them through the slats

Sleepy Beckam

4 hand-picked pumpkins plus hayride: $16
(eat your heart out Bakersfield)


***WARNING***
Due to the graphic and repulsive nature of the following information,
those who are pregnant or who have weak stomachs, STOP reading NOW. right now.
*******************************

What may appear to have been a lovely day at the pumpkin patch might very well have been the most disgusting day of my life, no I've had ONE worse, but you will not believe what you are about to read!

Jaden requested my assistance in the port-a-potty because of the nature of the number he had to do there (my sister is dying right now that I'm posting this). So in we go--already this is not a pretty picture is it? Well, it gets worse, much worse. Is there anything more disgusting than your bum lingering above all that mess.........YES!!!!! Your $150 sunglasses falling into it as you're leaning over it to wipe said son's behind!

This is where I recommend you NEVER buy expensive sunglasses because it's not worth ever having to worry about rescuing them in this situation or one like it!!

You can imagine the scene, as if in slow motion, I begin fumbling them in attempt to save them from utter disaster...to no avail. I reluctantly open my eyes to face the dreadful sight before me............
Somehow they avoided Jaden's fresh creation, which I could clearly see sitting atop mounds of toilet paper
and I could see a hint of silver glistening just below the surface of the water (it was blue so I was slightly reassured). Then, before I could even contemplate what I was about to do but also fearful that if I didn't act NOW they could sink further and further down into the depths of, well....you know, I reached my hand down and grabbed them and them alone--no stragglers attached--whew!
As I pull them out, the disgust of what I've just done overcomes me and I run out in search of the nearest water as Jaden calls, "Did they land in the poop?" "NO!" "Oh, Thank Heavens!" was his reply.
Water was nearby but no soap so we make a bee-line for the petting zoo where I saturate both my hands and the glasses in the liquid hand soap PLUS sanitizer. Here's the part where you'll think twice about ever touching me again:
After a thorough scrubbing and rinsing, I dry them off and realize I must intend to wear them again after all that effort so I hesitantly put them back on--
Good as new...I guess?!

Fall Fun At Apple Hill

This is Apple Hill.

Fall Fun is in Full Swing!!

It's a toss up: Is it the tire swing or the apple donuts that keep us coming back to Apple Hill?

I never thought it was quite as good right off the stalk!!

Just look at those faces. BOYS?!

Beckam didn't manage to see the hole in the ground as he ran full speed down the hill!

I was laughing so hard, I could barely console him.
Can you find Jaden? He's in camo so look hard.

The Kern County Fair was just the beginning of the Fall Fun!

As Halloween approaches we also look forward to:

• Impossible Acres Pumpkin Patch
--with real live baby animals (chicks, pigs, kittens, bunnies, pony...) that the kids actually get to hold! They don't really hold the pony but they do get to brush and pet it

• Bishops Pumpkin Farm--home of the big slide that lands in the hay, the tractor AND train ride, petting zoo, play sets...

• Trick or Treating in downtown Davis

• The Solano Park Halloween Carnival featuring the UC Davis marching band--I've developed a new respect for college marching bands since we've lived in Davis--I never knew how ENTERTAING AND REALLY COOL they were!