the pumpkin patch

jen and i drove to orange county today and took the kids to a pumpkin patch. it was one of those large pumpkin patch places that have bounce houses and a few other rides for the kids to play on. i have never gone to one before mostly because they are really expensive. we bought our tickets for this one through plum district and got a great deal. the kids could go on five rides and pick a pumpkin for $12.00. it was a really good price. i love these groupon type deals.

the place was pretty empty and the kids had a blast going on the different inflatable obstacle courses and riding the tractors. after they were done with the rides they got to pick out a pumpkin. it was so cute to see them inspect each one. mason was trying to find the square pumpkin like in the book "spookly the square pumpkin" we have been reading at night. in the end he had to settle for a round pumpkin. he is so excited to carve it.

lego star wars party

we had mason and connor's birthday party yesterday. it was so much fun. mason of course chose a lego star wars theme. i thought this was a great idea for a party. he is crazy about legos and star wars so it is the perfect combo.

this was the first year that we got a bounce house for the kids. i was a bit apprehensive about the whole process but it was super easy. we ordered ours from jump for fun. they didn't have a star wars bounce house so i got the plain one and i loved it because the front and sides were plain nets and you could see in without peeking through little windows. it made it easier to keep an eye on what was going on inside.

i didn't get too crazy with the decorations for this party. i made paper light covers with lego star wars pictures to cover these battery powered lights. i also made stickers of all the lego star wars characters and ships to put on bags filled with pop corn. we had star wars lego space ships on the tables but mason kept grabbing them and playing with them. miles also made a funny sign that said "use the forks" by the utensils.

we served sandwiches and salads, fruit and veggie trays, chips and dip. simple but yummy. i used a star wars sandwich cutter for the kids sandwiches. for dessert i ordered these organic whole grain cakes from whole foods. i was very disappointed because one was supposed to be white and the other chocolate but they messed up and made them both white. it was ok. they gave them to us for 50% off. that was nice. i would not order them again though. they were just ok. we also had some amazing star wars sugar cookies that my sister jen made. yum yum.

the kids all got to take home an inflatable light saber that lights up when you squeeze it. they also got a lego kit to build a space ship that mason designed. we bought pieces to make the ships from the loose lego bins at the lego store. miles then went online and created directions on how to build it at the lego website. we put all the kits together with a sign that said thanks for coming. the whole process was very fun and mason loved handing out one of his creations.

froggy party

we went to the cutest party ever today. it was for a friend's son nicky. he is turning three. they had a froggy theme that was just adorable. the decorations were very well done with froggy masks and party hats. they had this incredible cake that looked like a frog pond. tons of cupcakes in cute little polka dot wrappers. really sweet.

there was a bounce house for the kids which was fun. they grilled chicken and had lots of yummy food. it was so nice because it was all very laid back and relaxing. it felt like a summer barbeque instead of a kid party. there was a huge pile of fall leaves that had been raked into the center of the grass. the kids had a blast playing in the leaves. dahlia thought this was the most fun ever. it was actually very beautiful that big pile of leaves.

i really wish we could have stayed until the very end. we were having so much fun but tomorrow is mason and connor's party so we had to go after the cake was served. it's ok. it was after seven and the kids were super tired. they all got to take home a polka dot box with a frog night light inside that changes colors. such a nice party favor.

time to bowl

we went to doug's niece's birthday party this weekend. she is turning three. they had the party at the tiny retro bowling alley again. it was fun but it went by so fast. mason said he didn't get enough time to bowl. it does always feel like we are rushing. the kids were so cute bowling. they loved it. even connor tried to bowl.

they also had little crafts for the kids to do. dahlia had fun making a necklace with jingle bells and straws. all the kids got a big goody bag filled with toys to take home and a notebook with markers. so nice. it was a really fun party.

the little gym

we started gymnastic lessons this month at the little gym. mason, dahlia, and bodhi are all taking a class. connor is too young. jen and i signed them up for four lessons through groupon. it was crazy cheap. we are thinking we will continue lessons for the whole season when the trial lessons are over. i just have to see if we can fit it in our budget.

the kids love their classes. mason is in a different class from bodhi and dahlia. they are broken up according to age. they are one hour long and mason's is after dahlia's so i end up staying there for over two hours waiting for the classes to finish. it is a bit exhausting. the hard part is entertaining connor for that long. an impossible task.

it is really cute though. the parents get to watch the classes through a glass window so we are not in the gym with them. they do lots of fun stuff like floor exercises, walking on a balance beam, doing somersaults on a large blown up air mattress, and flips on the bars. they are having a blast.

after class is over jen, bodhi, and kira come to our house for dinner. the kids get to play together and then they all take a bath and get ready for bed. it is fun to have people over during the week. a nice break from homework.

precious

i was being bad today and was shopping online when i should have been putting the kids to sleep. i had a coupon that was going to expire and was being indecisive. to stall for a little more time i put on a max and ruby show for the kids and went back to my computer. when i returned twenty minutes later i found connor snuggled up with his baby doll fast asleep on the couch. oh my gosh. he is just so crazy cute. if only bed time was this easy every night.

today

today we painted pictures outside in our pajamas. today we decided to unpack the halloween decorations and haunted our house. today we ate breakfast for dinner. today was a good day.