Fall in Southern California

Contrary to popular belief, we do have a brief period of leaves changing and lovely "fall-colored" (or at least partially fall-colored) landscapes here in Southern California as well.  The length of the our "leaves changing and falling-period-of-fall" is usually not long because we don't get immense amounts of rain here, and you will see palm trees scattered amidst the various other deciduous trees whose leaves change color and drop, which makes it seem a bit less like the fall scenes you see in other parts of the country, but I appreciate that we get to have this aspect of fall even if it is brief and on a much smaller scale than other parts of the country and world.

It's likely that nothing will ever compare to the glorious fall scenes I experienced in Gaming, Austria (the semester Chris and I studied abroad and met and started dating).  Part of that is probably because those beautiful fall colors scattered across the nearby mountains and hills  surrounding the little town we lived in are interlaced with my memories of that semester and of meeting the man of my dreams.

And currently, every fall is filled with color and excitement for us because we have these three beauties in our life that fill it with life and vitality.  Aren't they lovely with the fall leaves they collected when we visited a nearby park last week?

 

 

Rain

Well we are finally getting our Southern California-style winter weather. In other words, we have had a few days of rain and mild temperatures. I know there are people who would say that's not even winter because there are no freezing temperatures or snow, but God did create the entire world and there are some places where that sort of winter just doesn't exist, but it's still winter. And to people who are acclimated to this sort of mild temperature norm, the rain and sunshine hiding behind the clouds can be a bit depressing. But it can also be intriguing and wonderful. It's all about perspective.



I find that when I am tempted to have a negative attitude about things, it's a good time to take a clue from my kids. When the rains started pouring from the heavens, my kids got giddy with excitement and all ran to the back door and pressed their faces against the glass. They stood there in awe, just watching the rain fall and listening to the drips and plips of the rain drops hitting the ground and the patio awning. And then they begged to go outside and use the rain boots and umbrellas that they were given in the fall and have not had an opportunity to use yet.



So we pulled on the galoshes and splashed in the puddles outside for awhile. I taught the girls some of the Singin' in the Rain song and we twirled the umbrellas and tap danced in the puddling water in our parking lot. And then we went inside and watched some Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds (duh!). Plus, how could I truly be upset about the rain and the clouds covering my beloved sunshine when I know how badly our great state needs the precipitation? Perspective. Thank you, Lord, for the rain and for the wonderful rainy day memories with my girls.

August quicktakes

1. Potty training update. It's really a little late, but Kayla has kept a diaper/underwear dry at night for more than 2 months at this point. She is officially potty trained 100%. The most impressive part of it all is that we have been all over the place in the last several months and she was a total champ with it all. No accidents on our long trip to Orlando and Cincinnati. No accidents on our crazy quick trip to Porterville right afterwards. No accidents when we went camping or when Mommy and Daddy went away for the first night ever. She is awesome.

2. I am about 32 weeks or so now. And even in little old Foresthill, it has been really hot this week. We don't have air conditioning because the other 95% of the summer up here is perfect, so this week feels especially hot. And I feel especially pregnant.

3. The Great Pacifier Battle was fought here last week. I began by cutting off the tip (we did that with Kayla and she pretty quickly and easily dropped the habit). Elise was quite irritated by it, and spent most of nap time crying, fussing, then playing on and off. At night time, she was apparently so tired from having stayed up during her nap, though, that she went to sleep without the pacifier, no problem. The same sequence occurred the next day except that I didn't even offer the broken pacifier. Her morning nap was unaffected, her afternoon nap was a trial that ended in her falling asleep for about 20 minutes, and night was no problem whatsoever. And after that it was over. The next day was completely fine. The ONLY 'problem' has been that she takes about an hour to wind herself down for her afternoon nap now instead of falling right to sleep immediately as she had done with her pacifier.

4. We are still in the midst of trying to buy a house. It's a waiting game at this point. In the meantime, we have been packing up things that don't get used often to prepare for a possibly very fast move before baby comes if stuff goes through.

5. Elise had her 15 month appt, which ended up being at 16 months. She weighed in at just about as average as you can get. She weighs 23.4 lbs and is 31.3 inches tall. She apparently did grow a couple inches and gain a few pounds, though even my lazy, pregnant body can still carry her around just fine so she's just not THAT big.

6. Kayla also had a doctor's appointment. Hers was a 3 year appt, though she was about a month late for it. She weighed in at 34.8 lbs. and 37.3 inches. Average height and 75% for weight. It put her in the 90% for her BMI. Not too worried about that percentage at this point.

7. I mentioned the heat wave we've had this past week. Well, for our one week of hot weather, the girls and I have found ways to deal. We get in swimsuits and I spray them with the hose. Kayla mostly runs away from it, and Elise just cries because the water from the hose is so cold. Sooo, we found an alternative which keeps them cooler, but more happy. It also amuses them for a pretty long period of time.

I fill up bowls and containers with water from the hose, add some foam letters and cut up pieces of colored sponges, and let the girls go nuts in the water. It's like a water table except they sit or squat and it didn't cost me any extra money. They love it!

Robinson Flat hikes

No real surprise that we went on another hike this weekend. This was to make up for and improve a hike that we took the weekend before our cross country trip. We had gone up to Robinson Flat to hike knowing that the weather was a bit chilly. We dressed for it- right down to hats and mittens for the girls. But it was EVEN colder and MUCH more WINDY than predicted and the hike was miserable.

We started off on the loop just fine. Everyone was happy and warm enough. But then we accidentally veered off the trail onto a cross trail and hiked for a bit through a thoroughly open, unprotected area that was extremely windy. We realized our mistake fairly quickly (luckily) but then we still had to backtrack AND hike over the side of the mountain that was just a nightmare with the wind. The girls were champs and braved through the wind with us. For our parts, Chris and I hiked faster than we've ever hiked with the girls on our backs. We were practically running.

When we got to the backside of the mountain we stopped to warm up. Elise had had enough by that point and was crying. We had a little snack and took a water break. Because Kayla was no longer right up against Chris' back, she was a little chilly once we got out of the carrier. Chris lent her his shirt and hat for our break. So cute.

This time around the weather was sunny and nice. We decided to travel the 4 mile loop in the opposite direction than we normally do (this is the third time we've hiked this gorgeous loop). Since the weather was nice, we also added in the extra mile to make a side trip up to Duncan Peak. There is a watchtower up there and at this time of year a ranger is on duty to keep an eye out for fires etc. We visited last year and we were happy to find that the very same ranger was on duty when we went up yesterday. He even remembered us.

We got a few pictures up at the ranger station where the view is spectacular. We didn't take shots of the view because 1) we got many last year and 2) Pictures can't do it justice. It's a beautiful place and every time we go I cannot help but see the glory of God in all of it.

Elise being her usual self in the ranger's house

Chris and Elise inside the lookout.

The whole family outside on the deck of the lookout.

Let it snow, Let it snow, LET IT SNOW!

We have been wondering what happened to winter here, until late last week when it finally snowed about a foot and a half up here. Chris worked from home one day and was able to play with Kayla out in the snow, which was so high she had trouble walking through it. The next day Chris used the snow shovel (apparently we are the only ones on the block who have one) to shovel the Escape out and utilized the wonderment of 4-wheel drive to get down to work. Kayla and I made a snow "fort" which consisted of a couple tunnels. She had a blast.

Kayla was really into eating the snow. I assured her that she could taste all the she wanted as long as she only ate the clean white snow. And she did. She loved licking the stuff and told me it was her "sandwich". When I asked what kind she said it was "cold".

And there's always a warm cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows when we come inside from the winter weather.

Sledding!

First of all, I guess I should tell you that we finally got some SNOW!! Hurray!! We have been building up winter and snow, and told Kayla all the fun things we'd get to do when it snowed, and then it almost seemed as if winter would bypass us altogether this year. Until a few days ago, that is.

We got about 6 inches of snow the other day which mostly melted from the road (which was good for Chris so he could get to work), but has remained in our yard because it is mostly shaded by evergreen trees. The day after it froze over, making for awesome SLEDDING snow. It was slick and slippery and perfect for sliding.

We do not own a sled. But we are innovative, and my years at Franciscan using Caf trays as sleds were my inspiration for our make-shift sled. We simply used our largest cookie sheet. Worked like a charm, and I tried it too. So long as you have ab muscles strong enough to keep your feet lifted off the ground, you, too, can sail down a hill on a cookie sheet.

(This is Kayla trudging up our hill with her cookie sheet)

And here is the video. She is super cute, as always. *Warning* Turn the volume on your computer down because the "sled" scraping against the snow is really not pleasant to listen to at high volumes. Much like fingernails on a chalkboard.


We got snowed on again last night, but this snow was so light and fluffy that it is really just for admiring. We are still waiting for some good snowman-making snow to fall before the end of winter.

And in case you were wondering, we generally do snow-time during Elise's morning nap, so that is why Elise is absent from pictures and descriptions. I did, however, let Kayla hold her in her lap and I helped them sled together down the smallest hill together once. They were adorable.

Winter thoughts

Winter is really an amazing season. I am among those who probably complain more about it than I praise it, but today I am praising it. Why, you ask?

Because yesterday I complained about it so much that I had to sit down and think about it. True, it does keep me indoors sometimes and we tend to get sick more often in the winter. True, it is cold and rather dreary-looking at times. But the fact of the matter is, spending a lot of time complaining about it just shows me that I'm a selfish, whiner. Here's why...

If I actually looked a little closer, I would note that there are positives to many of those negatives anyway. What's so wrong with being indoors? If I actually TRY to come up with activities and crafts, the girls and I always have a fantastic time. Yes, immune systems get a little weak in the colder months, but who hasn't had one of those horrible summer colds that never seem to go away and mess up all the fun SUMMER activities you had planned? People get sick no matter what the season. Deal with it. It is cold, but that is the only true way to enjoy cuddling up in blankets, wearing slippers, boots, and cozy sweaters, and sitting down with a cup of hot beverage (I prefer the hot chocolate variety). The sky does get gray, but the sky is not the only thing that can have color. In fact, if I can find nothing colorful in the natural world around me, I could always put on a really bright sweater myself and stop the whining.

And then I could try thinking about some of the truly lovely things about winter. You may have different favorites, but here are a few of mine:

1. Watching the snow fall. There is almost nothing as pure and beautiful as falling snow especially if it falls long enough to leave a think, white carpet of snow with it. I especially love snow covered trees. Lovely.

2. This one goes along with #1- catching snowflakes on your tongue. Kids do it best because they have no inhibitions. They don't care that they might look silly doing it, because it's an activity that easily allows them to express their joyful and carefree selves.

As you can see, Kayla really enjoyed her first experience catching snowflakes on her tongue.

3. As previously mentioned, hot beverages. There are few things I love better than curling up with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. Cliche? Yes, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. That's how it became cliche in the first place, right? This year we also discovered a new favorite hot beverage, hot buttered apple cider with rum. It's just as wonderful as it sounds, and would be totally lame if it was consumed in anything other than cold weather.

4. Winter foods. I consider certain foods to be cold weather foods. You may disagree, but I'm sticking to my opinion on this. Most soups and chili are foods that taste WAY better when it's chilly outside.

5. I try to avoid run-on sentences, so I saved some favorite winter clothing items. In addition to sweaters, boots, and slippers, I also love scarves and hats. I especially love them on little persons. See below.

6. Christmas. It's in the winter and I love it. There's really no more explanation needed.

Elise's winter coat is a little big for her...but super cute.

Winter coats are so big and bulky. I love it.

Kayla climbed up in her dollhouse and just looked so darn cute.

Colorado!

We took a lovely little trip to Colorado to visit my sister, Christine, and her family last week. Apparently we ordered a snow storm with our plane tickets because the Denver area got dumped on right before we arrived (late, of course, due to the snow). But Colorado weather is predictably unpredictable and it warmed up and the snow melted just days later. The day after we left, another snow fall was due to arrive. Make up your mind, will you, Mother Nature?

The weather and having 4 children under the age of 3 in the same place limited the amount of sightseeing that could be done, but we had a blast doing normal day-to-day activities and hanging out together....

Making chocolate chip cookies

ready to go out into the snow

snow fun!

enjoying hot cocoa afterwards

hanging out with baby Eilish Philomena

Elise loved the dogs. The dogs didn't care a lick about her (pun intended).

Too cool for school

A lovely Colorado view (and no, I'm not talking about the really good-looking family in the forefront of the picture)

The main event: Eilish's baptism

You have put on Christ...!

Sean and Christy, (and Sorcha and Eilish!)

Thanks for the fun memories and your wonderful hospitality! We really enjoyed getting to spend some time with you this past week. We are so honored that you asked us to be godparents for Eilish. We had a blast hanging out in freezing, sunny, snowy, crazy beautiful Colorado with you all! Can't wait to see you all again!