Childhood

Me- "Dylan, are you enjoying your childhood? Is there anything you think is missing?"
Dylan- "well, I would like a blow up pumpkin in our yard"
Me- "Is that what you feel is missing?"
Dylan- "well, it would make it better."

Halloween Festivities

Dylan's preschool halloween/pumpkin day party... enjoying juice with his best school friend, Preston (pronounced pWeston by Dylan).
Make and Take Halloween Party at Serena's house, complete with backyard trick-or-treating stations, a pumpkin cartoon projected in the backyard, and an eyeball pinata. Pretty fun stuff.
Mama and her little munchkins all dressed up and ready for candy! (Dylan is a racecar driver this year and Addie wore Dylan's pumpkin costume from when he was 16 months old).
San Diego Halloween weekend with family. Pumpkins behind the kids are the ones that Dylan and Ryan did together.
Who's this cute little pumpkin?

Trick or Treating in Ryan's aunt and uncle's neighborhood!


P.S. Today is the 5 year anniversary of when we found out we were pregnant with Dylan. Happy Conceiveiversary. No announcements like that this year for us.
But one of my best friends had her baby girl (baby #3) today. Welcome to the world, Taelyn!

15 month checkup

Addie had her 15 month checkup today. And because she is still on the recovery end of the flu from last week, we held off on one of her 2 scheduled immunizations. So she and Dylan both got their flu shots and Addie also got her Chicken Pox shot. We then headed over to Rite Aid for stickers and ice cream cones. Made it all better. For me too. ;)

Here are her 15 month stats:
Weight 21#, 6oz (20th percentile)
Height 31 inches (70th percentile)
Head Circumference 47 1/2 (75th percentile)

Not surprising that her weight is down slightly after all of last week with her upset tummy and fevers, not eating like she normally does.

We go back next month for her second flu shot and the MMR immunization. More ice cream? You betcha!

Junior Scientist

Yesterday Ryan had some work to do at lab. So the family went together and spent a few hours on campus. While Ryan worked, the kids and I went down to the turtle pond and got some samples of pond water. Then we met back up with Ryan and Dylan was able to do a little experiment with daddy to investigate the pond water we collected. Dylan pulled on some gloves and they got to work.

They spun it down to concentrate the gunk into a pellet.

Then sucked off the supernatant.

Next they resuspended the pellet and mounted a sample on a slide to see under the microscope.

Meanwhile, Addie napped in the stroller.

It feels good to be back at Caltech after the past few months.

New home

We've moved. From Pasadena to north Glendale, so not far, but a move nonetheless. Lots of boxes. More stuff than we thought we had.
The highlights of the new place are this: it's a HOUSE and it has a YARD! We've already suppliied the patio with a new grill and patio furniture (happy birthday to Ryan). And this past week we've eaten more meals outside on the patio than inside in our diningroom, so it's clear we are enjoying being outside as a family.
I'm working hard to adjust as quickly as possible. As my mother in law has reminded me, "a family is as happy and content as the mom is". Very, very true.
The other fun detail about this new place is that despite being considered a three bedroom (because even a sliver of a closet makes a room a bedroom apparently), the kids are still going to share a room and we are using the extra room as a playroom/office. The windows look out to the backyard, so I can pay bills, catch up on emails, and even peek around the corner from the kitchen if the kids are playing outside in the yard (which is newly fenced-in). I'm enjoying this too because Dylan needs a LOT of outside time everyday and now I can continue to get things done in the house and keep track of him during Addie's naps. Win-win.
Pictures haven't gotten put up on the walls and there are a few nagging boxes of stuff that shouldn't be tossed into the garage but has no real place inside yet. We are still working on those, but overall it's beginning to feel more like home. And that is what is important.

Addie's Clothesline

What a cute outfit, Addie!

Addie learns to walk

Candyhouse Grandpa

While up in Oregon, Dylan wanted to do whatever my dad was doing. He'd be getting in to his swimsuit and he'd ask "Is Grandpa getting into his swimsuit right now?"

We'd be getting ready for the day and he'd ask, "What kind of shoes is Grandpa going to wear today?"

Hiking stick time

On Grandpa's paddleboard. They took almost daily trips around on the lake together, Dylan perched on the front of my dad's board.

Making fires at night.

Swimming on the lake together.

Fishing.

Playing his guitar for the kids. (He's learning to play a metallica song that is just too cool).

We found them clowning around together at the Newport Aquarium.

Dylan loved spending time with his Candyhouse Grandpa.

Honeyman Park, Oregon

The park across from my parent's house is called Honeyman. People from all over the country come there for vacations and camping and to enjoy the hills, lake, sand dunes, with popcorn and ice cream in the little store. We spent one afternoon there for Dylan and Grandpa to look for a special hiking stick to keep at the lakehouse. It was gorgeous.

Enjoying the pretty flowers at Honeyman Park while Dylan and Grandpa looked for hiking sticks

Dylan with his new hiking stick he and Grandpa found together and carved up.

Dylan and his Grandma with their hiking sticks.

Ice Cream!

After this, we went over to the sand dunes so Dylan could try some sandboarding/sleding. The saucer we brought with us didn't work, so Dylan decided instead to run down the dunes. You wouldn't have ever known THAT wasn't the plan. He was all giggles. I have a video of it. He was just too cute.

On the lake

Kathy and Addie on the dock

On the motor boat!

Driving the boat with Grandpa.
Too bad I didn't get a picture of Kathy that day on the boat. She hadn't ever been on a motor boat and it was fun to watch her with the wind in her hair and just laughing and having so much fun.

Loving just being on the lake together with my boy in the paddleboat

I even got brave and tried out my dad's paddleboard near the end of the trip.

And while I'm bragging, I'll mention that my mom and I swam out from the dock to the trampoline on our last day there. Both my mom and I NEVER go actually INTO the lake, being that it's pretty cold and we just prefer to watch everyone else in the water and stay dry. But that last day Dylan had done a lot of swimming and I had promised him that I would go with him if he practiced his swimming earlier in the day. I drug my mom with me. Misery (fear) loves company. Dylan swam out with us and we were all very, very brave!