This past weekend, we had a Halloween party for kids. There were 14 kids that came, most were 2-3 year olds. They decorated mini pumpkins with stickers, and made a haunted house! I think all the kids had a great time; it was pretty exhausting trying to keep up with all those toddlers! For dinner, I made pesto pasta, macroni & cheese, and chicken/vegetable curry over rice – using my new KitchenAid slow cooker. It works!

Thanks to Chrissie (James’ cousin) for leading the haunted house project …and to Lori, who brought the best desserts (see below.)

All the kids were super cute, but I’d have to say the ‘most creative’ award goes to Dave, the code monkey.  I was also very impressed with Claire’s home sewn Princess Dora dress/hat … her little brother was Boots!

On Sunday, we attended Uncle David’s Celebration of Life Memorial. (He passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago.) It was held at the Sacramento Railroad Museum, where he worked as a volunteer. 

This past Wednesday, we went to Zachary’s daycare Halloween party!

Now, the whole family is sick. Colds – sore thorats, congestion, and cough. The flu season has begun…BLAH.

Fall is my favorite time of year. The weather is crisp and cool, and for some reason, I really like going to pumpkin patches! Last Thursday (yep, the day we got back from Mexico!), James’ parents came over. Friday morning, James, his mom, and I took Zachary on a field trip to Zittel Farms. The kids listed to a story, went on a hay ride, walked through a maize maze, and visited with farm animals. At the very end, they all went into a barn to pick out their very own pumpkin!

That evening, James’ parents took us out for Indian food – delicious! The next morning, my mother-in-law and I went to assemble dinners at Super Supper. We’re planning to do this every other month – both for the food and for the social aspect; it’s something we can look forward to doing together! We ended the weekend with Alex’s birthday party. HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, ALEX!

This weekend, Zachary went to Tricks swim class. After one year on their waiting list, he was finally accepted. He absolutely loved it – I think he got used to swimming in Puerto Vallarta. After his swim lesson, we played outside in the yard (which is currently being re-landscaped). It was a pretty active and exhausting day for Zachary!  On Sunday, we went to Bishop’s Farm with a group of friends. We went on a hayride, ate pumpkin pastries, played in a hay pit, looked at farm animals, went on a train ride, played in a fort and tire playground, and walked around the pumpkin patch. Zachary had so much fun, but unfortunately was a little too riled up. He pushed his friend Alex twice.  

Going to Bishop’s Farm has become a tradition. In 2004, we had to hold Zachary up (6 months, couldn’t stand). In 2005, he could stand … but unfortunately could also walk away – it was a struggle to get him to stand right in front of the wall! And this year (2006), Zachary is old enough to follow directions! (Wow, my baby is a little boy now…)

WE’RE BACK … from a 5-day trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was a family reunion with my sisters and parents. Zachary had so much fun! I’m pretty sure he liked it better than the Disney Cruise, if you can believe it. So here’s the summary…

Started off rocky – Zach’s carseat got stuck on the plane, and we ended up holding up the entire plane. We eventually got it free, but broke a piece. (Britax will replace it for free – which is great because this was a ~$300 carseat!) We finally got to the Riu Jalisco (our all-inclusive hotel) and waited for about an hour for my parents and sisters to get in.

The first day, we hung out at the hotel – there were 3 pools, and of course the ocean. Zachary loves swimming! He even went down the water slide a few times. James and Sophie kayaked in the ocean. That night, we had Brazilian food – meat roasted on spears and vegetables. The food was only okay – can’t compare it to cruise entrees, but better than cafeteria food. We were hoping for more authentic Mexican food, but they only ever had chips/salsa and fajitas. And they were always out of tortillas!

The second day, my sisters went scuba diving, while the rest of us hung out at the resort again. The third day, we took a city tour. We walked through a church, went to a flea market and downtown for shopping, saw a hilltop view of the city, visited a tequila factory, and was finally dropped off at the boardwalk for more shopping! We got some t-shirts, bowls, a blanket, and masks for souvenirs. Every night there was a show – and one night James and Alice were chosen as contestants in a game. It was fun, especially since they were on opposite sides. (Alice’s team won)

The highlight of the trip (besides seeing my parents of course) was the dolphin encounter. We did that on the fourth day. My parents watched Zachary at the hotel, while the rest us took a short taxi ride to the water park. We got to shake hands and kiss the dolphins. And dolphins gave us a ride – once by holding on to their fin and then standing on their noses! I never knew how strong dolphins were. After the dolphin encounter, we stayed for a few hours at the water park. It was pretty empty since it was off-season, so there were no lines at all.

At night, I watched Zachary while everyone else went on a scenic boat ride to an island, where they had dinner and watched a tribal show. On the boat ride there, Alice won a dance competition.

The last day (which was really a half day), we hung out at the beach. Sophie and Dad kayaked.

Then we flew home…and Zachary was good on the plane. Whew..