A Little Descanso

The kids and I visited Descanso Gardens with some friends today.

We admired all the snowy egrets . . .

. . . clambered over rocks and rills . . .

. . . and strolled the paths to see what was blooming.  Joy's favorite find was the enormous leaf she's carrying in this picture.

Cheerios and Eye Patches

It was my turn to teach Daniel's preschool again today.

He're our group, plus Joy who is always happy to join our fun activities.  She would also answer every single question if we let her.  She's definitely her mother's daughter.

Stringing Cheerio necklaces was a big hit, but the most popular activities were . . . 

 . . . putting on costumes during play time . . .

. . . and playing with the bicycle pump.  Go fig.

Just Swingin'

We spent home evening at the park with a friend who has a swing he can drape over any sturdy tree branch.

All the kids had fun swinging in it. 

Even the big kids had a great time.

Cookies and Mushrooms

Today is the first day of autumn . . .

. . . which means that we baked our first batch of pumpkin cookies for the year.

Apparently autumn is also the season when flat, yellow mushrooms grow out of the sides of certain trees in our town.

We see some every time we walk Joy to school, and they're always the highlight of Daniel's trip.

Just a Trim

So, Joy needed a haircut . . .

. . . and Anna (who is currently averse to clippies) REALLY needed a haircut . . .

. . . so we paid a visit to our friend the hair stylist today.  Much better!

"Anna, when the photographer says, 'Strike a pose,' you cock your head like this."

 Daniel didn't get a haircut today, but he wanted to be in a picture, too.  Can't say I blame him.

Reunion and Farewell

As many of you are aware, Phillip's Dad passed away unexpectedly earlier this month.  We loved Dad's good cheer and his generous heart.  He and Phillip enjoyed working on motorcycles or going on rides together every week or two, and had actually gone for a ride the night before Dad lost consciousness.  Phillip believes that his dad died happy.

We attended Dad's funeral this morning.  We miss him, but it was sweet to hear the fond memories his brother Mark and co-worker Adam shared about Dad's good humor, resourcefulness, and willingness to help anyone in need.

We were also grateful for the chance to catch up with aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Joy loved hanging out with Finley . . . 

. . . and Daniel loved turning lights on and off.

I really appreciated that my family came to support us . . .

. . . and Joy had fun playing with Cousin Spencer while he and Aunt Alissa were in town.  Funerals are kind of ironic that way--you say good-bye to a loved one, but you often draw closer to others.

We'll miss you, Dad, but we take comfort in the knowledge that we'll be reunited one day.  Until we meet again . . .

Dancing Queen

We attended a school picnic at Joy's Alma Mater today.

We snapped a picture with her kindergarten teacher . . .

. . . then Joy and her friends rocked the freeze-dance contest.

Daniel had a great time running around the flag pole until he collided with another boy and got a black eye, but he soon recovered and enjoyed the rest of the party.  Kids are amazingly resilient.

Two Students

Daniel started preschool today.  We're doing a little co-op with some other moms in the area, and I'm a little nervous about teaching when it's my turn, but the lessons are clearly spelled out so I should do all right.  Either way, I'm sure Daniel will have fun and learn a few things along the way.

Here's our newest student preparing for the first day of class.

His sister and fellow-student wanted to be in the shot, too.  Aren't they cute? :)