The Beach in November

The weather was unusually warm today, so we headed to . . .

. . . the beach.  In November.  I know it sounds crazy, but if you want to avoid the crowds, a warm day in late November is a great time to head to the So Cal coast.  It was pretty much just us, a bunch of dedicated surfers, and some seagulls at the beach today.

We had a great time playing in the waves, looking for shells (Joy found a sand dollar) . . .

. . . digging in the sand . . .

. . . building a sand castle . . .

. . . and going for strolls with Daddy.

Fall Sing: Be the Change

This morning we attended the annual Fall Sing at the big kids' school.

I love hearing the whole school perform together, and it's extra fun knowing that many of the kids (including Joy) helped paint the backdrop and the giant leaves hanging from the balcony.

Joy is in the center of this shot, wearing a red shirt with a big white paw print.  Each grade was asked to dress in a different color so they would look like a rainbow in the performance.

Here's Daniel in his white Sunday shirt.  This year's theme was about being a force for good in the world, and the song choices ranged from Civil Rights movement songs to Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror."  My favorite number was "We Are the World," a single produced in the 1980s to benefit millions of starving people in Africa.  Joy and Daniel have been singing it around our home for weeks.  I love that they get so into this annual performance, and like singing the songs together.

Anna didn't sing along with her sibs this morning, but she sure looked cute and happy.  I'm kind of sad to think that if Phillip gets a new job far away and we need to move, our younger kids won't ever participate in the Fall Sing.  I'm sure there will be plenty of things to love about our new home, though, wherever that ends up being.

Introducing Dr. Phil

Today was a big day for our family.  After nine years of work, Phillip defended his PhD dissertation this afternoon.

I snapped this picture shortly before his presentation began.  In attendance were his defense committee, many of his labmates, his adoring wife, and a bunch of random engineering students who were either interested in his subject or just wanted to see what a PhD defense was like.  Phillip did a great job presenting his work, and after asking him a few short questions the committee agreed that he had earned his PhD.  They also congratulated him on doing some really groundbreaking work simulating and analyzing brain activity.

Here I am with Dr. Phil.  I'm so proud of him for staying the course and finishing this enormous project.  In the coming weeks he'll continue working at his USC lab while he talks to potential employers and plans the next step in his career.  He's already got a couple of good prospects, and we're excited for the future.

Toddlet Turns Two

Little Brother Todd turns two this month!

We celebrated today at Papa and Red Grandma's home.  We sang him the super-long birthday song . . .

. . . then Anna helped him blow out the candles atop his birthday dessert of pumpkin cookies.

And then we snapped a fabulous family photo.  Think we should frame that picture or hold out for a better one?

The birthday gathering was also a nice opportunity to play Legos with Aunt Heather . . .

. . . and for the Star Wars Commander enthusiasts to compare strategies (I'm sure Uncle Andrew was there in spirit, as well).

Science Center Stars

The kids and I headed to the California Science Center this morning . . .

. . . with Joy's friend Riley and his parents.

The kids enjoyed the boat driving simulator . . .

. . . and the starfish touch tank . . .

. . . but their favorite area was one of the Discovery Rooms.  Joy and Riley liked working on a partly-constructed house . . .

. . . and the little kids thought it was fun to be on TV, even for a few moments.

Then they discovered the magnetic wheel track, and played with that until it was time to leave.  Daniel especially loved making different track designs, and trying to get the wheel to land just right in the slot at the end.

Day of the Dead, with Gingerbread

For family home evening tonight, we decided to celebrate Day of the Dead.  When I first heard of that holiday years ago, I assumed it was some creepy celebration that focused on skeletons and other ghoulish things.  I recently learned that it is traditionally a time to gather with family and friends to remember and pray for departed loved ones.  The idea reminded me of our church's teachings that family connections are important and can continue into the next life.  I felt that this holiday would be a good time to share our testimony of that with our kids, and tell them about a couple relatives they didn't get a chance to know very well.

We kept our celebration very simple.  I made a bunch of gingerbread skeletons for us to munch while Phillip and I shared memories of his dad and my grandma.  We talked about their lives, their talents and hobbies, ways they served others, and things others appreciated about them.  It was a nice experience, and we may make it a new annual tradition, perhaps discussing ancestors from further back so the kids can learn more about their heritage.

Incidentally, Joy and Daniel asked to decorate a few of the cookies.  Daniel did the skinny skeleton on the right, I did the one in the middle, and Joy decorated the cookie on the left to look like he was wearing motorcycle gear.  The paper skeleton was a Day of the Dead art project Joy brought home from school.

The Dremel Awakens

Happy Halloween!  It's time to carve pumpkins!

Daddy fired up his Dremel again to get all the lids started . . .

. . . then Joy . . .

. . . and Daniel set to work carving the faces they'd drawn on their pumpkins.

Anna wanted to draw her own face then let me carve it, but I told her the prospect of trying to carve that face was a little, um, scary.

She agreed to let me design a different one, and we were both happy with the result.  The pumpkin looks happier, too.

Here are our finished jack-o-lanterns.  From left to right: Todd's, Mama's, Joy's, Daniel's, Daddy's, and Anna's.  In case you're wondering, Daddy's design is a silhouette of Darth Vader's helmet.  While his Death Star pumpkin from last year was pretty cool, it took over an hour to carve and he preferred to keep things simple this year.

This evening, we took the three big kids trick-or-treating with Joy's friend Riley from school.  The Force is strong with that one.