Marla quietly had a birthday in August. (Pardon the delay in writing about it!)
Emma and Henry helped me make a cake early in the morning. How much they helped vs. how much they ate is a matter up for debate. At any rate, the making was nearly as much fun as the eating! We dove into the cake early and then headed to out for a day of fun at Disneyland and California Adventure.
For those of you who regularly trek to Disneyland do yourself a favor and visit the park right across the way. It was my first visit and we had vastly more fun. There were no lines to speak of and the rides for children are nearly identical. (Ladybug Boogie = Teacups, Flik's Flyers = Dumbo, Chew Chew Train = Casey Jr.Circus Train, etc.)
We stayed late for the fireworks, which were a treat. Emma was a bit skeptical about them. She has a fear of loud noises - unless it is music at her request. They won her over, though, and she's requested that we head back to see them again.
Happy birthday, Mommy!
@ 2:46 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (2)
A fall trip to Tanaka Farms (see Spring trip here) had the playgroup children chowing down on some delicious fruit. Henry and Emma, normally reluctant eaters, attacked the fresh-picked melons with gusto.
(Note, dear readers, that what we normally call "cantaloupe" is, in fact, a musk melon. Apparently our fragile American sensibilities couldn't handle "musk" being marketed to us in our local megamarts.)
My favorite part about this set? The final shot of Henry in his car seat with a belly full of melon and a sticky face covered in dirt.
We continue our adventures in self-feeding with some choice shots from Marla. That's a mighty fine banana you have there, Henry!
I should be clear that Henry has been feeding himself for quite some time. I think the difference of late is that we've given up on trying to keep him clean and/or trying to teach him to be neat.
He's a boy and boys just don't understand the concept of "neat" or "gentle" or "fragile."
Also in this set are some pictures that could very well be Cute Overload material... if only my children were, you know, animals.
It's a dangerous thing, giving an 18-month old a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. (Other parents have discovered the same thing.)
After a few meals like the one pictured above we learned to strip Henry down to just his diaper before serving him. It's better for everyone that way. Henry can be as messy as he likes and Mommy won't have to change his clothes.
Also in this small gallery are some shots from a Symphony in the Cities concert by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra and me putting the kids to work as car washers.
@ 2:39 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (2)
