Fall Greetings!

Halloween Crew 2016

It has been a long break in my blogging world.  MORE time is not something I've found with the kids back in school and Ella starting preschool. Not YET anyways.  The DAY Ella started preschool my brother came into town and we had visitors most of the month of September, then more in October, along with Fall Break which has been the past two weeks.  Yes, Encinitas Union School District has a FALL BREAK which consists of not one, but TWO weeks of no school!!  Today is the final day of the break before back to school on Monday morning.  So, as much as I was welcoming the break from all the routines of driving to and from school, and all the after-school routines, I am pretty darn ready for the kiddos to head back to their respective teachers and classes.  I think they are ready, too! We've done A LOT of fun things over break- a 3 day, trip to Great Wolf Lodge (again), a visit to the San Diego Safari Park (which was FREE for kids in October), we had Halloween fun, played with friends and neighbors, etc.  Going out with a bang as Chloë has a birthday party tonight and then we are hosting an outdoor movie night for her Brownie Troop.  Busy busy.  The usual!  

Ella going off to preschool wasn't as hard or emotional as I thought it would be.  There were a few tears the first couple drop-offs but now she has completely adjusted and seems to enjoy it there.  A lot more stimulation and fun than going to workout and run errands with momma.  Her starting preschool was a MONUMENTOUS event in my life in that it had been SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS that I have been waiting for this moment!!  FREE TIME for myself!!  On a regular and reoccurring schedule!!  This is AMAZING!!!  This is HUGE!  (and after Fall Break I'll be able to really embrace and enjoy it).

First Day of School Pics: 

Uncle Hale visited!

Gramma came to visit, too!

Sayonara Summer!

new 'do (Owen)

Final week of summer break is officially in session!  I'm going away overnight this weekend for a little belated birthday celebration for a friend (and myself) so I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row during the week.  Yes, I have some severe mom-guilt about going away the weekend before my baby boys start kindergarten.  Our last weekend all together before LIFE CHANGES FOREVER...my last time to hold on to them as my little babies.  OK, I KNOW I'm being extremely dramatic...but you just lose a little something when they go off to kindergarten.  My friend who I'm going away with that weekend says, "It's JUST kindergarten!  It's not like you're sending them off to college!!".  True.  But still. (No, she doesn't have kids).  So I'm chalking it up to mom-guilt and not REAL legitimate reason that I shouldn't go...and so I'm going.  I'll only be gone about 36 hours total.  I plan to be home for dinner on Sunday evening, ready to have dinner with them and tuck them all in before their first day of school.  See?!  The mom-guilt makes me have to constantly justify my actions.  So I don't feel like a horrible, selfish momma.  Chloë will be starting 2nd grade, the boys kindergarten, and Ella has the week off...then she starts preschool the following week.  Then I'll REALLY be crying!!  Sending my youngest off to preschool.  She's 3 1/2 though!!  All my others started preschool at 2.  Chloë started the day after she turned 2!  That seems so young (but I was 2 months way from giving birth to twins so we wanted to get her on a routine before they were born and jacked up all forms of routine she ever knew)!  

Anyways, I'm blabbing.  As usual.  That's what this blog is for, after all.  Yesterday we had a fun family beach day.  Today Chloë and Owen got haircuts.  I had taken Eli last week to get his cut.  Then we went shoe shopping for Eli & Chloë.  Both of them were in desperate need to new shoes.  Everyone has their  backpacks/lunchboxes ready.  Owen picked Pokemon theme.  Eli chose Minions. Ella chose Hello Kitty.  

Chloë

Eli's "Before" pic- crazy hair! 

chopping it off

Ella getting a back-to-school pedicure 

I know, I know ...that's a little crazy!  I always rolled my eyes at people who took their little toddler/preschooler to get a pedicure!!  I don't think I had my first pedicure until college?! If then? Maybe not until after.  I don't know.  However, after living in San Diego...where I can probably count on ONE hand the days of the year I wear closed-toe shoes (okay, maybe 2 hands)...you HAVE to keep your tootsies looking spiffy.  Especially, if you aren't a big fan of feet, like myself.  Ella has the cutest feet ever, though!  She loved getting purple toes and nails.  It was a special treat for her while all the other kids were having fun at camp last week :)

Summer

Picnic with neighbors

Summer has been a blast so far---so busy and non-stop, but so fun!  Hard to believe we are a month into it already, but at the same time I feel like we've done so much in such a short time.  The week after the boys graduated from Pre-K they got to spend the week at Myke's parent's home in Pacific Beach and do a daily YMCA camp right across the street from there Monday-Friday.  It was their very first day camp (besides a ONE day (3 hour) animal camp they did last summer) AND it was their first time away from home for that long!  These were big steps for them me!  

The weekend before they had that camp I was actually on a girls' getaway, myself with a trip up to San Francisco and Santa Cruz for a long weekend with a few college friends.  It was so fun to all get together and catch up/explore/talk/laugh/ENJOY.  Much needed :)

The week after the boys had camp in PB (Pacific Beach), Chloë had her turn to spend a few nights with her grandparents.  These longer stays are definitely new for all of us and so great that the kids get that time with Mom-Mom & Pop.  I never had something like that, and, although I don't feel that I necessarily "missed out" on something, I definitely realize the value of this special time together for my kids with their grandparents.  And, Maureen will back me up here:  my kids often act SO DIFFERENT when I'm around...and NOT in a good way....so it's nice for my in-laws to get time with the kids without that!  

Fourth Of July:

decorating the dessert pie with Pop 

Patriotic skewers 

pool time!

Roasting marshmellows

First time with sparklers (Owen)

Ella 

Delivering 4th of July dinner to the local forestation

(part of the neighborhood tradition after they come lead our parade each year)

The Following Week:  Kids Games Camp (Vacation Bible School)

First day of Kids Games (next year I can send ALL FOUR!!!)

Owen & Eli

Basketball girls

 Another Girls' Outting: La Costa Resort & Spa for a friend's 40th

(how do I have such old friends?!!  lol)

NOT the birthday girl

Cabana-style

Myke's latest project- Ella's big girl bed!  More updates to come :)

We are now a house with no cribs. 

Eli and his lizard friend 

Cooking with Mom-mom 

And THIS WEEK:

Surf Camp for Chloë & Owen

(Eli is in gymnastics camp at a different location--I need to get pics)

2nd graders!  Surf's Up!

Incoming Kinders at PEC!  

Ella on the beach 

Owen

Go Chloë!

Ella and her buddy

And, last but not least, we came upon a GREAT backpack and lunchbox sale at Toys R Us and had to (prematurely, in my mind) get Ella's gear for preschool (she starts August 30th).  She picked out Hello Kitty for both and has been wearing the empty backpack around ever since.

(I think) She's ready!  

End of School Time!

My handsome Pre-K graduates 

It has been an especially busy past week with all that has been going on.  I survived my 6 days/6 nights as a single parent while Myke was up at Apple for "office time" and a developers' conference.  Not without a couple "bumps" in the road, but we managed.  The first night he was gone I was shook awake by a medium-size earthquake at 1am.  I'm not sure if it was more the shake or the loud noise that came along with it that woke me up...but that was a bit nerve-wracking!  I somehow fell back asleep....but not without Ella as a bedmate.  The earthquake must of woke her up, too, as she came in my room right afterwards and asked to sleep with me.  To be honest, I was glad to have the company!  I guess she enjoyed the night together as she came in the next night, too!  Then Saturday night was Eli's turn to "have a sleepover with mommy".  How could I say no?  They're not going to want to sleep with their momma forever.  (Right??  That would be a huge issue if they did!).  Then, Sunday night Eli came running down the hall to me and vomited on my rug and then onto my bed.  So that was fun.  It was followed by two days of a stomach bug/fever.  I'm lucky to have such great momma-friends who all helped me get Owen & Chloë to and from school that day so I didn't have to drag Eli out.  He literally stayed in bed ALL day Monday.  Poor guy.  

Myke is back now.  Yay!  He arrived home around bedtime Wednesday night and then took a 1/2 day off on Thursday so we could go to the San Diego Fair.  I hadn't been since I went with Chloë when she was 18 months old.  We went with Thom & Maureen (Myke's parents) and the 4 kids.  We had a great time and all was going well...UNTIL WE LOST OWEN.  Yes, we lost a child.  For the first time ever.  It was terrible.  The 8 of us were walking along and literally one minute I was saying something to Owen about leaving his stuffed animal prize in the stroller and then the next minute we stop to decide to turn into a barn to see animals and Maureen must have done a head count and asks,  "Now who are we missing?"  We quickly notice that Owen isn't with us...literally I think less than a minute from when I was just talking to him.  One of us stayed with the stroller and kids and the other 3 took off different directions looking for him.  After scanning the crowds and walking up and down the "aisle" we were in, I started getting a little more panicked and flagged down a security guard.  Myke had flagged one down the direction he went in, too.  They took me & Maureen to the Admin offices/lost children area and I was told that they just had found a lost boy and that they were going to check if it was him.  They wanted me to start filling out some paperwork...but we were just thinking, just show us the missing boy!!  Where is he?  Is it Owen or not?  Then a woman behind the desk asked if there was a "Sarah"...and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.  Obviously, the little boy had said his mom's name was Sarah.  Just bring me my little boy!  They told us that he was being escorted our way now and to wait there.  Soon enough (but it felt like 20 minutes) 3 security officers escort my scared-looking & teary eyed little boy to me and we just ran and hugged and both started crying.  Owen just kept saying "Mama" in a distressed tone as he clung to me.  It was definitely an emotional one.  Agh.  Apparently, when we had stopped the to decide which way to go next Owen had just kept walking along.  I'm not sure when he realized we were no longer around but he was apparently quite a ways ahead.  He must have started crying and a woman came up to help him and got him to a security officer who took it from there.  Agh. Hope that will the last time we lose a child in a crowded venue.  In all likelihood it probably won't be...and I'm surprised it hadn't happened yet with 4 kids.  I've never been one to use the child-leash.  Maybe I should start now?  :)   Is 5 too old to wear a leash??  ;)

 On a related note--when we arrived at the fair front gate that morning Thom had the idea of taking each child's photo on his phone before we walked in.  That way we could show the photo if the child got lost, it would remind us what clothes they were wearing, etc.  Brilliant idea.  When we were in the admin offices we showed them the photo.  Anyways, so glad that episode is over.

Other than that, the fair was a great time!  Kids had a blast, played games, rode rides and ate junk to their hearts' content.  It was a fun and exhausting day!

A few pics: 

Craziest snow cone creation ever!  Had two lollipops, a fruit roll up and cotton candy all on top!

Bumper cars! (Owen)

Eli milking a fake cow (real white liquid came out!)

The girls!

I had fun, too! (before we lost Owen)

Rides!

The next day, Friday, was Chloë's last day of school!  First grade is over!    She's had a great year and has come a long way with her Spanish, her learning ...and her wiggle-worm tendencies.  Yay, Chloë!  We have a 2nd grader in our house now!  

She was a little emotional to say by to Mrs. Ventzke when I picked her up.

But a stop for strawberry sorbet in a waffle cone helped her to recover: 

I also put together this side-by-side shot of both the first & last day of school and can't BELIEVE how much bigger and older Chloë looks from just the start of the year to now.  She's a big girl now!  Sniff sniff :(

Then this morning was Owen & Eli's school performance and graduation from Pre-K at their preschool.  It was a really cute performance with some little skits and songs followed by a graduation ceremony.  Most of the photos are on my "good camera" but I'll add the ones taken on my phone for the time being: 

Proud of my boys!

Owen the Octopus & Eli the Elephant.

So cute! 

We're having some down time right now after all the business of the past few days.  Then Chloë has requested a BBQ and pool party.  Family only.  I think she wants some family time :)  Sounds good to me!  Adios!  

Friday night: attack-dad-with-pool-noodles fun!