Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Week 43

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Here we are in the last week of October.  It's still pretty warm out, but the mornings are full of that crisp fall air and the evenings are nice and pleasant so a change is brewing.  We had a fun and full week last week.  Still a lot of water polo, and I'm enjoying every bit before it's over for good.

Take a look at last week's pictures:


Day 292- Monday, 10/19/15
Five little pumpkins and a couple gourds sit in our front entry just waiting for Halloween.  I'm glad it's on a Saturday this year so we actually have time to carve them up.





Day 293- Tuesday, 10/20/15
My favorite goofball with his favorite candy bar.  It's perfect for him and even more perfect that the goofball part is a bit out of focus.






Day 294- Wednesday, 10/20/15
It's water polo senior night a week early.  We have a large group of seniors this year and they have had a great 4 years.  I'm going to miss the sound of the whistle, the smell of chlorine and Coach Moe's yelling ;0)  He's collected quite a few yellow and red cards while these boys were in the water, but all for good reason.  It's been a fun run.





Day 295- Thursday, 10/22/15
Justin has been a trooper riding his bike to school everyday.  He really likes it and takes good care of his bike.  It's time to add air to the tires.  He also loves rain but is dreading not being able to ride when and if the rainy season starts.





Day 296- Friday, 10/23/15
Tyler and I are in Modesto for a 2 day polo tournament.  Day 1 went really well trying out some new plays. The coach is hoping to strengthen the team and change things up a bit before for the last game of the league season next week.  John stayed home with the younger boys and treated them to a dinner out full of chicken wings.





Day 297- Saturday, 10/24/15
Water polo tournament day 2.  We played 3 games today and had a super early start captured beautifully by one of the polo dad's.  Great picture I stole from you John Miles ;0)  I love the look of early morning calm in the pool before the boys got in there and tore it up.  Sadly we lost all 3 games, but they were good close games, and we still ended up with 6 place in the tournament which is not bad at all. This will most likely be my last water polo tournament :0(





Day 298- Sunday, 10/25/15
Time for a Sunday morning ride.  John went out with some of his biker friends and for nice ride through the foothills.  I bet the fall colors up there were great but what he really likes is the windy roads.




That's it!  I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween.  See you in November.


Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Week 42

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Only a few more weeks of craziness before we get a break and I can't wait.  We all survived mid-term week at the high school and conferences at the middle school last week but it was stressful and involved a lot of creative scheduling.  Thank goodness I have a flexible job!

Now for last week's pictures:


Day 285- Monday, 10/12/15
It's a water polo jump shot which is rare but it does happen on occasion, and I just happened to be sitting in a spot to catch it.  The boys played Florin today and had a good win.





Day 286- Tuesday, 10/13/15
Time to fill and put out the fall candy dish.  My youngest likes it a little too much and is a master at sneaking bits here and there.





Day 287- Wednesday, 10/14/15
Speaking of the youngest, Brandon tried his costume on today to make sure it fits.  We'll save a picture of the full thing for the big day but here are a few bits.  I'm not even sure exactly what it is he'll be.  Maybe a skeletor count of some sort? Whatever it is he likes the mask and the medallion best.





Day 288- Thursday, 10/15/15
It's always a stressful week when I have hamsters to care for at work.  At least this cute little guy was super nice.  There were 3 and one of the others was pure evil.





Day 289- Friday, 10/16/15
Justin is cutting up and donating hotdogs as part as his service project with the animal shelter.  He'll take them in tomorrow when he puts in a couple hours with the teen group.  They use the hotdog pieces as rewards while behavior training the dogs to be more adoptable.





Day 290- Saturday, 10/17/15
It's a jungle out there!  We noticed this purple flowering plant growing out of control in our side yard.  I don't go to that side of the yard much so I was surprised at how out of control it had gotten.  Obviously it's drought resistant and does not need much water to thrive.  I need more plants like that.  Later today when I took the boys in for haircuts I FINALLY put myself in a chair and had my hair chopped of.  Bam! 6 inches gone just like that and it feels so much better.  It's something I've been meaning to do for months but could just never find the time.





Day 291- Sunday, 10/18/15
Halloween is coming up quick and we need some pumpkins so the younger boys and I ran out to the local patch to pick up a few.  It was super crowded but everyone else was there for other activities and all we needed was the pumpkins so we got in and got out as quick as we could.



That's it!  Short and sweet.  See you next week.


Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Week 41

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  It's conference week at school for my youngest so short days are in order for him and me which is kind of nice.  We're still fighting the onset of fall here with the hot temps, but at least the days are getting shorter so that helps with the heat and makes it feel more like fall in the evenings anyway.  My kids are collecting items for their frightful costumes and looking forward to Halloween.  I can't believe it's almost here!

Until then take a look at last week's photos:


Day 278- Monday, 10/5/15
Just a typical weekday afternoon making school lunches while dinner simmers before heading out to a polo game.  It's got to be done before the game because after I'll feel like doing nothing!




Day 279- Tuesday, 10/6/15
Justin is cutting nutrition labels off various food boxes for extra credit in his PE health class.  He never lets an extra credit opportunity go by.





Day 280- Wednesday, 10/7/15
Brandon had a short day so I took him to get his flu shot and then we headed to the Halloween store for fun.  He was impressed with the wall of masks.  Which will he choose?  You'll just have to wait and see.  Later was water polo game 2 of the week and it was a late one so they played under the lights.  What a beautiful night out and perfect for the game.  They also won which was a nice bonus.




Day 281- Thursday, 10/8/15
I'm liking Thursday's lately.  There's usually nothing going on in the afternoon or evening which is rare.  I actually have time for a nice fall walk with the pup and a glass of wine after to watch Grey's Anatomy with.  A couple weeks ago Thursday night wine was inspired by the dog and tonight it's inspired by the cat.  Yes, I'm a sucker for good labels.  Love the wine selection at Nugget!




Day 282- Friday, 10/9/15
TGIF!  I'm headed out for the weekend and the only one home to say goodbye to is Brandon.  Goodbye Brandon and hello ladies!  I made it to Angel's Camp near Murphy's to join these good friends for some wine tasting and girl time.  Should be fun.




Day 283- Saturday, 10/10/15
After a relaxing start and an adventurous journey we made it to Ironstone Vineyards which is really an amazing place set back in the hills and surrounded by the trees of Calaveras county.  We had a great time sampling the wine and even enjoyed a nice long picnic lunch out on the deck with one of our selections.  Afterwards we explored the historic town of Murphy's.  This is the area Mark Twain used to live in so there is a lot of fun history and even some eerie old buildings from the 1800's.




Day 284- Sunday, 10/11/15
 We're headed home today but first we thought it would be fun to take a picture of us with all the bottles (only 3 are mine!).  Some of these girls are serious about their wine ;0)  We also enjoyed a nice lunch at the golf course reminiscing about our fun time and unusual ghostly experience at the Murphy's Hotel.  Thanks for the extra memories Eleanor.  Once I got home and caught up with the family Justin was eager to open the Amazon boxes that had arrived with his costume pieces.  Here's a quick peek at some of it.  He wants to be a plague doctor this year.  Not sure where that came from, but I think it will be perfect for him.




That's it for now.  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Week 40

Wow!  Only 12 more weeks left in this year.  How did that happen so fast?!  The rest of those weeks will fly by faster than I'd like.  Fall is here and before you know it we'll be celebrating Christmas.  I am looking forward to the holidays.  Mid Nov and most of Dec should be much slower for us with some much needed time off.  That sounds so nice, but before I get ahead of myself we have to make it through the next 6 crazy and grueling weeks.

Here's what last week looked like:


Day 271- Monday, 9/28/15
What a Monday!  My car was in the shop for new brake pads, the air conditioner stopped working and needed a repair, the polo game got cancelled, and Brandon was bogged down with homework.  I'm not sure why but Monday's are his heaviest days for homework which just adds stress to an already rough day.  And look at these math sheets he has to do his work on.  They are so TINY!  I can barely read them and all the work must be done in the space provided--what space????  Seriously! Next week at conferences we'll be discussing this.  Would it be too much to ask for a full sheet of paper? Brandon says he feels like he has write as small as an ant would.  That sums it up perfectly.





Day 272- Tuesday, 9/29/15
John got the Halloween boxes down this weekend so today I put out my pumpkin collection.  Rusty, our orange kitty perfectly colored for fall, was more than curious.  He always has to investigate anything new and out of place.





Day 273- Wednesday, 9/30/15
What is this?  Could it be rain??  We actually had a few good hours of solid rain.  It felt like a great fall day and the timing was perfect because it rained while we were at school and work and then stopped just before polo.  The seats were wet but we were dry and warm.  It was actually quite nice out.  The boys had a rough start to their game but kicked it into high gear for the second half and pulled off a nice win. 





Day 274- Thursday, 10/1/15
It's October and really does feel like fall around here which is nice.   My younger ones were happy to pose with the monthly marker and Brandon even has a bit of a jack-o-lantern grin going on.  He lost another tooth on his left top side.  This might actually be his last baby tooth.  *sniff, sniff*  





Day 275- Friday, 10/2/15
Finally it's Friday!  It seemed like a really long week.  John is headed out on a motorcycle trip with some of his friends from San Francisco for the weekend.  I don't envy him having to drive and park a car pulling a trailer in the city but I know he'll be fine and have fun.  This week he gets to escape and next week it's my turn ;0)





Day 276- Saturday, 10/3/15
Today was a full day.  Tyler left first to take his SAT one last time and then Justin was also up and out early for his second shelter class to complete before he can start volunteering at Front Street Shelter for his high school service project.  After lunch and a little down time the boys and I took in a movie and then we went out to dinner.  This pizookie never stood a chance!  Once we got home and just before bed we were treated to an impressive thunder and lightening show with more rain!  It was a perfect way to end the day.  The boys loved it, the pets not so much.




Day 277- Sunday, 10/4/15
It's just one of those kick off to fall kind of weeks, and we are thrilled about that.  So thrilled that I was inspired to make some pumpkin bread today.  Like magic as the house started to fill with that delicious smell I had three boys suddenly circling and begging for a piece.  That's one way to get them off their devices, out of their rooms, and interacting with me.  Score!




That's it for now.  Welcome to fall and pray for more rain.  We have a lot of catching up to do.