Cousins from Cleveland

Uncle Brian brought Morgan and Molly out for a visit last week, and this is the best photo I could get. Lots of laughter and silliness!

It is so special that the cousins get opportunities to hang out like this. They are infrequent but full of memory-making. Molly and Morgan were SO excited to meet Oli and Bella in person - they've seen them through Skype or in pictures, but not face-to-face. They just kept hugging them.

We fit in a visit to the zoo and a lot of hanging out at the house. We love when Dem Clevelanders come to town!

Looking Back at Summer

It's cold enough here that no one would dream of playing in a kiddie pool right now, but I have a few moments to edit some photos from the end of summer. And even though I love bright colors, I thought I would do it in black and white so that the pictures reflect the kids' expressions more than their environment. There's not much to say except to mention that all the pouty images at the end are due to having to "take a break" for unacceptable behavior. Time out stinks, right?

Just some splashing around from today

Summer of Swimming - Part 2

This has been a very exciting time in our household. Not only did Benjamin become really comfortable in the water (and pretty much able to swim), Oliver suddenly decided that playing in a pool is actually quite fun. We already know that bold little Sadie has always enjoyed herself in any environment. 

So here are some photos of EVERYBODY having fun!  I'm just going to stop writing now and let you enjoy the images. 

At the Maple Street Fountain

One of our favorite hey-it's-hot-and-we're-tired-of-being-at-home things to do is visit the Maple Street Plaza in downtown Escondido. If we even drive past the place, the kids want to hop out of the car to put their feet in the fountain. So over the summer this was one of our hot spots.

The plaza recently came about as an attractive corridor to encourage foot traffic between City Hall and the downtown strip, Grand Avenue. It also serves as a place for bands or food stands during festivals. It cost a pretty penny and has been the subject of controversy, but I love it. One of my favorite things about well-designed urban spaces is the proliferation of artsy, interactive, pretty places for the community to gather. The idea has not caught on so much around here, but we show up!

Too Hot to Think

Some days, when it's straight up too hot to think, this is what we do.

One of the bummers about living in Southern California is the ever-present underlying guilt regarding water use. I wish I could be rid of it at times when it is appropriate to just have fun. It helps to remember how exhilarating it was, as a kid, to run through sprinklers. And it helps to think about how we aren't golfers, nor do we wash our cars very often, or our dog, for that matter, and we have super low-flush toilets, and we often wear our clothes a couple times before throwing them in the hamper (those of us aged 12 and over). TMI? Perhaps. This is how I think, though, people. I'm sorry.

Anyway...here is evidence that I, we, can have fun - pure, frolicking-in-the-water-on-a-crazy-hot-day FUN. And when I see the delight on every child's face, I am unapologetic.

Tati is our chief rainmaker. And Maks, well, he can ride around blinking with the best of 'em.

And then there is Sadie. Look at her, all perched atop her slippery water slide.

She is as happy as she can be. Shrieking and squealing with delight. Climbing to the top, swishing down and landing on her bum, then running on her tip toes back to the ladder to scurry to the top again.

Look at the facial expressions. I see a future athlete.

And down she goes.

So welcome to our 105 degree afternoon play time. This is how we do it.

Under Construction

Let's go back a few weeks...pre-Maks and Tati. Due to the disruption of my garden by a certain 4-year-old who could not be persuaded to drive his construction trucks through the sandbox, I realized it would behoove me (and my plants) to turn a section of the planter box into a construction zone.

I put up a few barriers and planted a few bushes to designate said zone. The Papa also graciously removed the sandbox which was the source of much personal bother as no child could play in it without throwing buckets of sand around the backyard. This works much better.

Now the construction zone appeals to more than the boy for whom it was intended. Miss Sadie, who has discovered the joy of playing with "monstoo twucks", quite likes to spend her time in the dirt.

In fact, this joyous scene occurred one morning shortly after breakfast.

Rolling, rolling, rolling around...

And that is that. This girl loves the dirt as much as any little boy.