Trip to Lake Havasu

We've had an adventurous past two weeks, but it was caped off with a great family trip! The first adventure was one of the painting kind. We had the kids bedroom painted, which was a necessity, but a little tricky when it involves and three year old and a one year old! So, the kids and I left the house for a few days to ensure that no dangerous fumes were inhaled and no wet walls were touched! With paint fumes lingering, I caught faith doing this!

Here she is playing "guitar" just like a rock star!

Our second adventure was much more fun! We took a short trip to one of our favorite vacation spots, Lake Havasu! While we didn't have the greatest of weather, it was still great to get away and spend some time together as a family. We even had the chance to visit with Steve's uncle who lives in nearby Parker, AZ.

Shane became a big fan of Faith's sunglasses! We used them often to keep him entertained!

Since the water and the weather were a bit on the chilly side, the kids did most of their swimming in the jacuzzi bath tub in our room! They had a great time!

Again, with the weather not being so "beachy", we decided to visit the nearby, historic town of Oatman. Despite the cold and strong wind, we had fun seeing an old town, looking in the stores, and looking at the wild burros walk the streets.

Faith on an old tractor

Pumpkin Patch...take 2

Yes, we went to the pumpkin patch again!! While once had been enough for me, Faith reminded me daily that we needed to go once again so that she could get a big pumpkin to decorate. Since we had some time this afternoon and have a busy upcoming week, today was the day to visit the patch once again! What made this trip memorable was the temperature...it was close to 90 degrees!! Typically, when I think of picking pumpkins, things like hot chocolate, coats, maybe even gloves are some essential items that coincide with the experience. Today, we needed ice cream or a swimming pool after sweating our way through the rows and rows of pumpkins! I guess that's Southern California for us!! Regardless of the heat, the kids had a blast, and I survived!

Shane picking out his pumpkin

The giant pumpkins...and staying true to himself, Shane is trying to eat a rock covered with mud...

Back home playing in the yard

Last year we decorated with pumpkins with stickers. It was easy, and Faith could do it completely on her own! This year, we stepped it up a bit and bought the Mr. Potato Head pumpkin decorations. Faith picked out a princess set to dress her pumpkin, which she named Cinderella! She loved playing with all the pieces and putting them in crazy spots once the initial holes were put in the pumpkin. At least an hour of entertainment for her!

And here is the finished product! Maybe next year we'll actually carve them...

The Pumpkin Patch

Today we had the chance to go to the pumpkin patch with Faith's preschool. After a minor glitch (why in the world would there be two pumpkin patches with the same name in Ventura?? It doesn't exactly help busy moms who skim the field trip newsletter!), we arrived at the correct patch and had a great time! Because Faith remembers visiting a pumpkin patch last October, she was extremely excited to go again this year.


After learing about pumpkins and squash and going on a hay ride, Faith was finally able to pick out a pumpkin! She picked out a beauty!

Shane was able to enjoy the field trip as well. A great bonus for being the younger brother. Both kids loved playing by the giant prize pumpkins.

Just soaking it all in!!

This was taken yesterday. Faith was very excited about going to our first MOPS meeting of the year. She was even more excited that she put her backpack on all by herself!