September 13 weekend

I think I heard on the News this morning that we have had "0" precipitation for the last month. A little unusual for Oregon, but I have no complaints. I am sure the Winter months will well make up for it...


THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEKEND:

1. Decorating cupcakes (and cakes, I am sure) is so much fun! And I don't even like cupcakes all that much!
Mary and I took a class at the local crafts' store and learned some techniques. We decorated a few cupcakes in class, then I did the rest at home with kids (Note the one with a missing top... Jon "decorated" his and ate it before I got a picture"). I am now looking forward to a good occasion to make some more!

2. Despite loving anything pink and girly, I have a dare-devil daughter! We spent a Sunday afternoon at a skate park, and I couldn't get her to go home. No hesitation with trying new ramps. If she falls, she just gets up and keep going. Granted, she is not a skateboard-er, but a scoot-er, she was the only girl at the park (not sitting on a sidelines and checking out the boys... hee hee)!
3. Gabe gets frustrated if he can't do something just perfect the very first time he tries... and he has no patience for practice. He started off on a skateboard, but gave up, due to a lack of skills, and switched to a scooter. It took Larissa a few times though, going down a ramp, before he finally gave it a try too.

4. Jon wants to do everything his big brother and sister do... and he is good at it. I figured, he is three now, if he keeps it up, by the time he is Larissa's age, he should be pretty "darn good". If only he keeps practicing.

September 6th weekend

You know you had a slow weekend when a spider in your back yard gets it's own portrait session...
As soon as I got home on Friday, we had to head tight back out. It was an Ice cream Social at kids' school, sponsored by our PTA. Nothing fancy, just a "come in and get to know your PTA members" night. Lines moved quickly, selections were limited - vanilla or chocolate (which is actually a good thing for me, if you know Larissa...). After the ice cream we made a stop by the school playground to burn some sugar out of the system. Kids announced that they were sloths now:

Saturday was a beautiful warm sunny day. Gabe and Tim went to an indoors skateboarding facility, where Gabe took an introduction class, then they spend the rest of the morning practicing and checking out various outdoor skating parks. Gabe needs to work on his listening skills...
Meanwhile Jon, Larissa and I had breakfast at McDonald's on the way to the Saturday Market (for some fresh vegetables). Jon had a meltdown when he found out that they don't serve chicken nuggets and french fries for breakfast...

After he stopped crying, he asked "what toy did I get?". Sigh... "none"... "waaaa"...

On Sunday "big boys" watched the rest of "Heroes, Season 1", I cleaned and cooked, and Larissa and Jon played video games.

Our cat decided to go on a nature walk on Saturday night and didn't come back in till Sunday night. We were a little worried because he is an indoor cat (de-clawed), but all is well. Upon return, he was really hungry and looked a little spooked. The very first thing he did was use his litter box. What?! Don't you know how to go potty outside?..

School is back on!

...the Summer is gone... and our Dirt Babies have a full head of hair.

Always nice to have a long weekend before the school starts again, and so was the case this year. Three days off for Dad and then an extra day off for Mom, just to get kids all situated at school on their first day.

On Saturday we intended to get an early start, but fell behind the schedule... as we frequently do. Instead of going to the Saturday Market in the early morning, we basically drove through at lunch, on our way to OMSI.
This was the "reptiles and amphibians week" and we got to see a lot of interesting animals (and some very interesting animal keepers too...) Then, we stopped by the Chemistry lab and tried a few exciting experiments.
Jon didn't like the goggles (and who can blame him), but was told by a volunteer that he must have it on if he wanted to stay inside, so he complied.

on Sunday we went, one more time, over the school supplies, clothes, backpacks, medical forms, all in check!

Monday just slipped through the cracks. Was it even there?.. I don't recall...

Tuesday was the first day of school. New bus route, new school, new teachers. Really exciting! I had to stop by school a few times. Once to drop off medicines, once to take office staff through the lunch routine for Larissa.
Then, one more time, that was not on my schedule! Larissa managed to jam a paper staple deep into her finger and have it break off, only leaving a very end of it, a black dot visible. Apparently, office assistants are not allowed to pull it out, so I had to bring tweezers in and take care of it. It was pretty sizable too. I am shocked at how calmly Larissa reacted! That's the tough cookie that she is. I guess you would have to, with everything that she has to deal with.