Carlsbad

Jules and Lo are camping this weekend down at S. Carlsbad State Beach and invited us along. We decided that a long day trip on Saturday was just right. We got down in time for an early lunch and were ready to hit the beach on a perfect beach weather day. Thomas loved getting a chance to get out in the water. And we all loved playing in the rocks, seeing dolphins swim by, getting popsicles from the camp store, taking a bike ride around the campsite and watching the sun set. We finished the day with a hot dog and s'mores campfire. Thanks, Jules and Lo, for sharing your campsite with us on such a beautiful Carlsbad day!

Sunday with Jules & Lo

Our friends Jules and Logan were in town for Halloween so they came over to play on Sunday. Between recovering from Halloween and adjusting to the time change, a day of doing nothing much around the house seemed like just the thing.

There was feet painting in the front yard.
Which then led to knee painting.
Logan preferred to stick to playing at the water table.
Sylvie painted an egg carton caterpillar which she humbly declared to be "beautiful!" Logan is not really a crafts man, so Julie painted his caterpillar.
They both enjoyed a wagon ride although Sylvie made it very clear to me not to expect a smile. It seemed the Halloween hangover/time change combo was getting to her a little.

We ended a fun day with dinner at Islands for mac 'n cheese with carrots, apple sauce and milk. It's a Sylvie & Lo tradition!

Trip to Lo's House

Sylvie and I drove down to Chula Vista Saturday morning for a 2 day stay with Logan and Jules! So much fun!

Sylvie and Logan on our evening walk. I find this picture just slightly heartbreaking. I so badly want to keep these 2 sweet kids just like this. Logan showed Sylvie the art of tree hugging.
Snuggling in bed...

Searching for the cat...*

We ended our visit with lunch at Islands on Sunday. Here are Sylvie and Logan showing off the big muscles they are getting from eating such a good lunch. Then Logan showed Sylvie how to do karate.We can't wait to see Jules & Lo again!!

*I think Logan makes a very valid point about kid's underwear. They always put the good design in the back where the person wearing the undies can't see it. As you can see, Logan solves this problem by wearing his undies backwards. This does sacrifice comfort a bit.

New to the 'Net

Sylvie has a couple of friends who have just recently made their debut on the blogesphere (that is a word, right?) and we couldn't be more pleased that they've arrived. First up, Baby Wes, who, as you will see is new to the blog world because, well, he hasn't quite emerged from his mama yet. Sylvie and family are all beside ourselves with excitement and anticipation when it comes to baby Wes.

And next, our godson Logan. Logan is 3 and despite the requests of his many admirers, his mama is just getting his blog going. But when you see that adorable face, believe me, you will find him worth the wait.

Big Bear with Lo

Sylvie, Thomas and I spent this past weekend in Big Bear with Julie and Logan, aka Sylvie's friend "Lo." Logan just turned 3 last month and 3 year-olds = big fun, so it was truly a fabulous time. What better toy is there than a big box? And perhaps you are noticing Sylvie's giant head of broccoli? Sylvie has recently decided that she does not want her snacks cut up. Everything must be left whole. It started with apples and bananas, which seemed pretty reasonable. But this is a little extreme, don'tcha think?

I found a recipe for snow paint in a craft book* and mixed some up. (At the risk of copyright infringement, I'll go ahead and give the recipe away: water + food coloring.) It was a big hit with Logan. After spraying the snow for quite awhile, Logan realized that it was also really fun to chase Thomas around the snow and try to spray him orange.

A very happy Sylvie and Daddy (Daddy is very happy to have gotten that snow paint away from Logan)...

On Friday night, both of Sylvie's grandmas were up there with us too. It was a great weekend!

* The book is called Family Fun Crafts and after searching on Amazon, it looks like the version I have has been discontinued. But if you see it around, I really recommend it, it has a lot of easy, fun ideas, like snow paint!

Logan's Birthday!

Our friend Logan is 3! Sylvie had a great time at his birthday party yesterday. As you can see, Logan had a really good time too. Sylvie's very affectionate friend Aaron was also there. We are keeping a close eye on that boy - look at him going in for a big kiss!

Logan was far too busy having fun to model the hat I made him. Fortunately Sylvie was a willing model.*

We stayed a little while after the party ended so Sylvie and Logan could break in some of his new toys. They really had a good time with the Play-Doh.

Happy Birthday Logan! Can't believe you're such a big boy!

*Speaking of modeling, check out Sylvie's modelling debut! At Hanukkah, I ordered a photo necklace for Sylvie's grandma and the woman who makes them asked if she could use Sylvie's necklace as a sample on her website.