Autumn Dreams

True, the weather still looks like summer and the leaves just don't seem to want to change (green IS nice after all) but autumn still comes to us here. If we're lucky, we might even catch it before we find ourselves in the middle of winter. In Southern California we are alerted to the coming/arrival of autumn by the baseball standings, back to school ads and the appearance of Halloween costumes in the stores. Hayrides might not be just outside our doors but with a little effort, we can do up fall right proper around here.As far as 'Back to School' goes, the girls may experience the feeling but we eat, sleep and breathe school all year round - especially when you throw summer school onto the mix (you do all realize that teachers don't get any more vacation than anyone else with a salary, right?) That aside, the other 'fall things' are as part of our routine as anyone's - we just may wear shorts and tank tops while doing them.

Though delayed a week, our fall began in September with apple picking at Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen. For Grandma's birthday, we traveled the hour or so to the mountains north of Yucaipa to pick apples, buy cider and get into the spirit of the season. Hallie enjoyed the new experience this year of picking raspberries (to put in lemonade of course!) Anna didn't disappoint as she, like her sisters before her, sank her teeth into an apple right off the tree. After working up an appetite the party headed back down the mountain to Bob's Big Boy for some combos and malts.

Of course, to balance out the bushels of apples, you need to lug some pumpkins around. Since this year, our Oak Glen trip was too early to come home with a pumpkin for carving, we tried something new. An hour or so in the other direction (again, why we live here) we boarded the Fillmore and Western Railway Pumpkinliner. The historic, refurbished train chugged us through fields producing aromas only agriculture can boast to a pumpkin patch of sorts where we could select the gourd of our dreams. (oh, and run a maze, listen to music, eat bar-b-q and bounce to our heartsdelight-none of which we did, by the way, because there were a lot of people, flies and not enough pumpkins of 360 degree integrity). It was a fun experience nonetheless, and the train ride, complete with a well versed conductor to punch our tickets, was well worth the trip.



Finally what better way to kick of the fall than that very special trip to Disneyland (yes, we pretty much kick off everything by going to Disneyland) to enjoy the return of Halloweentime and the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. Hallie went on for the first time by choice - not by being a captive (infant) audience and loved it! We focused on the Halloween Jack and ignored the Christmas and Sandy Claws. Regardless of what the malls say - October is too early for Christmas (it should be noted that Mom and the girls say this for Dad's benefit since they could have Christmas anytime) It only took a few minutes to get Anna to stop saying 'Santa, Santa' after we left the ride.

So, in the spirit of THIS season, we will make the pies from our harvest, enjoy the cider, partake in the revelry of Halloween and anticipate the feast that is the culmination of the harvest fall events when Thanksgiving rolls around. And, just about the time the weather decides to give it up for fall, it'll be time to unpack those green and red tubs and get shopping. At least by then we might be finished with all these apples!

12 Month Portraits

Back to School

So the time finally came for Dad to go back to work (after his BIG three weeks off) Mom to REALLY go back to work, Anna to go to school full time and Hallie to start kindergarten. Big adjustments all the way around! Luckily, Dad was already in the swing, Mom was ready for a paycheck after 12 months, Anna had settled in very well to her few hours a week at daycare and, by July, Hallie was telling people she was going to kindergarten.
Other than Mom and Dad's anxiety about starting kindergarten, the first day went off without a hitch. A benefit of being the daughter and granddaughter of teachers is that Hallie is completely comfortable around a school - especially her new school since it's work for Mom and she's been brought there since about 4 months old.  Colleagues greeted us with smiles combined with expressions of disbelief  as we arrived on campus.  Hallie grinned and responded to each person though she had no idea who they all were.  Mom explained to her that it was going to take time for her to learn their names since there were so many of them and they've seen her since she was a baby.  She practiced the new principal's name all summer (she's known her by her first name since she could talk and now she has to be formal)

We had made this trip to the school many times before but it didn't hit us until about half way down the hall that we weren't just there to work in Mom's room or drop off one of the many boxes of stuff that gets carted back and forth. This was a whole new chapter in Hallie's book as well as ours.  Her experience was a little different than ours was, having gone to preschool for four years first - a bit to UN learn there - but she was excited and more than ready for the challenge ahead.  She knew where to find her room since we had practiced the route a few days earlier and when we arrived, she marched right in.  She found her name tag (which was not a popular accessory) and after a few pictures and a look around the room, we kissed her goodbye and wished her well with all our love. 

In this instance, a nice thing about teaching is that one rarely gets a chance to sit all day, let alone think of anything but lessons and duties.  So, Mom and Dad's minds were kept busy and they didn't have time to fret over the 4 yr old they just sent into a world of 5 yr olds. Though a verdict has yet to be reached whether it is a plus or a minus to be sharing a school site, it was nice for Mom to be able to get a quick hug and kiss in the cafeteria after dropping off her class for lunch!  Hallie had fun, loved her teachers and enjoyed the chance to play on the big playground. There were a lot of new friends to meet, projects to make and rules to learn. 

It will be interesting to see how the kindergarten Hallie grows and learns and adapts to her new expectations. According to her, it was hard to sit and listen all day and not get to play but it was 'good'. So after a rough day of hearing rules; classroom, cafeteria, daycare, she had no challenge at all deciding on a place for a dinner celebration. Red Robin, of course!

Last Days of Summer

With a couple weeks left before the official start of school, we tried to squeeze in a bit more family fun. It was a hard realization that, not only did Mom have to go back to work, but we would have a kindergartner who wouldn't be able to miss school when her parents wanted to play hooky and enjoy a family day.  Still surprised that kindergarten came so soon, we did our best to keep from missing our little toddler (who now seems so grown up) and worked on adjusting to having a new toddler with whom we three can share the world. Big sisters have a lot to share, you know.  With four years of experience has come the wisdom that only a child can share with another and have it mean so much.  Hallie was thrilled to explain and instruct Anna - ever so sweetly - in the ways of the world (or in this case, Dodger Stadium and the Discovery Center) and impart her wisdom and savvy moves to her little disciple.  It is on these outings that the parents find themselves obsolete and merely serving as chauffeur and financier.  If Hallie could drive and get Anna into her car seat, they'd be gone in a heartbeat. Clearly a disappointment, to have to have one's parents cramp your style.

Regardless, we had a great time those last few weeks.  The day after Anna's birthday party, we baked in the top deck of Dodger Stadium for a few innings while watching the Blue Crew take on the Rockies.  As the game began, we heard the 

announcement that it was the hottest opening on record (who TRACKS these things?) though with the heat wave still to come, it's a good bet that the record spun around a few more times. It was definitely the hottest on our record though - 104 at game time.  We stayed long enough to have some Dodger Dogs, polish off our water bottles and take a few pictures.  It was too bad it was so hot because Hallie and Mom were really enjoying the game.  We did leave with a real metal lunch box (sans thermos) as a reward for braving the sun.

The other thing on our 'must see' list was the special exhibit at the Discovery Center in Santa Ana called The Body (as shown by the gang from Sesame Street).  It was so perfect for little ones and we had a great time exploring.  Not only did we get to shop in Hooper's store, but there was enough play food for at least a classfull of kids and shopping baskets were plentiful. 'Always foods' and 'Sometimes foods' were showcased behind the counter and lunch could be dished up right there - just pull up a stool!  Each friendly face smiled atop a sign about their particular area of expertise; Ernie with the bath, Oscar delicately handling the issues of digestion, the Count counting bones and Big Bird measuring feet.  It was fun to be on a miniature Sesame Street and answer the game show questions hosted by none other than, who else? Guy Smiley!  Hey, we know who he is.... It was so worth the trip just for that.  Of course we made time for the dinosaurs and do it yourself science.
 Mom particularly liked the station that allowed guests to make there own cloud puffs while Hallie had fun with the river table and green screen.

So, other than the usual issues of trying to teach Hallie not to crowd and to wait her turn when the other children (and parents, by the way) are nightmares on feet, we had a great time. And, as Anna and Mom had never been there before, Hallie was proud to show off one of her new favorite places. She was definitely in her element and we are thrilled to have a little scientist who is as happy exploring as she is doing 'experiments' in the bathroom sink.

As the summer comes to a close, we look back on all of the 'stuff' that we do that keeps us so busy that we can't remember what we've done. Let's see...... several trips to Disneyland, a few days in San Diego at the beach, Sea World, in Coronado and environs, birthdays, baseball, the zoo, aquarium, park, museums and a movie for Hallie and Mom. It seems we did a good job at getting it all in before the days of summer had gone by. If we missed anything, it'll just have to be squeezed in during our holiday breaks (because, of course, we would never miss a day of school!)

Words to live by

As we approached the 1 year visit with the pediatrician, we prepared as though we were taking an exam.  We remembered the general questions, knew Anna had grown and gained and was walking around her 9 month visit so... no worries.  Well, except for that one question, "Does she say any real words yet?"  Now, for the third time we've been in a quandary.  Do they count if we know what she's saying?  or.... if she uses the same "words" for the same things consistently?  or... does the doctor, with all her expertise and trained ear, need to understand her?  Well, we could have a dozen more and never remember the answer or resolve the issue.  Ultimately the doctor wants to be sure she is building her language and developing social and communication skills.  In the event that Mom and Dad hem and haw too much or glance at each other for help without getting anywhere near a definite answer, the doctor reverts to "Does she babble and make sounds, show emotion/respond to faces, etc.  Our dear doctor knows us well enough now that she laughs as we transform to schoolchildren searching to give only the CORRECT answer and mercifully cuts us some slack.

Eventually we came up with some version of this report.  Anna says "Hi", "Dada" and "Bye bye" (which she also says at the door OR when one of us puts our shoes on and grabs the keys).  She says "Baby" clear as a bell and says "wawa" for anything to drink.  This includes our giant cups of Coke and Iced Tea but of course she only drinks milk and water (doesn't care about juice).  She says something that sounds remarkably like "Hallie" and it is always directed at her sister.  As previously mentioned, she doesn't use her baby signs - she just opens her book and says the names of the object on the page. Well, except for dog and cat that is, as she pants and mews respectively.  It should also be mentioned that she clearly says "No" in an incredibly charming, albeit forceful, way.  

Alas, though hat and head sound virtually identical to the ear and the difference between ball, box and block are subtle to the point of genius, with the help of gestures and faces, Anna gets her needs met and expresses herself to us and a few select others who are worthy of her attention (hang in there, she might like the rest of you someday)  If you were 1 and had to wait for someone to feed you and open the doors for you these few words would be those you lived by too.