Bathroom Helpers

I have a confession, I hate cleaning bathrooms. We have 3 bathrooms in our house - so I really, really hate cleaning bathrooms. I decided a couple of weeks ago, that there was no reason that I had to clean all three bathrooms, the kids could pitch in and help out. They actually do a great job - I just stand by and supervise, and wring out cloths when necessary. Claire loves cleaning the sink, Owen loves cleaning the toilet, and they both share the bathtub. It is fun to watch them work and accomplish something. They insist on scrubbing the floor, so usually I have a huge puddle in there when they are done, but one swipe of the towel, and we have a wonderfully clean bathroom. Lets hope they stay excited for this job for a long time!

Bock Family Reunion

The main reason we went to California was to go to the Bock family reunion. I don't remember ever going to one of them, because apparently the last one was 30 years ago. I was so happy to see that the place they were having it at was like a park. The kids even found a lizard which Owen of course wanted to take home. There were swings, slides, and the greatest little lake. The kids could walk out very far, and it finally cured Owen of his fear of water. The kids were in the water for 5 hours straight, with a break for lunch. Once they hit the car, they were out, and didn't wake up until the next morning. Grant loved to swim too, and we all had a great time. I will have to get some more pictures from Heather because she has a lot of pictures of the people there. We had a great time on our trip to California, and can't wait to go back for Christmas.

Grant's First Haircut

While we were in California, my mom and Grandma talked me into letting them cut his hair. I love his hair!! It is so cute with all the little curls, so I was really nervous for them to do it, but it really did need a little bit cut off the top. Thankfully it is still curly and as cute as ever. He actually didn't mind the haircut thing because he got to eat a cracker and get lots of attention - two things that he loves!

Fun in San Francsico

After we left their Pier, the rest of our day was for sight seeing. We had other plans, but we got their to late to do any of them, so we went to a beautiful park and walked around, and let the kids get all their energy out. Then we took the kids to the Pacific Ocean, and ended our day in China Town for some dinner. The best part about dinner was when Owen told me he wanted to eat, and then go to bed. I told him that was fine. So, he ate his dinner, then laid down under his chair and went to sleep - the kid wasn't kidding. Claire on the other hand had a great time learning how to use chop sticks. I wish I would have taken my camera into the restaurant because that was a classic moment. Thanks for such a fun day Grandma and Grandpa!!

Pier 39

We took one day of our vacation and went to San Francisco with the kids. It was so much fun to take them there and for them to see everything that is so familiar to me. We started our day visiting our Aunt Gen who lives in an assisted living home in Fairfield. She is technically not even our Aunt, but she is related, so we have always called her that. We got to see my Aunt Alice and all of her kids. It was fun to see everyone. After that we headed to Scomas for a seafood lunch on the Wharf. The kids had to use their manners, and put their cloth napkins in their laps. Claire discovered that she loves, loves, loves sourdough bread - that's my girl! Owen decided that fancy pasta is not his favorite thing, but he ate it anyways, and I found out where the bathroom was in Scomas because I only visited it about 5 times between the two kids. After lunch we went to Pier 39 where the sea lions live. The kids had a great time watching them, and then they got to ride the carousel on the Pier. That was the highlight of their day. Grandpa bought them both cotton candy, and they had a great time. The best part was that they were so enthralled with everything that they kept running into people because they were so busy looking around. Hopefully we will get to visit there again soon.

Swimming

While we were visiting my Grandma, our Uncle Rod was kind enough to let us use his swimming pool. The kids were a little timid at first, but once they figured out they could walk along the whole side of the pool, the were ready to go. Owen even thought about jumping off the diving board, but had second thoughts. I didn't stay very long with Grant because there wasn't much shade, and I am so worried that he will burn to a crisp whenever we are outside, but he had fun watching everyone, and would have nothing to do with the cold water.

Fun in the California Sun

Once we got the Grandma and Grandpa GG's house, we had to keep the kids busy. We quickly found that there were no more slip and slides at the store, so we invented our own. The kids had so much fun, and were even more fun to watch. Grandma and I sat outside for 2 hours just watching them play. It was great fun for everyone. Grandpa Farmer went to the store and bought them bubbles and a big ball to play with. They were very spoiled kids, but they were very tired at the end of the day.

Claire, Owen, Amber and I got to sleep in GG's motor home. The kids thought it was pretty cool for a few nights, but after that they didn't want to sleep in the "bus" anymore. It was hard for me because I would have to try to get Grant to sleep inside, and then get them to sleep out there, which was no easy task because I couldn't just leave them out there by themselves. Needless to say it was kind of a relief when they decided to sleep inside. I still slept outside, so my poor mom would have to wake up and bring me Grant at 6:00 every morning, but it all worked out.