A Wild Sunday

For years now, Cora and Violet have been big fans of the PBS Kids' TV show "Wild Kratts," in which zoologist brothers Martin and Chris Kratt go on "creature adventures."

The show combines live action and animation, and teaches loads of animal facts - the girls are serious animal experts thanks to Wild Kratts.

After months of anticipation, on Sunday we got to see the Kratt brothers in a live show, which also featured the animated characters on a big screen. The show was performed at the historic Pantages Theater in Hollywood, which provided a bit of an adventure in itself.

Christina and her girls came with us, and it was a fantastic day out. (Thanks for half of these photos!)

The show itself was quite entertaining, and it was fun seeing the girls shouting and singing along with the huge crowd of families.

Luckily Cora and Cami are still young enough to fully enjoy the humor and engage with the interactive elements of the show.

One of the animals featured in the show was the caracal, an African wild cat. Wouldn't you know, Cora had chosen to bring her latest Beanie Boo with her - a caracal-like cat!

This was our family's first time taking part in a show of this type, and it was well worth it.

The women's restroom at the 85-year-old Pantages had this amazing mirror, and the girls enjoyed seeing themselves from many angles at once.

Weekend Fun and Games

 On Thursday, Cora was one of the few girls on her softball team to volunteer to play catcher. So, she strapped on the gear and got behind the plate while Coach Cory pitched to the girls.

She did very well, especially considering she's brand new to the game and to this challenging position. My dad played catcher (and first base) in high school and junior college, so he will be a great source of advice for her.

 On Friday after school, we met up with Grandpa at the batting cages, so Cora could face pitching. It was good practice for her. We also ran to Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods, to finish getting Violet the pieces of her uniform she still needed.

 Then, we went back to Hart Park for another kids' crafting session we'd read about the prior weekend. Children could make their own potpourri, out of rice (as a base), nicely scented tea bags, and beads.

Then we were off, so Stace could take Violet to her T-ball practice. Meanwhile, Cora and I went to a birthday party at the park, where Cora played catch with one of the dads, who played baseball and loves the game.

 She was certainly as ready as she could be for her first game!

Here, she is catching while Sophia pitches. We all greatly enjoyed watching Cora playing softball, and she is doing a brave and competent job behind the plate.

Violet also did well in her first coach-pitch T-ball game; the T comes out only if the player misses four pitches from the coach.

After resting (and cooling off) at home, we went to Valencia Glen for our Mom2Mom family picnic. We had a great turnout, and Cora and Stace enjoyed playing soccer with the other dads and kids.









As hot as it's been, it was fantastic to head to a water park on Sunday.

We went with Grandma and Grandpa to my dad's company picnic at Raging Waters, where we enjoyed the water rides and free food (and alcohol!). It was a very fun day out together.

Week In Review

I help in our church's nursery every other week, and when I came home Sunday morning, I found the girls painting the mailbox.

Stace decided it needed a makeover, and they went off and did it. Much better!















Emily, a Mom2Mom friend and mom of one of Violet's classmates, is a big Dodgers fan. We've been talking for months about going to a game together - after all, if we went on our own, there's only one ticket to buy.

Using Seat Geek, an Internet ticket reselling site, we made the plan a reality on Monday. Emily found these fantastic seats on the site for about $30, way less than their $68 face value.


We got to the stadium nice and early, early enough to watch batting practice and all the pre-game hoopla, and early enough to have our food in hand before the first pitch.

It was a lot of fun, watching the amazing Clayton Kershaw pitch another gem, and finding out that we were both equally crazy fans when we were teenagers in the mid-90s.

Also this week, we had a break from the late summer heat with a brief rainstorm. Stace stayed home in the morning because he was planning to work late, so Violet stayed home when I took Cora to school. It was a fun change to walk to school in the rain.


















Waking up the next day to this gorgeous rainbow out our front door was also lovely.

By Thursday, the rain had gone, but it was still nice and cool in the morning for our walk.

We don't often stop at the park for the children to play, but this time we did. Violet and Melanie were grateful.

Later on Thursday, my mom and I went to visit Kelly and Brad's brand-new, one-day-old son, Ethan James. He is a beautiful boy, about the same size Violet was, and fair like his brother and mom.
Congratulations, Kelly, Brad and Noah!

A Visit to Hart's House

 After four weekends with trips to beautiful Ventura, we found ourselves with a full weekend at home. Softball and baseball games will start in another week, but this Saturday was very open.

We took advantage of that to head up the hill in Newhall to William S. Hart's mansion, where the docents are setting up crafts for children every Saturday.

 We made the short hike up the hill, pausing to say hello to the bison on the grounds, behind the fence.

Then we found the craft table, where blank CDs, straws, stickers and markers were put out so that children could make a clock.

Our girls came up with their own idea, turning the the CDs into bunnies, with straw ears and sticker eyes.

 When they finished, it was time to take a tour of Hart's mansion. Stace and I have taken this tour numerous times, but it's been a few years, and I don't think Violet has ever been inside.

Our tour guide was a former teacher, and you could tell, with the way she engaged the girls and made the history come to life for them. Stace and I also learned a lot, and he was impressed enough to send an email to the county commending our docent on a great tour.

After we walked back down the hill, we visited the animals in the barnyard, before heading out for lunch. It was a lovely few hours with my favorite people.

(You can see the effect of the four-year California drought on the lawn, as government agencies have stopped watering various grassy areas that are deemed merely decorative.)

Week In Review

This week, it all started back up. Mom2Mom, Pioneer Club and the girls' sports kicked off, adding fun and a bit of craziness to our lives.

On Tuesday evening, we met with Cora's new softball coach and teammates outside the ice cream shop. Luckily, Cora ended up on the same team as Sophia, who has played for several seasons now.

It seems like a nice group of girls.

I'm helping in Violet's kindergarten class every week, and I'm often helping with painting.

This week, the children used water colors on a fish, and I helped them paint on colorful scales with a piece of celery. The children heard the story "Rainbow Fish" this week.

It's been hot this week, so we had Cora's friends over Friday at lunchtime for a pool playdate. First, a pizza lunch - I love the Little Caesar's $5 pizzas for this sort of gathering.

The kids had fun making a splash in the pool.

A Grownup Desk

For the past four or five years, this lovely wooden play kitchen has entertained the girls and their friends in the corner of our playroom.

Genia graciously gave it to us when her children were done with it, and it came filled with wooden food sets.

Now, with the girls both in school, the kitchen doesn't get much action, except when Violet has friends over. (And then, Cora complains that she's the one cleaning it all up.)

Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty rearranged their furniture a few weeks ago and offered us their corner desk, but I said we had no room for it. Then, after thinking about it, I realized the right thing to do would be to send the lovely kitchen on to a family with younger children.

So, the kitchen is moving on to some dear friends, and our playroom is growing up.

Stace took apart the kitchen for easier transport, and somehow Violet got stuck! Silly girl.

Thankfully, Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty hadn't gotten rid of the desk yet. The girls helped put it together when we got it back home.

It's a perfect fit in the corner, and both girls can sit together and do their homework. Sometimes there is even room for a cat.

Cora and Violet are both very excited about having a desk for homework, and if an assignment runs into dinner, they don't have to pack up when it's time to eat.

Beach Sunset

Nice shot, Grandpa.

Labor Day Fun

 While the girls were having fun at the fair, Stace and I took advantage of the freedom to celebrate our anniversary a little early.

Thanks to generous gifts from our parents, we enjoyed a nice meal out, even springing for wine to share.

With the girls gone overnight (thanks, Mom and Dad!), we even rented a movie and could have the volume up high while we watched it.

We took advantage of a kid-free morning by taking the MGB out for a drive down the pretty roads, ending up at a classic breakfast joint.


















We enjoyed a yummy breakfast of eggs, hash browns and biscuits 'n gravy.

We then ran a few errands, and started dreaming about future house projects at Lowe's. Married 12 years, of course our dates involve Lowe's or Home Depot!

 On Sunday, we went back to Ventura - yes, we've been blessed to spend a lot of time with Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty the past month.

They had a Labor Day barbecue for us, my parents and another set of family friends. We spent the night, and spent our Labor Day off at the beach with the girls.

 Violet had fun boogie-boarding, and enjoyed pretending to surf by standing on her little board.

 There were times she had a ride standing up, when the wave came up, lifted and carried her forward.



















Cora continued her surfing education, and had a blast.




















Here's a video clip of her standing on the board, and one of both girls having fun...

Fun week, fun fair

Cora had a softball tryout on Sunday for the Hart fall league. Hart offers baseball and softball, and in the spring it's a highly competitive (and expensive) place to play.

The fall is lower-key, and more instructional in nature. Cora is excited to give a new sport a try, and Violet will be playing T-ball this fall at Hart as well.
We'll find out which teams they're on in the coming weeks.

Violet's class had "purple day" this week, the perfect day for our Violet girl. She had so many purple clothing items to choose from. She painted purple seahorses for inclusion on the class collage.

















On Friday afternoon, Cora and Violet went to the L.A. County Fair with Grandma and Grandpa. The girls had never been, and since my parents go every year, they thought the girls should have the fair experience.

In one of the exhibition halls, Cora got to suggest the flavor for the Vitamix lady's next frozen fruit concoction.

Yum! (Violet, sadly, missed out on the fruity goodness. After an early school morning and a long car ride, she fell asleep as they arrived at the fair and had a stroller nap for the first hour of fair fun.)

Cora made a joyful noise on the drum set in another area of the exhibition hall.












After hours on your feet exploring exhibits, including farm animals, more exotic animals and hand crafts, the foot massage machines provide welcome relief.

















Fair food fun - roasted corn and a huge turkey leg were the winners for Cora.

 You have to go on at least one ride at the fair, right?