Fall Sunday

We're trying hard to pretend it's fall here, but the truth it's hot, dry, and windy - thanks to the Santa Ana winds.

I thought today would be a good day for the whole family to get into the Steeler spirit, too. We all dressed the part, but the look on Luca's face pretty much sums up how we felt after the debacle we watched happen in Denver. We can only hope that next week, they'll give us something to smile about!

On another note, we are all coxsackie free and feeling much better now. We found out that another little girl from our church got it, too, so it was probably picked up by Luca in the nursery.

We missed 2 weeks of church, 1 week of preschool, and are glad to again be back into the swing of things!

1st Night...

... in her "big-girl bed."

After much reluctance to allow my baby Bella to transition from her crib to a bed, Keith and I caved when she started to insist that she was "too big for her red bed now."

Her feet did actually touch the end of the crib - when she tried - so we decided to go ahead and convert her crib to the full-size bed.

It really wasn't that simple, though. With a new bed comes new sheets and bedspread. With new sheets and bedspread comes new curtains. With new curtains comes new wall hangings, and on and on.

Her new room isn't totally done yet, but we really wanted to get the bed part overwith. I'll post before and after pics when it's done, and fill you in on her first night in her "big-girl bed!"

Pumpkins!

Today, we visited Stu Miller's Pumpkin Patch in Encinitas. The kids were glad to get out of the house - since Luca was diagnosed with the coxsackie virus (a.k.a. "hand, foot, and mouth disease"), we've been stuck at home. The little guy was miserable for a couple of days, but bounced back pretty quickly. Since it's so contagious (thanks, My Gym), we missed church this weekend - his pediatrician told me to keep him away from all kids. We did manage to go out to dinner for my 32nd birthday on the 6th, so it wasn't a total bust.
Since we drove by the Pumpkin Patch last week, Bella hasn't stopped talking about it. Keith was off today, so when she got up this morning, it was the first thing on her mind. It wasn't until we got there that I realized that it was Bella now that wasn't feeling very well. She had a runny nose and glassy eyes, and then I saw them. The dreaded sores on her tongue! AAHHH!
We cut our visit a bit short and when we got home (after driving through KFC for mashed potatoes for lunch) I realized that she had a pretty high fever. It was off to bed - without resistance - for a nap.
So, this virus really stinks. The kids don't want to eat anything because their mouth is so sore. I'm now all stocked up with Jello, Pudding, Yogurt, Ice Cream, and potatoes to mash for the next few days. No preschool, no My Gym, no small group, just homebound - again!
We did manage to grant Bella her pumpkin patch wish, though, and got some pretty cute pictures, too!

Flower Girl Show

On Friday, September 14th, we celebrated the marriage of my cousin Eric to his beautiful Jessie. This event was otherwise known to Bella and Jilli as "The Flower Girl Show." The two of them were quite cute and did a great job scattering petals before a breathtaking Jessie came down the aisle.

The wedding concluded our trip to PA, and now we are all partied out and back home. The kids made it through the plane trip (again) without too much havoc, and now we all are recovering from the time zone change!

It's like we left in the summer and came back to fall, and it's awesome - considering this is my favorite time of year.

I love the smell in the air (moreso in PA, but there's a bit of "fall smell" mixed in with the ocean air here, too) - I love hitting the trails and not sweating like a pig, I love mums, and I love football!!!

Go Steelers!

Hooray for Kennywood!!

Kennywood was no let down for Bella, Luca, Noah and Jilli! This was the first time there for our two, and they really had a good time. Despite the 99% humidity and tiny little rain shower, my Mom, Dad, Jaime, Jason, Keith and I had fun, too!
Of course, Bella's favorite ride was the Jackrabbit... she rode it 3 times. (For anyone who's never been to Kennywood in Pittsburgh, its a great old amusement park with TONS of rides and real rollercoasters. The Jackrabbit is a rollercoaster that opened in 1921, and is such a blast!) I rode it, too for the first time in about 10 years, and laughed until tears streamed down my face! It was nice to be there again, considering I have so many childhood memories from there. Much of the time was spent reminiscing and telling stories about "Kennywood Days" from the past.
Keith rode LOTS - even in Kiddieland, as you can see. It was his first time riding the Phantom's Revenge and the Thunderbolt, which shook him up a bit.
Who could leave out the food? MY favorite part was getting Potato Patch fries and strawberries & cream!
All in all it was a hot, humid, but great day for all of us... especially Bella.

Oh, scroll to the bottom of the blog page and check out this awesome video ~

1st Day of School - again

Today was the first day of preschool for Fort Byrd Preschool here in Brownsville, and Bella was in attendance with Jilli!

Since we wanted to keep her in the routine, we decided to enroll her here, too. Now she'll be able to go when we're visiting, and spend more time with her best friend.

It was an adjustment for her because it was quite different from her 5 hour school day in Encinitas, but she warmed up to the 2.5 hours of singing, play and lessons after the first 2 days!

So Happy Together

You know you're in Fayette county when -- you've owned your own ATV since you were 2!

Well, we're back east, and Bella and Luca couldn't be happier to be back together with their cousins! So far they've spent most of their time in the pool - Bella has been practicing "without her swimmies," and she's been making good progress. It helps that Jilli has already mastered the feat, and it gives her some motivation.

Tomorrow, we look forward to taking them to Kennywood for the first time - Keith's first time, too! Since she had such a blast at Legoland, we figured she'd really get a kick out of all of the roller coasters here.

I'll post more after tomorrow... we're just hoping it doesn't rain!