Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch

 We loved exploring the hay maze.

 We took a few rides through the farm on the trailer pulled by this John Deere tractor.

 We also had a blast trying to navigate our way through a corn maze.

 We took our time looking for the perfect pumpkin.

 We successfully climbed up the big Pile of Pumpkins.

Have a great rest of October!

Papa's Birthday at the Zoo

We had a really special time as a family celebrating Papa's birthday today. A highlight was visiting the San Diego Zoo.

 During one of the shows, Dr. Zoolittle showed us a big bug. My sister didn't seem scared at all.

 Up close picture.

 Unique type of kangaroo found in Australia.

 This was my favorite...the crocodile. Check out those teeth.

 Notice his piercing eyes too.

My sister especially enjoyed the elephants.

I got to hold this REALLY heavy piece of tusk from an elephant.

 Then I got to hold this piece of elephant dung. YUCK! I gave it right back once he told me what it was and I washed my hands. 

Happy birthday Papa, thanks for the fun memories at the zoo. We love you!

Beach Reunion

It was so good to see my mommy's longtime friends Nicole and Mary (and Mary's family) at Laguna Beach this week. The Juchems flew in from Colorado to Southern California for a short trip to Disneyland.

Hadley and Ellie surprised their parents by how much they LOVED the ocean. They seriously spent several hours playing in the water and hardly wanted to take a break to eat lunch.

Even though I live by the ocean, I've always been very conservative about getting close to the waves. But after watching the girls have so much fun (and with the helping hand of Bobby) I decided to try it out.

As you can see...I had a blast "surfing" as well as playing in the mud with Ellie and Hadley.

Mary, Nicole, and my mom (the photographer) had lots to chat about while we played in and near the water.

Karen decided to wear my clothes again and liked carrying around lots of our picnic items. For instance, this container of grapes got quite sandy.

Fire Station Open House

 My sister shares the admiration I have for anything related to fire fighting!

 We had a wonderful time this weekend attending the annual open house at the main fire station in Orange County.

 Using the fire hose simulation was a highlight!

 The police department was also present so I made sure to get a bracelet from this policeman.

 We got to see how they maintenance the fire trucks.

 We saw several old classic fire trucks.

 My sister was braver than I was meeting Sparky the fire dog up close. I admired him from afar.

 We sat in the front seat of almost all the fire trucks.

We thanked as many of the firefighters as we could for putting on this neat event as well as serving in this profession.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

 We seriously can't remember the last time it rained here in southern California. We welcomed the rain and had a blast getting all wet this afternoon!

We even had some thunder and lightning to add to the excitement!

Dressing up like big brother

I chose to wear my brother's socks, shirt, and backpack for over an hour the other day. I had so much fun pretending to be Holden!

Weekend Bike Adventure