Video Friday-Lip Sync #1

So, last week I finally entered the new world and got an iPhone. Now, I have Siri running all my errands and I can record my kids whenever I feel like it. It's fabulous! I think the video option is my favorite favorite feature. I caught two gems last week. Yes, we are in the car, but it is parked and not even running. Safety first, of course.

A little background before you watch. A couple weeks ago, Auntie introduced a couple new songs to the kids while she was so generously taking care of them for the weekend. The kids, but Kate especially, latched onto these songs and Kate refuses to let go. I was forced to purchase them and we listen to them constantly. Very quickly, Kate developed a lip sync routine to them. Here is her rendition of The Band Perry's If I Die Young.



Next, you can watch her brother copying her...

Video Friday-Lip Sync #2

Here is Robbie doing the same. You can see he is constantly checking out his sister to make sure his choregraphy is correct.



Happy Friday.

Photo Friday-Christmas Family Photos

Lots of photos at Christmas time means lots of shots of family members, some combinations we don't get to see often. Here are a few I shot...

padyn and kate

kate and robbie everyone-my sisters, brother in laws, mom and stepdad, cousins and us

colleen, me, mom and christie

bella and padyn

trevor, christie and bella

christie and trevor (trevor LOVES his mommy!)

the girls with grandma

padyn, kate and bella with gretchen, my mom's new addition

trevor, robbie, my dad and step mom (the beanies were a stocking present. thanks, papa)

Happy Friday.

Photo Friday-New Favorite Toy

Tonight I let Robbie play with my plastic tongs while I was cleaning up from dinner. He had been trying to climb up on the counter so I gave him the tongs as a means of distraction.

Guess what he took to bed with him?

Happy Friday.

Photo Sunday-Playing with the Fishies

On Friday we headed out to the fish hatchery on the American River to watch the amazing quantities of salmon that are spawning at this time of year. And while we often visit a fish hatchery when we visit Grandma and Grandpa in Oregon, this one was humbugs in comparison. It was a bit of a different experience. Plus, I think it's the first time I've let Robbie out of his stroller to feed the fish. You can see that he thought this was the best thing since the yogurt he had earlier in the day... There were two areas with these troughs of trout and salmon, each the length of a football field. In each area there were at least twelve troughs. At one point the feeding truck came through row by row, shooting fish food into the troughs. What a scene. Between the fish leaping out of the water to get all the food and the mass quantities of children running behind the truck screaming with joy, it was pure, delightful chaos.

Then there was the extra long fish ladder. I'd seen a few fish ladders in my day, but never one this big. In this picture, we are about a third of the way up from the gate entrance on the river. What you can't see is at the top of the ladder, it makes a sharp 90 degree turn to the left and continues another considerable distance.

The kids (and their friends) could have spent a hour walking along the ladder, watching and cheering for the salmon as they made their way up stream. They were especially fascinated by the gate. Salmon packed in gate to wall, fighting for their chance to get past the gate and up the ladder. And they just seemed to keep pouring in from the river. Really amazing.While the other kids were watching the fish, Robbie spent some time enjoying the vegetation. Kooky kid.

Happy Sunday.

Photo Friday-Funderland

Thanks to the teacher in service day today (sorry, teachers, that you still needed to work today and we didn't), we had a random Friday off of school. And since it was a beautiful sunny (yet chilly) November day, we decided to take a family outing to somewhere we had never been-Funderland. Yes. That is what it is called. It's a little tiny amusement park in our state's capitol city. There are only about 9 rides. We only rode on 8...but the kids loved every minute of it.

The Octopus Ride (Padyn was too big for this one)

The Cars

Padyn as a train

The Carousel

The TrainThe Log Ride

The Airplanes

The Dragon Rollercoaster (the girls favorite)

The Tea Cups (Mommy refused to go on this one)

Happy (Fun) Friday! Hope you had as great of a day as we had.

Photo Saturday-Arm Bands

There is a story here, but for now, just let the pictures speak for themselves. I call this collection "Photo Shoot with Arm Warmers."

Happy Saturday

Photo Friday-Grandpa's Barn

One of our many local pumpkin patches has a little barn petting zoo. Last year I made the mistake of only taking the kids once during the month of October. This year, we bought "season passes" (I know, I know. Can you really call the month of October a season?) so that we can go as many times (and for as little duration) as we like. If there are too many people holding the kittens, we can say, "Oh well. We'll come back tomorrow and hold the kitties." And everyone stays happy.

We've been three times already in the past 12 days. I'd say I'm getting my money's worth. The first day we went, it started raining so I didn't pull out the camera. But here are some photos from our last two visits.

The ducklings are more popular than the chicks. They don't squirm as much when you hold them.These guys are my favorites...baby pygmy goats. I so want to bring one home...P and C posing the on hay pyramid that hasn't quite been finished yet.

Daddy and Robbie in front of what I think is supposed to be some type of maze, but is really just trampled vegetation.

Robbie-King of the Hay Pyramid

The first week, the hay maze wasn't finished yet. Yesterday was our first visit where it was complete. The kids loved it. I don't love losing Robbie in it, but fortunately, it's not that big.

Hay maze Queen

Katelyn found a fuzzy friend that didn't live in the barn.

Robbie did not want to have his picture taken with me. I had to resort to tickling to get him to smile and look at the camera.
Padyn asked for this picture to be taken. I think her exact words were, "Take one of me sitting on the fence." But don't call her "cute." Apparently she hates that.We ran into one of Kate's preschool friends at the patch. (As well as some church and school friends, but we only took pictures with these guys.) The boys decided this kennel looked like a good place to hang out. Kate and Robbie thought so, too.
In a cage...right where they belong. Happy Friday. Maybe we'll get out to the corn bath pumpkin patch this weekend and get more fun photos.