After our trip to Monterey two weeks ago, Isabelle keeps asking about going to the beach. So this weekend, we decided to head on out again. This time we took a jaunt over to San Francisco's Ocean Beach. Thanks to a lack of preparation, we discovered there was a marathon on Sunday finishing at Ocean Beach. So parking was not an option. We headed to Golden Gate park for a picnic near Spreckels Lake instead. Then, after an hour or so, we headed south, away from the marathon finish, and found a spot midway down the coast shore.

The kids by this time were a little tired. We had been in the car for a while, then we had lunch, and we were about an hour past nap time. But when we got to the beach, Oh Boy! This is the best sand box ever!

It's Halloween soon, so that means another trip to the pumpkin patch. The kids had fun, of course. But there was a new wrinkle this year.

SCARY MONSTERS!


David didn't even notice them, but Isabelle and her imagination had a harder time. Fortunately, she didn't really see any of them until we were leaving. I think it was the one with the little sensor to detect movement in front of it, then it let out that old hag laugh, a là Margaret Hamilton. We didn't know she was bothered by them at all until we were on the way home, when she usually recants the events of the previous hour or so, and she told us she, "didn't like those scary monsters. No. I don't like them." Then for the next four days, she said she didn't want to go back to the pumkin patch with the scary monsters. We told her they were just pretend, and that the monsters could not do anything to her or us, and I think she may know that now. Or she just forgot, as yesterday she said, "We go to see pumpkins again?"

She still had a great time looking at all the pumpkins, and riding in the wagon. Every now and then she would point and yell, "Look at that one!" Naturally, she wanted to bring home about 15 pumpkins. But we got a few small ones, and one that is about as big as David, as you can see in one of the pictures below.

Well, just when I thought it was a fluke, Isabelle peed on the potty again! She's also said she wants to wear pull-ups! Well, at least for this moment she wants to wear them. We'll see what she says tomorrow. Anyway... looks like we're on our way!! Good-bye diapers!! At least half of them.

The kids just love to get up on our bed and goof around.

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Last weekend we went to Murphys (outside of Sacramento in the "gold country") for our friend's Megan and Steve's wedding. It was a fun time and the location was beautiful and also really great for the kids. There was a nice big lawn to run in and a little playground. Mostly I think they liked being around all of the new people and running around like little maniacs! I am sad to say that we have no pictures. We took the camera with us, but I don't think it even made it out of the bag.

We were home for 3 days and then we went to Monterey for the weekend. John's sister and brother-in-law have a house there and had invited us for the weekend. They've put a lot of work into the house and it shows... it's really turned out nice. The kids liked running up and down on the hardwood flooring and hearing their voices echo through.

We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium one day. I don't know if we enjoyed it more or the kids did. We could spend a lot more time there, but we kinda had to hustle through to see most of the exhibits. Since we were there last, mmmmm, 8 years ago, the aquarium has added a kids play area. I think Isabelle could have spent all day just in there, until it got too crowded. David had a good time too. We put him down on a wave simulator, and he was off, giggling and flopping around.

Isabelle peed in the potty!! I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and she came in to say she wanted to sit on the potty. So of course, I helped her with her pants and diaper and she sat down. She has done this many times and usually just sits there and then tells me she's done when she's tired of sitting, but THIS time... tinkle tinkle!!! I gasped!! "Isabelle you just peed on the potty!" We were very excited; me more than her, and she hasn't done it since. It's a start though!