Parrots, Thunder, and Rain

 There is a parrot in the tree.  Can you spot it?

Kiddos watching and listening to the rain.

Afternoon- Parrots, thunder and rain!

We had a nice day together.  Oliver and Viana enjoyed watching the rain and the weather put little Korey to sleep.   Mommy loves the rain. Mommy heard the parrots in the morning before the kiddos came over so she got some video and then again in the early afternoon- so now you can really play the listening game.  

Morning Parrots 

The Listening Game

Last week when we visited the hospital for Oliver's elbow, we decided to play the listening game when we were in the hospital room. Oliver was very active and impatient- so we played a game to get him to calm down. We could hear a lot of noises in the hallway and in other rooms. So, we sat there and listened, and listened. After a few minutes we talked about what we heard.

When things get a bit hectic around here we stop and play the listening game. It helps to slow Oliver down and give Mommy a much needed rest. We tried to play the listening game with the parrots that visit every morning and every evening- but Mommy couldn't catch them in time. Instead you can listen to the other birdies in our yard....

Oliver is off to be with Daddy for a couple of days and Mommy is off with her Chocolate Cake to play the listening game at Sara Bareilles concert!

Listening...

Lunchtime, Weirdos, and Boo (Boos)!

Can you tell we are ready for Halloween?!?

Today we had fun with our little friends. At lunchtime, Viana and Oliver ate Halloween themed pasta- they ate up the bats, pumpkins, and spiders!

After lunch we worked on creating weirdo pictures. Viana and Oliver made up their own weirdos while Mommy used the book below to create her weirdos. We had fun sharing crayons and talking about our creations. Mommy thinks its fun to study and draw the weirdos!

Later, Oliver had a boo boo on his arm above his cast and an itch inside his cast. Poor baby. Mommy spent some time comforting him to make it all better. She likes to nurture her little owl.

Our apples from yesterday- yummy.

Waiting for their pasta- Oliver is working on sitting on his bottom.

Some of the Halloween Pasta

Weirdo Drawing Book

Viana helping Mommy draw one of her Weirdos

Choosing their colors...

The Weirdos: Monster, Witch, and Meow...

Apple Picking

Raven Hill Orchard

Cool little display at the entrance

We saw turkeys!

He did a good job picking apples with one arm!

Picking an apple

We love eating apples

We had fun strolling (and running) through the rows

It was a neat little orchard

Beautiful Apples

He wanted to check out the tractor

He wanted to take a rest on the bench in Julian

Mommy likes those little pies in the window

Oliver picking apples

We finally made our way to the mountains today! We headed up to Julian to go apple picking. We had fun picking apples, taking little rests under the trees, running through the orchard, and eating apples right off the trees!

Afterwards we drove on Farmer Road to visit the small town of Julian. We ate lunch together, walked around and looked at all the old buildings, and then stopped to get a slice of pie to bring home. We enjoyed the drive home- it was a beautiful day.

Our Yard

Here are some pictures of our beautiful yard. It is definitely a work in progress. I am excited to start working in it.

A view of outside from inside. I have a pretty good

view of the mountains.

My beautiful front window. I always loved seeing old homes

in Humboldt and Washington, with big front windows. Now I

can enjoy ours.

Another front entrance. This will be the separate

entrance to my daycare.

Pathway in the front.

Pathway on the side of the house.

(I didn't take pictures of the other side of the house, oops.)

Our deck.

I have some purple flowers growing near my fence.

Backyard. I spent a little over an hour weeding this area today.

It felt good and I got a lot done, but started to fade a little-- after

an early morning 10 mile run at the beach and after donating

blood today, I am spent but content. (I think you will like that Eileen.)

Backyard

More backyard

The door to the playroom.

A view of the garden beds and the trellis.

Our garden beds- I have eight of them.

I can't wait to learn how to use the compost bin.

Garden Beds

Garden Table

We have a white picket fence. Lovely.

A view of the house from the back and our trees in the front.

The family of parrots that visits every morning and evening, came

while I was working outside. They are all a very bright green color.

I can't wait to find a feather!

Our Home

Some of my friends who don't live around here have been asking for some more pictures of our home. I took some pictures this week of different things on our walls to share with you and also of the other part of our cute little kitchen. Tomorrow I will take you outside.

My Counted Cross Stitch Birds

The one in the middle is one I made and the rest

were made by my Grandma. We have crown moulding in most of the

house too. It adds a lot of simple beauty to each room.

My Tree poster in my room...I love looking at all the different trees.

I first saw this poster at my friends house in Arcata. I used to

just go sit in the room and look at the poster when I was waiting

for her to get ready. I'm glad I could track down one for me...I have

extras if anyone wants one.

My Fireplace Mantle. (The tile is kind of ugly, but I've

got some ideas to make the area prettier.) The frames need to be filled

but the beautiful jug with a tree on it is cool. My sisters each have one too.

Love them!

Sissies...

My other bookshelf, and my Grandparent's

wooden calendar on the wall. (Still missing some

wooden numbers...)

My Swiss Cow Bells. (Jess and Chad are going to bring

me home a cow bell every time they go to Switzerland.)

I love cow bells. (Especially when people ring them during races!)

A fuzzy picture of Patches and Ranger. Patches has

been gone for a little over a year now. I miss that

beautiful fluff ball.

The little nook in my kitchen. We've got our cork board

for important things and Oliver's artwork, the cow bells, and

another board for mementos. The table was Ali and Kelly's.

It is perfect for our little space.

Here is my favorite, favorite children's book ever.

Our table isn't as rugged as the one in the book, but it

is special. If you get a chance check this book out!

Messages

One of the first things that Oliver did this morning when he visited Mommy was to get one of our whiteboards. He asked Mommy to open the marker, so she did. He went back to his bedroom. A little while later he brought Mommy the board. On it was her first message from him. Oliver is sweet. Mommy hopes there are more to come…

Oliver's Message to Mommy

Seven Facts About Our Hospital Visit Today

Watching the fun structure...

Playing in the hospital room

Waiting in another waiting room...

Charger Bolt and light blue cast. Could he be any cuter?

Eating his "healthy" lunch.

1. Oliver got his x-rays taken without Mommy's help! He is a fast learner.

2. He liked seeing all the charger bolts on the hallway floors. (Grammie taught him about those a long time ago--not Mommy!)

3. The doctor was impressed with how "smart" Oliver was...he also was excited to meet another Oliver. He just had a son he named Oliver, ten weeks ago. Mommy's Oliver was the first Oliver he had met!

4. Oliver could tell the x-ray technician, his full name (Oliver Owen McCain) and his birthday (4th of July)! Pretty good for a three year old!

5. He has a small break, he should only be in his cast for about 2 weeks. He picked light blue for his cast color.

6. Oliver could tell Mommy exactly what he wanted for lunch at the Hospital's McDonalds. He ate well too!

7. Oliver is a really strong boy who knows exactly what he wants and how to maneuver his way through lots of situations. (We had to go to lots of different "stations" at our visit to the hospital.) Mommy is proud of him.

*Oliver is off for his long stretch with his Daddy. Mommy will see him for "daycare" the next two days. Miss you babe!*