A party

We decided that the prospect of numerous 4 year olds running around our teeny 1300 sq-foot house in the middle of the winter was a bit daunting, so we bit the bullet and "contracted out" for birthday party services. Turns out we had a blast! (Even the parents :) And to top it off, there was no clean up. Can't beat that.

Here's the best shot we got of the whole group:

My sister gave me Martha Stewart's Cupcake Cookbook for my birthday this year, and Larson and I had fun flipping through looking for ideas. He was dead set on the S'mores recipe, so that's what I made! It was my first attempt at piping frosting and I was relieved that they all at least came together, if somewhat imperfectly. I discovered this little cake decorating shop in the 'hood, courtesy of my friend Annika, that is quite possibly one of the cutest little shops ever. It's been around for decades and has just about every conceivable cake/cookie/candy decorating implement that you could ever need -- all crammed floor to ceiling in this very inconspicuous-looking storefront. So glad I found it!

Making a wish for 4 years!


Quite possibly the world's most obnoxious birthday "throne" for opening presents. It's pretty hilarious.

All in all, we gave the day 2 thumbs up. I was a little perplexed about what to do with all the presents Larson got. It was a bit overwhelming. We decided to keep everything downstairs in our spare room (which has basically become the play room) and Larson got to pick 1-2 things each day or so to bring upstairs. It spread everything out over a few weeks and he actually thought it was pretty cool to go downstairs by himself and pick something new. And here's our boy with the steel-trap memory: even a couple of weeks later, he remembered exactly who each gift was from :)

+ Four +

Someone we know turned 4 this December! It's hard to believe, but I guess that's probably gonna be the case every year. This has been a big year for our not-so-little guy: lots of learning and curiosity about *everything*, becoming a super big brother, learning to use the potty, and overall just becoming more and more independent.
[I almost cried the day he discovered he could reach the water dispenser on the fridge all by himself and didn't need my help!]

Dear Larson,

We are so proud to be your parents and to watch you grow and develop. You've really become a big kid now! You're such a great big brother to Cora and we love the excited look on her face whenever you come around. It's especially fun to see her RUN towards you at school when you do your characteristic "whistle". We know that she'll be lucky to always have you watching out for her. You are always thinking and, even though sometimes your impulses get the better of you, try so earnestly to do your best at everything. We love your affectionate nature and all the hugs and snuggles we get from you. And let's not forget that steel-trap memory! Mom and dad can't really fool you about much these days, huh? Thank you for being such a terrific kid - we love you forever!

Love,

Mom & Dad

We celebrated Larson's birthday just the 4 of us at home with cupcakes and a few presents, a couple of days before the big party (more on that later). Legos from Grandma & Grandpa were a big hit this year, and he was actually excited to open pairs of ski pants and gloves- go figure!

Winter zoo trip

Look at our 2 big kids riding the "horsies" all by themselves! (actually, Cora was accompanied, don't worried. We took this picture after the ride was over.) We spent a chilly morning at the zoo over the long Thanksgiving weekend. It was very un-crowded and we enjoyed a leisurely walk through some exhibits we don't often go to see. The highlight was feeding the birds: I think they were a bit hungry due to the lack of visitors that day.

Larson was a bit skeptical at first about whether he actually wanted to try feeding the birds himself, but decided to try it out and thought it was pretty cool!

We had such a lovely 4-day weekend. No call, no deadlines hanging over our heads, no shopping. Just a few days with enough activity to enjoy ourselves and enough rest to feel rejuvenated - not to mention good food! Ahh, wouldn't it be great if every weekend was like that? :)

We give thanks

For the first time in many years, we gathered with family on Thanksgiving. Considering the chaos of having 4 small children to run after, my sister and I felt pretty proud that we actually got edible food on the table. Nothing fancy, just the Thanksgiving essentials: turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, mashed potatoes, salad, green beans and pumpkin pie.

When the day after Thanksgiving arrived with sunshine and very few clouds, we decided to head to the park rather than doorbust for bargains.

A walk in the park on Thanksgiving 2008:

And the same walk in 2009:

This year we have much to be thankful for. Health, happiness, employment, wonderful friends and family. We humbly give thanks for these riches in our lives!

Just generally cute

Pumpkin carving, a bit late this year

Because of our SD trip, we carved our pumpkins after Halloween this year. Late, but no less fun! Larson was so diligent about collecting the seeds for roasting, but guess if he actually tried any...

Garbage truck - not my favorite game

At first Kate and I thought it was cute that the boys were pretending to drive a garbage truck on our couch. But the game quickly deteriorated when they decided to shove all the toys off onto the floor and then run around like madmen refusing to put any of it away. Notice that Larson does not have pants on. Not our finest hour. :)

Larson has now coined the phrase "dumpstering" whenever the boys decide they want to make a big pile of something. Is it just our kids or is this a 3-4 year old boy thing? This is one phase I won't be sorry to see go!

Halloween in San Diego

The whole family went along when I attended a conference in San Diego over Halloween. We enjoyed staying at a very family-friendly resort near the water and hanging out at the beach, even though it was too cold to go in. We didn't do much sight-seeing, but just enjoyed our time relaxing together. I actually had to give a talk and those who know me well, know that this was just a bit anxiety-provoking. A lot of late-night time was spent practicing in front of the bathroom mirror of our hotel room while everyone else was asleep. :)

Larson requested a very pack-able Superman costume this year, which he helped me pick out on the internet. Doesn't he look adorable all super-heroed-up? We found a cute neighborhood for trick-or-treating and were surprised at how many parents were in costume. I guess they really get into Halloween in San Diego! We'll know for next time.

After last year's plan of only allowing one piece of candy per day resulted in the Halloween loot lasting almost until Christmas, we decided to do something different this year. It's actually, surprisingly, what most dentists recommend: we let Larson basically eat as much candy as he wanted. It was all gone in about 3 days! We gave the new plan two thumbs up. Give it a try if you're brave enough.

Larson has declared that next year he wants to be Peter Pan, Cora should be Tinkerbell, Dad should be Captain Hook and I get to be (get this) one of the mermaids from the lagoon. If I'm lucky, my mom might actually help me sew costumes for the kids when she visits this summer. (So I might have actually already purchased the Tinkerbell pattern. I know, I know...but I couldn't help myself -- it is SO cute!)

Pumpkin Patch 2009

Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch provided the kind of fall weather I've come to expect around here: lots of early low-lying fog draping the landscape like a sheet, then warmth and sunshine later on. And lots of mud in the fields. Good thing we remembered our rain boots! Last year you may remember that Brett missed out on this outing (he was in Australia, the poor guy...), but this year we had quite a crowd which included both Grandma and Grandpa and the Pacynas, plus the four of us. Wyatt and Larson had a blast riding the hay wagon and running around the fields looking at all the pumpkins and farm equipment. The biggest hit of the day with the boys was the apple cider press. It was actually pretty cool, and the young man making the cider was kind enough to let the boys throw some apples in the hopper. All I kept thinking was, "I sure hope this gets pasteurized!"

Because of all the wet fall weather, we had to be careful to choose pumpkins that were actually still intact and not a little, shall we say, soft (ie, rotten!). This farm also grows gourds around the perimeter of their pumpkin patch that you can cut for yourself, so I had fun filling up a bag with the cutest and weirdest little shapes for our table. I'm a total sucker for things like that!

Aargh!

Larson's friend, Lily (also pictured below) turned 4 in October and she had a pirate birthday! Lily and Larson have known each other since before Larson could walk, so it's not surprising that he was the only boy that she wanted to invite to her birthday party. It was pretty cute to see Larson hanging out with 5 other girls! (although, yikes! I had a flash of the future and got a little scared for a second - let's not go there...) The party included painting outside in the autumn sunshine and champagne for me! Now, that's my kind of preschooler birthday!