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!

Brunch w/Grandma & Grandpa

We were excited for another visit by Grandma and Grandpa in October, which included brunch out at their favorite place on the water. Larson loves to look at the boats, bridges, etc. that are all within view from most of the tables. Don't you just love this series of photos? The first one was taken unawares, in the second he's expressing his opinion about having his picture taken and finally softens up with some cajoling from Grandma. That scowl is just precious!

Big Girl

Getting up into the big kid chair all by herself!

Helping

Cora helps dad put up curtains. I love how little she looks in this picture. Now if I could just figure out how to get her to stay that way...

Dad's Birthday

Dad's birthday celebration this year was a little bigger than usual, as the Pacyna clan dropped in for dinner and cake. Can you guess what kind of cake? If you know Brett at all, you know that in his mind dessert = chocolate. I wouldn't dream of ever suggesting any other kind of cake! This year was chocolate cake with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream. Very, very good.

The boys had their own little kid table on which to devour their cake. I think Cora and Claire took advantage of the adults having conversation and found a few choice morsels dropped beneath...

Cora's first taste of chocolate. I think she liked it.

Here's a random shot of Larson helping with the dishes. I'm enjoying the fact that such a chore seems like fun for now!