Happy Birthday Lolo & pumpkin fun

 
Happy Birthday to my Dad, whose birthday will forever be associated with pumpkins and all things orange--at least, in my children's eye for now. We wish you a very special day and look forward to celebrating later this week. 

It's become a yearly tradition since Micro was born to head out to the pumpkin patch with my Dad. This year was no exception, and we were in search of The Great Pumpkin for us to carve. Growing up, my parents rarely took us to the pumpkin patch (can't recall even one time-thank God for school field trips!) and I wanted to make sure that my kids get that opportunity. My sister and I never even carved a pumpkin and I remember growing up, wanting to so bad, but my parents were never very much in participating in holiday fun. Well, that won't work for me in my family at all! We ended up leaving with two pumpkins to carve and enjoy.

I think part of parenting is getting to relive (or in my case-"live out") some of your childhood fun with your own children and make it special for yourselves. Below are bits and pieces of last week and Micro's first, as well as mine, first pumpkin carving! Though it was last minute (yesterday, ya'll), we allowed our little man to stay up late and enjoy and partake in it. It was fun and I can't wait for my pumpkin carvin' skills to get better through time-I shall master this! lol! (Mr. Fliz carved the white one and I did the orange one)

*all photos below taken with the iphone 4s--pretty freakin' amazing!

Happy "eat-your-heart-out" Candy Fun today!!

my little buds!

man, this kid grew in a year!

over two feet tall already!

enjoying his 1st pumpkin carving

First Steps

Sometimes I feel totally sheepish posting about my children's milestones. Once you become a parent, it's hard to resist "announcing" to the world every little accomplishment your baby does. Exciting. Surely. Certain milestones are just worth noting. So without further ado, I'd like to share with the entire interweb that Micron took her first few steps this past Sunday afternoon. October 23, 2011. And to most of the world, who really cares, right? Well, I do. It signifies that this little being I created out of love, and who I brought into this world, whose bottom I am constantly cleaning, this baby girl, will not remain a "baby" much more. And since I missed Micro's first steps by mere seconds (will write about that later), witnessing Micron's, was truly something special. Parents, you understand me, don't you?

We even managed some video of succeeding steps. I've replayed those videos over and over because I just love seeing my little girl's face light up with pride. She knew she accomplished something. We were so fortunate that Lola was even there to see it happen. There was plenty of love and jubilation around. So,I truly applaud when my friend's, relative's, or anyone else's children/child reach certain milestones, because I know it means so much to those parents to feel that love, support, and cheer. More importantly, I know how pleased those wee ones are when they've achieved something great. Those milestones come quickly and celebrating them along the way is part of raising your child. Congratulations Micron! 

Silly Pumpkins

Orange, orange, everywhere. Peeking out of corners here and there.

It's almost time for candy galore, and

Trick or Treaters knocking on doors. 

Grab your coat, head on out,

Discover what fun is all about. 

All Hallow's Eve is almost here,

This is my favorite time of year.

Halloween is near!

(my attempt at poetry;)

This past weekend was full of fun. We got to see some much missed friends and hang out with Ms. Lolli and Crazy CJ. A birthday party held at a pumpkin patch, oh what fun! There were 3, yes 3, bouncy houses for the kids to enjoy and plenty of pumpkin crafts to keep the little ones busy. The weather was cooperative but eventually cooled to a bit of a chill in the evening. Mr. Fliz and I even had a great time eating dinner out with Miss Lolli and her family at a delicious pizzeria surrounded by giant redwoods near Mt. Tam. A bottle of wine at the table and plenty of laughter to be shared. And, (gasp!) all the kids were so well behaved. They all stayed seated and happily ate their food. Thank you bouncy houses.  We could not have asked for a more perfect ending to our day.

Chug-A-Chug Choo Choo

We thought we had hit all major train rides in the greater Bay Area, clearly, we hadn't. For those of you who are train enthusiasts or happen to be related to some that are, definitely bring them to the Niles Canyon Railway. It's a decent, though not always comfortable (depends on how many people are riding that day), but certainly affordable, train ride that lasts for an hour and a half. It comprises of original steam trams (maybe diesel too?) that provide both open and indoor seating. The caboose can be rented for private parties too. I gathered my gang up this past Sunday to do the train ride since Micro still has a soft spot for trains. There are two stations you can board on/off for the train ride. One is in Fremont in Niles Canyon, and the other is in Sunol.

They offer train service year-round on Sundays. They offer a popular train ride called, Train of Lights, that runs during the Fall/Winter season in the evenings. The trains are all decorated in Christmas decor and lit from the outside. When we rode this past weekend, the car we were in already had garland up.

Micro & Lola getting ready. He loves looking at maps.

Look at the amazing sky

The ride was relaxing and enjoyable, that is, if you score a coveted seat. There is a car where it's standing room only, but for the most part, it's difficult to get a seat. It's first come, first serve. The railway is run by volunteers. The conductors onboard and all the staff are quite friendly and happy to oblige the little ones. Lola came along for the ride as well. We went through the Niles and Sunol Canyons full of lush greenery with beautiful hues of blue above. We were lucky to get seats and managed to keep the kids entertained throughout the experience.

For the most part, we enjoyed it. Micro, missed his nap which accounted for his sour mood and fatigue towards the end of the ride. I plan on taking my gang on the Train of Lights.

The One Key to Unite Us All

 

This past summer, we finally managed to take a trip to Children's Fairyland. Had we been living in our old apartment, Children's Fairyland would be right in our "backyard." It's a small amusement park situated inside Lake Merritt for young kids with a fairytale theme. I've run past it plenty of times while pushing Micro in the jogging stroller back in the day, and always wondered what it was like inside. 

Miss E & S joined us for the afternoon. Admission is relatively cheap, and membership (we didn't join) seems reasonable. There is an outdoor theatre where (unfortunately, we ran out of time and didn't get a chance to check it out) folks with their kids can watch plays or special performances. I believe there's an additional entry fee.

Micro liked the various play activities based on stories like, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Old Lady in the Shoe, and plenty of others. There are cool little playgrounds for the kids to to run freely and little rides to enjoy. If you purchase a key (like the one Micro is holding above), you can insert it throughout various points in the park and it will tell you a short story or rhyme that goes with the play structure. Cool concept, and though the audio on many is barely audible, kids like doing it. You can reuse your key each time you go, so don't lose it. If you do, no big deal, the key is only $2. There's also a tiny train ride (3 cars long when we went) you can do. Though we waited for over half an hour for a 3 minute ride, the kids really liked it. 

The rides and play structures in Children's Fairyland seem dated, but it's still a great attraction. It's inexpensive, there's a fair amount of different play structures for kids to explore, and throughout the year, there are holiday celebrations held at the park. If your child manages to get bored--well, just leave Fairyland and enjoy Lake Merritt.

We had a great time with Miss E & S at "CF," and look forward to going back. I would definitely recommend going during the weekday when it's less crowded.

is that the 8th dwarf?

seems that Mr. Fliz had a blast too

Celebrating the first rainfall of the season

When the sound of raindrops hit our windows and heard the wind whistling outside, it meant only one thing to Micro and I--let's put on our rain jackets and boots and head out! Yeah, I am a mother that truly enjoys playing like my kids do. We like to crunch the leaves under our feet as we walk and jump into puddles. Two days ago was the first rainfall of the season and as you can see in the above picture, we wasted no time in celebrating it.

I can hear all the Lola's and Lolo's cringe and 'tsk tsk' in disappointment, "Why would you take the kids out in the rain, they'll get sick." In fact, I know some fellow pinay nanays like that. I don't know what it is with many Filipinos and their fear of being outside when it's wet. It's almost like they become paralyzed and can't do anything but stay indoors all day. Don't you get cabin fever? I can understand in taking caution with your children, but a little rain has never hurt anyone. But, I've always bucked convention and want my kids to enjoy their childhood. They were a bit under the weather anyway with some sniffles and runny noses and had been cooped up inside. We've had to cancel 2 playdates which can make for longer days sometimes--so I bundled them up and out we went. It wasn't pouring hard and it felt nice to be out and about. 

I love how Micro and Micron both enjoy the fresh air. Our little play time outside in the rainy weather brightened up everyone's spirits. These are my favorite moments with my kids. 

Where was Micron this whole time? If you see in the photo above, you can just make out the top of our jogging stroller in the right corner, where she was joyfully sitting and enjoying the fun too. Pretty soon, she'll be joining us in splish splashing through puddles. Micron has happily and successfully, been standing on her own and cruising for a bruising around our house. Those first steps are almost here.

In need of indoor fun ideas

Today is the first day it's rained in ages. We've been enjoying the last little tidbits of summer sun in the Bay Area, but today, Fall decided she needed to remind us she's right around the corner. The day started off fairly sunny, a lot cooler than previous weeks, and by 1:30 p.m., I spotted some raindrops on the ground as I looked out our atrium. By 2 p.m, it was raining. Though I love this time of year best, it often provides a bit of a challenge for me to keep kids entertained indoors when it's too wet or too cold to venture out. There are definitely days where I join my son in splashing in puddles during the wet season in California, but there are those times when I get too lazy to go out and just want to stay in. Now, I often get out with my kids at least once a day. It's important for all of us to get some outdoor time, in one shape or another. It helps to break up my day and it's great for them to be outside. 

Last year, Mr. Fliz and I were knee-deep in infant care 101 with the arrival of Micron. So, Fall/Winter season was a bit of a blur. Now that both my kids are mobile and really active, I've begun thinking of what indoor fun can be had in our own home, since I don't want to venture out too often and pay for indoor play spaces. Crafts I know is one thing, but my son hasn't shown much interest in doing them (maybe because I haven't done much to engage him in that manner). His current interests are dinosaurs, puzzles (thanks Miss E!), sharks, anything CARS 2 related, trucks, cars, planes, basketball, and soccer. Micron, well, let's just say she's beginning to show more interest in toys now. I haven't begun researching on the web or in stores, but if any of you know any craft ideas (especially where I don't have to pay a lot for supplies) that would suit an active 'almost 3' year old boy and a one year old girl, I'd really appreciate hearing from you. Please leave your remarks or links in the comments section below.