Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday! It was so fun! The kids had a blast!  Summer really wanted to ride a pony this year, so we let her.  She got to ride the horse named Princess.  She was grinning about it for the whole day.

Then, we went on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch.  The kids loved the bumpy ride.  When we got out to the field, Ricky said, "Basketball!"  When we told him it was a pumpkin patch, he walked around saying, "Pumpkin patch, basketball!" Over and over.  So, I guess he thinks pumpkin patches grow basketballs. :)

After that, we went and jumped on the hay covered trampoline.  The kids were only out there for about a minute before they convinced Daddy to join them!

Then, we just walked around looking and playing until we were ready to go.  Summer's favorite thing was this barn that had a slide.  You go up the stairs and inside the barn there is a maze that leads you to the slide.  She would go down the slide then run over and say, "Again? Again!" It was great.  When she was through, she came over and said, "My legs have no more energy." So, we went home.  It was a great day!

Running Update

Jarrel and I are so proud!  We have finished the Couch to 10k program!  We did the whole thing without missing or rescheduling a single run.  Even when our double stroller broke, Sarah Pierce was there to save the day!  She watches Summer while we run and it works out great for everyone!  We are feeling tired, but good.  Our race is next weekend up in Placerville, so we're gonna do a few final preparation runs and then go for it!  Our goal is to run the whole 10k in less than an hour.  It's gonna take a little pushing because we've been running about 10 minute miles.  It will be so much fun racing again though!

Another little tidbit I wanted to throw out there is we got the coolest letter in the mail this week.  Kaiser Roseville is having a Family Festival in October for all of the families of babies that were in the NICU in 2009.  I am so excited to see all the families there that went through similar experiences we did and to see how much our children have grown!  I think it is so awesome of Kaiser to recognize us and give their continual support to the families that had a rough start.

This is Summer when she was in the NICU.  There were so many people there that took such great care of her.  She looks so tiny, but at 7lbs 3oz, she was actually one of the biggest babies in there!  I know that Kaiser is hard for some people to negotiate, but this is one reason why I love them.

Climbing

When we go to the gym, there is a small climbing wall in the daycare that Summer goes to.  We have been climbing with my dad a bunch and every time she goes to the gym she says she was climbing like Grandpa.  So, my dad decided to take her to his gym and let her climb for real.  The gym had a tiny harness and even little shoes for her!  We tied her in to the rope, which she was really excited about, and let her climb.  She did really well!  She didn't want to go too high, but she loved swinging down!

She was really tired!

She got pretty high!

So cute!

Adventurous Run

I didn't get any pictures because we were running, but our run last night definitely deserves a post! We usually go about 6:30 or 7 so it's getting dark and it isn't so hot. For some reason, we didn't get out early enough last night and ended up leaving at 7:30 so it was almost dark. We also forgot that we were increasing our run time and we were going to be gone for over an hour. So we head out and we're a little sore, but we're ok. We get all the way to the Watt Avenue bridge before our workout chimes the halfway point, so we decide to cross the bridge and run home on the other side. It's a little longer because we can't just stop at the Howe Avenue bridge, we have to go all the way to the campus bridge. So as we are running, it starts getting really dark. And we are on the other side of the river so there's no turning back. When we're almost to the Howe bridge, we start getting dive bombed by bats! Some were pretty small, but there were a few that had about an 18 inch wingspan! It was crazy! By the time we get under the Howe bridge, it's pitch black dark and I know bums like to hang out around there so I start speeding up. We make it out from under the bridge and now we're feeling like we might actually make it home. We get almost to the campus bridge and something runs across the trail. So we stop and try to figure out what it is. Then, it lifts its tail at us! Skunk! So we start backing up and it is running around like crazy. It finally goes up and over the levee so we start sprinting away. We were sprinting so hard I started laughing and I couldn't stop! We sprinted until our workout was done and we could see the campus bridge. By now the only lights we can see are the lights on the bridge. So we get on the bridge and a guy in street clothes is running at us. I get a little freaked out, but he just runs by. But, as he goes past, he shakes his head at us and says, "watch out for the crazy bum!" So I say, "is there one?" He yells back that yes, there is. Great. So Jarrel hands me the stroller and says, "if I have to fight this guy, you run." Perfect. I am deathly afraid of homeless people anyway (a scar from my childhood). So we are on high alert as we go across the bridge and through campus, but no bums in sight. We decided to walk the long way around through campus instead of along the bike trail home. It was almost 9 by this time, and we didn't want to risk the bike trail. We finally got home at almost 9:30. Summer had been asleep for a while, but Ricky fought it the whole way and was still awake. It was a great family adventure, but we will be running earlier from now on!

Jelly Belly Factory

While Alison was here, we decided to go to the Jelly Belly Factory!  The kids loved it!

The kids loved their paper hats!

Summer liked eating the samples along the way and she liked watching the "robots" (machines) working.  She liked the videos they showed, too.

Overall, it was a GREAT trip!  I really enjoyed getting to talk to Alison a bit and it had been a while since I had hung out with Eileen, too.

Lake Tahoe

I'm already falling behind!  I never did get around to posting about our trip to Tahoe!

We drove up 80 to Kings Beach on the North Shore and while Jarrel took his test, the kids and I played at this park.

Then we drove to Tahoe City and had a picnic lunch in the park and played.

We drove South along the lake until we got to Highway 50 at the southern end of the lake and drove home.  It was a beautiful day!  Jarrel didn't get the job, but it was worth the trip.

Running and Playing

Nope! It's not the kids! It's us! Last week, Jarrel and I started running together. We are doing the Couch to 10K program and we love it. We've been able to add the running to the gym work we've been doing and we feel great! The kids love it, too. It is a great time for them to get out of the house and explore down by the river.

Also last week, my grandma gave me her electric piano! I have loved re-learning to play. It's been a great week!