Halloween

And we are home.  We went around two blocks and the little man was done.  His bucket was heavy.  Hers was full. Audrie was again Ilsa this year and used last years costume.  She definitely got her mommy's moneys worth out of that costume.  Connor used his spiderman jacket to make him spiderman which means Nana didn't even have to buy him a costume.  The jacket was $10 at Costco.  It had started off raining and then stopped shortly after we started walking.  How lucky for us that was.  I was amazed at how many full sized candy bars they got.  They even got one king size from one lady.  They had a great time.  The sugar high should hit soon and then the crash.  Happy Halloween.

A Day Off

I was able to go to the grocery store by myself and shop.  Took everything home and put it away.  Every one has been asking about my hair.  Well when you have two littles around all the time there is no going to get a haircut.  I could only imagine the havoc they could play while I was trapped in a salon chair. So I got a haircut and still had time to hit Target before my lunch date with Karen.
My friend, Karen has officially been put on hospice.  Now we have known for awhile that she was in a terminal state, but she seemed to be maintaining somewhat in that department.  And so now she is at a new stage and we shall see how it goes.  Again hers is not a place I would take the littles.  So I brought her lunch and we visited for quite awhile.  We compared notes on rental properties.  We talked about health.  We talked about kids and camping and people we used to know.
And then it was time to head back to BG to have my parent teacher conference with Mrs. Babbitt.  Audrie is doing okay.  I was amazed at how much she will have to learn in kindergarten.  By the end she will be reading.  They used to do that in second grade with a little bit in first.  My little woman is a little bit social and can get distracted.  No surprise there.
Picked up the kids and we went and had a video visit with Daddy.  He seemed so genuinely happy to see them.  I think he has been in long enough this time to again start to have clear thinking.  They were very happy to see him.  I'm always amazed at the bond between parent and child.
Mike had talked about missing his dad as today is Dave's birthday and how sad it made him.  I agreed.  Said he worked out some and that helped with the sadness.  Nothing but time helps with the loss.
That prompted a conversation with the littles about Papa.  Again we talked about heaven.  It is such a hard concept to grasp when you are little.  But he is as always in our hearts and we are happy he is no longer in pain or sick.  And so we send light and love to Papa on this day of his birth.  He would have been 59 this year.
I enjoyed my day off.  Hope I don't have to wait so long for the next one.  ;p

The Little Woman is Six

The little woman did not want to do anything with friends for her birthday.  Marti offered to throw a little private party and she jumped on that offer.  So after work/care house we went over. Marti had put up decorations and bought a pizza.  We brought the cake.  They danced, played games, ate pizza, ate cake, and opened presents.  We did have a little meltdown in the middle, but once we were past it all was well.  The best gifts were the Barbie dog that poops and the scooter she got from her brother.
We sure feel blessed and appreciate having Marti as our friend.  She got the biggest hugs when it was time for us to leave.  The little man even had to get back out of the car to give her another one.
Thanks Marti for a wonderful party and taking the time and effort to do it.

Right Back At It

We fell right back into routine today.  Up on time and out the door to work and care house.  I had a few minutes inbetween the two so I stopped and picked up Audrie's birthday presents.  Nothing like waiting till the last minute.  Then tonight we picked up cupcakes for carehouse tomorrow and cake for Marti's house tomorrow night.
Got the car cleaned out.  Now I have a pile of stuff in the house to take care of.  But hey....the car is clean.

Home

Today was the longest drive day.  Seven hours from Redding to home.  We passed Mt. Shasta and it looked like it got a dusting of snow. Other than that our drive was uneventful.  We just pushed home and are now settled in.  The littles are in the tub and we will soon be in bed.  Back to routine tomorrow.  But it was so great to get away and do something different.  Connor said all of it was his favorite and he can't wait to go back to San Fransisco.  Audrie liked the trolley the best.

Heading North

And then it was time to head north.  We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge in the daytime and it is still majestic.  Loved it.  We stopped on the north side and took some pictures at a viewpoint.
Heading to Clear Lake meant traipsing though Napa Valley.  I was mesmerized by the rows and rows and rows of grapes.  Recognized many brands of vineyards.  Loved the houses and the buildings and the feel of the place.  And then we were on the St. Helena mountain and I did not like that at all.  The road twists and turns and does it over and over.  No guardrails or anything. Passed all the fire damaged area and was sad.  Made it through and on the lunch with Jeremy, Kiah and Kylie.  We met at the Cactus Grill for some Mexican food.  Had to cut the time with them short to get to Orland to see Kathy.
Made it there a few minutes early and the kids burnt off some energy climbing trees.  Visited with Kathy over dinner and had a nice time.
And then it was on to Redding for the night.

San Fransisco

It was a day for an adventure.  We had to catch the bus to catch BART.  And then we got on BART going the wrong way.  My directions were good as long as I could see the ocean, but then the bus took us all over in all different directions.  So when we were on the train platform I was totally backwards.  So we rode BART to the airport and then rode it back downtown to the trolley.
They loved the trolley.  We rode it all the way down to the wharf.  We got chocolate at Ghiradelli square.  They got hats from a street vendor and then they played in the bay.  The little man was wearing jeans and they kept falling after that.  All that weight from the water and the sand.
So it was then a return trip back to the hotel for a shower and a change.  We went out for dinner and he fell asleep at the restaurant.  I think he was completely exhausted.

Trees, Birds, and a Bridge

We spent the morning out on the beach and looking at trees. On the beach we saw sea lions and they were gorgeous. The littles chased seagulls. A man was filleting a king salmon and he let them have the scraps to feed to the birds. They loved that.

Then we ventured on down the coast. Found some glorious trees. We drove through the one with a hole. The littles really liked the ones they could get inside of. We did a hike at the Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Further down the road we stopped at an elk meadow. No elk, but lots of scat. They got a kick out of that. We got back on the highway and saw people stopped along the road. A herd of elk was in a creek bed. So cool. Especially the buck with his antlers.

Then we finished our drive south. It was dark before we hit San Fransisco. So we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge at night. It was magical. It was my first time over it and I was mesmerized. I was happy that it worked out the way it did.

South Bound

So we got up and motivated. I did all the chores I had procrastinated on. We only left an hour later than planned. After a quick stop at a store and the gas station we were on our way. Then we hit stop and go traffic. There was a fender bender. That killed another hour for us. We finally were really on our way three and a half hours after my plan.

We enjoyed the ride. We saw hordes of sheep. We saw pumpkins being harvested. Strange to see trailer loads of them. The littles got to watch a helicopter land. Fall is in its glory with color. By the time we hit California it was dark. That highway between Grants Pass and Crescent City is horrible at night for a person who suffers from motion sickness. I almost never get sick when I drive, but this was winding with no visual cues. Oy.

We are in the redwoods and I saw a few tremendous bases already. The little man and I are both looking forward to daylight tomorrow to see the trees in the light. 

Day one is a complete success with mostly good behavior on all our parts.

Another Night Time Walk

The littles and I went out for a night time walk.  Looking for Halloween decorations.  We found a few, but not too much.  The littles got to tour an RV.  Some snowbirds live near us and are getting ready to go to Arizona for the winter.  The little man rode the neighbor's big wheel the whole way.  He definitely expended some energy.  And that's what it is all about.
We looked at the moon, petted a cat, and talked about Halloween.  Got home and it felt like it should be so much later than it was.  What is up with that?

Routine

It's been a routine week.  Kindergarten, work and day care.  After the month of not working much I am playing catch up with my hours.  I'm in the middle of returns at work and working hard.  Getting my 10,000 steps in every day.  The littles are spending every available minute with their neighbor friends.  Makes me really wonder what our new routine is going to look like.

Harvest Festival

We again attended the harvest festival at Brenda's church.  We got there before she did this year.  So we played the games, rode ponies, did the pumpkin launch. We ran into Heidi from work and her daughter.  Met some more of Brenda's family.  The kids each had a bag of candy.  Didn't hurt my feelings when they decided they didn't like some of it.  They didn't really need all that sugar anyway.  And then they shared with the neighbor kids when we got home.  All in all a good time was had by us.

Randomness

We drive around the corner and there is this black dog laying down watching the road.  He is laying next to a bike chained to the stop sign.  My first instinct says the dog followed kids to the bus.  When we headed back the other way, we saw the sign.  Totally was right.  And the dog was very friendly.  We had to stop and take pictures and meet the dog.  It just was so random to see the sign and we got a kick out of it.

Playground Fun

The reward for having to wait while Grammy did some shopping was a trip to a playground afterwards.  We grabbed some Arby's and had a picnic and then the littles blew off some energy.  Grammy even made a friend while we were there.  It was kind of funny.
I like to switch up the playgrounds that we visit.  Each one has its own set of interesting things and I figure that the different ones work different muscle groups for the littles.  When they climb on those ropes in bare feet it makes my feet hurt.  And when he jumps from the top of the slide I about quit breathing.  Fearless I tell you, fearless.
Pays off though.  The little man is already asleep for the night and the little woman and I are close behind.

Love Letter

"I just wanted to write you and say that I love you and you will always be my Nana. You have done so much for me throughout my life and I am thankful for that. You and papa have spent more time with Adrianna and I and have made more of an effort than all my other grandparents. Even after you had more grandchildren that required more of your attention on a daily bases you still tried to take me on Nana Days. I still remember so many cool things you did for me like Wolf Haven and Cricket. I remember all the trips to the Zoo and dinners at El Rancho. like I said I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate it and that I love you."

Elizabeth left this on my facebook page last night.  I don't know what prompted it, but I sure liked reading it.  I answered her back telling her how she was number one and therefore has a special place and that life changes but the place where I hold her dear never does.  
Elizabeth is growing into quite the young woman.  She has suffered some things that most children will not and has mostly weathered the tough times.  It is good to see her reach out and expand her horizons with doing Running Start.  She has goals and plans and is striving to accomplish them.  I love her.  Always have and always will.  ❤

Picking Pumpkins

The first picture is from our first visit to Scented Acres three years ago. The little woman sure has grown a lot since then. Again we fed the chickens.  And they got to hold one.  Audrie was a little put out when one jumped on her back. Nibbles the goat was still there.  We perused the patch and found a perfect pumpkin.  Picked up a couple of other pumpkins that were already picked.  The Scented Acres farm is just lovely and you can tell they have done a lot of work there.  I'm glad they are still there and we were able to go there and get pumpkins. And eggs.  Audrie broke an egg so I bought the dozen.  Not what I had planned. That said though there was one really cool green egg in the carton.

Little Woman Afternoon

I've had several little man mornings.  And we have enjoyed the time.  But I felt kind of bad for the little woman who was not getting one on one time.  Well today she had an appointment to get her pictures taken.  I asked the neighbor if she would watch the little man so I could do this without two kids. She happily agreed.
And so Audrie got dressed in her black and white dress and off we went.  She took wonderful pictures and we both agreed on the pose for our package.  Then we went down and had mini cinnabons and played in the play area.  Then we checked out the pet shop.  There was the most adorable English Bulldog.  They only wanted $2500 for him.  He was cute.
Then it was time to head back upstairs so we went to the escalator and went down and up and down a couple of times.  She was practicing her approach to getting on and off of it.  She's got it down now and did one whole route by herself.
We actually got our pictures in record time.  So I felt like we had time for a quick jaunt into the grocery store.  And it was great.  The store wasn't busy and Audrie behaved excellently.
Got home and went to pay the neighbor.  She would not take any money.  Wait...what?  Nope she would not.  So I am making her dessert.  There is nothing for free in this life and I am appreciative of the babysitting and the time alone with Audrie.

Serenity

So I wake up to a text from Tanya. Seems my mom asked her to ask Doug for the kids' bunkbeds.  I have commented that the bunkbed would probably work better at her house, but I no longer expect to get anything even our stuff.
So I guess Tanya did ask Doug.  And being the wonderful, loving, kind, helpful person that he is he told her he would stick it outside some time this week and that Pat could collect it. He would then let Tanya know when he had done that so she could let me know.
Three things;
Good thing it isn't predicted to rain this week.
No one asked me or Pat about it and if it works with our plans.
The bunkbed is in pieces and I'm sure all the pieces won't be outside, assuming that
it really gets put outside......there isn't a good track record with that.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Blown Off

I sat there in amazement.  Poor Mom.  She was trying to get a ride to buy some new bras.  And then she was trying to get a ride to a Dr. appt.  I sat back and just waited to see how it was playing out.  Mom even commented about me bearing the brunt of her work.  And so she is asking and asking.  You never know if she forgot that she has already asked or just pushing.  Anyway.....Tanya finally tells her that she is sure either Pat or I will get her to her places.  Tanya totally blew her off.
You really have to wonder.
If it were just up to me I might just not include her so much in our gatherings.  Okay....so I'm already doing that.  But Mom likes her to be invited so we invite when family dinner is at home.  But we may have a different attitude when it comes time for some new books for Elizabeth.  Afterall Tanya doesn't have a truck payment anymore and her insurance should have gone down....so she should have no problem now paying for something she always should have been.
What comes around goes around and Karma can be a bitch.

Family Dinner For Adrianna's Birthday

Family dinner at home.  We have had a lot of family time but most of it has been elsewhere all summer and into this fall.  So tonight we dined at home and had spaghetti.  We like easy food when cooking for the crowd.
It is the week of Adrianna's birthday and so the littles and I made cupcakes.  We split the frosting up into bags and added food coloring and then used the bags to squeeze the frosting onto the cupcakes.  Not very professional looking but they had fun.
The little man wanted a glow hand from the dollar store.  So we grabbed one for the birthday girl too.  She seemed to think it was cool, even if her package was missing a piece.  It still glowed.  Can't expect much for a dollar.
Uncle Pat and the little man talked about crabs and fishing.  I think we are invited to go down to the coast again next weekend and give it a shot on catching something.  We will see how the week goes.

Lock Lesson

One of my neighbors locked herself out of her apartment.  Another neighbor was trying to help her get in using the credit card trick.  She was trying, he was trying, I gave it a go.  And we could not get it.  To call the manager of the complex costs $125 and she really didn't want to do that.
John to the rescue.  He not only knows the theory, like the other three of us, he actually knows how to do it.  And so he gave her and me a  good lesson on how to break into a house when only the doorknob lock is locked.  He explained that you had to know how the lock works and apparently that is true.
Kelly was happy to get back into her house without having to spend the money.

Rain

It nourishes my soul.  And it really came down earlier.  The kids have been out and about playing in between showers.  Playing with all the other kids outside.  And then when the big rain hit they all headed for cover.
The little man is still playing next door and behaving.  It isn't often he gets invited in there because Nick is bigger.
Audrie informed me you can get sick walking in the rain in bare feet.  I had to correct that myth.  Not sure I was successful, but no you can't.
I just love the rain.  The sound of it.  The smell of it.  The feel of it most of the time.

Dinner At John's

The littles are so funny.  I just didn't feel like cooking so we hit McDonald's.  We hadn't done that for awhile and sometimes you just have to.  As soon as we get through the drive thru they both ask if they can eat their dinner at John's.  Well yes, yes you can.  As long as John doesn't mind.
Lucky for them he never does.  Sometimes I think he likes my kids almost as much as I do.  :)

Offers

At the end of this month I have not had a night off from the littles for a year.  I have not had a babysitter since July for Belinda's wedding.  Usually I save my babysitter days for grocery shopping or mowing at Betty's.  Very rarely.  And then of course I lost all my babysitters except for occasionally Elizabeth.  So we take life one day at a time.  And just figure we are in it for the long haul and this is the way it is.  I asked the other Nana for one night back in April.  It really was time for me to have a night off.  But it didn't happen.
What amazes me is talking with a couple of different neighbors how I was offered time off.  Bianca told me she would be willing to babysit for a whole weekend for $20.  Now if I'm paying that is even way too low.  Cindy offered tonight if I ever needed a sitter.
These women aren't my family.  And yet they have at least offered to step up and help me.  It is a hard place sometimes to be able to accept help from friends.  Much easier from family.  I'm trying to change my mindset though and be more accepting of and grateful for help no matter where it comes from.
It is all about expanding our world and creating our own family even if it doesn't include blood relatives.  Never thought I would need that, but we do and so we are.

Rental Management

Oct. 3rd came and I got a text asking if I needed checks.  Well yes, yes I do if she is paying rent.  So she said she would drop them off on Sunday.  Sunday came and went.  Josh brought checks on Tuesday.  Nov. is a three paycheck month for her and she decided she would split that months rent over the last two paychecks in the month.  So the last one would be on Nov. 27th.
Um no.  That just kind of annoyed me and I'm already annoyed.  So that prompted the call to the management company.  Justin and I played phone tag  but connected early this afternoon.  He came out late afternoon and we went over every thing and I signed.  The house is now with the management company.  Costs me $100 a month for that and it is all wrote off at the end of the year on the taxes.  They provide any maintenance needed and everything.  Rent will be due on the first of the month.  No more split up over paydays and when she feels like paying.  No more taking advantage of our friendship.
I feel so much relief on many levels.  And of course the rent is going up.  A lot.  Still not to market rate, but much closer.  And if she can't swing it and needs to move...the next renter gets market rate.  And I don't feel bad about any of that.

Uncle Visit

And the stars aligned.  I got little miss on the bus heading for kindergarten and dropped the little man at day care.  Had a few extra minutes to spare so I went and visited Dave's uncle.  I haven't seen him since we planted Dave's tree.
We had a nice visit in the lobby.  Sitting on the couch and watching all the action.  Norm is settling in pretty well to assisted living life.  He is doing all kinds of activities.  He just did the Chelatchee Prairie train ride.  It is on our list after our friend Michael took her nephew.
Good to see him doing okay.  And then I headed off to work and back to my routine.

Back to Cape Disappointment

We took the afternoon and made a quick jaunt back to Cape Disappointment.  Uncle Pat is there camping and fishing.  We checked in with him and then we went on our way.  We did a little hike on part of the trail.  We looked at the plants and studied mushrooms.  There were many different kinds that we could just easily spot.  We talked about never ever eating mushrooms outside.  We don't know what is good and what is not.  There are a lot of bad mushrooms.  Audrie saw a frog and it scared her.  I don't think she expected it to be a big jumper.  They liked the hike.  We shall do more of that trail another day.
Heading home we saw at least hundred storks around the bridge into Astoria.  Must have been feeding time although we just saw them flying.  That was pretty cool.  Right at a red sunset.
On the way home we stopped at Safeway in Astoria,  When we got out of the car we could hear them.  The sea lions.  And it sounded like a lot of them.  So we crossed the railroad tracks and walked down to the dock.  Traipsed down the dock to get a better view and there were a lot of them. The littles were enthralled and would have enjoyed it even more if it wouldn't have been dark already.
It was a great day with lots to see, do and learn.  Only thing missing was coffee.

Farmer's Market Applause

We needed to get to the Farmer's Market to use up the last of our WIC market checks.  Don't want to waste money.  It was a good way to spend the morning.  The littles played on the playground first and then we shopped.  They met dogs the whole way through.  Always the highlight of any trip anywhere.
I like to walk the market and then get what I want on the way back to the beginning.  About half way through Audrie asked a vendor if she could have an apple.  And he said yes and naturally that meant one for the little man also.  I'm floored. This guy is the first one on the side street on the right always.  So after we finish walking we go back to that stand to actually buy something.  I asked if this vendor took the WIC checks because there is no sign and he does.  I calculated I had spent about $8 and was fine with that.  When he rings it up he charged half price on the veggies and knocked the orange bell pepper down to a dollar to equal $4.  Again I am in awe and more than grateful.  That left us enough to get a bag of apples from another vendor.
We picked up a small bouquet of flowers for my friend Karen and we dropped those off on the way home.  She wasn't home which is probably good as my littles are so busy and I'm not sure Karen is up to busy.