Boo at the Zoo 2011

Candy stations, dancing, games, spooky train ride, pumpkin bowling, haunted house, an animal show, and I didn't have to work! The best part about Halloween this year was that I got to enjoy it with my family and did not have to decorate an entire Zoo. Boo at the Zoo was all that more fun this year because I know all the hard work that goes into creating the event and it was fantastic. We had a nice picnic dinner in the park with some friends so that we could skip the entrance line and head over just shortly after they opened. The crowds were not too bad and Owen got to trick or treat without having to stand in many lines. He would have stayed on the dance floor all night if we let him, but I think as always his favorite part was the train ride. He couldn't hold his excitement in and he would let out an involuntary "choo choo" as we got closer to the train. At the end of the night Owen was so exhausted he fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow, probably dreaming of Nerds.

Pumpkin Pickin

There is something rewarding about picking your own pumpkin out of the field. Owen searched high and low for just the right one (Adam and I did the same) and found the just-my-size perfectly round orange orb. Our little man is always at his happiest when he is running and playing in the dirt, climbing stacks of hay, and petting farm animals. And before we left, Owen carried his pint-size pumpkin up to the tall man in overalls and kindly said "Thank you farmer."

The Ritz... yes please

I guess if I have to go on a work trip, the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay is an alright place to stay. Something about the ocean just makes me happy from the inside out. The weather was amazing and sunny, because October is the best time to visit. And our Segway teambuilding activity was absolutely fun, even though we looked so silly.

Lo's spooky costume lab

Every year I start thinking about Halloween costumes around the beginning of September. It usually takes a month for me to decide on our family theme and then I always have to make at lease one of the costumes myself. I try to make the one that would save me some money or that I think will be better than the store-bought ensemble. This year I wanted to do something that Owen would really like and be excited about wearing. Well, Owen has been really into Toy Story lately, every time he sees a character item in a store he points it out. Apparently at daycare they have a bunch of the toys and Owen's friend often brings his Buzz Lightyear to play with. I wanted to make sure Owen would be excited about his costume, so I recorded Toy Story 3. I thought he needed to learn the characters... not really my best idea. Now he asks to watch that show everyday especially when he sees me working on these costumes.

The little green men alien costumes are probably one of my best creations. I was a little slow on the first one because I just was not sure what I wanted to do, or how to create all the pieces. But the second costume was pretty quick since it is a rather simple idea altogether.

I just created an extra large hood, leaving a hole for the antenna and sewed it onto the sweatshirt. Then added white felt and a little stuffing for eyes, not forgetting the eyelids. Dropped the antenna into the top and glued it in place. Sewed on the ears, and buttons on the eyes. Added a little purple collar and created 3-fingered hands just tacked into the sleeves. Voila!

Sushi Baby

"Genius child ate with chopsticks at age 2," the headline will read when he invents the next big thing at age 10. Well, maybe not since there are actually thousands of kids that eat with chopsticks everyday. Maybe his skilled utensil use is just due to our recurrent trips to the sushi restaurant and a little monkey see, monkey do. Either way we think he is pretty awesome.



Elk Grove Pumpkin Fest

Pumpkins everywhere... the Elk Grove Pumpkin Fest featured puppet shows, pony rides, a petting zoo, games, crafts, crap to purchase, and pumpkin boat races (picture a 900 lb pumpkin carved out to fit a grown man with a paddle in a dark brown lake). I did not really have high expectations for this event, I just did not know what to expect, but it was really very big and well done. We got there before the crowds so Owen got to spend a lot of time in the petting zoo and really loved the 3-month-old twin calfs. We walked all over before the pirate puppet show started and then wrestled with the crowds to get a good view of the pumpkin racing. Who knew there would be so many people here. We are adding this event to our annual activities now that Owen can really enjoy playing the games and watching the shows.

I even came prepared and we had a picnic lunch while watching the puppet show (I am just too cheap to buy fair food).