Halloween and Other Fall Fun

Fall is in the air, and the girls (or at least Ava) have been talking about what they are going to be for Halloween for a few weeks.

Ava’s school does a “trunk or treat” event, which is a great way for the little ones to see lots of well-decorated trunks and all their school friends. And there was a fire truck there too for an added bonus.

Ava was Super Girl, and Ali was a Peanut.

On Halloween day we took a trip to McDonald’s Ranch, which has lots of things setup for the fall. Ava was thrilled to ride the horse…

While Ali was happy playing with the hay.

An old tractor is always fun.

And of course a petting zoo with baby pigs is great for the little ones.

We did a hay ride.

And there were some pumpkins left too. Here is Ava as a scarecrow.

The girls had fun getting ready for the trick or treaters on Halloween night.

Especially with the glowing pumpkins.

 

Our community does twice-a-year community wide garage sales. Ali was chipper supervising with her Starbucks in hand.

We’ve also started soccer again with the cooler weather. Here’s Ava winding up for a shot on goal.

And after we discovered just how much Ali loves the swings in San Diego, we put some swings up on the back patio. Here’s Ava giving Ali a little help.

While Pepper watches cautiously.

With the nice weather, even at the library the girls like to be outside.

Off to chase the girls some more….

California Girls

This year we decided to do our (mostly) annual trip to San Diego over Ava’s fall break. We stayed in Del Mar in a townhouse just 1 block from the beach and a block away from the park. The girls were thrilled to be outside all the time….plus with a two story townhouse, Ali got even better at navigating the stairs.

Walking around in La Jolla…

And watching the sea lions in the cove.

We hit the beach at least once every day. Ali had a blast in the sand, while Ava had fun looking for shells (and found a few sand dollars as well).

Ali does her best to keep up with Ava and Dad.

Low tide = more freedom for Ali to roam.

In the mornings we would take Pepper to dog beach for his swim.

Once it got warmer, it was fun for the girls to play.

Ava was waiting for us to bury her.

While Ali was making sure she was fully covered in sand.

Somedays we just made footprints in the sand (Ali).

Or practiced some yoga on the beach.

Dad tried to convince Ava to try boogie boarding…but the chilly water and the waves were a bit too much.

So we discovered sand surfing instead. Ali actually has good balance.

The girls enlisted Mom to be their driver for the sand surfing.

Although sometimes Ava would give it a try as well.

Click the image above for a video of Ava and Ali sand surfing

The park nearby was a hit as well. Ava liked to climb the trees.

and Ali had fun watching the birds and the planes.

and just playing in the park.

Both girls loved the swings. In fact Ali would cry and walk over to them if we tried to get her to do something else.

Ava always wants to go higher and faster.

The train runs right by the park, which was a big hit for all the kids (they would all run to wave to the train).

Sometimes we just had to post by the ocean.

One day we did the USS Midway tour (more for Dad than for the kids).

Our friends the Manago’s came for the last few nights. Here are the girls with a little post-beach downtime watching a movie.

For the entire week Ava had her class mascot (the Cat in the Hat). So we took pictures with the cat.

And since Dr. Seuss lived in La Jolla, we found the gallery that has lots of his work.

One last photo of Ali walking on the beach….

Until next time – adios California!

Soccer, School, and Splashpads

Ava started soccer drill sessions in October. Surprisingly, Ali loves the soccer as much as her big sister – she even manages to dribble the ball fairly well.
Ava is working on her dribbling.

And shooting.
While Ali keeps at it with the (barefoot) dribbling.
Ava’s school had two events in October. First, they did a “Dad and kids” day on a Saturday. Ali liked the cuddly teddy bear in one of the rooms.

Next, Ava’s class performed a few songs during the Sunday church service. While Ava seemed to have a bit of stage fright at first, she eventually got into it.

Click the image above for a video of Ava and her class performing

We also make good use of the splashpads around. The Scottsdale Quarter shopping area has one that is good for the kids. Ava is quick to make friends with other kids…here they are on the “hill”…

And then watching the clouds in the sky.

Hanging out on the benches.

While Ali is having fun in the splashpad.
Soon big sister joins the fun…

We’ve continued our fun time at the park as well. Ali is always on the go.

While Ava gets better at the bike.

And Ali likes to ham it up!
She’s even a happy kid when she wakes up from her nap.

One more video of the girls...

Click the image above for a video of Ali (the pirate) and Ava (the fairy) in the backyard.

Got to run after the kids!