Birthday Party and Animal Wonders

This past weekend we went to a birthday party for one of L's friends. The mom made a great cake and even molded a Pikachu out of fondant. Very impressive, and the birthday boy was very excited to eat it!

L had a very specific idea about what he wanted to get his friend for his birthday because, "he doesn't have one at his house and he likes to play with mine everytime he comes over." Eventhough it wasn't what I would have picked, the birthday boy loved the gift and I was glad I let L decide what the gift should be.

After the birthday events and lunch, we all headed to the Natural History Museum for Animal Wonders to learn about Mammals. There are some pictures of my favorites.

North Hills Hike

Little A and I had the morning to ourselves on Monday. "Do you want to go for a hike?" I asked. He answered, "Yes! Hike! Hike fun!" so off we went. I had to stay close since L was at preschool (just in case) so we opted for the North Hills. We spent about 2 hours getting from the gate to not quite the top of the hill and back down again. I think we went less than half a mile total, but no stone was left unturned as A explored every inch of trail. He stopped often to stack stones and chasing grasshoppers kept him entertained for almost an hour.

Little Brothers

I had the pleasure of photographing these cuties this morning. Do you see the yellow and orange starting in the background? I think I love Autumn pictures!

Eastern Star Exemplification

Last night was an Eastern Star function. Here are some pictures I took of the lovely floral arrangements and flowers provided by a member. Thanks Josephine Hepner and Miriam Chapters for the wonderful decorations and evening!

Bento!

I really don't know who is more excited for the first full day of preschool tomorrow, me or L. I'm not excited because he'll be out of the house (I will actually miss him!), I'm excited because I get to pack him a lunch! Yes, you read that right. I'm excited to pack lunch. "Why?" you ask. Well, it's because we got a really cool lunch box - and I don't mean one with Spiderman. It's called a Laptop Lunch and is a bento-style lunch box. It has lots of handy compartments for packing kid-sized portions of foods and makes it easier to send a few grapes and one strawberry without ending up with mush in a zillion plastic baggies. It is supposed to be healthier (more veggies, fewer granola bars) and greener (less packaging all around), but for me, it is a godsend because L really likes to eat real food. He likes fruits, vegetables, fish and rice. Thanks to lots of bento bloggers out there, I got some great ideas, like the zucchini risotto cakes that I packed for tomorrow. They are tasty! L and A ate a bunch before bed and I had to force them to stop so L would have enough for tomorrow. :) Enjoy!

Preschool!

Today was my son's first trial day of his second year of preschool. This means that mom got to stay with him today and take some pictures :) He is very excited to be a Dinosaur at University Congregational Childrens' Center (UCCC) and we are excited to have him there. He surprised me right off by cutting, taping and painting - all things he avoids at home. He also loved playing in the cornmeal - something that I avoid at home :) Yay for preschool!