Tanaka Farms

We decided to pay a visit to Tanaka Farms in Irvine this Saturday. We hadn't bought a pumpkin yet, and Emily loves pumpkin patches. She was so excited to go:

So off we went. I can't say that it was amazing, but Emily had a good time. It was so HOT! I swear, it felt like it was hotter than it was all summer! What is that all about, it's almost Halloween.

Anyway, Emily got to play on the haystacks and faux wagon:
feed the animals at the petting zoo (there was even a pig):
Actually she was over the petting zoo really quick. The animals were a little bit overzealous about the food and would pretty much mob anyone with some. Plus they were bigger than she was. However, she was a champ because she stayed it out, and we petted the different types of fur.

Then we walked through the corn maze which wasn't that much fun, we just went in a circle, and finally we picked a pumpkin to take home. We will carve it tomorrow for family home evening.

Chocolate Cake in 5 mins

OK- Since I have a weight loss and healthy recipe blog, I probably shouldn't post this, but it is so genius. I haven't tried it yet, either. Go to this blog
for the recipe. I am going to try to find a way to make it healthier. If I am successful I will post it on my other blog.

Apple Farm

I love fall. Even though here in California we really don't get all the beautiful colors that you might see other places, I still love it. Here, the weather gets cool, not cold, which is great. Here at the beach, the crowds go away. That is wonderful. And even here, there are fun fall activities like apple picking at apple farms. We joined some friends in Yucaipa, at Riley's Farm. Here we all picked apples (Emily picked them up off the ground and ate them, Yuk!), found pumpkins, and even made cider. It was good times!





Mika, Jake and Emily are all pals.

Washing the apples in bleach water before we make cider.
Cranking the apple press!

Vote YES on Prop 8

Some friends of ours posted this on their blog and encouraged everyone to do the same. Please cut/paste this on your blog and/or email it to friends and family. We can make a difference on this critical issue. Vote YES on Prop 8!

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children.

If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt churches.

The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs. Including adoption agencies.

A YES vote will not hurt gays.

In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.

For your information:
On Friday, October 10th, 2008 a first-grade class took a field trip to witness a lesbian wedding in California. Click Here for the article from the San Francisco Chronicle.

A father in Massachusetts was frustrated when his twin kindergartners were taught about homosexuality at school by the teachers. He insisted he be notified in the future before such things were discussed so he could pull his boys out of school.He was taken to jail. Click Here for the story.

A Catholic adoption agency In the UK closed their doors because of the Government's new homosexual equality laws. The Equality Act forbids discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the basis of sexual orientation. The law was forced through Parliament last year despite past Prime Minister Tony Blair's recommendation that Catholic adoption agencies be exempted from the rules. Click Here for more info.

Earlier this month judges in Conneticut overturned the state law (just as the judges in California did) to legalized gay marriage. This is not just an issue in California. We voted years ago to keep traditional marriage as the only marriage recognized in the state of California, 4 judges overturned our vote…and we need to fight back. That is what this Proposition is about. This is happening everywhere and the leaders of the church and others have warned that the outcome of California’s vote will affect the way the other states vote. So PLEASE…even if you don’t live in California, put this on your blog or email this on. The internet knows no state line. You know contacts in California that I don’t…and so do your friends. Please pass this on as it could eventually have an effect on everyone!

"Occasionally discouragement may darken our pathway; frustration may be a constant companion. In our ears there may sound the sophistry of Satan as he whispers, "You cannot save the world; your small efforts are meaningless. You haven't time to be concerned for others." Trusting in the Lord, let us turn our heads from such falsehoods and make certain our feet are firmly planted in the path of service and our hearts and souls dedicated to follow the example of the Lord." --Thomas S. Monson

Click Here for excerpts from the Broadcast given by Elders M. Russell Ballard, Quentin L. Cook and L. Whitney Clayton.

Another good resource mentioned in the broadcast: http://www.preservingmarriage.org/

October 20th: Last day to apply for an absentee ballot if voting out of state. Click Here to get one.

October 27th: Last day to apply for “Vote by Mail” Click Here for info.

November 4th: Election day. Polls close at 8:00pm. Vote by mail must be received by this time and can be hand delivered if necessary.

YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED...

Here's what you do: In the broadcast we were asked to "go viral on our blogs, etc" by Elder Ballard. This is my way of going viral. If you feel this is an important issue I ask that you copy and paste this post...and post it on your blog. PLEASE keep it at the top of your blog through November 4th. which you can adjust each time you post under the "edit post" option. The internet knows NO STATE LINE. You know contacts in California that I do not...as do your friends and their friends...and so on. Please do this. If not for your own children and the effect it could have on them some day...for mine! After you have posted this...email this to your contacts and TAG all your blogging buddies to do the same. THANK YOU!

New Blog!

A couple of months ago, I decided to start a blog to help me (and maybe a few others) to lose those pounds I have been trying to shed for years. It has taken a while to get it all set up, but the posting has finally begun. I will try to post a few times a week with good healthy recipes and other weight loss ideas. Hope you like it.

If you want to check it out, just click on the button in the top of the right column on this blog! Bear in mind that I just started it!

August Craziness

1. Colorado Trip

Brian had a trip to Brazil planned 3 days after he returned from England, so I decided to pack up Emily and head to my parents in Colorado Springs while he was gone. S0, besides a fun blow-out (Emily - And we did not have a change of clothes so I was WT mom with my 2-year old wearing only a diaper) on the plane ride there, we arrived uneventfully, just in time for 1 1/2 weeks of rainy days. But finally the sun came out near the end of the trip, and Brian was able to join us for a few days. We did a little bit of hiking, and hanging out with my dad while my mom taught her piano lessons.


Emily couldn't hike very well with her cast, so daddy got a work-out hiking with her on his shoulders.

2. 'Wicked' Trip


The weekend after we got home from Colorado, Brian's sister and family (2 boys) came to visit. While they were here, Brian's parents came down for a night and watched all the kids. We went to Hollywood where we saw Wicked the musical, and stayed the night in Hollywood. We did the cheesy Hollywood thing that night, walked around the Gromahns Chinese Theater, and we even went to the wax museum. I hadn't done any of it before, despite living within 45 mins of there my entire life. I forgot my camera, and took some cell phone pics, but then my phone died and with it all my photos. My sister in law took a few, so when I get them I will add them to the post.
The hotel we stayed at was great, it was right next door to the Kodak Center/Mall. Went to Mel's Diner for Brunch, and then back home to the kids. It was so nice to sleep in as long as I wanted!!!

3. Emily got her cast off!!! YEA!

4. Jack Johnson Concert

Brian's brother Matt got us tickets to go see Jack Johnson. We went last night. What a great concert. Love his music, it was at the Verizon Ampitheater, outdoors, what a great venue. Besides getting high off second-hand pot smoke (right next to us) it was perfect! He was a great performer, and I didn't want it to end.

I've Created A Monster

OK - We are visiting my family right now in Colorado Springs. Last night we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. While we were eating our rice and entrees, the Chinese waiter came up to check and see if we were ok, and if we wanted anything else. He refilled our drinks, and Emily turns around and says to him, "Chocolate Shake?" OK- she's two and has figured out who to ask for the sweets- not me, not daddy, but the waiter! We all laughed, and the waiter said, " We don't have any chocolate shakes, we are not McDonalds! Do you want hot chocolate?" Emily of course said, "Yeah." I don't think so. Emily has only had a little taste of shakes when we have gone to Ruby's so I have no idea where that came from!

Determined

Tonight we had Brian's friend Floyd and his family over for a BBQ. While the kids were playing in the backyard, Emily was determined to keep up, despite the broken leg. What Cast?

Broken Leg

So, while we were hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa at the beach Wednesday night, there was a minor incident. Grandma was walking, carrying Emily next to a sand embankment and she stumbled. Somehow, even though Emily didn't fall or hit the ground, somehow her leg tweaked, and broke. The break is in her femur, just above her knee. She has been such a trooper. After 8 hours on Thursday at the doctors, xrays and emergency room, finally she got her cast on Friday morning. Today she started walking on it, and is becoming quite good at hobbling around.

Baby Train

Emily got in between her two doll strollers and said, "baby train!" Grandma and I, who were standing nearby, thought that was so cute!

Tuesday Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

This past week was pretty eventful. Brian went to England for work, and while he was gone, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. We had so much fun. We had a nice walk on the pier, a great dinner at Ruby's and went to the Tuesday street fair downtown. On the walk back from Ruby's, Emily decided to do a one-man show-dancing to the music of two guitarists on the pier.




The guitarists were even nice enough to let Emily play the guitar a little!
Then, at he street fair, Emily got to get a balloon flower, pink of course. She was fascinated by the balloon guy. I was excited to find the most amazing nectarines. Emily had so much fun being pampered.

So You Think You Can Dance

So was anyone else bummed when Will got voted off the show? I totally thought it was obvious who the final 3 guys would be- Will, Twitch, and Joshua. Mark??? Hello, people who voted. You are crazy! (I never vote so technically I shouldn't be mad but I still am!)

Duck Feet

The other day I took Emily swimming. When we were getting her all ready to go into the pool, she saw my swimming fins in the pool bag. She pointed to them and said,"duck feet." I repeated, "duck feet?" and she said, "yea." I thought that was so cute. They sure do look like duck feet.

Bike Rides

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a beach cruiser and a toddler seat to take Emily on bike rides. She loves going on the bike. She gets to wear her "pink hat" and loves to sing songs while riding. I don't love my "hat" as much as she does- but I'm trying to be safe.
Yesterday, Brian and I (with Emily) rode from our house to Newport, it was a really fun day.

Cleaned Pics Off Cell Phone

So, today while I was a passenger in the car, I was bored and decided to email myself all the photos I had on my cell phone. Enjoy!