Malekahana Camping

We organized a 3 night camping trip in the beginning of October when schools had a week break. Three nights in a tent.....
We weren't sure how that would turn out with the kids, but they absolutely loved every minute of it! Including the...chickens that woke us up bright and early every day, the pouring rain we got the first night and into most of the next morning, the glowsticks and smores every night by the fire, spending days playing at the beach, adults being outnumbered by kids, the kids playing in the tents like they were bounce-houses (dirty feet and all), ALL of the delicious food we ate, and most of all creating memories with our boys and friends! 
 (I packed everything but the kitchen sink AND my camera!  All the pictures I took came from my phone :(

Mark set up an obstacle course for the kids the first morning (after it poured rain for about 3 hours!)

Easy entertainment :)

Luckily, we had a good pool of toys to share....twister games, plastic swords, kayaks, paddle boards, etc..You name it, we had it covered! (toys for all ages!)

Brian kept the kids entertained one morning by building this chicken trap. There was a string tied to the stick and they all sat back and waited.  They actually CAUGHT a chicken, but it escaped right away.

Watching and waiting...

Another view of the kids waiting to catch a chicken. I think the big kid in the chair was having the most fun!

Keeping entertained with some coloring after a busy day playing at the beach.

I'd have to say we all had our doubts if attempting to camp (in a tent) for 3 nights would be disastrous with so many little ones, but the kids had so much fun- and so did the adults!

The Pumpkin Patch

 We've made a trip to the pumpkin patch a hot and dusty fall adventure for the past 5 years now and I would have to say that each year it gets better and better. This year was the best by far- they had carnival rides, hay rides, pumpkins, corn picking, green bean picking, bands, and food booths.  It is the closest to fall we are getting here in October, so although it is about 87 degrees out when we go, it is still fun :)

Let me just punch this inflatable pumpkin instead of smile for a picture like mom asked.

Part of the gang.. the other half was hanging out under the shade tents after finding their pumpkins.

After the pumpkin patch, we spent a few hours at the Kroc Center cooling off in the pools.  Although Gavin isn't tall enough to ride their water slides, the lifeguard let him ride with Mark.  He LOVED it :)

Sabers Wrestling Club 2013 Fall Season

Gavin went through another freestyle season with his wrestling club (August -November).  The club is really evolving into quite the organized group!  They have uniforms, some awesome coaches, and are forming some great friendships together.  A couple of weeks ago, most of the team entered the Saber's Tournament at Campbell H.S. to give the kids experience with actual matches. They ended up wrestling mostly each other because they were the biggest team in their age division. Although Gavin didn't win any of his matches, he did gain experience in a safe environment. We don't push him to enter any tournaments since he is so young - we really want him to enjoy the sport and form bonds with his team. We feel that competition can come later - when he is developmentally ready.

The kids on the team that wrestled in the tournament (about half of the team)

Waiting patiently mat side

A little nervous perhaps?

The team photo for the 2013 Freestyle Season

Messy Monsters Art Class

We enrolled Gavin and Dylan in art classes at the Kroc Center this fall. Gavin's meets every week for one hour (without parents) and Dylan's meets once a month (with parents). Both boys really enjoy their class and love their teacher, Ms. Alyssa (Dylan calls her Aunty Alyssa).

Gavin's first project - they learned about the elements of shape and he created this bird with different shapes.

Dylan created a Trick-or-Treat bag in his class

We also made slime in Dylan's class

This was the smile I got :) Fits the name of his class well..."Messy Monster" - notice the sassy hand on the hips and the tatoo on his arm!

Gavin joined Dylan's class this past week and Ms. Alyssa let him participate in the craft as well. (notice his turkey has a 3rd eye)

Dylan's turkey :)  He was able to name all his colors in the feathers and match the glitter, buttons, and feathers to the right color.

Attempted photo - Me: hold your turkeys so I can take your picture.

2nd attempt - Me: Don't hold the turkey in front of your face.  Ahh....life with boys...photos seem to be a chore to them :)