Our Field Trip to Tanaka Farms

Today, we went on our first field trip with River Springs Charter School! We went to a local organic farm, Tanaka Farms. We played on hay bales, wound our way through a corn maze, picked fresh vegetables, and chose our own pumpkins. We also stopped by the produce stand and picked up a few discount items before coming back home. I had big plans for pumpkin soup, but Mary has already requested pumpkin bread instead (with lots of chocolate chips, of course)!

These ginormous pumpkins were not among the ones we were permitted to bring home!  So sad!

Mary and Maggie on the hay bales.

We ran into Casey, one of Mary's friends from class.  The girls had a lot of fun exploring the corn maze together and found lots of dinosaur eggs in the process.

The girls each got to pick their own vegetables: 4 onions, 4 carrots, 4 radishes, and 4 beans.

Maggie was excited about this big radish!

Maggie was delighted with the first pumpkin she picked.

This is pumpkin #1 for Mary, which was quickly discarded.

Pumpkin #2, another reject.

And pumpkin #3 is the winner!

The Daily Bomb!

Typically we start our homeschooling day around 8am. And, this is what our apartment looks like by 9am.  One word comes to mind: BOMB!  While the girls were diligently working away, Matthew and Jonathan were also very busy:)  And, honestly, we were having a pretty good day the morning this picture was taken--notice, all the books are still on the bookshelves.  For those of you out there who have been wondering what Matthew and Jonathan do during school hours, this is pretty much it!  Tick, tick, tick, KABOOM!

Happy Birthday Party Day, Maggie!

The day finally came-Maggie's Fourth Birthday Party Day! Almost a week is really a loooong time for a four-year old to wait for a birthday party, we discovered. This morning, Maggie woke me with a smile from ear to ear and asked me to tell her about what was going to happen on her birthday party day!  We celebrated with an intimate party at the swimming pool with a few friends and relatives, balloons, lemonade, and, of course, "wickedly delicious" chocolate cake! (By the way, I don't make cakes very often, but I can now attest that it is crucial to grease AND flour the pans.)

The birthday girl huffing and puffing to blow out the candles!

This is Maggie's friend, Ruthie.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of her clever way of eating a strawberry.  She used her thumb as a strawberry stick and ate it like a popsicle.  So cute!

Matthew enjoyed his strawberries!

Jonathan did, too!

Maggie's friends gave her one of our favorite books, Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevon Henkes.

Maggie is opening her Groovy Girl from Nana and Papa, a cloth doll with accessories!

Groovy Girl, yet to be named, also came with this horse, Midnight Star, who even makes trotting and neighing sounds.  Do you think Maggie likes it???

Culture Shock!

When we moved from Davis to New Orleans four years ago, we experienced tremendous culture shock!  Now, having moved from New Orleans to Irvine, we are experiencing reverse culture shock!

• There are at least five playgrounds within walking distance, probably even more that we haven't discovered yet!
• Even the symbol painted on the street in the bike lane is wearing a bike helmet!
• Today, we filled up the gas tank at Costco.  $3.99  a gallon!  Owie-wowie!
• Amidst the plethora of BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexi crowding the streets, our Odyssey is a clunker!
• Our trusty therapik has been decommissioned as the Mobleys have been bite-free for the two months we have been here.  Hurray for no mosquitoes, no fire ants, and no stinging caterpillars! 
• We are the white family at church, a congregation of Asian Americans mostly of Korean heritage.  
• Not only is the produce at the Farmer's Market delicious, but the prices are better than the grocery stores (once you figure out which vendors to buy from)!
• We are able to leave our windows open every night AND we stay cool during the day even without air conditioning!
• Some consider us to be counter-cultural extremists because (1) we have more than two children and (2) we are a single-income family!

Maggie Makes Four!

Today marks Maggie's fourth birthday! In her mind, she is officially a big girl.  She doesn't need help brushing her teeth or buckling her car seat. I'm betting tomorrow she will even decide that four year olds don't even need help cutting their food! There was a little bit of confusion also.  I was asked several times today whether she was still four.  

We will be officially celebrating her birthday next week with Nana and Papa, swimming, chocolate cake, strawberries and lemonade.  Until then, below are some pictures of the actual birthday (stay tuned for some party pictures)!

We gave Maggie an ESV Bible for her birthday.

The siblings gave Maggie these cute flower decorations (one for each year of her life).  Okay, truth be told, I made them using tissue paper and pipe cleaners.  I really didn't think that Matthew and Jonathan were up for the task!

While Mary was attending her Passport to the World class, I took Maggie and the boys to Barnes and Noble to get a free birthday treat courtesy of the B&N Kids' Club.  My kids really take after me: Maggie chose a triple chocolate cookie.  It was a really big cookie for a little girl, but she managed to eat it all (after sharing a bite with each of her brothers).  By the way, that is Jonathan trying to snatch a bite!

A Birthday Tea Party

On Saturday, Mary made a quick change out of her Blue Dolphin uniform into a fancy dress for a birthday tea party for her friend, Clara. Clara requested each invitee to bring a favorite doll along, so Silly Sally came as well. Mary had so much fun at the party. And, really, who wouldn't? Sweets, lemonade, a pinata, a fun craft, cupcakes and friends!

Mary and Sally are ready for the party.

The girls are enjoying cookies, brownies and rice krispie treats (and a splash of lemonade to wash it down)!

The girls made pom-poms/flowers.  Mary has plans to use hers to cheer on the Blue Dolphins.

All the girls eagerly lined up for the pinata.  The birthday girl, Clara, got the first crack!

Everyone is intent on gathering candy, lots of tootsie rolls!

The girls even decorated their own cupcakes.  It looks like Mary needs some cupcake to go with her candy:)

Fall Soccer

Blue Dolphin #6, Mary.

Today was Mary's very first soccer game in California!  Soccer in Irvine is lots of FUN for the kids and the parents.  At the very first practice, the girls received their blue uniforms and voted on their team name.  Despite Mary's nomination of the Saints, the team voted to call themselves the Blue Dolphins.  This is Coach Jeff's first season coaching, but he certainly does a wonderful job with these girls.  He has something positive to say to each girl at each practice!

Soccer in Irvine is incredibly organized.  We have a Team Mom, Hannah.  Not only did she organize snacks for each game well before the first game as well as a gift for the coach to be presented at the end of the season, but she also made beautiful matching hair bows for each girl.  The Blue Dolphins were certainly one well-outfitted team! The coach's wife made a team banner to display at all of the games and even brought a canopy to shade the players and parents! 

I was pretty occupied during the game keeping two little
ones off the field, but I was able to capture one action photo!

I was a little concerned about playtime when I heard that soccer in Irvine is really competitive.  But, Coach Jeff ensured that each player got equal playtime.  There are eight players on the team and six players on the field at a time, so each player played three quarters and rested one.  (This was also planned out ahead of time.)  Each player also played a different position each quarter: forward, midfield and back (also planned out ahead of time).

Amy and Mary.  Amy is from Korea here on
vacation for two months.  She LOVES soccer!

All of the games are played on Saturday mornings at a local elementary school.  The location is great because there is a humungous playground right next to the fields, perfect for siblings who are too young to play soccer!  All the girls on Mary's team played their best and each girl scored at least one goal, Mary included!  Go Dolphins, go!

Maggie wore one of Mary's old uniforms.

This is the awesome banner that Coach Jeff's wife, Kim, made for the team!

Jonathan's Box Fetish

Jonathan has a strange fetish for boxes. Sure all kids like to play with boxes, but Jonathan climbs right on in (without assistance)! 

In with the Mega Blocks!

In the toy box!

In the connectors box!

OK, I do realize this is a laundry bucket and not a box.

He looks pretty happy right now, but moments later he got really frustrated that he couldn't fit!

Not pictured are failed attempts at climbing into coffee table drawers, dresser drawers and desk drawers.  This guy certainly keeps us laughing:)

Picture Books: Froggy Goes to the Doctor

I know it has been a really long time since I have posted about any books we have been reading.  Honest, we have still been reading a plethora of books.  We have really been enjoying visiting our local library every week. There is a huge well-organized children's section and really helpful staff.  We have even been able to participate in two summer reading programs since our arrival here.  In spite of the noise that comes with twin boys in a stroller, I think we have won the favor of the librarians since we check out so many books every week:)

One day, Maggie picked a Froggy book off of the shelf and asked if we could borrow it.  She enjoyed it so much that we have been reading more of the Froggy series by Jonathan London.  Until we read Froggy Goes to the Doctor, I thought the books were ok but nothing spectactular.  But, oh my goodness, this one is so incredibly funny!  Funny like we were rolling on the floor laughing and had to take a break to get all the giggles out.  When David came home from work, I asked him to read it also.  The book had the same effect on him!  All I can say about the story is exactly what is revealed by the title: This book is about Froggy going to the doctor for a check-up.  If I say one more more, I fear the hilarity rating will be adversely affected.  This one is worth reading, but you should definitely visit the restroom beforehand!!