Nothing Says Fall...

...like a bouquet of dried corn and a magnum of wine!

Watermelon

Every year I grow watermelon, or at least try. The last two years I have actually been successful in getting fruit. But watermelon is like cabbage: there is really only one good way to consume either. For cabbage, it is a good fish taco. In the case of watermelon, I grow then for the sole intention of throwing back a few watermelon margaritas. Oh boy, do they go down easy!

Cheers!

Miss Matching

Megan may have impressive academic skills, but her fashion skills are certainly lacking!

Hidden Genius

Liam surprised me this week with a bit more knowledge than I gave him credit for. He can successfully identify the letters A, B, D, O and Y. Still I can't help but recall that at this age Megan knew all her letters, upper and lower case, and all the sounds that went with them, too. Also, she was already playing Memory and Sorry with us. Liam still seems to prefer putting his head in a plastic bag over academic pursuits.

Happy Thirty Something

Megan and Liam's first day of school was also my 35th birthday.

I had to work, but I had this huge bouquet waiting for me when I got there (from a great colleague) which made the day more bearable.

When my mom turned 62, she climbed Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental U.S. I think it was her way of proving she was still alive and kicking. In a similar vein, I signed up to do a 100 mile race (102 miles actually!) the week of my birthday. That could be a sign of early senility! But I did it and I surpassed all expectations.

Celebrating 35 with 102 miles.

The first few days after the race I looked more like an 80 year old, hobbling around, but mentally it felt good! In fact, I don't feel anywhere near my age. Now if only I didn't have these new wrinkles so I wouldn't have to look my age either!

First Day of School

The day after we got back, Megan and Liam had their first day of school. (They were a week behind because we were some of those horrible parents that hold their kids out to go to Disneyland!). Megan is in kindergarten (but will likely repeat in public school next year due to her age) and Liam is going two mornings a week...which means two kid free mornings a week for Mac (cue the angel choir to emphasize the heavenly nature of this milestone!)

Ready for school! I think my words were something like,"Can you please make sure Megan doesn't look trashy for her first day of school next year?" This seems to be coming tradition. This may be one area where the stay at home Dad routine may not quite measure up to the stay at home aspiring Martha Stewarts. Fortunately, her friends didn't seem to mind.

Grandpa S

On the way home from San Diego we stopped to lunch with Grandpa Siechert. He had fruit snacks and a bowl of candy, which instantly made him a popular guy with the kids. But Liam wondered,"How come Grandpa doesn't have any toys?"

The rest of our So Cal trip was hanging out with family including two trips to see Great Grandma Smith and the relatives from Iowa, lots of swimming, and visiting some of the local parks. But after ten days we were ready to head home.